It’s A Lifestyle and Not An Event
To be a Body of Believers who display the Love of Christ and who love our neighbors; who Make Disciples as we are being Discipled; who are committed to sharing the gospel of Christ with people from all walks of life, through Outreach and Evangelism.
1. How does it become a lifestyle? It’s who you are and what you believe. Love can’t operate in a vacuum.. 1 John 4:16
Love requires someone to love. Love seeks out someone to love. Love is never solitary; It requires community to operate. Jesus believed in this so much that he made this audacious statement in John 13:34-35. LOL = “Lifestyle of Love”
2. How does ‘who we are’ display the Love of Christ? Love is more than simply warm feelings, it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. We do this by . . .
a. Loving each other
b. Serving each other
c. Sharing with each other whatever is needed
d. Laying down our lives for one another
3. How do we love our neighbors? Mark 12:28-34
a. by helping, whether it’s convenient or inconvenient
b. by giving obediently, even when it hurts
c. by devoting energy to others’ welfare above our own
When our love of Christ is a “lifestyle”, we are empowered by our supernatural God Who can reveal himself to our neighbors when we engage with them, in obedience to God.
4. How do we do Outreach? Matthew 25:35-40
a. look to feed and serve the lost
b. be willing to get to know strangers
c. seek understanding about how to clothe those who needs it
d. serve the sick … visit nursing homes
5. How do we share Gospel,Through Evangelism. Matthew 28:18-20 and John 4:7-26
Understand this is an authoritative command, not a suggestion.
a. go!
b. share your faith
Why?
a. He is sending us
b. He will be guiding us
c. He will be empowering us
6. How do we Make Disciples while being Discipled? Matthew 5:14-16,
1Corinthians 12
a. by strategically equipping believers to live out their faith
b. by offering support as believers learn to handle challenges
c. by teaching believers to pray
d. by providing guidance & mechanisms for believers to be woven into the fabric of the church
e. by identifying believers’ gifting through various training/testing mechanisms
f. by having discipling relationships