2009-03-22
The Gospel - Equipped to Serve
Steve Lane

A. Introduction/Review - It is Required that You Prove Faithful
From the trenches, not the victory stand.
Do you ever feel like you can't do it anymore?
A necessary ingredient to finishing strong... To prove faithful
What do you turn to?
My experience with 1 Corinthians 4: 1 - 5
We have been entrusted with this mystery - the gospel, and it is a requirement to prove faithful

B. You Have Been Given a Trust

Matthew 25: 15
You are expected to be faithful and invest what you have been given.
A Principle of the Christian life

C. Equipped to Serve for the Cause of the Gospel

We get a picture of this in Matthew 28:18 - 20 and Ephesians 4:11 - 12
We, individually and together, take on a new mission in life.

D. A Response to Equipping

Has the life focus of people been sharpened?
Teaching is not to produce passive listeners but to lead people into active ministry.
What change can you point to in your own life, in respect to your mission?
The Word tells us to expect a growing community with a common purpose.

E. Get the Vision
Philippians 2: 1 - 5
Philippians 2: 12 - 18
Every part of a body really needs to catch the vision and personally apply it.

John 17: 3 - 5
John 17: 18
John 17: 21 - 23
You have a new life purpose. The church is to equip you for that purpose, and to partner with you in fulfilling it.

You are trained and equipped to do works of service.
Do your conversations, motives and relationships reflect the purity of God's purpose?
Here is where the enemy likes to work.

John 3:16 - 17
Everything we do is to fit into this God-given purpose.
What angers you may reveal your purpose.

F. Application

Each person's work will look a little different.
Planning your week around the gospel

John 3:16 consciousness will give you an overflow of God's heart of compassion.
This is how people end up doing impossible things for the sake of the gospel.