THIS IS US - WEEK 4 - HOW IT HAPPENS

Matthew 28:19-20 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

“Make disciples” … When you look at what a church is supposed to be about, people can talk about a lot of things: preference in music style, service time, buildings, order of service, etc. Ultimately everything we do hinges on making disciples. On this side of eternity, it’s all about DISCIPLESHIP.

As we talk about the Church: This Is Us, we have opened our understanding to the concept of fellowship – fellowship WITH GOD, and fellowship WITH ONE ANOTHER. Both of these directions of fellowship help deepen our spiritual lives.

When we have fellowship – authenticity – with God, we come clean with him in regard to our sinfulness; we confess our need to be made right with him; we keep in step with the HS as he leads us in this divine dance… and we experience the power of God to change our lives so that we reflect the image of Jesus…

When we have fellowship – again, authenticity – with fellow believers, we allow the power of God’s church to come alongside us to provide encouragement and loving correction for the struggles we face. We all have sins – and far too many believers try to hide that fact; and in doing so they never truly find the freedom that Jesus came to bring to his people…

Now, though the church structure has shifted throughout the ages, one thing has remained constant. It was essential to the life of the Early Church in the days after Jesus ascended back to Heaven. It sustained the church during times of intense persecution and gave them strength to go the extra mile in serving the outcasts of this world: the diseased, the forgotten, the oppressed, the impoverished. And even today, I think it’s so foolish to try to live out your faith without that structure that has been so vital throughout the ages of Christianity.

To see what that structure was and still is, we have a great resource in the Book of Acts from the New Testament. The Book of Acts is actually entitled “the Book of the Acts of the Apostles,” you know - what apostles did back in the first century as they were living out the Great Commission. So if we want to get a picture of how authenticity is played out most effectively in the body of Christ (the Church), there are a few passages to look at from the Book of Acts.