HELPING PEOPLE FIND AND FOLLOW JESUS
VARIOUS PASSAGES
#HPFFJ2022
INTRODUCTION / SITUATION
Before we ring in the New Year of 2022, I would like us to pause and focus on the purpose of our Church. The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.” That is why we exist. It is what we do. Every single thing that we do needs to fall under that umbrella statement of purpose and direction. Everything.
First Impressions greeters at the door need to be friendly and help anyone feel welcomed.
Bulletins need to have important information for anyone to learn about the church and feel connected.
Our building must be clean and in good repair so that anyone enjoys coming here.
Worship songs must always point us to the Almighty God.
Each communion meditation allows us to pause properly and focus on Christ.
Every sermon drives us to the Word of God and expounds on it for us to live out.
Each Sunday School small group digs into the Bible well making it our focus.
The Children’s Ministry must focus on the Bible and be active and attractive and safe.
The Youth Ministry must focus on the Bible and be engaging and attractive and safe.
Men’s groups need to challenge us to be Godly husbands, fathers, sons, and mentors.
Women’s groups need to challenge us to be Godly wives, mothers, daughters, and mentors.
Small group Bible studies must push us to be better disciples tomorrow than we are today.
Missions spending should reflect local and international efforts to spread the Gospel.
Missions spending should reflect local and international efforts to help the hurting.
Events should be outwardly focused to reach others.
The community and local schools should rely on us for help and advice and support.
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
That is who we are. Where does that purpose come from? Where does that drive come from? It comes from two related places. First, that purpose comes from Scripture. The Bible lays out for believers in Jesus who we are and what we are to be about. That purpose has not changed since Jesus ascended into Heaven. The Bible records this purpose for us in passages like Matthew 28:19-20.
READ MATTHEW 28:19-20 (ESV)
19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Bible records this purpose for us in passages like Acts 1:8:
READ ACTS 1:8 (ESV)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
There are many other such passages… those are only two. So, the first place our purpose comes from is from the Word of God. We understand that we are witnesses for Jesus Christ in our family in our school and in our community and it is literally our God-given job to tell others about Jesus Christ. We are to help people find and follow Jesus.
The second place (it is related to the first) where this purpose comes from is serious obedience in the same direction. We not only believe the God exists, but we take His Word seriously and we obey. We listen and we obey. We not only obey once, but we continually and ongoingly obey Jesus Christ and His teaching yesterday and today and tomorrow. We regularly invest in our spiritual lives in the power of the Holy Spirit.
You are sitting amongst a church that takes the Word of God seriously and obeys Jesus Christ on purpose. That is why we have the mission we have and we do much of what we do. Are we perfect people? No. Do we love Jesus? Yes. Do we seek to obey Jesus? Yes.
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
COMPLICATION
There is, however, a bit of a complication. Actually there is a lot of complications. The whole purpose of the church is not easy. The whole thing involves much work and uncomfortable conversations and prayer and hurt feelings and working against our culture and correcting misunderstandings and fighting against human nature and changing of hearts and hypocrisy and changing of the mind. Every single part of our purpose statement is difficult. It also involves positive life change and forgiveness and clean slates and God-given purpose and release from bonds and an anchor in the midst of storms and eternal life and soul-fulfillment. Complicated.
COMPLICATION: “HELP PEOPLE”
First, it is difficult and complicated to “help people.” I don’t know if you know this or not, but some people are difficult. I’m personally not a difficult person, but I hear that other people are. When it comes to helping people with spiritual issues, people can be touchy and sometimes have had bad experiences in a church. Maybe even had a bad experience in THIS church! People can be stubborn or distracted. People are irrational and unfair. People are emotional and have unsubstantiated opinions about God and the Bible. People also have opinions that are well thought out about God and the Bible. People have questions. People have hang-ups. People believe lies. Our whole purpose centers on reaching out to help people and the fact that people are involved makes it difficult.
The central action of the purpose statement is helping people. Some people don’t think they need help finding Jesus because they think they don’t need Jesus. Others see what Jesus offers and they don’t want it. We believe in Jesus, but not everyone does. The important thing to remember is that a person does not HAVE TO believe in Jesus. It is an option. It is an option in life NOT to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is an eternally bad choice… but one people are allowed to choose. God gives us that choice.
In Acts 17, the Apostle Paul is in Athens and has the opportunity to speak to the men of the city and influence them for Christ. Paul was very people-centered and took any opportunity to help people find God. Some of them rejected Jesus and mocked Paul. Others were curious and eventually believed.
READ ACTS 17:32 (ESV)
“Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
Keep in mind, our purpose is difficult because we are focused on people and people can choose to follow Jesus or they can choose not to follow Jesus. It really is up to them.
COMPLICATION: “FIND JESUS”
Second, it is difficult and complicated because our mission centers on Jesus Christ. It is complicated because Jesus is divisive. I am not sure there is another more polarizing divisive person Who was ever born. Even the way we tell time between BC and AD is divided because of Jesus Christ. You might say… yes well historians now use BCE and CE, but the dividing line is still Jesus!
Jesus is divisive. This really doesn’t make sense, but it is true. We believe that Jesus Christ died and He offers grace for forgiveness of sin and the oppression of guilt. How is that a bad thing? How is that a divisive thing? How is that an offer that would be rejected by someone? It is a bad thing for some and a divisive issue for others and still something to be rejected by others.
