October 18, 2009
A God-shaped Life
Eph 1:11 Msg It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ,…he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone .
This is what we generally call discipleship – God’s way with us; our following and obeying God.
Today we wish to more fully introduce you to a new and exciting process that’s starting at BBC:
CLASS – Christian Life and Service Seminars. It looks like this:
CHRISTIAN LIFE AND SERVICE SEMINAR (C.L.A.S.S.)
CLASS is becoming the heart of BBC. It’s based on a baseball diamond: 101 = 1st base; 201 = 2nd base; 301 = 3rd base; 401 = home.
This is a sequential series of classes – one a month! - that has been edited here at BBC to help you grow in spiritual maturity.
You go to 1st base Discovering BBC - you don’t have to be a member to take CLASS 101 – in fact it’s the class to take if you want to decide to make BBC your church home. We’re going to start on:
- Friday, Oct 23, starting at 7:00 PM
- Sat, Oct 24, starting at 9:00 AM
It’s for newcomers and not-yet-members – you’re going to hear the things that are basic to our faith and practice. CLASS 101 is also for those who are already members – we want you take these CLASSes as refresher courses because you’re going to be reminded of many things, while being encouraged to continue on in some pretty practical ways as you follow our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is going to be the process in which we receive members and mature people in X.
201 Introduction to Spiritual Maturity: the habits that help you grow in spiritual maturity. They’ve been helping me grow in my spiritual life.
Then take class 301 Discovering your SHAPE for Ministry This will not only help you find your niche here at BBC, but may also help you find your place in your job, family, community as you discover how God has wired and shaped you for significance.
Then you can take class 401 discovering my life mission. A very exciting class on how God wants to use you for his glory and his purposes in the world.
So this is a process, not a program. We’re going to start offering them one-after-the-other on a monthly basis.
We want you to be part of this church. And you’ll feel more and more a part of BBC as you come to understand why we do what we do.
I hope you’ll take these classes – they’ve been designed for you.
Let’s start with class 101 and go on to understand the others that follow.
CLASS 101
Eph 2:19, "You are a member of God's very own family and you belong in God's household with every other Christian."
This is a basic introduction to our church family. It’s designed to clearly explain who and what our church is. This CLASS is broken into sessions covering: Salvation, our statements of purpose, and our church’s strategy and structure. You’ll also hear about the history of our church and how 5 biblical purposes are necessary to fulfilling God’s calling for your life. At the end of class, you’ll be given the opportunity to enter the membership process.
Eph 2:19, "YOU ARE A MEMBER OF GOD’S VERY OWN FAMILY and you belong in God's household with every other Christian."
Notice he says, "You are a member of God's very own family." That says it's God's will -- it's not optional. Every Christian needs a church family.
Now, a healthy family has common beliefs, purposes and commitment. That's why at BBC we want to share with you what we believe and where we're going.
God wants all of us to grow in fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism and worship. It's by balancing these 5 purposes that we live out God's plan for our lives. More than anything else, our church family wants to come alongside you and help you grow in all 5 of these areas. So that …. " ... you may become mature Christians and may fulfil God's will for you." Col. 4:12b (Ph)
"We are not meant to remain as children ... but to grow up in every way into Christ..." Eph. 4:14-15 (Ph)
This leads us to CLASS 201
CLASS 201
Do you want to become more like Jesus? Class 201 will help you develop the habits you need in developing your spiritual growth. This will give you an overview of several basic spiritual habits every Christian needs in order to grow.
All Christians eventually ask the same questions: How can I get closer to God? How can I live more and more like Jesus? How can I grow in my faith? Where do I start? CLASS 201 is designed to answer these and many other questions.
During CLASS 201, you will learn 4 habits that will energize or renew your spiritual life.
First you’ll learn practical steps to making time with God a powerful part of every day through Bible reading and study. You’ll also receive helpful tips on overcoming the largest obstacles you'll face as you get started.
Second, every growing Christian needs to talk with God. This is called prayer. For some, talking to God is intimidating, but it doesn't have to be. In CLASS 201, you'll discover that God wants conversation with you and He's more interested in you authentically talking with him than He is in critiquing your prayers. So, to get you started, you'll learn a pattern for prayer taken right out of the life of Jesus.
A third area that is covered is financial giving. Admittedly, this is a sensitive subject because few things give a more piercing look into our spiritual lives than how we choose to handle our financial resources. This section will help you take a healthy look at priorities and what really matters in life.
Finally, you'll clearly see the value of Christian relationships. At BBC, there are many opportunities to gather with other Christians. First, there's the larger group worship experience at the Sunday services. Second, there are smaller groups, where you can connect with other believers in a deeper, more personal way.
As the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more. (2 Corinthians 3:18b NLT)
Spiritual growth is not so much about "doing" as it is about "becoming" - becoming more like Christ. It's a life-long adventure that takes patience, commitment, and intentional focus. It's not just what we do along the way that is most important. What also matters is who we are becoming in the process. Ultimately, the Christian life is about building an intimate relationship with Jesus as the Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out.
The Pastoral Staff really wants to come alongside you on your journey to become more like Christ. That's why we are offering CLASS 201, as well as a variety of other classes, studies, and resources to help you grow. The goal of discipleship is to meet you where you are so you can continue to mature in your faith.
CLASS 301
Did you know that God created you with special gifts intended for his purposes?
Eph 4:11-12 "God has given pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works of ministry, so the body of Christ may be built up.”
