Ep 419 | Until Christ Be Formed In You - Frank Brancato 10-4-21

Today is a wonderful day. It's the most important day of

our week. It's the Lord's day is the first

day of the week and the opportunity that we have as a

few of God's children to assemble and worship God in

spirit and in truth. We're so thankful for that.

I'm glad to be here with you, and to worship with you

together. On the screen, the title of our

lesson is entitled until Christ is formed in you and these are

not new Concepts, but I want to talk on the subject of spiritual

growth. I think a congregation has to be

focused on growth and I think the growth has to be focused on

ourself individually. First.

In other words, if we don't grow individually in Jesus Christ,

then a congregation will not grow.

I'm very concerned. Learned about the church and

plans, Road in Bakersfield, California in this regard.

As an evangelist working here. My hope.

And my prayer is that this congregation will continue to

exist far beyond the years that I am here.

I think if we are content with just existing, there will come a

time when we will no longer exist.

So, I want to talk about the subject of Christ being formed

in you a very encouraging passage and a very Pointed

passage found in Galatians. Chapter 4 and verse 19.

Galatians 4 · chapter mention

Paul said, my little children for whom I labor in birth again

until Christ is formed in you now, Paul was writing to those

that were members of the body of Christ, they were Christians and

the laboring. Again, I think what he's talking

about. The first labor, obviously was

when they obeyed the gospel and he did his part by way of

laboring that they might obey the gospel.

Oil. But also now he's saying I'm

laboring again until Christ is formed in you.

I think this is a great passage that shows us that God allows

time for growth. That's very encouraging that God

allows time for growth but also here as Paul is pointing out,

there's urgency so picture it this way.

I'm thankful that there's patience on God's part but

there's urgency on my part because growing in Christ is a

command and by the way, we're going to get into the specific

things that would describe someone who has Jesus Christ

formed in them and just a few minutes.

Let me just say by way of an introduction.

Action. A couple of General statements.

If a person is carnally minded, instead of spiritually minded,

in other words, driven by the thoughts of the flesh.

Decisions are made by the flesh there carnally minded as opposed

to spiritually minded if that is you and I don't know who that

is, but if that is you, Jesus Christ is not formed in you.

If you have a hard time with commitment, I'm talking about

commitment to Jesus Christ and his church.

Then Jesus Christ is not formed in you.

If you are a person where Christianity has not changed

your life, then Jesus Christ is not formed in you if your

service to God is only when we assemble on Sunday morning as

the Lord's Church to worship, if that's it.

And that's the extent of your Christianity.

Then Jesus Christ is not formed in you.

If you obeyed the gospel many years ago but you haven't grown

at all once again. And then Jesus Christ, not yet

is not formed in you. Spiritual growth is a choice

that everybody must make. It's a command by God and it

requires a diligent effort on our part.

You know, the great blessings though we find that God's going

to help us in our growth. He's going to help us.

We pray that God would help us. Give us wisdom, give us

strength, give us courage to persevere and all those

wonderful things. God helps us but number Two

number two. He also blesses us when we do

spiritual growth though, often times is hindered by low

self-esteem. And therefore, we don't achieve

higher levels of spiritual growth because of low

self-esteem. In other words, somebody might

say, well, you know, I don't have any capabilities, I don't

have the ability to do that, I can't really grow.

I'm not like somebody else. He's got a whole lot more

ability than I do. And sometimes because of low,

self-esteem and negative, self-talk, we talk ourselves out

of the idea that we can grow. Now, listen, God has never given

us something to do. Way the command that we were not

capable of doing never he wants us to do exactly what he said

and that is to grow and everybody's different, I get

that. But sometimes growth is hindered

by negative self-talk. Be careful about that.

But there's also something else about that too.

Sometimes a person says well I don't have any abilities.

I'm just the one Talent guy more on that later.

I'm just the one Talent guy. And sometimes they use that as

an excuse, not to try to grow. But growth is a command.

All right, what are the goals for growth?

I think everybody has to have goals.

I think we have to have goals in every aspect of our life Hall of

Fame running back. Emmitt Smith.

