Sunday, October 6, 2019
Part 1: Come and See
Pastor Troy Brewer, OpenDoor Church, Burleson, TX
Last week, we celebrated our 24th anniversary and we made a big deal out of some amazing things God has done with us.
That’s the principle of rejoicing
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
Philipians 4:4
Our God is AMAZING!!!
Our God is WONDERFUL!!!
Our God is RIGHTEOUS!!!
Our God is POWERFUL!!!
Psalm 145:6-8
Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts, And I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness. The LORD is gracious and merciful.
Last week, we announced that we had rescued 1,765 girls out of sex trafficking. Then this week, we got all the totals for September from our teams throughout the world and we’ve bumped it up to
1,824 liberated and redeemed out of sex trafficking
80 mission trips in 5 years to 23 different nations
Almost 8,000 salvations
We’ve given away almost 25 million pounds of food to nearly 500,000 people
I live in a small Texas town with 2,444 people in it and I don’t even know what half of a million people look like. I do know what the church that does such things looks like:
A beautifully flawed group of men and women of all ages, all races and economic backgrounds coming from all different denominations and expressions of worship.
80 mission trips in 5 years to 23 different nations
almost 8000 salvations
we’ve given away almost 25 million pounds of food to almost 500,000 people
I live in a small Texas town with 2444 people in it and I don’t even know what a half million people look like but I know what the church looks like that does such a thing.
If the church doesn’t work, none of the rest of it works.
Over the next weeks, I’m going to be preaching a sermon series on how this – the Church – is supposed to work, what we can do to be a powerful force on the planet, and what in the wide wide world of sports the church can be to the Kingdom.
As far as biblical models for the proper way to do church, there is very little in scripture.
A far as the biblical model on how to be the church, there is plenty in the Word.
PROVOKE AND INSPIRE EACH OTHER. DO AMAZING THINGS AND BE AMAZING PEOPLE.
Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works…
RESPECT AND REGARD THE PRESENCE OF JESUS AMONG US
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
BE ALL ABOUT WORSHIP AND THE WORD OF GOD
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
PRIORITIZE GOD IN GATHERING WITH YOUR TRIBE
Hebrews 10:25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some; but exhorting and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
GUARD AGAINST DISRUPTION AND CONFUSION
1 Corinthians 14:26 & 33
How is it then, brethren, when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation? Let all things be done unto edifying.
DON’T DISHONOR POOR PEOPLE AND SHOW FAVORITISM TO RICH PEOPLE
James 2
As far as the model of when to gather, how long a service should be, how to teach the Bible, when to do music and worship, and so on, there is not a biblical model for the functional operations of the church.
The word “church” is in the Bible 77 times.
With plural and possessive forms, 111 times
Yet the Bible doesn’t tell us how to do church. Same as it doesn’t tell us what Jesus looked like. The description is not physical, it’s a spiritual and heart thing. We know what His nature and character looked like – goodness.
They did church different. The model changed from church to church, from location to location, from decade to decade.
In Acts 2, Peter preaches for less than 5 minutes under the power and the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost and 5,000 people got saved.
In Acts 20, Paul teaches so long a guy falls to sleep, falls out the window and dies…
“Come and see” or “Go and tell”
If, like the disciples, who came to the tomb on that first Easter morning, we also “come and see” that Christ has truly risen from the dead, it will change our outlook on everything in life. If the resurrection changes your outlook, you will be compelled to “go and tell” others.
A lot of us do the either/or and we need to keep that from happening here.
It’s kinda like your belly button. Are you an “innie” or an “outie?”
WHEN IT COMES TO “COME AND SEE,” we have to create a model where people can actually come and see. We have changed that model through the years and we will continue to change it as the Lord gives us fresh revelation and insight as to the new wine He pouring out.
Mark 22:2 nobody pours new wine into old wineskins
The wine skin is the structure – the way you do things – the emphasis of vision and calling, the method of teaching the word, the governing structures and the way you bring and demonstrate the heart of Jesus.
If you care about reaching people, if you care about salvation, if transformed lives and people getting saved mean anything to you, you will change the wineskin for the current vineyard.
There’s authentic wine and fake wine. There’s no doubt of that, but a vineyard that yields fruit from year to year is a different vintage. It’s a different batch with a different flavor from season to season.
If it is not, it is fake.
The fishing tactics change from season to season.
COME AND SEE
We Proclaim Him: Weekend Services
Ephesians 3:10
“His intent was that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known…”
Weekend Services:
There are four things you can expect to happen every time you attend a weekend service. I call these the “Four at OpenDoor.”
Celebration
Psalm 122:1
“I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord.”
John 4:23-24
“… the Father seeks worshippers… and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
Environment, atmosphere and culture.
The prince of the power of the air.
Inspiration
“But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in… he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’”
1 Corinthians 14:24-25
SIGNS MIRACLES AND WONDERS (THE PRAYER TEN WITH THE ELDERS )
prophetic
manifest presence
Preparation
Ephesians 4:11-12
“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
Salvation
Romans 10:13-14
“Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. But who can ask them to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells Him?”
Next Sunday, I’m going to be talking about the heart of the Father in the house and the “Go and tell” part of the Heart for this house.
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