Called to Community: A Disciple Making Community

Just let us have a prayer and then we will start into our song service.

Lord, I do thank you for everyone present here today.

Thank you for the beautiful weather we've had.

Thank you for reminding us that you are both creator and sustainer of the universe.

We do thank you for the love that we have for each other and the faith we have for your Son.

Help us to be united in that faith and to praise you always for what you do for us.

In Christ's name, we pray amen.

Good morning everybody.

Let's stand and sing a few songs together.

Lord, the light of your love is shining in the midst of the darkness.

Shining In the midst of the darkness.

Shining, jesus, light of the world, shine upon us, set us free by the truth you now bring us.

Shine on me, shine on me, shine on me, shine, jesus, shine.

Fill this land with the Father's glory, blaze, spirit, blaze.

Set our hearts on fire.

Flow, river flow.

Flood the nations with grace and mercy.

Send forth your word, lord, and let there be light.

Lord, I come to your awesome presence From the shadows into your radiance.

By the blood I may enter your brightness.

Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.

Shine on me, shine on me, shine, jesus, shine.

Fill this land with the Father's glory, blaze, spirit, blaze.

Set our hearts on fire.

Flow, river flow.

Flood the nations With grace and mercy.

Send forth your word, lord, and let there be light as we gaze on your kingly brightness so our faces display your likeness, ever changing from glory to glory, mirrored here.

May our lives tell your story.

Shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, jesus, shine.

Fill this land with the Father's glory.

Blaze, spirit, blaze.

Set our hearts on fire.

Flow, river, flowod the nations With grace and mercy.

Send forth your word, lord, and let there be light.

Amen.

There are things as we travel this earth-shifting sand that transcend all the reason of man, but the things that matter the most in this world, they can never be held in our hand.

In a hill called Mount Calvary, I believe, whatever the cost and when time has surrendered and earth is no more, I'll still cling to that old, rugged cross.

I believe that the Christ who was slain on the cross has the power to change lives.

Today, for he changed me completely.

A new life is mine.

That is why, by the cross, I will stay.

I believe in the cost, and when time has surrendered and earth is no more, I'll still cling to that old, rugged cross, to that old, rugged cross.

I believe that this life with its great mysteries, surely someday we'll come to an end, to an end, but faith will conquer the darkness and death and will lead me at last to my friend.

I believe in a hill called Mount Calvary.

I'll believe whatever the cost.

And when time has surrendered and earth is no more, I'll still cling to that old, rugged cross.

Faithful love flowing down From the thorn-covered crown Makes me whole, saves my soul, washes wider than snow.

Faithful love calms each fear, reaches down, dries each tear, holds my hand when I can stand on my own, from above.

From above came to earth to show the Father's love, and I'll never be the same, for I've seen faithful love face to face, and Jesus is his name.

Faithful love is a friend just when hope seems to end.

Welcome faith, sweet embrace, tender touch, filled with grace.

Faithful love, endless power, living flame, spirit's fire Burning bright in the night, guiding my way.

Faithful love came to earth to show the Father's love, and I'll never be the same, for I've seen faithful love face to face and Jesus is his name.

The scripture reading this morning comes from 1 Peter 2, verses 9-10.

1 Peter 2:9–10

It says but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession that you may proclaim the excellence of him.

We have felt out of place or you felt like you didn't fit in and you're with a group of people maybe different values, different culture, different whatever and you don't feel it fit in.

You know different languages.

If you go to a country where they speak different languages and they're jabbering and they laugh and you think you're laughing about you all type of things like that it's hard.

I want you to see.

Let's see what we got here.

One of these is not like the other.

Which one does not fit in?

Bambi doesn't fit.

That wouldn't be Bambi antlers, but it wouldn't fit in.

He wouldn't last long in Guernsey County.

If you walked up and saw that on the deck, you'd be having venison that night for dinner.

Which one doesn't fit in?

One of these is not like the other, trying hard to fit in but doesn't fit in.

Which one doesn't fit in?

The dog.

Where's the dog?

Oh, okay, Doesn't fit in.

I had one more up there but Josh made me take it out because it was three buff guys and a skinny guy.

And he said do you notice the skinny guys holding an adult bag beverage?

And I said that probably wouldn't go over at church.

So so we took that out.

I mean, what are you going to do Fire me, but anyway, uh, I've only got so many weeks anyway, but but so I didn't.

Didn't put that in.

But but you know it is.

It's just hard sometimes to fit in.

Paul wrote a.

Paul Peter wrote a letter to a group of Gentile Christians.

They weren't Jews and he begins the letter by saying Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to God's elect, exiles, scattered throughout.

He wrote a letter to a group of Christians who did not fit in.

They just didn't feel like they belonged to the world, and he begins this letter.

