Sermon Series - No Plan B 4, Reach Your Potential

Scripture lesson: Acts 18:1-3, 18-28

Theme passage: Ephesians 4:11-13 He [Jesus] is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.

Key verse: Proverbs 5:13 Oh, why didn't I listen to my teachers? Why didn't I pay attention to those who gave me instruction?

You have the potential to be like Jesus

God gave teachers to help you reach your potential
Teachers show us what, why, and how
How to recognize a teacher
How to benefit from a teacher
Every Christian is not a teacher, but every Christian should teach
Are you called to be a teacher?

Reach Your Potential 2: Pastors - Caring For the Flock

Scripture lesson: 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5

Key verse: Jeremiah 23:4 “Then I will appoint responsible shepherds to care for them, and they will never be afraid again. Not a single one of them will be lost or missing,” says the LORD.

· You have the potential to be like Jesus

· God gave pastors to help you reach your potential

· Pastors are called by God to:

Love people
Heal people
Nurture people
Instruct people
Equip people
Correct people
Encourage people
Order the church

· Pastors are not called by God to:

Condemn people
Boss people around
Get rich off the people of the church
Use the church as a political platform
Keep everybody happy
Supernaturally know when somebody is in the hospital
Fix all the church’s problems
Do the work of ministry

· Three ways to benefit from your pastor

Listen to your pastor
Get involved with the things your pastor and church offer
Let your pastor know what’s going on with you

· Three ways to bless your pastor

Pray for your pastor and family
Encourage your pastor and family
Grow as a Christian

· Every Christian is not a pastor, but every Christian should pastor

· Are you called to be a pastor?

Reach Your Potential 3: Evangelists - Expanding the Family

Scripture lesson: Acts 8:1-13 and 26-40

Key verse: Romans 10:14 How can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

· You have the potential to be like Jesus

· God gave evangelists to help you reach your potential

· Evangelists know

They know God’s heart
They know what God did in their own lives
They know people
They know the gospel

· Evangelists demonstrate

They demonstrate God’s love
They demonstrate God’s power
They demonstrate a changed life
They demonstrate a better way

· Evangelists invite

They invite people to the Father
They invite people to the family
They invite people to wholeness
They invite people in love

· Every Christian is not an evangelist, but every Christian should evangelize

Reach Your Potential 4: Prophets - Telling What They Hear and See

Scripture lesson: 1 Corinthians 14:1-5, 26, 29-33

Key verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21 Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good.

· You have the potential to be like Jesus (John 14:12)

· God gave prophets to help you reach your potential (Ephesians 4:12; 1 Corinthians 14:3)

Prophets share God’s message to build you up
Prophets share God’s message to encourage you
Prophets share God’s message to comfort you

· What is prophecy?

New Testament prophecy is different from Old Testament prophecy
Prophecy is not about condemning people
Prophecy is not about losing control to some spooky spirit
Prophecy is not about foretelling the future
Prophecy is appropriately speaking out what you believe God is telling you or showing you
Prophecies should be given in an orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:31-33)

· Every prophecy or “God told me” should be weighed by other experienced Christians (1 Corinthians 14:29)

Questioning or testing a prophetic word is not lack of faith, it’s obedience (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)
No matter how sincerely someone believes something, they can still be wrong (Mark 13:22)
No true word from God will contradict the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16)
No true word from God will dishonor Jesus (1 John 4:1-6)
No prophet has the whole picture (1 Corinthians 13:9)
Any prophetic word can have a mix of divine truth and human error (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21)

· Every Christian is not a prophet, but every Christian should seek to prophesy (1 Corinthians 14:31)

Reach Your Potential 5: Apostles - All About the Big Picture

Title: Reach Your Potential 5: Apostles – Leading with Vision

Scripture lesson: Acts 6:1-7

Key verse: Ephesians 2:20 We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.

And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

· You have the potential to be like Jesus (John 14:12)

· God gave us apostles to help us reach that potential (Ephesians 4:11-13)

· Apostles provide visionary leadership

The Bible names more than the first twelve as apostles (Acts 1:26; Romans 16:7; Galatians 1:19; Hebrews 3:1)
Apostles are among the five gifts Jesus gave the church (Ephesians 4:11)
The ministry of apostles is foundational to the church (Ephesians 2:20)
The exact definition and role of apostles in the church is still being discerned

· A true apostolic anointing will be recognized by the church, not self-proclaimed (Revelations 2:2)

· Every Christian is not an apostle, but every Christian can have a vision and lead others toward it

Sermon Series - 2013

No Plan B

Part 4: Reach Your Potential