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Being the church vs. GOING TO CHURCH

Salt Shaker Ministry: Week #1. Being the church vs. GOING TO CHURCH. Being the CHURCH vs. Going to CHURCH. The comfort and security of the Christian Cul-de-sac ;. Being the CHURCH vs. Going to CHURCH. The comfort and security of the Christian Cul-de-sac ;

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Being the church vs. GOING TO CHURCH

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  1. Salt Shaker Ministry: Week #1 Being the church vs. GOING TO CHURCH

  2. Being theCHURCHvs. Going toCHURCH • The comfort and security of the Christian Cul-de-sac;

  3. Being theCHURCHvs. Going toCHURCH • The comfort and security of the Christian Cul-de-sac; • The church needs a course correction: • Attractional Church; • Incarnational Church.

  4. Being theCHURCHvs. Going toCHURCH • The comfort and security of the Christian Cul-de-sac; • The church needs a course correction: • Attractional Church; • Incarnational Church. • Pastor Bob…“I want a DO OVER!”

  5. Pastor bob…“I want a do over!” • “Formuch of my ministry career, I have been a workaholic and a churchaholic. My life has been woefully out of balance. I only really knew the neighbors on either side and right across the street from me because there was little margin in my life to socialize, much less to be a possible witness for my Lord. In coming to The Villages and to Live Oaks Church, I have sensed God telling me that it’s time for a do-over. Our Lord is the God of second chances. He gives us opportunities to learn from past mistakes and to try again, trusting Him to help us do better. At The Villages, through golf groups and weekly driveway gatherings, I’ve had the opportunity to meet and get to know the majority of the neighbors in my neighborhood of 87 homes. I have done prayer walks and have had open doors to pray for and with neighbors facing significant health issues. There have been fledgling spiritual conversations with a few and chances to plant seeds of the Gospel. My vision is to be both a Gospel gardener and God’s chaplain to my neighbors. God has given me an overflowing love for my neighbors as I pray for God to draw them one-by-one to Himself. I am eager to see how He continues to work in the hearts of these precious people.”

  6. Being theCHURCHvs. Going toCHURCH • The comfort and security of the Christian Cul-de-sac; • The church needs a course correction: • Attractional Church; • Incarnational Church. • Pastor Bob…“I want a DO OVER!”; • It is really a sin NOT to know your neighbors. Why ??

  7. Goals of salt shaker ministry • INTENTIONAL lifestyle evangelism; • AUTHENTIC relationships with neighbors, friends and relatives; • A Harvest of Souls for the Kingdom of God; • Spiritual Growth for ALL. I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. ~ John 4:35

  8. Biblical foundation You are the SALT of the earth…You are the LIGHT of the world…let your light shine (“and salt shake out”) before others, so that they (neighbors and friends) may see your good deeds and GLORIFYyour Father in Heaven. ~ Matthew 5:13-14, 16

  9. We must interact with THE world • Salt must interact with the World,to be effective; • Found THE LIGHT in Jesus; • SHINE the LIGHT through our daily lives.

  10. NOT AN EVANGELISTIC PROGRAM • Salt Shaker is NOT an evangelistic program – it is a LIFESTYLE: The Villages: “Loving the Lifestyle” vs. Live Oaks: “Leveraging the Lifestyle… Having FUN with a PURPOSE.”

  11. One tool in our toolbox - prayer • We can’t save anyone – work of the Holy Spirit; • PRAYER is the KEY to success; • Prayer often takes TIME to see results. OUR PART IN THE PROCESS Be AVAILABLE (for God to use) Be INTENTIONAL (in our daily life) Be EXPECTANT (that God will work through us)

  12. WE ARE SURROUNDED BY CHOICES • We are surrounded by choices of activities everyday; • Being INTENTIONAL means having fun with a purpose; • Not just having faith…living your faith daily WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED; • God has placed you strategically where you live (and have lived during your life).

  13. EACH NEW DAY GOD CAN USE US • Mordecai to Esther, “Who knows that you have come FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS.” ~ Esther 4:14 • Steven Barr, “You were BORN for this.” ~ Ephesians 2:10 GOD USES US TO IMPACT HIS KINGDOM: • In our neighborhood; • With our family and loved ones; • On the golf course, pickleball court, softball field, social club, dog park, etc.

  14. THERE IS A DANGER IN DRIVE-BY COMPASSION People in our area do not have a great deal of financial needs…but they have physical, emotional, and most importantly, SPIRITUAL NEEDS. The key again is PRAYER: Who needs help, Lord? • The Parable of the Good Samaritan ~ Luke 10:25-31 • Lawyer asked, “Who IS my neighbor?” (passive voice) • Two preachers passed by on the other side; • Lowly Samaritan stopped to help the victim; • Jesus asked: “Which one of the three WAS his neighbor?” (active voice)

  15. Salt shaker prayer Keep this bookmark in your Bible and remember to pray everyday.

  16. Salt Shaker Ministry: Week #2 The goal of authentic relationships

  17. Week one review • Being the Church vs. Going to Church; • Course Correction for the American church; • Be…Available, Intentional, Expectant; • Loving the Lifestyle vs. Leveraging the Lifestyle; • Jesus Challenge: Be…SALT and LIGHT ~ Matthew 5:13-14, 16

  18. Week one review • Bloom where GOD planted YOU; • Having FUN with a PURPOSE; • Authentic Relationships / Authentic Compassion; • One Tool in the Toolbox; • Salt Shaker PRAYER.

