1. Future Church will be unstoppable
2. Future Church will be about Mission
3. Future Church will still gather
4. Future Church will be less selfish
5. Future Church will compliment not compete
Before the pandemic:
Some people had no life except church life
Some churches offered so many programs for families that families didn’t even have a chance to be families ~ let alone meet their neighbours!
Future church will compliment not compete. It will equip people to live out their faith in the world. It will fulfil 1 Thess. 4:11-12…
1 Thess. 4:11-12, “…make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”
6. Future Church will value experience
Bayside’s Core Values:
Living and loving the Word of God
Contending for the supernatural
Word + Spirit
Quote: David Watson, “All Word and no Spirit, we dry up; all Spirit and no Word, we blow up; both Word and Spirit, we grow up.”
Peter & Cornelius (Acts 10-11)
Acts 10:15, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.”
Acts 10:44-48, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.”
Acts 11 ~ The Jews criticise Peter / Peter tells of his experiences
Acts 11:15, 17-18, “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 17 So if God gave them the same gift he gave us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could stand in God’s way?”
18 When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life.”
The Bible is a book that records the experiences people have had with God over thousands of years.
God wants you to experience him. His Love. His Grace. His Power.
Experience of God is:
• something no one can argue with (unlike theology)
• Something that will keep people walking with him
In times of doubt my experiences of God’s presence have kept me close to him.
• Something the world can’t give
Future Church will value experience
Future church will provide a sense of belonging that engages with the heart, not just the head. Passionate worship, space for prayer, reflection, and engaging the emotions that provides transformation not just information.
People don’t just want to know ABOUT God. They want to KNOW God!
People don’t just want to know what’s true. They want to know what’s real!
A Final thought: Experiencing God is not an excuse for self-indulgence or weirdness. We remind ourselves that we have guests in the room every week. But how wonderful it is to experience God in tangible ways.
If you’re looking for a time to experience God’s presence, we invite you to Bayside’s new Worship & Prayer Service, on the third Thursday of every month. The next on is on May 20th at 7.30pm.
Worship & Prayer Night
Discussion Questions
- Before the COVID pandemic, did you ever feel like you were on a hamster wheel? Share your experiences with one another.
- Has this changed? How did you decide (or how will you decide) to make life less frantic?
- Read and discuss 1 Thess. 4:11-12. Paul packs a lot into these two verses. What stands out to you?
- God’s command to Peter in Acts 10:15 is profound, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” In what ways do you think Christians/churches still display prejudice in viewing some people as unclean? How does this limit our impact?
- Peter knew the Gentiles had been accepted by God because they had the same experience as he had. Share your experiences of God with one another.
- “God wants you to experience him. His Love. His Grace. His Power.” Spend some time as a group (or on your own) soaking in God’s presence.