One time said, as he was drafted into the NFL Master.

Why did you write down every specific goal that you ever

wanted to achieve as a professional football player?

And he said this he it did not originate with him but he did

say it too. He said dreams are not goals

until they're written down. Out.

My whole life, my father taught me that people don't plan to

fail. They only fail to plan.

He taught me, you got to write it down, you have a dream, you

have an idea that you would like to someday.

You got to write it down and it becomes a goal, then you have

objectives to achieve that. Well, the same is true.

Spiritually, isn't it? We should be very specific about

that. So it is where the Christian

what I've done is today, I have broken down these goals in three

categories. Ural goals, functional goals and

congregational goals. Now, we're gonna spend the

majority of our time on the first one behavioral goals, and

this is why because behavioral goals apply to everybody,

equally everybody here equally. Functional goals and

congregational goals. They can vary and we'll talk

about that a little bit later, but we spend the majority of our

time on behavioral goals. Our ultimate goal is to be like

Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is formed in us

when we become more like him. Now, I want to just give us some

foundational passages bear with me through some of these

foundational passages because Jesus talked about what it was

like to be a disciple. In fact, in Luke chapter 6, and

Luke 6 · chapter mention

verse 40. Jesus said a disciple is not

above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained, will

be like his teacher. Now, we need to be like Jesus,

who's Jesus? He is our teacher, we are his

disciple. What is Jesus want today?

What's he want us to be? He wants us to be disciples, he

wants us to be followers of him, in fact, in Matthew 28,

beginning there in verse 19, the Great Commission go, therefore

and Make Disciples of all Nations, baptizing them in the

name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all things.

Things that I have commanded you and lo.

I Am With. You Always even to the end of

the age, that's what Jesus wants.

He wants disciples and disciples are properly trained when they

become like the teacher. That's what Jesus wants for your

life. What's God want?

Same thing, Romans 8:29 for whom he that's God foreknew.

Romans 8:29

He God also predestined to be conformed, to the image of his

His son, what a powerful passage.

And sometimes people get these kind of words, misunderstood and

out of whack their foreknew and predestined, okay?

All it means is, God foreknew in his mind, from the foundation of

the world, he predestined or predetermined, that a follower

of Jesus Christ, a disciple of Jesus Christ would be conformed

to the image of his son. From the foundation of the

world. That's exactly what God wanted.

He goes on to say that he might be the firstborn among many

brethren We need to become more like Jesus in our life.

What else though? What else?

So here in this passage we are conformed to the image of his

son but there's more second Corinthians 3 and 18 but we all

with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror, the glory of the

Lord are being transformed into the same image from glory to

glory, just as by the spirit of Our Lord.

So Paul says we are Form to the image of his son.

He further says we are transformed into the image of

Jesus Christ and one more in Colossians chapter 3, same

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

author. This is what Paul said in

Colossians 3 and verse 10 and have put on the new man who is

renewed in the knowledge according to the image of him

who created him. Notice we are conformed and

transformed into his image and we are renewed in knowledge.

So the essential element of spiritual growth is to become

more like Jesus, renewing, our Behavior to conform to the

example of Jesus Christ. And this involves growing in the

knowledge of Christ. Second Peter chapter 3 and verse

2 Peter 3 · chapter mention

18. But grow in Grace and knowledge

of our Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ to him, be both

Timmy Glory both now and forever.

Interestingly though this is not just academic knowledge.

This is very important. This is personal knowledge,

through character development, personal knowledge, through

character development, You know, this is kind of when Jesus

Christ becomes alive in your life.

It's when your faith becomes your own.

It's when you are truly changed and your behavior is changed.

Its when Christianity becomes personal to you, It means

something folks. I'm going to tell you a

Christianity has to be more, has to be more than checking boxes.

Look, in a certain part and obeying rules.

It's got to be more than that. Now, do Christians have a

certain way that we look sure at all.

That's true. It's got to be more than that

folks. As be way more than that.

And I think sometimes what we do is and please don't

misunderstand me. I've not gone off the

reservation. Sometimes we talk about the

importance of being a member of the church, which is true and

yes it is and it's important and you can't have Jesus without it.

