OUT OF BOUNDS
Welcome to Week 3 of The Elephant in the Church!
THIS ISN'T JUST CHURCH...IT'S LIFE!
Announcements:
Food Distribution // This week! Thursday we receive the the truck at 10AM and Friday we distribute. Be there by 9:45, distribution starts at 10AM.
The Call // Every Tuesday. Prayer warriors come join together as we spend a little time in worship and pray for our church, community, state, country and whatever God is laying on our hearts to pray!
Family/Missions Sunday // Next Sunday. It's that time again where our kiddos will be joining us for worship as well as collecting BGMC funds in Dash4Cash. Bring your loose change to "change the world!"
Big Idea/Concept: The strength of a family is tied to the strength of self-discipline
Psalms 40:11 NKJV
John 1:14 NLT
1 Kings 1:1-6 NRSV
Self discipline = living “in bounds” in an out of bounds world.
Healthy families are built on the right balance of affection and discipline.
Low affection, Low discipline = no responsibility, no rules, no relationship and ends in rejection
Low affection, High discipline = rules without relationship and ends in rebellion
High affection, Low discipline = relationship without rules and ends in ruin
High affection, High discipline = limits with love; gives time and heart—leads to realization
Proverbs 13:24 NLT
The absence of self-discipline leads to self-destruction later in life.
The intensity of our affection must match the intensity of our discipline.
Howard Hendricks – “if you don’t play with your children, you don’t have the right to discipline your children”
Catherine Wallace - “Listen earnestly to anything your children wants to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.”
There is a delay in the rewards of Discipline.
Hebrews 12:10-12 NLT
Here is how it becomes The Elephant in the CHURCH…
-The very same “letting it slide” mentality creeps into the church and in that, little things that need be addressed slide.
-This only compounds the problem, because when it comes to a point it needs be addressed… we are upset because the lack of discipline/self-discipline has been “ok” to this point.
-Throw on top of that the spirit of offense we live with today and you create a trifecta that can cripple God’s Kingdom advancement in the church because the Church is a broken home full of rejection, rebellion and ruin with very little relationship or realization.
Big Idea: The strength of a family/church is tied to the strength of self-discipline
Have a blessed Week!