Session 1:  I Will: 9 Traits of the Outwardly Focused Christian

Introduction

Here’s the church and here’s the steeple….
…open the door to see all the people!

“Here is the church…here is the steeple…open the door and see all the people!”  That little hand gesture describes WHAT WE DO in the church, viz. what we do, we do TOGETHER and this study, entitled “I Will,” is going to help us remember HOW to go about doing church together!

…open the door and WHERE are all the people?

But too, the other way to do the hand gesture is also important: “Here is the church…here is the steeple…open the door and where are the people?” This way describes WHY WE DO what we do in the life of the church! We live our lives together so that we can go out of the church building and engage our neighbors with Jesus’ good news!

“CHURCH” – what are we talking about?   How might you define “church” in just one sentence:

Now, there is PLENTY that can be WRONG with the church:   From the home office in Nashville, Tennessee this is the Top Nine list of reasons why churches drive away first time guests:

  1. Unfriendly members – faking it.
  2. Unsafe/unclean children’s areas
  3. No place to get info
  4. Bad website
  5. Poor signage
  6. Insider language
  7. Boring service
  8. Members telling guests they are in their seat
  9. Dirty facilities

Yes. There’s plenty that can be wrong with the church. There is no church that is perfect.  Every church is made up of humans.

BUT, in this study we are going to focus on what is RIGHT with the church AND how to make it right if it’s not right– it depends on each of us!! 

What’s right?  Jesus calls us to himself for his purpose and shows us how to be the church!    “Ekklesia” — is the New Testament word “church” and it means “called from within the world, self ” and “called to follow Jesus, the selfless one”    We exist for others (for our brothers and sisters in the church AND for those on the outside).

So, how can we become the church Jesus intends for us to be?

It starts with ATTITUDE and that attitude leads to ACTION!

How do you think right Attitude results in right action?   Read Phil 2:1-11

 

4 Biblical Examples of Right Attitude!

  1. I am a UNIFYING church member: Ephesians 4:1-3
  2. I am a SACRIFICING church members:    Phil 2:5-8
  3. I am a PRAYERFUL church member:  Col. 1:9-10
  4. I am a JOYFUL church member:  Phil 4:4-7

ATTITUDE determines WHO you are!

Then, we can move to what we do – action – “I Will”!  Our study will, therefore, help us to build a model of churchpersonship that will make the Lord’s difference in the way we do church together.

 

ACTION 1 — the First Piece in Our Churchpersonship:  I Will Worship with Others!    

Define “true worship”:

Worship is:

Read Acts 2:41-47:  Why was the level of commitment so high for this church?

Here’s a small group giving a “thumbs up” to the commitment to “I Will!”