I preach that a couple weeks ago all, that's true but sometimes

we talk about what it looks like to be a church member and we

don't spend any time on what it's like to be a Christian.

To be christ-like to be like Jesus.

To have our lives that are transformed and changed.

Remember that song we used to sing.

He's real, he's real. What a beautiful song and what

and he lives in my heart. That's when Jesus Christ changes

us. And Christ is now formed in us.

Let's spend time. Also understanding what it means

to be a Christian and have our lives truly changed.

And by the way, I'll just tell you this right now.

The only way that a person going through life with all the trials

and all the hard things in life, the only way that you can

persevere and the only way that you can handle all the all the

things out there, Is to be a child of God.

Be changed on the Inside Out, have Christ formed in you and

that is your Christianity is real and working for you.

It has to be working for you. Some of the old-timers used to

say, how's it working for you? How is your religion working for

you? How is it?

If it's superficial, it's not working very well.

But if it's Inward and private and real, and you're changed,

and transformed and conformed, and renewed, like Paul said, all

those words, guess what? It's going to get you through

anything in life. Going to show you a very

practical passage. Now we've done this before.

We're going to do it again. It's great stuff.

It's found in 2nd Peter chapter 1 beginning in verse 5.

Peter says, but also for this reason.

Giving all diligence. Add to your faith virtue to

Virtue knowledge to knowledge, self-control to self-control

perseverance to perseverance, godliness to Godliness,

brotherly, kindness and to brotherly, kindness love.

First of all, this talk about faith for just a moment.

The Hebrew writer says, for without faith.

It's impossible to please God, for he, that comes to him.

Must believe that he is. He that comes to God, must

believe that he is, and that he is, a rewarder of them that

diligently seek Him. You cannot go to heaven and you

cannot come to Jesus without faith.

We know that. But there Comes A Time in your

life when your faith has to change and what I mean by that

it changes in that it grows. Do you remember when Jesus was

speaking to his disciples when they came to him?

Very familiar story. I won't spend a lot of time on

it, but when they could not cast out that demon out of that young

man, and Jesus finally does it and they come to him and they

said, how come we couldn't do it.

What we doing wrong and Jesus says because of your unbelief,

which Means in the original, your little faith.

They had little weak faith and then he says, if you could just

have the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains and

nothing would be impossible for you.

In other words, the mustard seed that starts off very, very

small. It grows to Greatness what he

was telling him is your faith died.

Small at didn't grow you don't have great faith, you got little

weak Faith. So Every Christian, there comes

a time. In our life our faith has to

grow and become real but not only that we got to add some

stuff to it. Now, I don't know about you, but

I love practical passages of scripture that I could say,

okay, you know what? Things are a little out of sorts

right now. But if I could just get my hands

on a practical passage, it'll help me.

That's this one right here. Here's some specific things to

do. These are the things that we

add, we add virtue knowledge, self-control, perseverance,

godliness, brotherly, kindness. And we add love.

I'm going to Define these and then we're going to put them all

together. What do they actually mean?

These are things that we have to add number one, adding virtue

that is moral excellence. That is your quality of life.

So you add to your faith, faith, and what faith in the gospel

faith in? Jesus Christ, you just obeyed.

The gospel. You became a Christian.

I got to add something to that. What am I going to add?

I'm going to add moral Excellence.

Moral Excellence. Also based upon something, I

gotta add knowledge. And, by the way, this is this

word actually means correct in sight.

Okay, so anybody that would say that you can't no real truth.

You can't understand absolute truth and everybody's truth is

for themselves and they choose and all that.

That's not what this word means. You know what it's saying?

Peter is saying you add knowledge.

This is correct in sight, it is knowledge properly, understood

comprehended and applied that's what it means.

Understood comprehended and applied proper knowledge.

What else do I have to add? Well, I got to add something

that we all need and that self control, and it literally means

to hold oneself in. Now some people don't have

trouble with that. Some people do have trouble with

that, but I'm going to tell you every Christian needs to know

about self-control. We all do.