In fact he calls them.

He says you are exiles and you are scattered.

Now why do people usually scatter?

You ever been in a group that's scattered?

You're scared, you scatter.

The only time scattering's good is when you're at Waffle House and you get your hash browns scattered, covered and whatever it is Covered in.

What Smothered?

What's the smothered part?

Cheese Smothered and chunked, that's the ham.

Yeah, waffle House.

I love Waffle House.

The only problem with it is I smell like Waffle House three days after you eat there with all the grease.

But man, is it good?

But scattering is bad, usually because if I threw a skunk in the middle of this room, we would scatter.

You scatter because something's dangerous.

The people that Peter's writing to are scattering because of persecution, and so he writes this book of First Peter and he's letting them know that I understand.

You don't belong in this world.

You've been scattered, you're going to, you've been chased out and in a world where, where people are broken, we're called to offer good things and so.

But yet it's hard to do when you don't feel like you belong.

And so Peter writes this letter telling them here's how you need to deal with this world you don't belong in, and he talks about things like in verse 6.

I would encourage you to read 1 Peter 1.

In verse 6, he talks about how we have this new hope, that you're scattered and you don't belong, and he talks about having the Word of God.

He says so.

I understand that, even though you don't fit in, I want you to understand I'm still there for you.

These Gentile Christians, most of the church, were Jews and Gentiles.

They didn't fit in with the Jews and they really didn't fit in with the Gentiles because once they became Christians, they left the Gentile culture which worshipped idols.

And so here's this group of people that have been chased out of their home and they're saying man, I don't know where I fit in in this world.

I don't know where I fit in, I don't know.

And so Peter writes his letter saying listen, I know you don't fit in, but there's a living hope.

And he even says I know you don't fit in.

You're a stranger, an alien here.

You're really not part of this world and as Christians we really don't fit in here.

We have a totally different culture than what the world has, and so I can relate to that not being able to fit into the world.

And so Peter writes to these Christians saying I know you don't fit in, but he also says this he says you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, god's special possession that you may declare the praise of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

He says, even though you don't fit in, I want you to understand.

You may not belong to this world and fit in, but you do fit into a different world.

You do fit into a different community.

And he describes what that community is.

And we've spent the past several weeks talking about community and we talked about how we need to be a sharing community, looking at Acts 2.

We talked about how to be a loving community.

And last week Josh talked about how to be a praying community and I wished I could have been a part of that, the prayer thing that y'all did last week.

Well, this week we're going to talk about we're called to be a part of a disciple making community.

The point is this Peter's writing to these people that don't fit in and say even in your trials, your purpose and mission doesn't change.

I know you don't fit into this world.

I know this world is not your home, you're just a passing through.

I know that we don't belong here.

I know that the culture that we live in is totally opposite to the life we're called to live.

But Peter's writing and says I want you to know, even though you don't belong here, you still have a purpose and mission.

And he says even though you don't belong into this world, there's still a community you do belong in.

And that's what I want us to talk about how we can become a disciple-making community by looking at how we fit in.

Even though we don't fit in, does that make sense?

We still fit in.

So we need to remember who we are.

And Peter says listen, I know you don't fit into this world, but you are a chosen people.

I want you to know that you are a chosen people.

And he quotes Isaiah.

He quotes an Old Testament prophet.

It's like Peter he's going to quote.

He calls them four things that he says we are.

But he refers back to the Jewish people because he says just like my people in the Old Testament didn't fit in and they were my people, you are too.

And so in Isaiah, the first 39 chapters of Isaiah, isaiah is writing to his people saying listen, you've messed up big time.

And because you've messed up big time, I'm taking you out of your land and in the Babylonian captivity.

Imagine if God said listen, america, you've messed up big time.

And because you've messed up big time, all of you, I'm taking you all to China.

How would you feel?

Because that's what happened.

I'm taking you to Babylonian captivity because you've worshiped idols and you started sacrificing babies on the idol in the temple, and so I'm taking you away.

But he says in chapters 40 following even though I'm taking you away, I want you to know I'm eventually going to bring you back and you're going to be my chosen people.

I'm going to give drink to my people, my chosen ones.

God says.

I know you don't fit into this world, but you are a chosen people, you are a chosen race.

And so he tells us that and here's the point God says I've given you a new identity.

I know you don't fit into this world, but I've chose you.

It's nice to be chosen.

I know you find this hard to believe looking at me with this fine physique, but often I was one of the last ones chosen during recess in elementary school.

Yeah, I can see the shocked look up on your face right now Because I am such an athletic specimen Didn't mean to spit on your hair there, I am such an athletic specimen.

It was nice when you get chosen and God says you know what, I know.

You don't feel like you fit in, but I choose you.

