“A Responsible Church Will Help You Grow”

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.    –Colossians 1:28 (NIV)

 

     Would you start a baby out in life then just sort of stop guiding them shortly thereafter?  Would it be better if you still loved on the baby over the years?  How about if you still fed them and clothed them through to adulthood?  While these are all very good things to provide a baby, an important part of parenting is guiding and teaching that baby as it grows towards maturity.  It would be irresponsible to start a baby out in life and not provide as much as possible to help them develop properly.  The goal of parenting is to raise children into mature adults with certain morals, values, and beliefs.  And so it is with the church.

     This year’s theme scripture gives very clear directions for us to “present everyone fully mature in Christ”.  As a responsible church, we must complete four actions designed to make sure we reach the ultimate goal of ministry this year and fulfill the Great Commission of making disciples.  These four actions are: 

  1. Proclaim
  2. Admonish
  3. Teach
  4. Present
    
#1.  Proclaim— “He is the one we proclaim…”  Paul is talking about proclaiming Christ!  Proclaiming means to declare publicly and with specific emphasis.  If we are to do like Paul and proclaim Christ, we will preach the Gospel, whereby we understand that we are sinners who need a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus Christ—the one who was born of a virgin, Mary, was crucified, died, was buried and resurrected to grant salvation to all who believe.  Proclaiming Christ is declaring this:  It is through his sacrifice and resurrection that our sin debts are forgiven, and it is through Christ that we are able to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Proclaiming Christ makes his authority clear.

 

#2.  Admonish— When we admonish, we warn firmly and advise strongly.  In this instance, we are to warn others in an attempt to make every man aware of his fallen state and advise them on how to pursue a life that glorifies God. When the alternative is judgement and an eternity in hell, it is a crucial admonishment and critical advice.

#3.  Teach— Teaching everyone with all wisdom involves insuring everyone understands how to live in line with the scriptures that define the Gospel, outline the Ten Commandments, and dictate all aspects of how we should operate as believers in community with one another and with God. 

#4.  Present— The goal of our church ministry is to “present everyone fully mature in Christ”!  When we present something or someone, we make a ceremony out of offering something or someone up for review, consideration, and acceptance.  Our goal as a Church is to help believers to develop into mature Christians acceptable to God.  It is a process to grow from a new convert into a mature Christian!  How involved you are with the ministries of this church has a lot to do with how you grow towards Christian maturity.  Attendance at church services, bible studies, Sunday School, and ministry meetings are all a part of the activities designed to help with this whole process. 

     We’re going to feed you at this church.  We’re going to show you love.  We’re also going to guide and teach you!  As a responsible church, the leadership must strive to “present everyone fully mature in Christ”.  We are a responsible church!  We will continue to focus on this goal through our ministry activities.  Get engaged and GROW!
 

Copyright ©2020 New Cedar Grove Baptist Church. All rights Reserved.

 


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