What's the Point? - Part 5 [Notes]

Many in our society today have concluded the church is no longer relevant. They reason that they can turn to other organizations to meet their relational needs, and they can determine their own morality and values by "looking inward." So why bother with the church? Simply, Jesus is excited about building His church, and God's people continue to be the light of the world. What we do and how we are different from the world makes the church essential to a society that is slipping further away from God.

Join us for "What's the Point?"  We will be looking at the exciting ways we are able to make a positive difference in this world!

Today's Takeaway // We can make a difference in our community. 

2014 – 4,000 churches opened and 3,700 closed 
2019 – 3,000 churches opened and 4,500 closed
–  Lifeway Research study of American churches

"Would your community miss you if your church no longer existed?"

We can make a difference in our community.

We can make a difference in our community:

1. By embodying grace and truth 

At dawn He went to the temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began to teach them. Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center. “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him. Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger. When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”
– John 8:2-11 (HCSB)

 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.
– Colossians 4:5-6 (HCSB)

We can make a difference in our community:

1. By embodying grace and truth  
2. By caring for those in need 

Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever, executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. The Lord frees prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are oppressed.  The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects foreigners and helps the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked.
– Psalm 146:5-9 (HCSB)

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom  to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
– Luke 4:18-19 (HCSB)

Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
– James 1:27 (HCSB)

“A Roman child was not part of the family until he or she was accepted by the father. If he didn't want the child, it was discarded—put outside to be killed by starvation, weather, or wild animals. Christians regularly adopted these children and raised them as their own.”
– Brandon O'Brien, The Social, Economic, and Political Commitments of the Early Church

If anyone has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need—how can God’s love reside in him. Little children, we must not love with word or speech, but with truth and action.
– 1 John 3:17-18 (HCSB)

Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted for them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
– Luke 24:27 (HCSB)

“Why do we not observe that it is their benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead, and the pretended holiness of their lives that have done most to increase unbelief of the pagan gods? For it is disgraceful that, when no Jew ever has to beg, and the impious Christians support not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see that our people lack aid from us."
– Brandon O'Brien, The Social, Economic, and Political Commitments of the Early Church

We can make a difference in our community:

1. By embodying grace and truth  
2. By caring for those in need 
3. By loving our neighbors

He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
– Matthew 22:37-40 (HCSB)

B.L.E.S.S.
Begin with prayer
Listen  
Eat
Serve  
Story  
– Dave and Jon Ferguson, B.L.E.S.S. 5 Everyday Ways To Love Your Neighbor and Change The World 

We can make a difference in our community.

We can make a difference in our community:

1. By embodying grace and truth  

We can make a difference in our community:

1. By embodying grace and truth  
2. By caring for those in need

We can make a difference in our community:

1. By embodying grace and truth  
2. By caring for those in need
3. By loving our neighbors

"You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."
– Matthew 5:14-16 (HCSB)

1. Share about a store, restaurant, or other establishment that went out of business that you miss. What about that place and the people do you miss?
2. What are some of the reasons why churches tend to drift inward instead of outward? How does that drift eventually lead to irrelevance or closure?
3. In this week’s message, Pastor Josh shared three ways that we can stay focused on making a difference in our community: by embodying grace and truth (John 8:2-11, Colossians 4:5-6); by caring for those in need (Psalm 146:5-9, Luke 4:18-19, James 1:27, 1 John 3:17-18), and by loving our neighbors well (Matthew 22:37-40).

• Which one stood out to you, and why? 
• Which one would you personally like to grow in? What might it look like if you were growing in that area?

4. If there’s time, work together to make a list of everything that you think our community would miss if our church and our people were gone. Look over that list and thank God for all of the ways that He is using us to make a difference in our community!
5. Close in prayer

Praise You Anywhere // Faithful Now // Worthy of My Song // Trust in God

Each week, a new devotional will be available. This devotional is based on the previous Sunday's message, and it aims to take the message further and help you dive deeper into the topic. You can find the devotionals at the link, or sign up to receive weekly emails.

You can watch or listen to past messages online!

Your financial gift to support what God is doing at The Ridge makes ministry possible. Thank you for your generosity—we cannot do any of what God has asked us to do here at The Ridge without your faithful and cheerful giving.