God didn’t design ministry for just a few – he made each one of us a minister. At Class 301, you’ll learn how God can use your Spiritual Gifts, your Heart, your Abilities, your Personality, and your Experiences (S.H.A.P.E.) to minister to the needs of others.
When you became a Christian, God gave you salvation and the hope of eternity in heaven. BUT He also gave you purpose and significance in your life now. God has given each of us the opportunity to serve others and make a real difference in someone's life. When you serve others in Jesus' name, that's called ministry.
God didn't design ministry for just a few with seminary degrees. At BBC, we believe that every member of our church is a minister.
Eph 4:11-12 "God has given pastors and teachers TO PREPARE GOD’S PEOPLE for works of ministry…."
This is what CLASS 301 is all about. That God gave you a special ability when you started following Him. We call this a Spiritual Gift. God gave this gift to build up your church family and reach out to the world with Christ's love.
God also gave you unique passions and a Heart for particular activities, subjects & circumstances. God uses the things we feel deeply about to show us where we can serve. This is how people learn to serve with joy and not get burned out.
In CLASS 301 you'll also be given time to assess your Abilities that have been with you even before you became a Christian and you'll see how these will help you in your ministry.
God also gives us a Personality to share. Everyone's personality is not the same, which makes the expression of our SHAPE that much more special.
Finally, you'll be able to think about the multitude of Experiences in your life that have been used by God to mould you for ministry. The experiences of life help us know how to heal hurts of people in our church and in our community.
All this combined, will let you discover your SHAPE for ministry.
On behalf of BBC I want to thank you in advance for looking into ways you can serve your church family.
Eph 2:10 tells us: ”For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
The success of BBC will not be by accident - & it never really was! Men and women such as yourself have stepped up to be used in unbelievable ways.
Our Pastoral Staff does not want you to miss out on this great opportunity to serve God. One of BBC’s principles is that every member is a minister, and when you do not play the role that God has designed you to do, the Body of Christ suffers. We will continue to develop more tools to help you on the greatest journey you will have on this planet! We look forward to serving you as you find where God wants you to serve.
CLASS 401
Eph 2:10 “God is our maker and in union with Christ He has created us FOR A LIFE OF GOOD WORKS which He has already prepared for us to do.”
In Class 401 you’ll discover your life mission and how you can be a part of God’s plan to reach out to the world.
God created you with a purpose. That personal, yet church-wide purpose, means connecting flawed human beings with our perfect and eternal God.
Your own story of how God has worked in your life is one of the most effective tools you have for connecting people to God. In CLASS 401, you'll learn to communicate that story in your neighborhood, workplace and around the world.
By using your own gifts, personality and story, you'll touch people only you can touch. Your life experiences can be a bridge to a friend or family member who is seeking Christ.
God's global plan includes reaching people from every nation with the good news of Jesus. In CLASS 401, you'll get a picture of what God is doing throughout the world to bring people to Himself. You'll also find out how you can be part of His global plan.
CLASS 501
Lastly, you will see that in the middle is 501 Magnification. We wanted to go with the alliteration using M’s!!
“The Lord is pleased … with those who worship him and trust his love.” Ps 147:11 CEV
Anything you do that pleases God is often called WORSHIP. Worship, however, is not just for church services. We are told to “worship Him continually” Psalm 105:4 TEV and to “praise Him from sunrise to sunset.” Psalm 113:3 TLB In the Bible we find that people praised God at work, at home, in battle, in jail and even in bed! Praise can be the first activity when you open your eyes in the morning and the last thing you do when you close them at night. David said “I will thank the Lord at all times. My mouth will always praise him.” Psalm 34:1 GWT
How is this possible? By doing everything as if you were doing it for Jesus! And I will guarantee that by the time you have completed all 4 CLASSes, you will be so oriented to God that all that you do will be for Him.
“Take your everyday, ordinary life – your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life – and place it before God as an offering.” Romans 12:1 Msg
In his book, "Doing Church as a Team," Wayne Cordeiro writes: "Some time ago, our church ’adopted’ the USS Reuben James, a battleship deployed to the Persian Gulf. We agreed to pray daily for the crew and provide sailors with tapes and books. We also sent them copies of our weekend services so that they could televise them over their internal system on Sunday mornings at sea. At the completion of her Gulf tour, the ship docked in Pearl Harbor. I received an invitation to become the crew’s guest on a short excursion into the Pacific.
"After a thorough tour of the quarters and decks, I took my place by the captain as we pulled anchor and sailed into the deep blue with a crew of 800. At a safe distance from land, the gunnery detail fired a few rounds from the ship’s massive cannons. As every sailor scurried back and forth, I noticed something. Everyone knew exactly what his or her role was. Each person on that ship had a job, a function, a responsibility and a purpose for being there. Everyone except me, that is. I was the only one tagging along for the ride.
"By contrast, some months later, my wife, Anna, and I took a three-day cruise around the islands for some R&R. On deck, I noticed 400 lazy, sun-ripened humans lounging around the pool with 40 uniform-clad workers scurrying around trying to keep them happy. In a moment of reflection I heard the Lord say to me, “My church must be a battleship, not a cruise liner. If you are to pierce the darkness and rescue lost souls you cannot be a ship of spectators. Everyone must know why they are on board."
The church is a rescue ship, not a cruise liner.
God has appointed and authorized those of us who have made a faith commitment to Christ to find the place where we can best use our spiritual gifts: your heart for ministry, your abilities, your personality, and your experiences to tell others about what Christ has done for us. That is the purpose that gives us significance.
Nothing can make your life more significant than plugging into the plan and purpose of God!
