Building A Great Church Requires a Detailed Plan
Last week – firm foundation
Today – the detailed plan
Next Sunday – gathering the resources
Oct 27th – the passion
A plan – Guided by Purpose
Illustration: Solomon’s Temple
1 Kings 6:7
1Ki 6:7 CEV Solomon did not want the noise of hammers and axes to be heard at the place where the temple was being built. So he had the workers shape the blocks of stone at the quarry.
1Ki 6:8 CEV The entrance to the bottom storage rooms was on the south side of the building, and stairs to the other rooms were also there.
1Ki 6:9 CEV The roof of the temple was made out of beams and cedar boards. The workers finished building the outside of the temple.
1Ki 6:10 CEV Storage rooms seven and a half feet high were all around the temple, and they were attached to the temple by cedar beams.
1Ki 6:11 CEV The LORD told Solomon:
1Ki 6:12 CEV If you obey my commands and do what I say, I will keep the promise I made to your father David. I will live among my people Israel in this temple you are building, and I will not desert them.
Built without noise!
Buildings don’t just happen and neither do churches
Buildings are complicated places. They take a lot of thinking and planning. It’s easy to miss something very important. A Master Planner is required – An Architect who develops a master plan which takes everything into account.
Sometimes it requires not only blueprints but even 3 dimensional models!
A Detailed Plan Guided by an overriding purpose then you have to gather the materials (That’s next Sunday!)
Ephesians 2:20
Eph 2:20 CEV You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundation and with Christ as the most important stone.
Eph 2:21 CEV Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord.
Eph 2:22 CEV And you are part of that building Christ has built as a place for God’s own Spirit to live.
We have a detailed plan for building a Great Church!
This is no accident! We aren’t here because of tradition. It isn’t about rules and regulations. It’s about wanting to be here and wanting to build a Great Church. We’re going to break the rules. We’re going to bend the traditions. We’re going to change the norms. We’re going to have a blast.
But it is a plan that is guided by the purpose – an over riding purpose. That purpose is stated in a clear mission statement that came directly from the lips of Jesus.
Helping People Find Their Way Home
Matthew 28:19-20
Mat 28:19 CEV Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.
Helping You Find Your Way Home
Going to the people of all nations; making disciples of those people; baptizing them into Jesus; teaching them to live like Jesus; and all the time we trusting in faith that He is with us to the very end of time.
That is our purpose! So in reality it’s not about helping people find their way home… It’s about helping YOU find YOUR way home.
So what’s the plan?
Well, we are building the house of God. This is the place where He lives. It is not make of concrete blocks, wood, hay or straw. It is made of the precious gems of your lives and the lives of those seated next to you. It is made out of the diamonds, rubies, and emeralds called children who are placed in your custody for a brief number of years.
The Meridian Christian Church is committed, dedicated, firmly focused and narrowly aimed at building a home for you. Can I say that any clearer? This is not about stuff. It’s about you and others like you.
The Family Room
Let me show you around our place. We have a great family room!
This is where you connect with others in our Celebration Service. It’s where we Worship and praise God. It’s where we learn from the preaching of the word of God. It’s where we Give, commune at the Lord’s supper.
It’s where we are together. Together in Praise. Together in Prayer. Together in Purpose. There is a sense of belonging when you are in the family room; of ownership when you are in the family room; of community when you are in the family room; of purpose when you are in the family room.
I want you to experience what it is to be part of God’s Family!
The Dining Room
We have some excellent meals prepared in our house!
This is where you have your most basic need met
FOOD. A very basic need! Without food you – well you die!! Energy. Spiritual Food.
High Wind, Big Thunder, No Rain!
HOLWICK’S ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION Number: 12101
SOURCE: Fredericksburg Bible Illustrator Supplements
The story is told about an old American Indian who attended a church service one Sunday morning. The preacher’s message lacked real spiritual food, so he did a lot of shouting and pulpit pounding to cover up his lack of preparation. In fact, as it is sometimes said, he "preached up quite a storm."
After the service, someone asked the Indian, who was a Christian, what he thought of the minister’s message. Thinking for a moment, he summed up his opinion in six words: "High wind. Big thunder. No rain."
Yes, when the Scriptures are neglected, there is "no rain." Only when preaching is based on God’s Word are His people blessed and refreshed.
