Build Up

Our church theme for 2017 is “Build Up!” based on Ephesians 4:16 which reads: "From him (Jesus) the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

As followers of Jesus, we need to be built up in our faith and in our life as disciples. But, if you were asked, could you describe what a growing disciple looks like? What qualities and characteristics would you list? To be able to answer that question well, for the next several weeks, we will look at 12 attributes of growing disciples in our upcoming sermon series.

To help us with that, we’ll be following a devotional guide called, “Being with Jesus” (By Carol Baergen). Each week we will read 5 devos to prepare for the next sermon. Then we’ll have the sermon. After the sermon, we’ll fill in a reflective assessment sheet to help us process what we are learning. Then we’ll be equipped to share our learnings with others when we meet during the week. By the end of the series, we’ll be able to describe and recognize growing disciples!

We believe a growing disciple is someone who is:

  • Captivated and Committed
  • Thriving and Thirsting
  • Bonded and Building
  • Inviting and Influencing
  • Discerning and Disarming
  • Purposeful and Persevering

Let’s pray that each one of us will submit to Jesus more fully and trust the Holy Spirit to build these qualities into our individual and corporate lives! This will help us to fulfill our mission of intentionally leading people into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Bigger Picture


L. Hiebert
Matthew 4:18-22

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
-- 2 Corinthians 3:18

Who Are We Following?


L. Hiebert
Luke 9:57-62

This is an introduction to our upcoming sermon series Build Up. For this series, we want to focus on purposely evaluating our relationship with God reguarly and actively take steps to grow closer to Him.

Follow along with us each week in the Discipleship Map* and Carol Baergen's devotional: Being with Jesus

For next sermon, Captivated and Committed, read the following relevant sections in the devotional:

  1. Read page 9.
  2. Use the 5 days of devotions to prepare for the sermon on Captivat...

Continue reading...

Captivated and Committed


L. Hiebert
Revelation 2:1-7

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.
-- Mark 12:30-31

Thriving and Thirsting: Spiritual Self-Care


L. Hiebert
2 Peter 1:1-11

Join us as we continue on with Carol Baergen's devotional 'Being With Jesus'.

Be sure to check out additional resources to help you thrive spiritually and thirst for God.

So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in obedience to all that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.
-- Deuteronomy 5:32-33

Continue reading...

Bonded and Building: Community


L. Hiebert
Hebrews 10:19-25

As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
-- 1 Peter 2:4-6

Inviting and Influencing: Witness


L. Hiebert
2 Corinthians 5:11-21

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
-- 1 Peter 2:12

Discerning and Disarming: Alignment


L. Hiebert
1 Peter 3:8-18

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
-- 2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Purposeful and Persevering: Finishing Well


L. Hiebert
Philippians 3:7-16

In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
-- Philippians 1:4-6

Are You Ready to Invest?


L. Hiebert
John 6:66-70

He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.'
-- Mark 16:15-16

Evangelism at Work


L. Hiebert
Matthew 5:13-16

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
-- 1 Peter 2:12

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