“Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.” Psalm 107:43
“Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for the wonderful things he has done for them.” Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31
“He led them straight to safety, to
a city where they could live,” verse 7
“What a blessing was that stillness as he brought them safely into harbor!”
verse 30 Psalm 107
“City Harbor Church a safe place to find and follow Jesus.”
Through his church God creates a safe place for people to find and follow Jesus, receiving & responding to his love.
“God so loved the world that He gave His Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” – Jesus in John 3:16
“Love God with all, love your
neighbor as yourself,” Matthew 22:37-40
“I
will build my church,” – Jesus in Matthew 16:18 (on this rock, confession of
Jesus’ identity as Messiah)
Church – New people following Jesus together
Ekklesia – “called out” of their homes for assembly (regularly assembled for specific purpose with unique identity), Often referencing the purpose and/or spiritual power of the “called out” people. This group of people is different. Church universal and local (used in Scripture both ways) this includes a N.T. reference to the Old Testament Hebrew believers, the Jewish Christian congregation in Jerusalem and the primarily Gentile congregation in Antioch. The word is most often used to describe a specific congregation.
“Go, urge people to become my followers,” Matthew 28:18-20
“for all who will ever believe in me…that they will all be one…so that the world will believe,” – Jesus’ prayer for us John 17:20-23
“They shared the good news of Jesus, they were devoted to Jesus’ teaching, fellowship, sharing life, prayer, helping each other, and meeting in groups large & small.” Acts 2:42-47
Devoted – to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty “to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in,”
“This is good, pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 2 Timothy 2:3-4
“City Harbor Church a safe place to find and follow Jesus.” A Jesus following church that is:
– Urban Acts 2, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19,
– Multi-ethnic multi-cultural Revelation 7:9-10
– Spirit-filled Acts 2
– Healthy Ephesians 4:23
– Missional practice Acts 4:29-35; 11:19-30; 2 Corinthians 8-9
What should we do?
– Receive & Respond to the Love of Jesus
– Connect by gathering on weekends for worship, to receive and respond to his love
– Grow by meeting in small groups for prayer, learning, and sharing life
– Share by living like Jesus and sharing his love, every day and everywhere
– Practice Courageous Generosity by giving at a level where you are aware of the sacrifice
We see a church…
– Loving Jesus in a way that people talk about.
– Where people find salvation & healing in Jesus.
– Helping people find careers & peaceful homes.
– Where everyone can find a place that they fit.
– Serving the city with love that works.