Home Groups. Fall Encore. MCC Vision: New to MCC? Come to this session. We have our MCC “Get In the Game”; Shoulder to Shoulder (Hand In Hand on Nov 10_; and our Philippians Study. This is spiritual food!
There is a feeling of satisfaction and contentment when you are full; of security and well being when you are full; of liberality and sharing when you are full.
I want you to be filled and satisfied… In fact we want to teach you how to feed yourself!
No Orange Juice
HOLWICK’S ILLUSTRATION COLLECTION Number: 15238
SOURCE: Fredericksburg Bible Illustrator Supplements
PAGE: 7/1997.101
DATE: 1306-1308
ILLUSTRATION:
One spring a man went on a vacation to Florida. As far as his eye could see, orange trees were loaded with fruit. When he stopped for breakfast, he ordered orange juice with his eggs. "I’m sorry," said the waitress. "I cannot bring you orange juice. Our machine is broken."
He was speechless. They were surrounded by millions of oranges. He knew they had oranges in the kitchen. Orange slices garnished his plate. What was the problem? No juice in the oranges? Hardly. They were surrounded by thousands of gallons of juice. The problem was they had become dependent on a machine to get it.
Sometimes Christians are like that. They may be surrounded by Bibles in their homes, but if something should happen to the Sunday morning church service, or Sunday School, or the youth group, some of them would have no spiritual nourishment for their souls.
The problem is not the lack of spiritual food. the problem is, many of us haven’t grown enough to know how to get it for ourselves.
- Randy Brantley, "Speaking to Youth" {Proclaim, }(Nashville:
Sunday School Board, Oct.-Dec. 1996) 18
The Kitchen
The most fun in the whole house! The kitchen is a fantastic room. Warm and full of wonderful smells,
Apple pie; turkey; meat loaf; cookies baking in the oven.
Work for others is often hot, messy, exhausting work.
It’s like church camp! But it’s also an incredible high!
This is where we serve others. Serving others is where you build up your confidence and self esteem. Your sense of value and worth comes through ministry and service. (Not self help books)
It’s where you build up your skills and abilities as a person and your faith in God. It’s where you see the achievements of God through you – transformed lives
I want you to be a strong and confident person of God.
We’re not done!!! There is the Back Yard
The back yard is where the kids play. It has a fence
It has some swings and it’s a great place to have fun.
There is a garage out back too!!!
Teenagers can fix up old lawnmowers and old cars
A safe and fun place for kids to learn about God’s love!
We have a great back yard and it’s getting bigger! Its a place for the kids to hang out. A place that
Is safe and fun. It stretches the mind and explores the possibilities of God’s love and care.
I want your kids to be upset when you don’t get out of bed and come to church! Encore is great for kids. We are even going to have "Shriver the Diver" visit soon.
The Front Door
My wife has a thing for the front door. We have a chair out front with a plant in it. There’s a milk can and an American flag. There used to be a squirrel – until someone stole the squirrel! (It was plastic)
The front door tells our friends and neighbors about the people inside. It is an inviting presentation to the community.
Our activities in the community serve as our front door. Our annual clothing Drive and our 88.1 Radio presentations all make for a warm welcome.
I want the people in this community to KNOW that they will be accepted here!
Then there is the Deck
That’s where we throw a party and get to know our friends. In November we are going to have an "Open House" In February we are going to have a "Winter Gathering"
I want to invite everyone over to our house and have good time!! I want to help them find their way home
God’s House is Not a Little Cape Cod! It’s a big big house! God needs a Great big house because there is a great dommunity of believers
Some are brand new and hungry. Some are young and energetic. Many are youthful and irritating. Some are mature and productive. A few are older and wiser.
A great church is coming and going – active – dynamic – 24-7 operation
The Plan is done!!! NOW – We are ready to build!!!
Five Years lay a foundation. Five more years to lay the first course and lay up the corners. Now we are ready to rock and roll.
Look at what we have! We have a staff that is the best in the city and probably the state of Michigan
We have a building with lots of room in a central location. We have land with a house on it that we are using to house our newest staff (you’ll meet them officially next week) and they are inviting us to use their home for a women’s Bible Study; youth meetings; children’s choir; and several other purposes.
Look at where we are
2001: The Year of Leadership
2002: The Year of Friendship
2003: The Year We Begin to Build A Great Church
Look at the people in our area. We’re ready to take them in and love on them! Now we are ready to build…
Let’s pray for the workers and the resources