Right? What else perseverance

perseverance does not mean passive acquiescence.

You know what it means? It's an action word.

It means endurance to do what's right.

Godliness, is something that I have to add to, and that word

means reverence, it's having a practical awareness of God in

every aspect. Out of my life.

And if I got that, you know what's going to happen?

It'll demonstrate itself in action.

That's called righteous living. What else?

I got to add some brotherly kindness, which is brotherly

affection. And finally, I've got to add a

guppy love sacrificial. Selfless Love.

Now, let's put them all together.

These are the words and what they mean.

So what Peter is saying is the first thing I got to think about

when I obey the gospel, I got to add some stuff to my faith.

I'm going to add, moral Excellence, quality of life

based upon proper knowledge, knowledge, that is properly,

understood comprehended and applied.

You know what that's going to do, it's going to give me the

ability to have self-control to hold myself in.

It's going to also give me something else to, and that is

the strength to persevere to endure to do that, which is

right. Right?

All based upon godliness with the Practical awareness of God.

In every aspect of my life. I will demonstrate that Godly

life in brotherly kindness which is brotherly affection for

others. All in my pursuit of agape love

sacrificial. Selfless, Love two things.

One, it's not a one-time thing. It's a lifelong thing and to it

doesn't just go in One Direction.

Watch it goes the other way too. It is a cycle like this around

and around. Notice if I have in my pursuit

of agape love, you know what if I've got that in my life, you

know, it's going to happen, it'll manifest itself in

brotherly, kindness, all based upon godliness with the

Practical awareness of God. In every aspect of my life.

It's going to give me the strength to endure.

It's going to give me the ability to hold myself in.

It's going to be based upon proper knowledge.

All in my pursuit of virtue, moral Excellence, it goes the

other way, too. As some pretty great stuff that

Peter gave us to do. When we develop these Graces, we

are truly fruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

And again these are not just academic knowledge but personal

knowledge. You character development,

that's when the Lord becomes real in our life.

In second, Peter chapter 1 and verse 8.

For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither

be Barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

You know, all of these Graces that we talked about, were best

personified in Jesus. So the more that we grow in

them, the more we truly know and understand our savior but I

understand too. That there's great challenges

sometimes you know why it's challenging to grow.

I think it's challenging to grow for a couple reasons.

There may be others, but I'm just going to use to, I think

it's challenging to grow because it requires diligent effort, and

sometimes we choose the path of least resistance.

Sometimes sometimes not meaning to, sometimes we just get busy.

But it takes diligent effort on our part.

So if I'm going to grow as a Christian, it's not a one-time

thing. It's a diligent effort that I

must put forth. Number two, it also requires a

sustained effort. Paul talked about that in

Galatians, chapter 6. And sometimes it's a, it's a

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

sustained effort, even if we're growing discouraged.

Your been discouraged. Sure, you have.

Everybody's been discouraged. That's why Paul says, do not

grow weary. The King James says, in

well-doing, the new King James says, in doing good, don't grow

weary, even if you're discouraged.

So sometimes it's hard for people to grow because it takes

a diligent effort and it takes a sustained effort even when we

grow discouraged, as stressed before though, such growth does

not come naturally. If we're not very careful, we

revert back to our formal conduct and character.

Do you know the you know, the old saying if we've always if we

always do what we've always done, we'll always get what

we've always got. Sometimes we have the best

intentions, man. We got some great intentions.

We're going to start on fire. And it's just a matter of time

before we revert back and forget that happens to us, doesn't it?

It's kind of like this January 1.

Everybody's New Year's resolution most people's New

Year's resolution. They're going to prove

themselves somehow. Usually go to the gym, get in

shape, gyms are packed, in January by March.

They're finding out. You know why?

Because people just go back to what they've always done.

And sometimes with it, when it comes to growth, we need to be

careful. We need to be diligent and we

need to be steadfast. In our work to grow or will

drift back, we don't want to do that.

We don't want to drift back. Second, Peter chapter 2, and

verse 24, if after the they escaped, the pollutions of the

world, through the knowledge of the Lord, Jesus and Savior,

Jesus Christ, they are again. Entangled in them and overcome.

The latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

I remember years ago, brother Linwood Smith, He said this.

There's no telling. How many people we could save?

If we didn't have to keep saving the same ones over and over.

Linwood said that I'm quoting Linwood but I get it.

I understand it. Sometimes we try to beg, people

almost beg people to be stronger, beg people to be

committed. But at some point in time,

folks, you have to decide in your heart.

This means more to me. This means more to me and I'm

going to grow, and I'm going to be the Christian that I should

be. And I'm never ever, ever going

to turn my back on the Lord. So We are conformed, transformed

and renewed to the image of Christ.

That is our behavioral goals but then we go to this.

Actually, let me just one more passage here in Romans 12 and

verses 1 and 2 and do not be conformed to this world but be

transformed by the renewing of your mind.

That you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect

will of God. So now let's talk about

functional goals. In 1st Corinthians chapter 12,

we read about functional different functions in the body

of Christ, the church has many members in 1st Corinthians

chapter 12, beginning in verse 20.

But now indeed, there are many members.

Yet one body and the eye cannot say to the hand.

I have no need of you, nor again, the head to the feet.

I have no need of, you know, much rather those members of the

body, which seem to be weaker are necessary.

Re and those members of the body, which we think to be less

honorable on these, we bestow greater honor and on our

unpresentable parts have greater modesty.

Now interestingly there are many members and everybody is needed.

There's not one part of my physical body, that is not

needed. Every member of the body of

Christ is needed. You might be saying what you

mean me? Yeah, you yeah, you I've said

this for years I must say it again, if the church is going to

be all that it could be and should be.

It's going to take all of us. I believe in that it's gonna

take all of us. Everybody is needed.

But also understand this, there's many members, but we

don't all have the same function in Romans chapter 12 Verses 4

Romans 12:4

and 5 for as for as we have many members in one body but all the

members do not have the same function.

So we being many are one body in Christ and individually members

of one another. So what do we learn?

There's many members in the body of Christ.

Every member is important. Number two, number three.

We don't all have the same function but number For

everybody has to do their own part in Ephesians 4:16.

Ephesians 4:16

From whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every

joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every

part doesn't share causes growth of the Body for the edifying of

itself in love. As members of the body, we have

to grow, we have to develop our functions.

Now, some people might have different functions and others

and different abilities and talents more on that in just a

minute. But there are some people that

teach but just because you don't teach, and that's not your role

to teach, or you don't have the ability to teach doesn't mean

you don't have a role in the body.

I know people that are some of the greatest servers, I know.

And they serve others. They serve others like crazy.

They're awesome with that. They're good at that.

They see about the needs of others.

They pick up the phone and find out about how somebody's doing

Reaching out. Some people are incredible song

leaders. I am not But we have some that

are right here in this congregation, I've always

thought it was awesome to go to pick up a songbook and you've

never seen it before and then just sing it.

Okay. Everybody's has a roll.

Everybody has abilities. Everybody has a function.

Everybody does. now, whatever abilities that we have, We have

to utilize those abilities in the service to god.

Notice what the Bible says in First Peter, chapter 4, in verse

1 Peter 4 · chapter mention

10. So, whatever you have notice,

what first Peter 4 in. Verse 10 says, as each one has

received a gift Minister, it to one another as good stewards of

the manifold. Grace of God, failing to grow

waste, the abilities that God has given us.

Look at this passage right here for though.

By this time, you ought to be teachers.

Do you need someone to teach you again the first principles of

the Oracles of god notice? And you have come to need milk

and not solid food? Let me ask you.

If you've been a Christian for 10 years, have you grown and

knowledge at all? Can you handle the meat of the

word of God? Are you hungering for the meat

of the word of God? Or are you in infancy stage?

And you still need somebody to teach you the first principles

of the Oracles of God and you still need to meet the milk and

not of strong meat or strong food.

Have to grow. Growth, comes from nourishment.

You know, I really believe we live in a Bible.