It has to do with human nature and pride.
It has to do with the sinful nature and our choices.
It has to do with brokenness, hurt, and hopelessness shouting loud in life.
Jesus Himself knew that faith in Him was a difficult matter. Jesus describes following Him in terms of sword and enemies. He describes it in terms of families being on opposite sides of accepting Him and there being strained relationships. This is heart breaking, but part of the difficult task of Christians.
READ MATTHEW 10:34-36 (ESV)
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.”
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
Keep in mind, our purpose is difficult because Jesus offers peace, but the offer itself divides people and families and causes internal conflicts because of the sinful nature.
COMPLICATION “FOLLOW JESUS”
Third, it is difficult and complicated because we are communicating about a life dedicated to God the Father through the Name of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. “Follow” is a hard word.
“Follow” is a word that means disciple and learner and progress.
“Follow” means submit and relationship.
“Follow” means boundary and rules and a set of beliefs.
“Follow” means mold ourselves to God’s pattern.
It is difficult to follow Jesus because Jesus is all encompassing. God demands that if you come to faith in Jesus Christ that you submit and serve Him 100%. God demands… I believe that is the right word… demands… all of us. We cannot half-follow Jesus. Faith in Jesus Christ means He is Savior and Lord. That is all our lives. A half-Christian is no Christian. A person who claims Jesus as Savior, but not Lord… is not a Christian. Jesus lays claim to our bodies, mind, soul, emotions, money, politics, parenting, marriages, careers, and every single aspect of our lives. Nothing is apart from our faith in Jesus and that makes it difficult. Christians live for Christ. Our sinful nature wants us to live for ourselves and for us to keep ourselves on the throne of our lives and to live for our rights and our interests and our people.
READ MATTHEW 10:37-39 (ESV)
Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
Keep in mind, our purpose is difficult because Jesus demands 100% from us. We dedicate ourselves 100% to God and He in turn gives us life and purpose and forgiveness. It is a free offer. It is an offer by the God of the Universe to be in a right relationship with Him.
SUMMARY
The purpose of the Church is difficult because it involves people who may freely choose.
The purpose of the Church is complex because Jesus Christ is divisive.
The purpose of the Church is uphill because actually following Jesus is 100% of us.
When I began the sermon, I listed areas of the church that need to be in line with the purpose of “Helping People Find and Follow Jesus.” I want to list them again because they are important:
First Impressions greeters at the door need to be friendly and help anyone feel welcomed.
Bulletins need to have important information for anyone to learn about the church and feel connected.
Our building must be clean and in good repair so that anyone enjoys coming here.
Worship songs must always point us to the Almighty God.
Each communion meditation allows us to pause properly and focus on Christ.
Every sermon drives us to the Word of God and expounds on it for us to live out.
Each Sunday School small group digs into the Bible well making it our focus.
The Children’s Ministry must focus on the Bible and be active and attractive and safe.
The Youth Ministry must focus on the Bible and be engaging and attractive and safe.
Men’s groups need to challenge us to be Godly husbands, fathers, sons, and mentors.
Women’s groups need to challenge us to be Godly wives, mothers, daughters, and mentors.
Small group Bible studies must push us to be better disciples tomorrow than we are today.
Missions spending should reflect local and international efforts to spread the Gospel.
Missions spending should reflect local and international efforts to help the hurting.
Events should be outwardly focused to reach others.
The community and local schools should rely on us for help and advice and support.
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
I was writing my sermon and almost had it finished when I was re-reading my sermon and praying over it and I realized that every single one of those items on that list can be accomplished while 95% of members or attenders of Cincinnati Christian Church sit in their comfortable pew doing comfortable things and not lifting a finger. Every single one of those things relies on very few people accomplishing the work of the church.
SOLUTION
There is a grand solution to the difficulties we face as Christians and the complications we face as a church fellowship. The grand solution involves one word. It is a divisive word. It is a touch word. It is a word that call us to responsibility and action and to get out of what we feel is good and right. This word brings everything that I have talked about this morning and places it right in our laps.
The word?
YOU.
You need to be friendly and help anyone feel welcomed when they come here.
You need to know important information to tell anyone about the church.
You.
You need to clean and serve on projects so anyone enjoys coming here.
You need to worship regularly and point others to the Almighty God in all aspects of life.
You.
You need to properly focus on Christ.
You need to listen to the Word of God and live it out.
You.
You need to go to Sunday School small groups and digs into the Bible.
You need to serve the Children’s Ministry.
You.
You need to serve the Youth Ministry.
You need to join in and be challenged to be a Godly husband, father, son, and mentor.
You.
You need to join in and be challenged to be a Godly wife, mother, daughter, and mentor.
You need to invest time in discipleship with someone younger in the faith than you.
You.
You need to give to missions and know what our missions are about.
You need to serve in the community with those in need.
You.
You need to invite someone who doesn’t know Jesus to a church event.
You need to invite someone who doesn’t know Jesus to a church worship service.
THREAD: The purpose of Cincinnati Christian Church is to “Help People Find and Follow Jesus.”
YOU need to help people find and follow Jesus. Not anyone else. You.
INVITATION
PRAYER
