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Every Sunday is filled with dozens of to-do’s. How exactly do we get the most growth out of our weekly worship services? In this message, Pastor Tim Glende shows Paul’s charge to Timothy suggests an answer—Scripture.
The episodes are the weekly sermons from 922 Ministries (St. Peter and The CORE) of Appleton, Wisconsin.
How To - Week 2
St Peter
Pastor Tim Glende
Welcome. Number two of our how-to Mission Vision sermon series, really, trying to take your attention back to something, we come to each and every year, Our Roots gather group grow give-and-go, those vital Roots, those Jesus roots that we believe are important to you and your life of faith has the stronger. They are the deeper and wider, they go. You will be blessed and experience, the spirits fruits and who doesn't want more peace and more joy and more hope and more self-control. More patients and more love in their life, right? We believe, if you are rooted in those five ways, you will be blessed by God. And this year we're doing it giving it that little Different Twist. How many of you were here last week and heard how to week. Number one sews. A lot of you did if you missed it, Pastor Michael preach on community. I preached on Church downtown of the core. We flip-flop this week. So some of you I saw last week down at the core. I don't know which version of this how to is going to be better, but you're going to really know how to church for the rest of you. I pray that you are encouraged in this route. It's the Taproot it really emphasizes the gather route.
But if you weren't here, I just want to give you a little compelling. Why behind the what of this series. All of us in our life at times. Look for information look for the best practices look for help and guidance as to how to Like Pastor Tim, I'm not very handy for a year. There's a box sitting in my basement that has a mount for a ceiling projector that I just haven't put up. I don't think I have the tools, the ability or the skills in and of myself to how to it. I'm probably going to have to Google it, research it, or if you haven't filled out your communication card, write your name down and say, give me your number and you can come over and help me. Sorry. Could Cast by the opportunity. How to? How to move from point A to point B, how to maybe take the next step in Life, or at work or in relationships, how to do the roots, maximize them, be blessed by them, do them really well because here's the apology from me as lead Pastor to all of you. We talk about fruits and fruit. All the time, we probably drill you and Hammer you with videos and announcements that kind of just give you the impression of hey it's lifegroup season, sign up, just do it.
And maybe never give you insight as to how to really do community in life together and maybe we've never done a good job of that. How to the compelling pitch that can really bless you in your life and that's really what we're trying to do. Make this very practical, have it be biblical and also bless you and your roots. So you experience amazing fruit.
And so whether you are a newbie to church and you don't know how to really at all or you're a lifer in. You think you got it all figured out, I believe you'll find something each and every week that will help you have stronger roots.
If we don't accomplish that and we haven't done our job and trying to reinforce the Vitality, the vital need for these routes and the need to that for them to be strong and the why you will be blessed if you do some of these things. So, I actually did that. I went to the most searched how to sight in all of the world, you know what it is. Vicki how anyone ever searched and used wikiHow? Like, it's literally the largest site with the most how-to tips you can find. I know you can just Google anything, but a lot of times wikiHow is what's going to pop up their tagline is how to do anything.
Like if you're my generation you need a Google on wikiHow, how to take a good selfie. Because your kids, no, you don't know how?
You can search just about anything so you know what I did this last few weeks as I was preaching on this, I Googled on wikiHow how to church And you know, it popped up on the first page, how to draw a church, how to take a church, how to dress for church. And yes, you young people out there, how to flirt in church, Seriously, it was on the first page, I'm not like I cannot make this stuff up. I'm not that smart or creative.
So, married people, do not go home and how to do that. Single people, if you're that desperate, okay, that's fine. Just make sure you look ring or no, that's not even an indicator in today's world, all kidding, aside, all those things are good might be useful. But what we're really talking about is how to do this. What we're doing here right now, how to church, how to maximize this hour, this time, what we believe is the tap root of all the routes that we would encourage all of you to start with because we believe it produces fruit and overflows and causes the other
Roots to be in. A, my goal for all of you today is to give you four steps as to how to church. So no matter where you're on in the The line of so to speak, you know, where you're at in your Christianity, whether new or been around a long time, we struggling strong for tips that I believe four steps. If you take them, you'll be blessed, you'll experience fruit. Your gather root will grow stronger. And here's why I want it for you. King David said, these words I Rejoice with those who said to me, let's go to the house of the Lord. Like King David, whether he was experience difficult days as king whether his wrestling with the guilt of his sin when he was struggling with the relationships of his life. Well, maybe he was overwhelmed with shame from some of the things he had done. Psalm 122 verse 1. He had people come up to him and say let's go to to God's house that's gather and he said I rejoiced when that opportunity was put in front of me when they said to me, let's go to the house of the Lord literally gather. And I want that for you. I don't want this to be a 2:30. We pray that it is a gift too.
In order for it to be a get too and not just a half, do I pray, you carry out these four steps that I believe. Will inspire and cause you to have that emotion. But in order to get there, you have to understand this about how to church and how to church well, It begins before you walk through that door. Like step one, literally this. If you're filling in your blanks and following along, maybe it's something you've never really thought about maybe something. You never really carried out, maybe you don't really think about it. Like how did church and how to church? Well, the Bible doesn't give a whole lengthy description on it, descriptive list of to dues, but I would call, I would call this one vital and important in today's hectic, crazy world prep up.
