Missio Dei Fellowship

Often Christians look at themselves, their abilities and opportunities and think little of it. They compare themselves to others and their effect seems to matter little. But this is simply not true. In this message we see how God saved, calls and equips all of us for His purposes. The size or effect is unimportant.

In this final sermon on guardians of the Church, we focus on what often is the most difficult part of forgiveness, the idea of not remembering wrongs suffered. Often we will hear "Forgive and Forget" but is this properly stated? Should we simply somehow forget? The goal of this sermon is to consider this aspect of forgiveness from a biblical perspective that starts with God's forgiveness toward sinners.

Having considered the various aspects of Church Discipline as a way to guard the purity of the Church, we now look at the what and how of forgiveness. Often people struggle in forgiving another when sinned against and this creates challenges as a person seeks repentance and wants to be restored.

Having considered the various aspects of Church Discipline as a way to guard the purity of the Church, we now look at the what and how of forgiveness. Often people struggle in forgiving another when sinned against and this creates challenges as a person seeks repentance and wants to be restored.

One of the least practiced responsibilities in the American church today is what is commonly known as Church Discipline yet it is one of the key guardians of a true, local church. Though Matthew 18 functions as the normative process, there are many other passages that show how to handle unique situations that inevitably crop up. But in all of this is the desire and expectation of our Lord to be a pure church.

One of the least practiced responsibilities in the American church today is what is commonly known as Church Discipline yet it is one of the key guardians of a true, local church. This is something that was commanded by our Lord and was taught by the Apostles as a means to call sinning believers back to repentance and a proper fellowship with the church. However, in our times it neglected and even rejected and the cost is huge. This sermon seeks to give a broad explanation as to why any church that is truly a church of our Lord's must practice discipline.

At the top of every sermon note is the mission statement for Missio Dei Fellowship. It is woven into every part of the day to day processes and actions of the church. But having a mission statement and owning that statement are two very different things. In these two sermons the people of Missio are exhorted to carefully consider the what, why and how of their mission statement.

The church was purchased by the blood of Christ and it is most precious in His sight. As such, we are called to treat the Church properly and with true deference, rather than exploiting it for our own desires. With that in mind, we need to see how God has put into place certain guardians for the Church. Two key ones are, godly leaders and godly church discipline. These will be the focus of this short series. In this final sermon on leadership we consider what the responsibilities are for the congregation toward their leadership.

The church was purchased by the blood of Christ and it is most precious in His sight. As such, we are called to treat the Church properly and with true deference, rather than exploiting it for our own desires. With that in mind, we need to see how God has put into place certain guardians for the Church. Two key ones are, godly leaders and godly church discipline. These will be the focus of this short series. In these next two messages we look at what qualifies a man to be considered for the office of elder.

The church was purchased by the blood of Christ and it is most precious in His sight. As such, we are called to treat the Church properly and with true deference, rather than exploiting it for our own desires. With that in mind, we need to see how God has put into place certain guardians for the Church. Two key ones are, godly leaders and godly church discipline. These will be the focus of this short series. In this sermon we see a key duty of an elder and in doing so we discover why they stand as critical guardians for the local church.

The church was purchased by the blood of Christ and it is most precious in His sight. As such, we are called to treat the Church properly and with true deference, rather than exploiting it for our own desires. With that in mind, we need to see how God has put into place certain guardians for the Church. Two key ones are, godly leaders and godly church discipline. These will be the focus of this short series. In these next two messages we look at what qualifies a man to be considered for the office of elder.

The church was purchased by the blood of Christ and it is most precious in His sight. As such, we are called to treat the Church properly and with true deference, rather than exploiting it for our own desires. With that in mind, we need to see how God has put into place certain guardians for the Church. Two key ones are, godly leaders and godly church discipline. These will be the focus of this short series. In these next two messages we look at what qualifies a man to be considered for the office of elder.

The church was purchased by the blood of Christ and it is most precious in His sight. As such, we are called to treat the Church properly and with true deference, rather than exploiting it for our own desires. With that in mind, we need to see how God has put into place certain guardians for the Church. Two key ones are, godly leaders and godly church discipline. These will be the focus of this short series.

The idea of being missional, or on mission for God, can sound very good. But often, while accepting the concept, Christians fail in the application of being sent into this world as Christ was sent. What does it look like? How does the gospel help move us to relate to our fellow man? One aspect that is often overlooked is the simple practice of opening our homes and lives to people who are not believers. It is the lost art of hospitality. In this sermon we explore the biblical basis for practicing hospitality and then consider what that might look like in our individual lives.

In this final sermon regarding a missional life, Pastor Henry seeks to show believers exactly what it means to seek first God's kingdom. Jesus makes it clear that we are not to be fearing the things that unbelievers fear. Rather, implied in this is that we ought to be fearing God. But the hard reality is that possessions, the pleasure that they bring, and the fear of losing them too often capture our minds to the point that we lose sight of God and His kingdom. The result? A loss of reward in eternity, a paralyzing effect in our lives now, and a lack of true worship toward our Lord.

Money and possessions are the great idols of America. But it is obvious from the words of Jesus that they are the idols of mankind as well. How do we view money? What are the purposes of possessions? When is enough, enough? So how do we answer these and other questions? Pastor Henry shows that the answer starts and ends with worship—you cannot serve both God and money for your treasure—what you worship—is where your heart is. This means it is a lot more than merely giving up on the pursuit of riches, or tithing more, or helping the poor. Rather, it speaks of the true motivation for that giving.

n this second part on unity Pastor Henry reminds his congregation what their responsibility before man and God is to be. Every Christian possesses the unity of the Spirt, but the unity of the faith is something that no church will ever fully attain this side of eternity. Nonetheless, it is something that our Lord expects us to strive after with every fiber of our being. How we pursue the unity of the faith is through gifted men who build up the church so that the people can do the Church's work.

The unity of the Spirit is something that every church and every Christian must hold to jealously. Unity is a natural outcome of the gospel. Once disunity is tolerated, sin and shame is sure to follow. But what is it? And how do we go about maintaining it? These are explored in this message.

Pastor Henry shows how the gospel must be central in all that we do. From the foundation of the church to its building up, the gospel has to flow in and out of it. And to the degree the church stays faithful to that gospel, it will be healthy, holy, and missional. Paul gives us a clear pathway to follow in this manner; one that he walked, and one that he bids us to walk as well. May we all be faithful to ever and always be gospel-centered.

How does a Christian grow? While this may seem obvious too often the answer is anything but the gospel. But that is deadly to the life of each Christian and must be remedied. Pastor Henry seeks to help his congregation to see that the gospel is not something believed and then forgotten; rather it is to define and instruct in all our walk. And only through applying the gospel throughout our life shall we live with true, abiding gratitude that frees us to serve our Lord.