radical, redefining normal: part 2, community

Rad•i•cal

- Of or going to the root origin; fundamental

- A person who holds or follows strong convictions or extreme principles 

MATTHEW 16:17-18MSG

17 -18Jesus came back, "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books

or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church

so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

MATTHEW 16:19MSG

"And that's not all. You will have complete and free access to God's

kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between

heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on

earth is no in heaven."

What must we have to accomplish Radical Community?

(Circle One)ProgramsPerformancePowerProfessionalismPlans

Who is Ephesians written to?

EPHESIANS 1:1MSG

I, Paul, am under God's plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you

faithful believers in Ephesus.

God is not only looking for Radical Followers, but Radical Communities of Faith.

EPHESIANS 1:17a-21MSG

17I ask - ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory - to make you

intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, 18 your eyes focused and clear, so

that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious

way of life he has for Christians, 19 oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust

him - endless energy, boundless strength!

20 All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, 21 in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not

just for the time being, but forever.

The starting point for radical life/community is radical death to

ourselves in thinking we could really DO ‘enough’ to please God.

EPHESIANS 1:22-23MSG

22 He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all

this, Christ rules the church. 23 The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the

world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ's body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with

his presence.

Why does Word & Worship Church exist?

To Re-present Jesus.

Radical Community

A place that releases the people of God

with the Power of God for the Purpose of God.

Normal MUST be redefined for this to happen!

To redefine normal, we must allow Jesus to define us.

The Book of Acts

Gospel of Luke – continued.

What happened after the power of God showed up?

The story of the origin/foundation/roots of the First Church.

The multiplication of the Gospel took place person by person, community by community, city by city.

ACTS 2:41-42MSG41 That day about three thousand took

him at his word, were baptized and were signed up.

42They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles,

the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

Basic Deal:

Prayer – Word – Others

Created an environment of anything but business as

usual.

 ACTS 2:43-45 MSG

Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each

person's need was met.

What would it look like ‘if’?

ACTS 2:46-47MSG

They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked

what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

The full realization of the Book of Acts took place in the

communities of the believers.

Connected to God+ Connected to OthersOthers Connected to God

This is what we do!

Perseverance necessary:

HEBREWS 10:24-25NLT24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now

that the day of his return is drawing near.Our enemy does not care why you

“neglect” being part of the community, as long as you stop, he won!

Living life without carrying the extras.

Radical Community

Requires: An intense desire and intentional effort to make every one of our lives count for the multiplication of

the Gospel in the world.

I’m “just a” rain drop

The Amazon River

ACTS 2:37-38NLT

 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other

apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”   38 Peter replied, “Each of you must

repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

It’s personal, not private

Next Week, Father’s Day:

Radical: Redefining NormalCharacter

Give-Away to men out of high school & older.

Just do it.1. Lay it all on the table. What must go and what

must happen for Radical Community to be part of your life/family?

2. What is keeping you from taking the next step in becoming part of our Radical Community? Identify, talk it out, move forward.

3. What is the next step for you/your family to take in order to become more radical in our community?