Illiterate Society, I do there was a time and, you know, this

there was a time. If you're anywhere near my age,

you'll know this there was a time when people even in the

world knew a little something about the Bible.

People would quote scriptures. People would have passages of

scripture that that were their favorites and so forth. and it

seems to me today, that there's many people, that have

absolutely no idea about the word of God, but on the same

level or with the say, that being said, sometimes we have

Christians that are malnourished to members of the Lord's church

that are malnourished But growth comes from nourishment.

Now, the challenge of reaching our functional goals is

determining what? Our functions are based upon our

abilities. I get that.

So let me ask you this, I'm going to put all these things on

the screen. Because based on your abilities

will determine your function. Number one, what are mine?

What are my abilities? Because my abilities will

determine my function. So ask yourself what are my

abilities? What can I do?

Number two, ask yourself this. Do I really lack certain talents

or do they just need to be developed?

Listen, I'm going to tell you, I've known some teachers that

started off. They had ability but they

started off and they were green. Like everybody else is when you

start out right in time, man, they grew.

You know why? Because they always had the

ability, it just needed to be developed So ask yourself, ask

yourself, do I lack certain talents or they need to be

developed number 3? Am I the one Talent man?

Really? Or is that an excuse that I use

not to grow. What else?

Is my lack of development due to laziness and indifference.

Am I selling myself short through negative self-talk.

Or watch. This is the world preoccupying

my time and energy so I have no time for Spiritual things.

By the way, this is your list. This is for you.

I've already looked at it. I asked myself the same stuff

too, but ask yourself these questions.

What are they? Do I like talents or do do they

just need to be developed? Am I the one Talent manner?

Do I use that as an excuse is my lack of development due to

laziness and indifference? Do I sell myself short through

negative? Self-talk and is the world

preoccupying, all of my time, all of my time and energy again,

as I said in our introduction, if we just continue to exist,

there will be one day when the church in Bakersfield will stop

existing. So we have to grow.

We must have behavioral goals and we must have Functional

goals and finally, we must have congregational goals.

Now. Individual growth is intertwined

with church growth. The work of the church is

threefold. And here's what it is.

Number one, edification. Number two evangelism and number

three benevolence and that's benevolence with our own, by the

way, that's the work of the church.

So there are people that have all kinds of ideas in the world

in the religious World about things that the church does and

so forth. And so on, this is what the

Bible teaches, what the Lord's church, this is the function of

the Lord's church. This is what the Lord's Church

does, and application evangelism and benevolence.

Now, edification can be done privately, it can be done

publicly, it can be And by teachers and preachers of the

Gospel. Evangelism it can be done by the

net by the Evangelist. It could be done by a

congregation reaching out to those that are in the world.

And benevolence taken care of our own.

You know, we always pray. That God will bless our

congregation with growth. And we mentioned specific

things, don't we? we say grow in strength, Growing

knowledge, grow in wisdom. Grow in patients grow in love.

And grow a number. And I always pray because I got

it from my father. I always pray with the drawing

power, being that of the gospel and nothing else.

Do you see the responsibilities that we have?

We have to reach out to those that are in the world around us.

And I got to tell you, It's true that the mass numbers of people

coming to Christ or perhaps coming to Jesus Christ in other

countries, that's probably true. But that doesn't remove our

responsibility in our local city.

In our local town right here. In fact, if the church isn't

strong here and growing guess what?

We won't even have, the means to send preachers to those Faraway

lands. Evangelism, you've heard me,

give this a little station years ago in a totally different

sermon, but I've put it in this one now.

But I think it really fits about having a vision for those that

are lost in the world wherever they are.

There's a story told about a wise, Indian father.

And he had three sons. And he determined to give all of

his worldly, possessions to one of his three sons that

manifested, the greatest promise and the greatest prowess.

As a test, he pointed to a mountain.

That was bold against the sky and he sent all three of them up

the side of the mountain and he gave him one instruction.

He said when you come back when you return, you have to bring in

your hand, a token of how high you climbed.

The first son wasn't gone very long, and when he came back, he

handed his father. A white Wildflower.