I have chosen you.

I've given you a new identity.

You're part of, you're with me.

Well, yeah, you don't fit in, but you're with me.

Then he says you're a royal priesthood.

That should be Exodus 19.

I messed up on that line Exodus 19.

And in Exodus 19, paul or Paul.

Why am I stuck on Paul today?

Moses is up on Mount Sinai and God, him, are talking and he says God says here's what you need to tell my people.

And he says one of the things you need to tell them is this that if you obey me, you're going to be for me, a kingdom of priests.

And so Peter's writing.

And he says just like God's people in the Old Testament were a royal priesthood.

I know you don't fit into this world, but I want you to know you are a royal priesthood, you're royalty.

If you're a Christian, you're part of the family of the king and you're a priesthood.

Let me ask you a question what did priests do in the Old Testament?

They did what they did.

They were to uphold the law.

But what was their main function?

Huh, sacrifice, prayer and sacrifice.

Huh, sacrifice, prayer and sacrifice.

They sacrificed animals for the sins of the people.

I want you to understand.

If you lived in the Old Testament, you could not approach God for forgiveness.

You had to go, take a sacrifice a lamb to the priest, and the priest had access to God on your behalf.

That's what makes Jesus so amazing.

He was our sacrifice, our high priest, and he cleared the way.

So now you don't have to go through a priest and say bless me, father, for I've sinned.

It's been 48 days since my last confession.

Now you can go straight to God because you are a priest and I can just go to the Father and say God, I blew it today and I'm sorry.

He says your sins are forgiven.

Not only does being a priest mean I have access to God.

Being a priest means that I can mediate on behalf of others, because I can go to God on behalf of others and say listen, so-and-so, really blown it today and I want to pray for him.

We are a royal priesthood, which means we have a new position.

So I want you to see what's going on here.

God's telling these group of Christians that don't fit in.

I know you don't feel like you fit into the world, but I also want you to know this you have a new identity.

I have chosen you to be mine and you have a new position.

You now are a priest.

You get to approach God on behalf of other people.

You get to go to God and mediate on behalf of others.

Does that make sense?

And then he says you're a holy nation, you're part of a holy race, you're citizens of God's kingdom.

You and I are part of something greater than America.

We're part of a holy nation and it doesn't matter where you were born.

It doesn't matter what language you speak, it doesn't matter what color your skin is.

You belong, you fit into this new nation.

This new nation is holy.

It's set apart for something special, this new nation.

When Peter writes to these people in 1 Peter, he says you're part of a holy nation.

They're being persecuted by Rome.

And here's what he's saying when Rome goes away, you're still going to be a part of the kingdom of God, and it's a holy nation.

When Russia goes away, you're still a part of a holy nation.

When China goes away, you're still a part of a holy nation.

When China goes away, you're still part of a holy nation.

When America goes away, you're still part of a holy nation and it's the one nation that's going to be standing when everything else is gone.

And so, yes, you don't feel like you belong, but God says I want you to know you're part of a great nation of people, you're part of a holy nation that's set apart with a mission to save and to serve, and you're going to be here.

And I think sometimes we forget that.

We think we're just a small little group that meets in Buysville, ohio, and God says you are part of a great community, we're part of a holy race.

That's what Peter wants us to know.

Yeah, I know you don't fit in.

You're a royal priesthood.

I chose you.

You're part of a holy race.

I mean, wherever you go, there are people you can fit in with and you're a people that belongs to God.

You're people that belongs to God.

He's given us a new community.

Now you're saying Woody, what does all this have to do with making disciples?

Peter's saying listen, I know you don't fit in.

I know you're a stranger in this world.

I know you don't fit in.

I know you're a stranger in this world, I know it's broken, but here's how you can fit in by knowing who you are.

I've given you a new identity.

I've given you a new position and I've given you a new community.

You just saw it All around the world there's this new community.

But he says I haven't done it.

So you can look down on people and say I'm a royal priest and you're not.

Nah, nah, nah, nah, nah.

He didn't do it.

So you can go around and say yes, I'm one of God's chosen people.

He says here's why I've done it.

I chose you and I've given you a new position and I've given you a new community.

And here's why I did it so you can declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

You know why, the reason I made you a priest, god says.

You know why, the reason I chose you.

You know why, the reason I've given you a new community so you can let people that are out there walking in the darkness see the light.

So you can make disciples.

So we can be a community that goes out to a broken world and says it can be better.

So it goes out to the suffering world and says you have a savior.

That goes out to a guilty world and says you can have forgiveness.

That's our community.

We are to be a community of disciple makers.

He saved us for a purpose.

He saved us for a purpose.

He saved us for a purpose.

We're a people belonging to God and it's not for us to be selfish.

