Love the Church and Serve

Offering message: Matt. 6:1-2. Never let tradition steal from you that God wants to reward you. He wants us full and overflowing so we can bless others for His kingdom. We need to believe God is a rewarder. Sermon message: Eph. 5:23-2. Do we love the church and are we ready to give ourselves for it? How committed are we? God gave us Jesus, who gave His life for us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. The individual has value. When Jesus left the ninety-nine to go after the one, they had to make it on their own. Follow the Holy Spirit. Pastor Dale told about rescuing children who lived in the sewers and how the former “sewer rats” ministered to the young new additions. This is a picture of what the church is to be: the ones who have been set free ministering to the lost and the newly saved ones. Comparing it to the role of a coach, the five-fold ministry (Eph. 4:11-13) is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body. The saints are to do the work. We need believers who are servants.