Connect – The Church, Jesus and His Family

24_07_27 -Ep.322 - Run With Horses Podcast - Connect – The Church, Jesus and His Family Podcast: rwh.podbean.com Website: www.runwithhorses.net Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rwhpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RWHpodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rwh_podcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/RWH_podcast (28:00) Last week we focused on why must we ENGAGE with our community if we truly are the church. This week we consider how important it is that we are connected together as one body united. Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a follower of Jesus. The spiritual life is both incredibly simple and potentially the most difficult part of your life. God invites you to live intentionally and on His mission. It’s very cool that we can do that together! Thank you for joining me today! If you are new to the show, you may want to check out our website, runwithhorses.net, and listen to some of the past shows to catch up. I have spent several shows focusing on a simple definition of the church and the current discussion we are having about a discipleship pathway is best understood in the context of the church. If you have been enjoying the show, I would appreciate it if you would leave a review wherever you are listening! And as always, your questions, comments and feedback are welcome. Write me at norman@runwithhorses.net. And now, on with the show... (27:00) ******* (27:00) HABITS - Bible Reading There are many habits that will help you on the road toward Christ-likeness but the habit of reading the Bible is one of the absolute most important ones you must constantly build into your life. Why? How else can you know what it means to be like Jesus? The NT is key to growing in your understanding of the life of Jesus. As you see how He lived, talked and related to people, it should greatly influence how you live. Your goal is to have the same attitude and intentions that He has toward God the Father and other people. How do you do it? First, there is no wrong way to begin. If you don’t have a bible reading habit now, start one. Start simple, keep it short, but begin to build the habit of consistently reading God’s Word. A common complaint is that the Bible is hard to understand, and that is true if you haven’t grown up in the church or spent much time in the Bible. The Bible is a book that takes some time to really grasp. It covers thousands of years and every part of life through history, poetry, letters and straight teaching. But if you apply some effort you will get it and it is worth it! Start by getting a reading plan or making one yourself. Stick to the NT until you have read it through twice. If you need a simple plan, start with Mark, then read Acts and continue through the NT. Start easy and read a chapter a day or a few verses a day with the goal of building up to a chapter. Have a pen and notebook handy and write down the key ideas of the chapter. Put it in your own words and think about what you need to do in response. If you don’t understand something, write down your questions, but maintain the habit of reading every day. It will reward you in time as you begin to see the big picture. (23:00) ****** (23:00) Time for a quick review: What is as DISCIPLESHIP PATHWAY? Simply put, an intentional plan to help followers of Jesus grow toward Christ-likeness. That word intentional is key. MY WORKING DEFINITION OF CHURCH A CHURCH is a group of followers of Jesus who worship Him in spirit and truth, humbly offering their lives as living sacrifices, together living out the MISSION of Jesus as His witnesses TO THE WORLD, by sharing the gospel and making disciples through teaching obedience to His commands as they edify and EQUIP OTHERS to join them on HIS MISSION. The discipleship pathway is an intentional plan to equip others to be on the mission of Jesus. Don’t forget the goals of the pathway. Clear goals are important. What are the goals of a discipleship pathway? a. self-feeding Christians b. everyday missionaries – everyone on the mission of Jesus c. disciple-makers d. pastors e. new churches f. all members of the church, shepherded well We are focusing on the SECOND step in the Pathway; ENGAGE, CONNECT, EQUIP, RELEASE As someone grows in their understanding of who Jesus is and begins to follow Him, they need to develop a solid connection to Him that allows them to abide in Him. It’s important to really know Him. John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments. How do we come to know and love Jesus? In His Word and in His people, the church. We need a strong connection to Jesus. We need a strong connection to His church. The Second Step of the Discipleship Pathway focuses on helping us make those strong connections to Jesus and His church. This is the TOGETHER in our definition of the church. The CONNECT step includes Foundations of the Christian Life that help us grow in our relationship with Jesus and His church. a. prayer – building the habit of talking to God - praying for His church, His people - learning to pray for His mission b. Bible A. reading the Bible B. studying the Bible C. memorizing the Bible D. meditating on the Bible E. Learning to live out His