09-05-2021

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09-05-2021 Rev. Trevor Johnston (Loxahatchee & Online), Rev. José Marrero (WPB), Rev. Efrain Silva (Español) Sermon Series: I Am Community of Hope Week 1: Me? English PDF file for printing. Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español  Icebreaker: Give each person in the group a chance to share a high and/or a low from their life over the summer.  1. Read Community of Hope’s mission statement together: “We exist to interest disinterested people in Jesus Christ and grow together into fully devoted followers of Him.” What do you notice about our church’s mission statement? 2. Read Matthew 28:16-20: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus gave us a clear vision for what he wants us to do on earth, but it’s easy for this vision to leak. Churches often get distracted from helping others connect with Jesus Christ. Even before the pandemic, 86% of churches in the U.S. were stagnant or shrinking.  Why do you think that is?  What are some things that might cause a church to stagnate?   3. Evangelism is simply sharing the good news of who Jesus is and that he came to connect us with God. The Bible teaches that some Christians have the “spiritual gift” of evangelism, so it comes more naturally for them. But even those who don’t have evangelism as their spiritual gift are called to be involved in this process in some way. What are some things that ordinary Christ-followers can do to be a part of the process of helping people connect to Jesus? The Power Behind Evangelism 4. Read Acts 2:46-47: Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. What do you notice about the power behind the constant flow of people being saved in the early church?  How does that impact you as you think about being involved in evangelism? The Process of Evangelism 5. Sometimes we assume the word “go” in Matthew 28:19 is only about international missions. That’s definitely important, but it’s actually not the main point of this verse. You could translate this “as you are going” – meaning as you go about your workday, as you’re in your neighborhood, as you pick up your kids from school, as you walk your dog – wherever you’re going – look for ways to be part of the process of making disciples of Jesus Christ.   Think of some people you see regularly in a normal week that you sense might not know Jesus Christ personally or don’t have a church home.  What could you do to get to know them better and get an idea of where they are spiritually? 6. Think of a few people who were part of your spiritual journey who helped you connect with Jesus Christ. What were they like? What did they do that helped you move towards Jesus?    The Promise as We Evangelize 7. Jesus promises to be with us as we tell others about him.  What difference does that make?   8. Many of us think of evangelism as talking, but Pastor Trevor said, “Evangelism doesn’t begin with talking.  It begins with how you listen and how you live.”  What did he mean by that?  9. Think of someone you know who’s negative toward or completely disinterested in Jesus Christ. What might the process of evangelism look like in the case of someone like that?  What are some things you should avoid doing?  What could you do to help them move closer to Jesus?   10. Suppose someone you know shows a slight interest in Jesus – perhaps asking what church you go to or why you seem to have more joy than most people – what are some things to remember about evangelism at this point?   Getting Practical: Each week we’ll offer some practical steps for your group to do together so you can support and encourage each other in the mission Jesus gave us.  ·      Have each person in the group write down the names of the people who came to mind in question #5. Pray together as a group for each person by name, asking God to work in their hearts and open up opportunities with them. Continue to pray together for them as a group throughout this sermon series. ·      Over the coming week, pray and look for opportunities to see these people. As you talk with them, be a good listener and seek to understand where they are spiritually.  Ready for your next step? – If you would like to take a next step in your faith journey, such as trusting your life to Christ or getting baptized, text the word “Next” to 561-264-6079 and follow the steps there, and we’ll contact you to help you do that. News and Announcements:·      New Here?  Let us know who you are by texting “connect” to 561-264-6079.·      Community Care Center Grand Opening – Join us 5:00-7:00pm on Wednesday, September 8 at our West Palm Beach Campus on Military Trail as we celebrate the official opening of our new Community Care Center.  The ribbon cutting ceremony will be at 6pm.  ·      Our Skeptics group is designed for people who aren't yet sure about Christianity to provide a safe place to discuss typical barriers to faith like, “Why is there suffering and pain in the world?”, “What happens to people from other religions?” and “Does the Bible conflict with modern science?” Skeptics will meet Mondays at 7pm at the Copans' home in Wellington starting September 20.  We’ll meet outdoors on our patio to help everyone stay safe, and people are welcome to Zoom into the meetings as well. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend who doesn’t have a church home. Sign up at https://communityofhope.church/groups/ ·      Our Apologetics group will meet Thursdays at 7pm over Zoom.  This group covers the same information as the Skeptic group, but is designed for Christians to get answers to intellectual questions so they can grow and also help others believe in Jesus. Apologetics starts September 16. Register at https://communityofhope.church/groups/ ·      Our Support Groups are available for anyone to join. If you or someone you know needs support to get through a challenging season like grief, divorce, mental illness, recovery, go to our groups page to register: https://communityofhope.church/groups/ ·      Financial Peace University is Dave Ramsey's 9-week class that teaches you how to pay off debt, save and invest for your future. Our Loxahatchee FPU class will meet Thursdays at 7pm at the Loxahatchee Campus starting September 23. Free childcare is available. Course cost of $64/family is paid directly to Ramsey+. Register at https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/classes/1139003 ·      COH Has Job Openings!  Learn more at https://communityofhope.church/employment ·      Thank you for your financial support, which makes it possible for us to minister to you and to our community!  Consider setting up automated giving to help you be consistent even when you’re traveling. To give to Community of Hope go to https://communityofhope.church/give.

