Pray for people in your life who are far from God.
Ask God, “How do you want to use me to bless the people in my life?”

 

Sermon Outline:

Outline:

Staff Retreat & Elder’s Retreat (Vision for the year!)

New Vision for 2018 (Missional Community)

Genesis 12:2-3 Being a Blessing- The Mission of God (Reach-Restore-Reproduce)

Overview of the Story of the Bible: Creation-Fall-Redemption!

Gen.12:2-3 (Covenant w/ Abraham)

2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Study of Converters vs. BLESSERS- (E-Book). Mark Russell (Missional Entrepreneurs)

Thailand- Social Good and Conversion (2 Years)

BLESS- Each day do 1 of these 5 missional strategies

What would your community, work-place, and family look like if you became this kind of person?

Next 5 weeks going to talk about them.

Begin in Prayer:

Colossians 4:2-6

“2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”

Big Idea: God’s mission is to BLESS this world. We begin our partnership with Him through prayer.

3 Questions: What is Prayer? Why do we Begin with Prayer? How are we to Pray?

1.) What is Prayer?

Communion with God

We are influenced and changed by who we open our lives to and spend time with…..

Example: Marriage. Friendship. (Bad Company Corrupts good Morals)

Communicating with God (Because we love Him.)

Talking- We praise Him-We Confess to Him-We Thank Him- We ask from Him

Listening- We seek to learn to hear His voice over our own. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence.

God’s mission is to BLESS this world. We begin our partnership with Him through prayer.

2.) Why do we Begin with Prayer?

Dependency upon God (Open a door for the word)….God-dependancy vs. Self-Sufficiency

• His Mission- Acts 1:8, Mt.28:18-20 (His purposes in this world, we’re partnering with Him)

• • Mt. 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

• • Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.

• • Luke 12:32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

• His Power– Mt.28:18-20; Mt.16:18 (Gates of hell shall not prevail against the advance of His purposes).
  • Mt.16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

• • Colossians 2:13-15 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

• His Knowledge-Acts 16:6-10 (God closing opportunities to share the gospel…Must begin with prayer to have discernment.)
  • Acts 16:6-10 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. 8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them

God’s mission is to BLESS this world. We begin our partnership with Him through prayer.

3.) How are we to Pray?

• Steadfastly– Luke 18:1-8 (The Persistent Widow), Luke 11:5-13 (The persistence of prayer)
• Watchfully– Mark 14:37-38 (The Disciples sleeping on Christ while in prayer),
• With Thanksgiving
  • 1 Thess.5:16-18-Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus….
• Intentionally-

• • The Gospel- Mystery of Christ
  • Others- Boldness, Clarity, Wisdom in speech and time
  • Ourselves- Boldness, Clarity, Wisdom in speech and time

God’s mission is to BLESS this world. We begin our partnership with Him through prayer.

Application: Write down 3 people who are far from God that are in your proximity. Your mission with God first begins with prayer. Commit to begin each day or even pray before or after your interactions with them.