  19. Have you ever played with lego’s? • Goal is to build things by connecting the pieces; • CONNECT with other people (authentically); • Prayer is important in identifying potential LEGO friends. • LEGO towers of connection… multi-layer connections How well do your know your neighbors? Let’s do a little exercise.

  20. Heavenly connections • Capacity is crucial; • Finite number of connection points (allow Holy Spirit to connect); • You will have lots of friends, but fewer connections (depth);

  21. The power of common interests • Neighborhood; • Region of Country (can be multiple places in our world today); • Hobbies, sports, activities. What are the CONNECTION POINTS in The Villages or your community? Let’s make a list.

  22. Biblical foundation

  23. SEASON LIGHT AND SALT WITH GRACE • Salt and Light work best when seasoned with GRACE; • Colossians 4:4-6 is a primer on healthy relationships: • Pray persistently (vs. 4); • Act wisely (vs. 5); • Talk gracefully (vs. 6).

  24. People who are lost don’t act saved • Don’t expect them to! (God has a lot of work to do yet); • Let them BE who they ARE! And be who YOU are (with grace); • Love them like they are (let God do the changing); • Pray for them, and with them – when you can.

  25. Friends are not projects • Authentic friendship vs. my assignment from God; • Remember…you have common interests; • Pray for their salvation, BUT…leave the conversion to God; • Tell your story! Look for natural opportunities.

  26. Friends for life Be joyfulin hope, patient in affliction, faithfulin prayer. ~ Romans 12:12 • What if my friend wants nothing to do with God or the church? • Hard answer – Love them anyway; • Perhaps God has placed you where you need to be so that your relationship with them, allows you to impact the lives of others; • DEATH BED conversions DO OCCUR sometimes.

  27. DISCUSSION What thoughts would you like to share regarding our mission?

  28. Salt Shaker Ministry: Week #3 CreatingON RAMPS to the Highway to Heaven

  29. Week two review • Jesus’ challenge to Believers: BESalt and Light ~ Sermon on the Mount • Pastor Bob’s DO OVER; • Goals: Intentional Lifestyle and Authentic Relationships; • Loving the Lifestyle vs. Leveraging the Lifestyle = Having FUN with a PURPOSE; • One tool in the toolbox = PRAYER • Our part = BEAvailable, BE Intentional, BE Expectant.

  30. Week two review • Bloom WHERE you are PLANTED! • LEGO’s are fun! • Power of common interests… lots of friends, fewer connections; • SALT + LIGHT, Plus GRACE~ Colossians 4:4-6 • Friends, not Projects; • Look for natural opportunities to tell your story.

  31. CreatingON RAMPS to the Highway to Heaven

  32. CreatingON RAMPS to the Highway to Heaven Where is the ON RAMP?

  33. CreatingON RAMPS to the Highway to Heaven Highway to Heaven

  34. MOVING Out of the Christian cul-de-sac • Going into the world: • In the past we expected non-believers to come to us (the church); • Jesus’ model in scripture is to GO TO THEM (the people). Therefore, GO and MAKE DICIPLES of all nations… ~ Matthew 28:18

  35. The comfort and safety of the cul-de-sac • Loving the Holy Huddle: • People act and think like us; • Easier to act and think like a Christian.

  36. EARLY CHURCH IN JERUSALEM • “Everyday they continued to meet together IN THE TEMPLE COURTS. They broke bread together and ate together with glad and sincere hearts” ~ Acts 2:46 • “One day Peter and John were GOING DOWN TO THE TEMPLE at the time of prayer.” ~ Acts 3:1

  37. Jesus’ mission assignment • “But the Pharisee’s and the teachers of the law complained, “why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? Jesus answered them, “it is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” ~ Luke 5:30-32 What is OUR mission assignment?

  38. Jesus’ invitation to seekers was come and see • Key to come and see today is ON RAMPS: • Church opportunities for ON RAMPS and then…; • Personal opportunities for ON RAMPS; • Allows seeking with little risk and at the seeker’s own pace. • God reveals the best ON RAMPS through prayer…ON RAMPS that lead to Eternal Life (Highway to Heaven). Let’s identify potential ON RAMPS at Live Oaks. How about personal ON RAMPS you can provide?

  39. Welcome to god match.com • Moving from an evangelistic outreach to a MOVEMENT of God; • “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders (non-believers). Make the most of every opportunity.” ~ Colossians 4:5 • Complexity of timing (sharing not shoving).

  40. Crisis of credibility • People want to know you care before they allow you to share; • Power of grace in a relationship; • “Fess-up when you mess-up.” Let’s do an exercise in “telling your story.”

  41. Telling your story • Everyone has a story of their relationship with Jesus; • Damascus Road or Emmaus Road? • No story…no faith? (Religion is NOT Relationship) • Elevator Speech = told in simple manner in short period of time. • Easy Outline • My life before Jesus; • The point I grasped what Jesus did for me on Calvary; • My life since accepting the “finished work” of Jesus.

  42. Isaiah 61:3 says “They will be called Oaks of Righteousness, A planting of the Lordfor the display of Hissplendor.”

  43. What does a planting of the lord look like? • A Salt Shaker adding beautiful flavor to life! • A LEGO connecting two people in a Good Match! • A Light reflecting THE LIGHT of the World! • An Oak standing firm in all of life’s circumstances! • A DISPLAY OF GOD’S SPLENDOR in your mission field/community.

  44. What is the desired results for us? • Hearing seven wonderful words: • “Welldone, my good • and faithfulservant.”

  45. In conclusion Which tree do you want to reflect your life? Or

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