Sermon Tone Analysis
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Intro
Whatever else the world may know about Christians, most know this: Christians are suppose to go to church.
Every Sunday, Christians gather together to worship God and spend time in “fellowship.”
But why do we actually do this?
What is the purpose of the Church then?
Why is the Church here?
What is Bethany Church here?
Whatever else we may know about Christians, we know this: Christians are suppose to go to church.
Every Sunday, Christians gather together to worship God and spend time in “fellowship.”
But why, why do we actually do this?
What is the purpose of the Church then?
Why is the Church here?
What is the purpose of Bethany Church?
Every Sunday, Christians gather together to worship God and spend time in “fellowship.”
Some see the local church as existing primarily for evangelism, to draw unchurched people to the Christian faith.
This view insists that the more we learn to think like people that don’t follow Jesus, the better we will do in drawing them to the church and, from the church, to Jesus.
The second common view is that the local church exists solely for discipleship.
According to this view, the purpose of the church is to serve the needs of Christians.
It’s in many ways a knee-jerk reaction against the first view.
This view believes that, instead of putting all its energy into evangelism, the church should put all its energy into disciple.
Instead of making decisions based on the preferences of unbelievers, the church should make decisions based on the preferences of Christians.
Both of these views have merit.
However, under further examination each seem to be lacking on their own.
If the church exists solely to draw the unchurched to Christ, it assumes that the unchurched know what they need.
It assumes their spiritual desires are genuine and that by following them they will arrive at truth and salvation.
If the church exists solely for discipleship, what about the needs of those outside the doors?
It doesn’t sound like Jesus set-up the Church for it to be self-centered and “us” focused.
If the church exists solely for discipleship, what about the needs of those outside the doors?
If the church exists to serve the needs of Christians, what about
That begs the question, [Slide - 2] More specifically, as a follower of Jesus, as a member of the body of Jesus Christ...
The first view, that the local church exists for seekers, assumes that unbelievers know what they need the most.
It assumes that their spiritual desires are genuine and that by following them they will arrive at truth and salvation.
And while Jesus did pay attention to the needs of the crowds of unbelievers, he was also sure to point out that they were unable to recognize their greatest need—namely, eternal life in him ().
Their seeking was ultimately self-centered and led only to greater condemnation.
If the church exists to serve the needs of Christians, what about
A second common view is that the local church exists for discipleship.
According to this view, the purpose of the church is to serve the needs of Christians.
Many people push back against the seeker-sensitive church movement and declare, “The church exists for discipleship!
It exists to serve and strengthen Christians!”
They claim that instead of putting all its energy into evangelism, the church should put all its energy into discipleship.
Instead of making decisions based on the preferences of unbelievers, the church should make decisions based on the preferences of Christians.
In this way, building up the body of Christ becomes the ultimate purpose of the local church.
to draw unchurched people to the Christian faith.
Question: Why are we here?
Now, if we were to take a survey, I bet we would find that we are all here for a number of different reasons.
Those reasons are affected by many factors - your stage of life, family structure, work - wherever you find yourself in your story.
Thankfully, Jesus gives us an answer to this question that transcends every on of our individual reasons why we might be here.
It applies to every place where we might find ourselves in life.
It unites us around a common purpose, a common goal, a common reason for being.
esus is very clear
Turn to Deuteronomy 6.
As you do this let me read for you a conversation Jesus had with the religious leaders of His day.
However, what I would like to do this morning
I.
We Are Called To Love God - Be Disciples
[Slide - 3]
I.
We Are Here To Be Disciples
II.
WE Are Here To Be Disciples
A. As A Disciple God Comes First
“Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?”
When I hear “commandment in the law” I automatically think of the Ten Commandments
[Slide - 4] Jesus is going to quote the Shema
Deuteronomy 5:6-21
Basic confession of faith in Judaism
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