"Building a Church Through Outreach"
A Year With No Limits
-Part One-
ELCOG 1/6/08
Text: Gal. 5:4-8, 1 Cor. 9:10-14
This morning I want to set the tone for the New Year. I hope to challenge you to broaden your vision. I want to encourage you to take the brakes off and allow God to be God.
Prov. 29:18
18Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
I want to remind you that a church must have a vision. We must have goals and plans to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. We do not want to be a group of people that will hinder the gospel from being preached to this community. In this New Year, we must be willing to take up the great commission and go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Will we be able to reach everyone? No, but we should reach the people that are available to us.
Let us set a goal and a plan to have a year with no limits. It’s time that we stop limiting God in what He can do through us. If God is going to touch this community, he must touch through your hands. If he is going to speak to this community, he must use your mouth. Let this be a year with no limits. Let us declare that:
Rom. 10:13
13For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Let’s remember that everyone needs Jesus. Don’t limit God to who he can save. Don’t put a road block in the way of God saving the worst people in this community in our altars. We are a whosoever and we need to present the gospel to anyone who will hear. Let me remind you of this scripture:
Luke 9:24
24For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
Luke 9:25
25For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?
Luke 9:26
26For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.
We can’t be ashamed of God and His word and His power. No more limits. We have an ideology that only a certain type of person needs to come to our church, but this year I want to declare that anyone who can get here is welcomed here. We will not limit anyone from sitting in these pews, nor will we limit anyone from praying in our altars. Let the rankest of all sinners come and find a hand to shake and a neck to hug. Let God be God and remember he touches the lepers and calls the homeless. God has a heart for hurting people. God has a heart for the despised and for the abused. Let us take the heart of God and plan to touch those people who have not heard or seen the gospel in their lives.
If we are ashamed to present God to this world, God will be ashamed to present us to His father. What good does it do for you to gain the whole world and lose your life?
Get a vision this year for the people that are hurting and for those that are lost and show them Jesus. No more limits. It’s time we reach this community.
Our text in Galatians 5:7 ask a very important question: Who hinders you from obeying the word of truth? Who or what hinders you from being obedient to the word of God?
Think about Saul…
Acts 9:3
3And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:
Acts 9:4
4And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Acts 9:5
5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Acts 9:6
6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Saul was a man who hated Christians. He was a man that hindered the gospel from being preached. He wanted to silence the voice of God, until God spoke to him and then he had no limits in his life.
Maybe God wants to ask you a question this morning; "Why do you persecute me?" Why do you hinder the gospel from reaching your family? Why do you hinder the gospel from reaching the people of your community? Why are you working against me?
Saul was told to arise and go to the city for the next step in his new life.
God wants you to take up the gospel and take it to a lost world. Arise and go to the city. God will take your blinders off once you arise and go to the city. God will change your life and your ideas about people after you arise and go to the city. Get off of your attitude and go to the city. You have been setting limits on what God can do through you. Take off the brakes and let’s win our family, friends, enemies, and strangers to Jesus Christ.
Saul was of no affect to Christ for years, but after his encounter with God he was the most productive of all people. He wrote a majority of the New Testament and discipled people, started churches and worked non-stop for Jesus.
You need an encounter with Christ this morning. You need to be reminded that you are called to touch the world. You need to be reminded God expects you to work in his freedom to win the lost.
Gal. 5:1
1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
You need to arise and go to the city and let God set you free so that you can stand in the power of the gospel and take away the limits.
This must be a year with no limits. We are close to the end and while there is still day let us work. Let us preach the gospel, let us show the gospel, and let us demonstrate the gospel to this community. It’s time that you live in a year with no limits.