Love God, Equip Believers, Answer God's Call, Declare the Good News
He started with the "Love God", which is the first priority for that is the greatest commandment. We love God by putting Him first, reverencing Him, personally responding through pursuing, trusting, and obeying, and being motivated by our devotion to Him. We grow in our love by Knowing, Walking, and Working with God. And, our love for Him is evidenced in our lives through transformation, worship, service, and love for others.
For "Equip Believers", we heard from both the Assistant Pastor (Sat night service) and our main Pastor (Sunday morning service) that the "key to spiritual survival in life is to be properly equipped" - who has "packed our parachute"? God has given us three basic equipping tools: 1) The Bible, 2) Prayer, and 3) Trials (The assistant pastor said the word for "perseverance" in James 1:2-4 actually means "hunker down"; which means to stick with it - one great quote from the sermon was along the lines that we often expend our energies trying to get out of a trial when we should be looking for opportunities to be used by God through the trial). When we are equipped, from Ephesians 4:14, we can see that we will grow, have stability, be discerning, and have a defense.
To "Answer God's Call", we are to 1) seize opportunities to serve, 2) serve in a ministry God tailor-made for us using our gifts (we are his workmanship or "poema" - work or art, song, or poem), 3) serve with humility, and 4) be motivated by love. We are not saved BY works; but, we are saved TO work. Greatness, as described by Jesus, is to be a servant and to serve.
The personal profile of the Christian who "Declares the Good News" is one who has 1) FAITH (calm assurance that God is in charge and in control of the outcome), 2) HOPE (a forward look that sees God bringing things to a beautiful ending), and 3) LOVE (pure motivation for witness). Matthew 28:18-20 is our great commission to "go and make disciples".
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