What’s the purpose of the local church?

• The purpose of the local church is to train people to be spiritually mature, fully devoted followers of Christ, and then in turn having those disciples make more disciples.

Colossians 1:28 (ESV)

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?

Matthew 4:19 ESV

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

DISCIPLE = Follow Jesus, be changed by Jesus, and commit to the mission of Jesus. (Matthew 4:19)

• HEAD (Follow Jesus) — Obedience
• HEART (Changed by Jesus) — Repentance
• HANDS (Committed to the mission of Jesus) — Surrender

How do you know if someone is a mature disciple of Jesus?

Luke 6:43-45 (ESV)

43 “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Some questions you should ask yourself:

• How much of the Bible do I know?
• Do I get easily frustrated with people?
• Do I believe I am always right?
• Am I easily offended?
• How do I react to difficult situations?
• Do I feel superior to others because of my ministerial, economic, and/or social status?
• Am I accountable to anyone?

5 Stages of Spiritual Development

1) Spiritual Death

2) Spiritual Baby

3) Spiritual Child/Adolescent

4) Spiritual Adult

5) Spiritual Influencer

#1) SPIRITUAL DEATH (Ephesians 2:1-5)

Ephesians 2:1-3 (ESV)

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

• A person that is spiritually dead is one who does not have a relationship with Christ, has not surrendered his or her life to Him, and has not accepted Him as Lord and Savior.

Characteristics of a Spiritual Dead Person:

A) Express their distrust and doubts in the Word of God

• If doubt leads you to the seeking the truth, it’s good.
• But we must be careful of the persistent and unstable version of doubting that can lead to being double-minded.

James 1:6-8 (ESV)

6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

• Doubt is a hinderance to your relationship with God if it leads you to double-mindedness.

B) Claim to be an atheist, agnostic, cultural Christian or believe that all religions are equal and all lead to God.

John 14:6 (ESV)

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Acts 4:12 (ESV)

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

C) They are easily attracted to worldly attitudes and places that bring pleasure to their flesh.

1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

• When you are spiritually dead, your default is to do what you want and you must work really hard to do what God wants.
• When you are born-again, your default is to do what God wants and you must work hard to do what you want.

D) They frequently express themselves in a derogatory and negative manner against the church of Christ.

Ephesians 1:22-23 (ESV)

22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

• God has chosen the church to be help bring the Good News to the world. All authority was given to the church.

E) They don’t know the Gospel and show disinterest in everything that has to do with God.

Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

• Yes, it’s possible that someone may identify as a Christian and not be born-again.

Titus 1:16 (ESV)

They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

Luke 13:25-27 (ESV)

When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’

• When you are born again, you have a desire to follow Him by obeying, repenting, and surrendering to Him.

1 John 3:6-10 (ESV)

6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

The needs of the spiritually dead:

A) A relationship with a spiritual mature Christian that lives according to the gospel.

B) A person that can explain the Gospel in a simple and straightforward way.

C) On every opportunity to be encouraged to have a relationship with Jesus.

D) A trustworthy person that they can be accountable to.

• They don’t need a person that judges and criticizes them because of their condition.

Ephesians 2:4-5 (ESV)

4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

CONCLUSION

• If you are not in Christ, God loves you.

John 3:16-18 (ESV)

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

• No other religion gives you the hope that Jesus gives us. All you must do is believe in Him. He is the only way, He is the Truth, and in Him there’s eternal life.
• Believe in Christ as Lord & Savior = Obedience, Repentance, Surrender.