09-05-2021
Rev. Trevor Johnston (Loxahatchee & Online), Rev. José Marrero (WPB), Rev. Efrain Silva (Español)
Sermon Series: I Am Community of Hope
Week 1: Me?
English PDF file for printing.
Para imprimir el archivo PDF en Español

 

Icebreaker: Give each person in the group a chance to share a high and/or a low from their life over the summer.

 

1. Read Community of Hope’s mission statement together: “We exist to interest disinterested people in Jesus Christ and grow together into fully devoted followers of Him.”

 

What do you notice about our church’s mission statement?

 

2. Read Matthew 28:16-20: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

 

Jesus gave us a clear vision for what he wants us to do on earth, but it’s easy for this vision to leak. Churches often get distracted from helping others connect with Jesus Christ. Even before the pandemic, 86% of churches in the U.S. were stagnant or shrinking.  Why do you think that is?  What are some things that might cause a church to stagnate? 

 

3. Evangelism is simply sharing the good news of who Jesus is and that he came to connect us with God. The Bible teaches that some Christians have the “spiritual gift” of evangelism, so it comes more naturally for them. But even those who don’t have evangelism as their spiritual gift are called to be involved in this process in some way. What are some things that ordinary Christ-followers can do to be a part of the process of helping people connect to Jesus?

 

The Power Behind Evangelism

 

4. Read Acts 2:46-47: Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 

What do you notice about the power behind the constant flow of people being saved in the early church?  How does that impact you as you think about being involved in evangelism?

 

The Process of Evangelism


5. Sometimes we assume the word “go” in Matthew 28:19 is only about international missions. That’s definitely important, but it’s actually not the main point of this verse. You could translate this “as you are going” – meaning as you go about your workday, as you’re in your neighborhood, as you pick up your kids from school, as you walk your dog – wherever you’re going – look for ways to be part of the process of making disciples of Jesus Christ. 

 

Think of some people you see regularly in a normal week that you sense might not know Jesus Christ personally or don’t have a church home.  What could you do to get to know them better and get an idea of where they are spiritually?

 

6. Think of a few people who were part of your spiritual journey who helped you connect with Jesus Christ. What were they like? What did they do that helped you move towards Jesus?  

 

The Promise as We Evangelize

 

7. Jesus promises to be with us as we tell others about him.  What difference does that make? 

 

8. Many of us think of evangelism as talking, but Pastor Trevor said, “Evangelism doesn’t begin with talking.  It begins with how you listen and how you live.”  What did he mean by that?

 

9. Think of someone you know who’s negative toward or completely disinterested in Jesus Christ. What might the process of evangelism look like in the case of someone like that?  What are some things you should avoid doing?  What could you do to help them move closer to Jesus? 

 

10. Suppose someone you know shows a slight interest in Jesus – perhaps asking what church you go to or why you seem to have more joy than most people – what are some things to remember about evangelism at this point? 

 

Getting Practical:

Each week we’ll offer some practical steps for your group to do together so you can support and encourage each other in the mission Jesus gave us. 

·      Have each person in the group write down the names of the people who came to mind in question #5. Pray together as a group for each person by name, asking God to work in their hearts and open up opportunities with them. Continue to pray together for them as a group throughout this sermon series.

·      Over the coming week, pray and look for opportunities to see these people. As you talk with them, be a good listener and seek to understand where they are spiritually.

 

Ready for your next step? – If you would like to take a next step in your faith journey, such as trusting your life to Christ or getting baptized, text the word “Next” to 561-264-6079 and follow the steps there, and we’ll contact you to help you do that.

 

News and Announcements:

·      New Here?  Let us know who you are by texting “connect” to 561-264-6079.

·      Community Care Center Grand Opening – Join us 5:00-7:00pm on Wednesday, September 8 at our West Palm Beach Campus on Military Trail as we celebrate the official opening of our new Community Care Center.  The ribbon cutting ceremony will be at 6pm.

 

·      Our Skeptics group is designed for people who aren't yet sure about Christianity to provide a safe place to discuss typical barriers to faith like, “Why is there suffering and pain in the world?”, “What happens to people from other religions?” and “Does the Bible conflict with modern science?” Skeptics will meet Mondays at 7pm at the Copans' home in Wellington starting September 20.  We’ll meet outdoors on our patio to help everyone stay safe, and people are welcome to Zoom into the meetings as well. This is a great opportunity to invite a friend who doesn’t have a church home. Sign up at https://communityofhope.church/groups/

 

·      Our Apologetics group will meet Thursdays at 7pm over Zoom.  This group covers the same information as the Skeptic group, but is designed for Christians to get answers to intellectual questions so they can grow and also help others believe in Jesus. Apologetics starts September 16. Register at https://communityofhope.church/groups/

 

·      Our Support Groups are available for anyone to join. If you or someone you know needs support to get through a challenging season like grief, divorce, mental illness, recovery, go to our groups page to register: https://communityofhope.church/groups/

 

·      Financial Peace University is Dave Ramsey's 9-week class that teaches you how to pay off debt, save and invest for your future. Our Loxahatchee FPU class will meet Thursdays at 7pm at the Loxahatchee Campus starting September 23. Free childcare is available. Course cost of $64/family is paid directly to Ramsey+. Register at https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/classes/1139003

 

·      COH Has Job Openings!  Learn more at https://communityofhope.church/employment

 

·      Thank you for your financial support, which makes it possible for us to minister to you and to our community!  Consider setting up automated giving to help you be consistent even when you’re traveling. To give to Community of Hope go to https://communityofhope.church/give.

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