I was honored to develop and oversee a new sermon series at Brookwood Church in January on what it means to be the church. In case you missed it, I wanted to give you an opportunity to ask yourself if you’re engaged in all God calls us to be in the church.
The four-week #AsWeGo series was really one long message, with each teaching serving as a point in a larger sermon. Every week we explored one of four vital components to be the church rather than simply attend church:
Being the church requires living a COMMISSIONED Life.
In the first week, we discussed the mission of the church as a whole. We have a purpose as one body. We have a mission that should be reflected in everything we do. Are you living a missional life?
Being the church requires unity in COMMUNITY.
In week two, we talked about having a love for one another IN the church—having unity in our purpose. We explored how important it is for us to be growing together, worshiping together, and caring for one another.
Being the church requires CONTRIBUTION to the body.
In the third message, I invited J.C. Thompson to speak, and he did a fantastic job. He shared about our need to contribute to that community with our gifts, attitude, and resources.
Those three components of being the church were challenging to me—and if you watch those messages here or on the church website where you’ll also find discussion guides, you might discover any one of them seems impossible to live out in a sincere way—let alone participating fully in all three.
How do we maintain a sincere focus on our mission proclaiming the gospel to a broken world in the way we live our lives, building a community of selfless and joyful partnership within the church, and contributing everything to the success, purpose, and needs of the body?
The answer is in our fourth and final key point. Being the church is only attainable when we develop the same love for others that Christ had for us. That means:
Being the church requires CONSUMING COMPASSION.
Not occasional compassion.
Not convenient compassion.
Not momentary compassion,
But consuming compassion that directs the motive behind every action, word, and thought in our lives.
Without consuming compassion for others, nothing we do in the church will bear fruit.
How are you engaging with these four components of being the church? We’d love to hear your reaction and experience in the comments below.