If you want to be a part of the Los Angeles Country Club, you take $300,000 initiation fee.

You have to agree to pay an annual fee of $30,000.

If you want to be a part of that club, you have to agree to never talk about the club.

Don't you tell anybody what's going on at the LA Country Club.

And you have to agree not to wear denim that leaves everybody in Guernsey County out.

You have to agree not to wear denim that leaves everybody in Guernsey County out.

No sleeveless shirts and your skirts can't be more than four inches above the knee.

If you agree to those four things, you can be a part of the most exclusive club in the world.

We're just the opposite.

God says I want you to be a part of the club, I want you to be a part of the holy nation.

You don't have to pay anything, just accept my grace.

And I want you to tell everybody, because I want everybody to fit, everybody will fit.

I wouldn't fit in at the LA Country Club.

First time I blow my nose on the cloth napkin.

It's over with.

But everybody fits in as a royal priest, as a part of the holy nation chosen by God For his purpose.

Now, every week We've done this series.

We've given you some practical things to do.

Sharing, we said hey, go out and just share something with someone next week.

Loving, we said Go, do something.

Loving Last week was the prayer thing All around the county.

Well, this week, disciplemaker is going to give you a couple of opportunities.

Oh, you've got to be nominated by voters finally.

But I want you to do a discovery Bible study you know what that is this week using 1 Peter, 2, 9-12.

Now you're saying, woody, I'm not sure I know how to do a discovery Bible study.

Have I got a deal for you?

Because tonight at 6 o'clock at the Youth Center, john Magnuson many of you know John John's from Tennessee North Boulevard.

He put on the Momentum Conference for us last year.

He's been here before.

He has come and trained us how to do a discovery Bible study, which is those bookmarks.

He's going to be here to offer a training tonight.

There's already some people from Mount Vernon Church of Christ coming.

There's some people from Williamstown Church of Christ coming.

There's some teens that are coming.

If you want to learn how to be a disciple maker, you have a great opportunity to spend an hour to learn how to take that bookmark and hold a discovery Bible.

So you say, yeah, I'd like to do that.

Just find one person this week and say, hey, let's get together and let's read this passage and you say, well, I don't know what to do.

Six o'clock tonight you can learn how to do it.

Okay, so that's one option.

Next Sunday's our Mission Sunday and it sort of snuck up on us.

May's sort of been, may's going to be a crazy month.

We've got a lot of stuff going on, but Mission Sunday we support several missionaries.

We support eight missionaries, I think, in Cuba alone.

We support missions in Panama.

We support missionary in Indonesia, we support one in the Philippines, but we also get a lot of extra mission efforts and so everything over our budget next week will go into special mission projects and so you can help make a disciple by just praying to give a little extra next week to help go with missions In a couple of weeks.

May 19th is a walk for water.

Walk for water is where we raise funds to drill a well.

Last year we drilled four wells, I think, in Uganda.

Maybe next week we can play a show where some of those wells are.

So I'm saying all this to say if I sit up here and say you need to be a disciple maker, but I don't equip you to be a disciple maker, I'm a failure.

But all I can do is give you the opportunities, and now we've given you two opportunities.

Six o'clock tonight and pray about how.

Just give up your.

I want you to do something radical.

Do something really dangerous for God.

Give up your coffee for a week and take that three bucks you usually spend at Starbucks and give it to missions.

Now, you'll be grouchy next Sunday, but at least something will be good for missions.

Do something crazy like really sacrifice your Starbucks.

I know I'm meddling, wouldn't that be crazy?

I'm not asking you to do it for however long Lent is I don't know how long Lent is because I always give up Lent for Lent but anyway, do something crazy.

Do something crazy to help be a disciple maker so more people can belong in this world.

We're going to sing a song together and I'm telling you God wants you to be a part of this holy nation.

If you believe he's God's son, you can be baptized into Christ and we can do that.

Or maybe you need a prayer for the church family, for whatever reason we can pray for and with you.

Jesus, let us come to know you, let us see you face to face.

Touch us, hold us, use us, mold us only.

Let us mold us only.

Let us live in you.

Jesus, draw us ever nearer, hold us in your gentle presence when the end comes, bring us home.

You are my strength when I am weak.

You are the treasure that I seek.

You are my all in all Seeking you as a precious jewel.

Lord, to give up I'd be a fool.

You are my all in all.

Taking my sin, my cross, my shame, rising up.

Can I bless your name?

You are my all in all.

When I fall down, you pick me up.

When I am gone, you fill my cup.

You are my all in all.

Jesus, lamb of God, worthy is your name.

Jesus, lamb of God, worthy is your name.

Jesus, lamb of God, worthy is your name.

Worthy is your name.

Amen, have a good Sunday.

We're dismissed.