TOPICS
PASTOR MICHAEL IS WILLING TO APPROACH ANY BIBLICAL TOPIC. IF YOU NEED A CUSTOMIZED MESSAGE FOR YOUR GATHERERS, FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT AND HE WILL DO HIS BEST TO ACCOMMODATE YOU. THE FOLLOWING ARE HIS PREPARED MESSAGES RELATING TO THE FRUSTRATION OF SOME BELIEVERS.
LEARN TO LOVE THE CHURCH (AGAIN?)
We’ve been told the church is the people, not the building or the service. But what if it’s the people we’re having a hard time loving? How do we handle the frustration that comes from the politics of church?
Scripture reference: John 2:14-16, Matthew 26:6-16, Mark 11:11-19
Main points:
KNOW: we can’t use our frustration as motivation to change things in the church.
BE: lovers of the church
LIVE: Wait. Pray. Respond under God’s authority.
LEARN TO LOVE CHURCH LEADERS
Be they pastors, ministers, elders, deacons, youth leaders, small group leaders, if we are a part of a gathering we will have to deal with leaders. How can we be members of the church and love the leaders into better leadership?
Scripture references: Titus 3:1-10, 1 Peter 5:1-11
Main points:
KNOW: we can’t frustrate or get so frustrated with our leaders that they are easy prey.
BE: supporters of your shepherds
LIVE: Understand the weight they carry, help carry the burden, refuse to take part in unhealthy division.
LEARN TO LOVE THE “ALREADY”
This message can be tailored to a congregation, but is meant for a smaller speaking engagement with leaders from the church. Those who are Already Believers can be messy, and at any time they can speak to leaders as owners, volunteers, or “customers" (sometimes all three in the same conversation!). How can we love the people we are called to serve? (For congregations, the focus would be answering the question, “How can I love the believer in front of me?”)
Scripture reference: Acts 20:17-38
Main points:
KNOW: what the calling is and that it is worthy of your commitment
BE: leaders in love
LIVE: Learn the role, commit to the role, love the people (anyway).
LEARN TO LOVE GATHERING
Why do we gather? What can we do to approach each gathering with purpose? Whether it is Sunday mornings, small groups, classes, or micro-groups, how we approach gathering with other believers will determine what we get out of it.
Scripture reference: Hebrews 10:19-25, Romans 12:9-18
Main points:
KNOW: that believing means gathering for the right reasons.
BE: the reason people want to gather.
LIVE: Take responsibility, leave the blaming, live the Gospel.
LEARN TO LOVE THE “NOT YET”
In the nineties we geared our gatherings to be seeker-driven. Then we found out our churches tended to be a mile wide but an inch deep. Our course correction has often swung too far toward the church member. How can we be disciple-makers and still love those who are Not Yet Believers that come into our lives?
Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2
Main points:
KNOW: Persuading others is our mission, and disciple-makers learn to persuade others.
BE: sharers of our testimony
LIVE: See with a heavenly perspective, meet people where they are, share what God is doing for you.
LEARN TO LOVE THE “HOMELESS”
Every Already Believer knows one. The spiritually homeless. They feel hurt by the church, and right or wrong they are disconnected from the Body of Christ. How can we help them heal, prepare, and return to our gatherings?
Scripture reference: 2 Corinthians 7
Main points:
KNOW: that we are all struggling with different parts of our faith, but we all need to know we are loved anyway.
BE: givers of grace
LIVE: Invite without guilt, invest without fail, receive without reminders.