Relationships that Will Save the World

Preached by Chris Broom, 7/20/2008
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Jason Jenson (second from left) Places Membership!

Relationships that Will Save the World

Last Sunday, we at the Chicago International Christian Church celebrated our 2 year anniversary! God blessed us with our best attendance ever as 243 people saw the Kingdom of God that day! Today I had the great fortune of being with the Central New York Church of Christ as they celebrated their fifteenth anniversary. Anniversaries are very special because they mark an amount of time that you have spent together. This December will mark fourteen years that Theresa and I have been married. It is always moving to think back over all the memories we’ve shared and all the lessons we’ve learned. It is so important, in our families, to take lots of pictures and journal key events so that we don’t forget those precious memories. It is equally important in the church. If we don’t, it is so easy to forget what God has done. And when we forget what God has done, we tend to forget what God is doing!

Proverbs 21:1

I Challenge you to pray this prayer, “God, direct my heart as a watercourse, wherever you please.”
The Central New York Church of Christ has had fifteen years of building relationships that will save the world.
A new chapter can only begin when an old chapter ends.
If you learn to put your heart in God’s hand, then God will direct it wherever He pleases.
Just 2 years ago, God worked through the Central New York Church of Christ to send 16 of us to the Midwest. There, we joined 13 other disciples from Oregon, Connecticut, Wisconsin and Chicago Illinois!
In the first 2 years of the work, God has added 95 to our number as 55 have been baptized, 21 have been Restored and 19 have Placed Membership!
We now have 93 “Sold Out Disciples,” and as I mentioned earlier, the attendance at our 2 year anniversary celebration was 243!

Relationships that Will Save the World - Outline

John 3:16-22

God sent Jesus, His one and only Son, to save the world because it needed saving.
We have to believe the world needs saving before we ask the question, “What kind of relationships will save the world?”

7 convictions we must have if we are going to build Relationships that will Save the World.

1. Our world is lost and dying.

Proverbs 19:22 says, “What a man desires is unfailing love;”
That’s why God’s Greatest Commandment, Matthew 22:34-40, is to love!
We desire unfailing love, but are we committed to love unfailingly.
That’s the difference between God’s love and ours.
Our love is a “because of” type of love, and God’s love is an “in spite of” type of love.
We love things and use people instead of loving people and use things.
Friendship is a dying commodity in our world.
Our world is sick because people don’t know how to love one another.
People are lost because of their sin.
They will perish if we don’t throw them a life preserver (gospel of Jesus Christ).
We were lost and God gave us Jesus to save us. What are we willing to give to save others?
We will make mistakes when we are trying to save people, but if anyone wants to be saved, they will grab a hold of Jesus.
Religion is not the answer.
In an article entitled Religious Americans states that most people that claim to believe in God, don’t believe Jesus is the only way.

2. No Way to the Father except through Jesus. John 14:6

Why wouldn’t people grab a hold of Jesus?
This is verdict. People are afraid to have their deeds exposed.
We have to trust God, and get open with our sin. We are all sinners.
But amen, God has a plan to save our world.
What is God’s current day plan to save world?

Matthew 28:18-20

Make disciples, baptize them, teach to obey.
Discipleship is God’s plan to save the world.
Discipleship is through relationships.
Jesus died for us and He is committed to us for life.
Jesus has a plan for people to have unfailing love … Discipleship.
Discipleship is relationship.
You need God to have close relationships.
Righteousness is the ability to do what is right in your relationships.
Nobody ever changed the world by watching TV, or going to bars.
Discipleship will change the world. It sure changed me.

3. Take responsibility for where you are at. Matthew 27:1-10

Judas hangs himself. He didn’t take responsibility. He had pity on himself.
People shift the blame. Don’t do that. Be responsible.
In Matthew 26:47-50, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss.
It hurts when you get burned by superficial relationships.
Superficial relationships can happen in God’s Kingdom if people are not honest and real.
If you don’t become a Christian, you are doomed to superficial relationships for the rest of your life (and betrayal).

4. Reap what you Sow. 2 Corinthians 9:6

Here we see a Biblical principle: You reap what you sow. You will get out what you put in. Here the reference is about money, but the principle will work for relationships as well.
Sow sparingly, reap sparingly.
You reap what you sow in Relationships.
You reap later than you sow and you reap more than you sow.
Sow and patiently wait for the harvest.
If your relationships are weak, what are you putting into them.
Sow generously in your relationships.
Seth and Amy Drew sacrificed incredibly to help put Jay Shelbrack on staff part-time.
Dave Cadell is very generous and helped a few people get to the LA jubilee. JC decided to pay it forward and help someone as well.
We have 76 people going to the jubilee in LA!

5. Avoid godless chatter. 2 Timothy 2:14-18

Avoid godless chatter. Spreads like gangrene.
You can tell a lot about someone’s relationship with God by what they talk about. What do you talk about?
Are their stupid arguments going on in the church?
We need to talk about what’s important.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. -King
Christianity is not a simply a club. It’s a unifying mission.

(Point 6 is not included in the audio sermon.)

6. Consider persecution a compliment. John 15:18-21 / Matthew 5:10 / Luke 6:22 / Psalm 69:8-9

I am a stranger to my brothers
an alien to my own mother’s sons
zeal for your house consumes me
the insults of those who insult you fall on me.
Devo with college kids on Friday. Psalm. Zeal.

5. Kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 2 Timothy 2:22-25

What kind of relationships will save the world? Flee evil desires of youth. Pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, pure heart.
There will be opposition. Gently instruct.
Be kind to everyone.
Definition of kind: Friendly, warmhearted, generous. Not resentful.
Definition of resentment: indignant ill will.
Forgiving is the antonym of / the answer for resentment.
We must be forgiving.
Kindness does not mean “peace, peace” when there is no peace.
Be able to teach. 1 Timothy 1:3-7
Be hard on the standard, and easy on the people.
Love one another like there are no issues and deal with the issues.
Ask yourself, “How are my relationships?”Understand: It takes time to build relationships.
Spend time with God every day so you can have deep relationships.
Invest like you never have before in your relationship with God & others.