2009-02-22
The Gospel - The Welcoming Church
Steve Lane

A. Review/Intro

A people that sacrificially love others and gently confront the world with the gospel

Where does the gospel being a motivating life factor originate?
Romans 8: 5
Romans 12: 1 - 2

He comforted them, promised them peace. This was in the context of a mission.

Surrender is key to the gospel message getting out.

A true heart change and a continuing in humility and glorious joy.
1 Peter 1: 8 - 9

We have a stubborn streak and a self streak
Romans 11: 33 - 36
Romans 12: 1 - 2

Four Steps to Renewal
Develop an openness to the vision for the local church.
Not accepting the status quo as the normal NT church.
Vividly, ever-freshly seeing God's mercy and responding with great joy.
1 Thessalonians 1: 2 - 10

Develop and honesty about your sins and weaknesses that leads to change.
Do we take seriously an absence of the 1 Peter 1: 8 - 9 type of you and praise?

Personalize your relationship with Christ and His message to the world.
His grace is for me. His mercy is for me. His power and presence are for me. His command to go is also for me.

Commit yourself to express God's glory in every part of your life and service.
Real testimonies of God's changing power will then bring us great joy and will honor God.

B. The Welcoming Church

One way the scripture describes welcoming is being hospitable.
Have you responded to this? "Faith without action is dead."

We are a commissioned church (Matthew 28: 18 - 20) and an empowered church (Acts 1: 8).
We are to be seeking God's glory and our joy in aggressively taking the gospel to the world.
And, one of the key elements being used in this process is being a hospitable church.

We are commanded to show hospitality. (1 Timothy 3: 2 and Titus 1: 8)
Philoxenia: Love of strangers
He welcomed sinners and ate with them. (Luke 15: 1 - 7)
An attitude and disposition toward others.
Do we treat as optional the command to go and make disciples?

The church and the leaders of the church must reject a Christian club atmosphere.
We must have a welcoming lifestyle.
We are all called to a life of ministry. (Ephesians 4: 12)

It takes zeal to open our homes to the un-churched.
"The Great Commission is a total demand on their lives by a Sovereign Master."

C. Humility and the Gospel

Jesus is our model. He had all authority and all humility.
John 5: 30
John 20: 21

God is a God of hospitality. (John 3: 16)
...this is a fear of the cost of discipleship

Surrender - it produces a passion and zeal for Christ and the gospel.
Romans 12: 11
John 2: 17

"For faith through the merit of Christ... doth exhilarate us, doth excite and inflame our heart that it may do those things willingly of love, which the law commandeth."
-Martin Luther

Sometimes all that is needed is a reminder of God's grace.

D. Conclusion: The character of God in the gospel

He is hospitable even at a great sacrifice.