commands c. community – the church is really important to Jesus. It has to be important to us! A. fellowship B. service – serving one anther and the community, together C. mutual edification D. the one and others of the New Testament E. Joining the church on the mission of Jesus, more on this later d. disciple-making foundations – part of knowing and obeying His commands A. be intentional B. be relational C. expect reproduction e. simple journaling – thinking deeply about His Word and how you should respond to Him (00:00) END PART 1 ******** (27:00) BEGIN PART 2 In all of these the goal is knowing and loving Jesus more and developing a deeper connection with Him and His church as we carry out his mission in the world. We begin to connect to His mission from the moment we accept Jesus as Savior. A new believer is an example of the reconciliation that God is working in the world. God has a clear purpose for our lives and the fact is that His mission is central to His purpose for each of us. How do you learn about His mission? In His Word and as we grow in our relationship with His church. We carry out His mission with His church, as His church! Personal Evaluation and Spiritual Development This is seeing God at work, preparing me for ministry. Everyone has a part in the mission of Jesus. We often talk about it is using the words – ministry and mission. Some view ministry as our service to each other inside the church, and mission our service to those outside the church. I’m not sure I see the division quite like that but clearly we have a responsibility and opportunity to engage with people who are part of our local church and those who are not a part of it. Pauls says we engage with those outside the church as ambassadors for Christ, carrying His message of reconciliation to the world. How do you find out about your part in ministry and how do you know your gifting? A personal evaluation can cover many avenues and provide a starting place although it can’t answer all your questions. Ultimately you will learn how you best serve as you serve. Jump in and volunteer to help and ask for guidance from mature believer in your church. To begin, here are some areas to prayerfully consider as you think though how God has made you and what role you have in his church and mission. a. the DISC profile. Who am I, relationally? - how do I behave in various situations around different kinds of people. You can learn, grow and adjust and get better are relating to everyone. b. spiritual gifts inventory. Who am I, in service? - ask your pastor if there is a spiritual gifts inventory that he uses - remember that this can’t tell you what your gifts are but it can’t give you some direction as you think and pray through it. - many of your gifts will be discovered and build upon as you serve and begin to get involved in Christ’s mission c. hobby, interest, skill set. Who am I, in my current and future ability? - you already know a lot about many different things. From cooking to carpentry, people bring some skills to the table when they come to Christ. - I recommend making a list of everything you know and can do, along with things you already have a desire to learn, and prayerfully give each one to God. d. training. A. Past, what I have now. - education and practical skills B. Future, what I want or need. - as doors open for ministry and service, you may see the need for more training. e. experience. - God uses all you are to make you a fitting tool for helping others A. Work B. Ministry C. Life f. Pursue spiritual growth - be intentional - seek out people who are actively growing to talk with - assume God wants to use you! What all this means is that we need to be intentional about our relationships and seeking out people who will challenge us to live like Jesus. It also means pursuing opportunities to learn about God’s Word. It also means looking for opportunities to join His church on His mission. Next time we want to consider the role that the church has in helping people connect to Jesus and to each other. As always, it takes being intentional and putting our theology into actions! (5:00) ********* (5:00) DOCTRINE July - God – Omnipresent, Holy, Righteous and Just August – Jesus September – Holy Spirit God is Righteous and Just Deut. 32:3-4 For I proclaim the name of the Lord: Ascribe greatness to our God. 4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. Romans 3:21-26 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God always does what is right. He Himself is the standard for what is right. God is always all that He ought to be as God. He is always consistent with His own character. (1:00) How connected are you with the church? How can you help others connect to Jesus and His family? In both cases, the love of God is a driving force that compels us toward Him and others as we join Him on His mission. It can be difficult but there is nothing in life that is as worth the effort as pursuing Jesus and following Him. Thanks for joining me again today! Stop and say a prayer for your church family today! I’d love to hear from you, write me at norman@runwithhorses.net or leave a comment on the Run With Horses Podcast facebook page. Take time today to pause and thank God for His work in your life and keep running. (00:00)