What does it mean to be the Church and why do I have to be part of a church? I thought the message was incredibly challenging this Sunday. I hope this series will encourage us to go deeper in our study of what God calls His Church (His Bride) to be. So will we step up to the challenge of being the Church as God calls us to be?

This is your chance to respond to what impacted you the most about the message. Please tell us how you plan to respond personally. Also, for those of you who still have questions or concerns about the content of the message, we really do want to hear from you too. So please don't be shy. Let us know what encourages you or what ails you. We're here to adress any questions you may have. 

We've included the message notes below, and we look forward to your comments. To make your comments click the "comments" link below. 

--Robert

The Irresistible Church (Part I)

Question: Why should you be a part of the local church...

The Power of the Kingdom = Power Associated with the Local Church (Matt. 16:17)
1. To understand the power of the Kingdom, we must go back to the Garden of Eden. God intended to create heaven on earth.
2. Adam gave up the opportunity to replicate heaven on earth when Eve sinned.
3. God ultimately sent Jesus, so that the local church could be empowered to replicate heaven on earth as originally intended.
4. Power is available to you when you join a church. No church...limited power!
5. When you see a gate (barrier) in your life, know that there is a KEY (principle from the Word) that applies to that issue.
6. That KEY gives us access. That access means that all power has been given to you and the local church.
7. All too often we are trying to replace God's keys with our own keys of good intention, and the gate will never open.

Presence of God Can Be Felt (Eph. 1:22-23)
1. God wants His presence here on earth (He is housed in you & you are a part of the church).
2. No institution on earth is greater or more powerful than the church.
3. We should have the power to the Kingdom and the keys to guide/disciple others.
4. We are Jesus' ambassadors. Just as Jesus had no other agenda than the agenda of His father; we are here only to fulfill His agenda.
5. Remember that an ambassor of a country is removed from his position if he misrepresents his county. Consider how we are representing Christ.

Proclaimer of the Kingdom of God (I Peter 2:9)
1. We have so many Christians that aren't proclaiming anything.
2. We must not only talk about God, but our lives must also represent Him (v. 11-12).

Picture of the Kingdom (Eph. 3:10)
1. The church should be present to provide solutions to the challenges of the world (no need to change behavior; must guide/disciple to change the heart).
2. God left us the church, so that He would be attractive to people. He wants the world to be unable to resist Him because of what the church reflects.
3. The local church should have a clear cause, connection/heart for the community, and calling for members of the body.

The message Sunday was on The Irresistible Family. It was delivered by our Family Pastor, KC Cook. There was a lot to take away from this message. But we want to hear your thoughts.

Here is the question we would like you to respond to:
For marrieds with kids: Based on what you heard from this message, what is the biggest challege for you and your family moving forward?

For couples: What did you take away from this message?

For singles: How did this message challenge you in your singleness?

We have also included the message notes below.

The Irresistible Family

Introductory Points: God made marriage for family (Prov. 17:6 & 19:13). For couples - the best way to create an irresistible family is to love your spouse.

"A" is for Attitude
1. Sets the tone for the family.
2. Our attitude is the lens through which we see life.
3. Philippians 4:13 should be the banner for how we want our kids to see life.
4. Couples - Your attitude toward each other is very important. Your feelings are real, but you must filter your feelings through the grid of God's Word and respond based on His Word rather than your feelings.

"B" is for Bible
1. The Bible is the #1 responsibility of parents.
2. It is not the church's responsibility to biblically raise children (Deut. 6:5-9 & Prov. 22:6)
3. Teaching our children God's Word is about helping them see what we can do vs. what we can't do.
4. Establish early who God is in your home.
5. Establish prayer as the first move.
6. Establish devotional time.
7. Establish a heart for service.
8. Couples - Remember to prayer together and to use prayer a preventive measure. All horizontal relationships are a reflection of our vertical relationship.

"C" is for Communication
1. It is the life line of the family (Prov. 15:28).
2. The Four T's of Communication:
a. Tongue - What are you saying?
b. Temper - Am I speaking in anger?
c. Timing - Is this the best time?
d. Tone - How am I saying it?
3. Couples - Remember to never...
a. Use never and always.
b. Confront mate or children publically.
c. Get historical.
d. Try to dominate the conversation emotionally or physically.
e. Involve family members and friends.
f. Argue to win.

"D" is for discipline
1. The goal of spanking is not to punish but to teach.
2. With discipline comes forgiveness.

"E" is for Education
1. Be actively involved in the education of your children, beyond school.
2. Couples - Encourage each other's gifts and talents.

"F" is for Fun
1. Don't get so serious that you forget to have fun.

Below, we have included the 30-Day Sex Challenge materials:

Married Challenge-Print.pdf (240.69 kb)