Sermon Outline:
A New Year: A New Balanced YOU! The Triangle: Balancing our Life Relationships
Power Walking:Micah 6: 8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Luke 6: 12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 17 He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, 19 and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. 20 Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
- UP means to __walk__ humbly with our God.
Abiding:
Walking:
“Not asking God to __bless___ what we are doing but go where God is __blessing__
- IN means to __love______ mercy Goes with UP: Covenant with God: Lev 26: 12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people.
Group of _3_ : Peter, James & _James_ In is about __relationships___
What did the 9 & 72 think? We are “in Christ” Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Social Beings: Facebook and Twitter +++ Huddles, Small Groups, Clusters, Gatherings
John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Relationship is about love, encouragement, living life together. LCMS is a _Synod___ which means “walking together.” We also want to see the Acts 2:42 Church as an example: 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
- OUT means to _act__justly Goes with UP & IN ….. Church in ANTIOCH
Balloon: You __receive_from God, You _share_together what God has given & and You _give_ to others what you have…..
Matthew 9:35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
The Lord desires that the Relationship we have with HIM and then with His Family, His Body the Church would be shared with the Community around us.
Fishers of men: this is the example Jesus gave…. Why is it so complicated?
Two-Dimensional Churches: (Examples of ways we can be unbalanced)
- Up and Inners – lots of praise and worship, study of the Bible, and do a good job of building community; but people can come and go anonymously, and in the larger crowd people can attend without making commitments.
- Up and Outers – committed to the Upward and high regard for the Bible and prayer, also concerned with reaching outside of the walls of the church, lots of outreach, strong support of missions; but the Inward is lacking, small group ministry is more duty than desire, “we” is not as important as “they.”
- In and Outers – perhaps in older mainline denominations stressing incarnational ministry, with a heart for the cities, caring for the hurting and lost; prayer is more by rote rather than due to passion or personal petition, Scripture reading is part of the service format but not expounded.
Why do Christians Struggle? Balancing our Relationships:
A culture of disconnection – fractured families, disenfranchised friends, independent individuals, reality TV that allows people to experience living together by proxy.
Jesus was not worried about being fair – many pastors keep their distance from their people so as to not play favorites. Jesus had three very close friends, the inner circle. What did the other nine think of this? Apparently Jesus did not care what they thought! What did the 72 think about the 12? He did not try to be fair.
Balancing outreach: getting out of our comfort zones, finding that uncomfortable balance.
We are to live out of purpose – how can we find our personal mission in life? Practice will get you into this rhythm of walking, and walking with God is the definition of a disciple. So how will we be __balanced__ in our relationship in Church Year 2011.
Challenges and Opportunities:
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