His father knew exactly how high he climbed because he knew that

grew just above the Timberline. The second one was gone quite a

bit longer and when he returned in his hand, he had a red

Flintstone and his father knew that son made it almost to the

top. But the third son was gone for a

long, long time. And when he returned he stood

before his father, and he said, father, I have nothing in my

hands because where I went, there was nothing to bring back.

But I stood on the summit. And I overlooked the valley.

And I saw two Great Rivers. Join the ocean.

His proud father said son, it's been my life's ambition, that

one of my sons would see what you have seen.

You have as it were nothing in your hands to show for your

travels, but you have something that's far.

Greater you have Vision in your soul, the greatest of all I'm

going to tell you something, we may think in our life, in all of

our efforts, We Stand open. We Stand empty handed But if we

can say that where we've gone, we have stood on that Summit

that we've overlooked the valley and we saw the two great rivers

of human need and soul, starvation.

Join the ocean of life. If we could say that where we've

gone, we've seen that and we did all.

We could well, have something far greater will have a vision

in our soul, the greatest of all Evangelistic goals. in

conclusion this morning, if we desire to grow spiritually,

we're going to have to have behavioral goals.

And that is that our Christianity becomes more than

just what we do. Now, what I mean by that is when

we assemble in attendance to worship, Our Christianity has to

be more than just what we do into in attendance at church.

It's got to be what we are. Functional goals determined

strengths and fill a function in everybody in a congregation is

needed and everybody is necessary.

Our congregational goals. If we're doing all of that, if

we're being transformed on the inside out, if we're occupying

our functions and doing what we can with in our role, guess

what, then we can have congregational goals to that are

reach out and see the Lost, save the lost and keep them saved.

One final thing about that. There was a survey done.

And I got to tell you my whole life.

I've always kind of said and you maybe have to.

I know the old-timer said it a lot, but the people that are in

the religious world Looking for a church, Ardis looking for

entertainment. That may be true in some degree.

I don't know. May be true of some degree.

But I know one thing that's not the majority.

There was a, there was a poll taken, not long ago and they

were asked, what are you looking for, in a church?

This is people out in the Christian professing world.

What are you looking for in a church?

Do you know what happened 83%. We're looking for a church that

has a good sermon preached. Something in the Bible that can

help me practically in my life. That's number one. 83% said,

we're looking for a sermon places where they preach sermons

that are helpful to me in my life.

And number to get this 79% of that 83% said, we're looking for

a place where the leaders of that congregation reach out and

make us feel welcome. if that's not in our wheelhouse, I don't

know what is we got the truth of the word of God.

We got people that care and love others and want to reach out and

make them feel welcome. We can make a difference.

Are you growing is Jesus Christ? Formed in you.

If so Jesus is your life, Finally.

Jesus Christ is not in you if you are not in him Galatians

Galatians 3:27

3:27 for as many of you as were baptized into Jesus.

Christ have put on Christ you got to become a member of the

Lord's Church. You have to become a Christian.

You do that by contacting the blood of Jesus.

Jesus says he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.

He that believeth not shall be damned Jesus.

Further said in Luke 13 and 3, I tell, you know, but except ye

repent, you will all likewise perish.

I got to change my heart, my mind, I got changed my heart.

It's going to change my life, which the greatest thing ever,

when I do that, and I obey the gospel, it changes my

relationship with the Lord great stuff.

Jesus said, if you confess me before men, I will confess you

before my Father, which is in heaven and that confession is, I

believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God first.

1 Peter 3:21

Peter 3:21 says, the like figure whereunto even baptism doth

also. Now, save us, not the putting

away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good

conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If you've never taken those steps of obedience, you need to

do that today. And we'd love to assist you in

that contact. The blood of Jesus have your

say, Sins washed away, and Jesus will add you to his church.

We thank you for listening to our podcast, put on by the

Church of Christ at 22:15 plans. Road in Bakersfield, if you

would like any additional information, or you would like

to receive a free Bible correspondence, course by mail.

Please email us at info at her Church of Christ

Bakersfield.com. Our service times are on Sundays

at 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

Please make plans to join us. We would love for you to be our

honored guest.