Like how many of you did the homework for today service? How many of you know where the homework is? Like in the bulletin right under the sermon notes ever seen, that little line.
Like did you prep like know where we were going with today's sermon like crap up. That's what I'm talking about. Or maybe it's even more. Like our world is so chaotic and so crazy. Sunday morning can be just that are there things that we can do to help us. Prepare thoroughly prepare completely that's really what the fries prep up means. I believe God would tell us. It's biblical like he tells us to do the things that we do in church before we even get to church. But I want to make a more compelling case. A secular case best practices case that I've learned and seen. Like, for those of you who are going to homecoming, maybe this weekend, or next, Like to all the dudes are out there, it's probably good by now, if you've asked your girlfriend that person you want to go to homecoming, it requires some prep, I saw the inventive way that my niece, got invited to homecoming and you probably have people in your life who maybe have that to some prep, went into it. The do it well like, you don't want to look like an epic failure. So you prep How about that big test? Like I know there's a time in your life parents when you have gone into a test blind you chose not to study. How do you do?
Probably not so good. You prep up, you study it, you review it, you do the best that you can. How about that big meeting with your boss? Like, you have the presentation to pitch in that case? What do you do the night before? Do you review your notes? Look, back at your slides? Check for all the spelling. You don't just leave it alone. You prep up. You get a good night's sleep. It probably won't be the night to go out on a crazy Bender, the night before and come in reeking of alcohol. Like we do all sorts of things to get ready for the next day, for the big event for the important moments in her life.
We get 52 of these a year.
If this one hour is the guide and the Taproot for the rest of your week, isn't it? Worthy of a little prepping up?
So, can I convince you to think of one thing one way that you can prep before? Maybe it's the homework? Do that step on Saturday night.
If you're a parent with kids like I don't know, the pain of Sunday morning getting kids ready for church because I just gave that job to my wife as a pastor. It's like the greatest thing in the world.
Until you get home. Church, and your wife's faces. Like, I know it's hard. Like I understand it's difficult. Let me part of the prep is just doing a few things the night before to help make the next day. Go a little bit better. They put the closeout have them set, maybe for you, if you need your coffee in the morning, like, get the Keurig filled with the water before you have to fill it up in the morning, have the grounds in the coffee pot. So all you have to do is push on or even set the timer. Like there are small little things you can help do to make Sunday morning, go better crop up.
Or maybe you put into practice some real practical things in your home, to help you get focused and fixated on what you're about to do. Like, I learned this in my home. I was at church, most Sunday mornings, my wife was, raising the kids and every once in a while. Once we moved here, I got a Sunday off. I didn't preach every week and you know what? My go-to on Sunday morning is the TV. Like, it's fantasy football. I can you see who's playing and who's not? I need to understand what's going on and want what I've re-watched. The highlights of the Ohio State game where the Wisconsin game, for all of you like the tenth time because it was so amazing.
Like what?
Like the TV stays off. Because we eat breakfast and we're just focusing. Our attention on church, we talk to each other. We don't do that. Like what is it that you can do in your life to prep up better? Can I ask you to think about trying to do some things in advance to get your heart in the right place to get here? A few minutes earlier? So when you come in it's not frantic or crazy but you're you're rested and your focus. Like those are good things to be prepped up for like I don't know what it is or what it looks like in your life. But maybe there's one thing you can do. One thing you want to pick or can I just maybe ask you before you come to church? Maybe even as you're riding along in the car, you can keep your eyes open and have a brief prayer.
With God. The God, I'm going to hold you accountable to do what you promised to do. Give me the blessings of the spiritual fruits I need today at church,
Pray for those who are doing the music for those who are serving for the pastor to speaking, but the Holy Spirit Is able to do amazing things for you and through them. And there's so many things we can do to prep up to get our hearts in the right place because you know what happens if you do that step, If you like, think about what church service you're going to, if you put the clothes out, if you get the coffee ready, if you do the homework in advance, you know what you're going to do, what God calls us to do, how to church? Like probably the most important one. The simplest one is the second one. Here's a passage that describes it and it will fill in the blank. Let us consider how we may spur one. Another on toward love and Good Deeds. Here's how we do that. Not giving up meeting together in other words church as some are in the habit of doing but encouraging one, another and all the more as you see the day approaching. Like when you prep up, when you do those things that get your heart ready, that dedicate you to making that decision to going down that path, you can carry out. Step number two, the biblical step of how to church show up. Like I know I'm preaching to the choir today because you know what you did. You showed up. God bless you. I thank God for that. That's awesome. And you know, for some of you this is a regular thing, like a weekly thing. I get that. You do it.
But here's the thing, I know about 922 that I need to speak into
Like 50 years ago, that a regular attender was defined by every Sunday attender. But you own a regular attender is in 2022.
Two times a month. And the stats don't lie here at 922 about half of our members. Show up on a weekly basis in person and online.
And that might be some of you.
Other things come up that are They're good things and you opt for them.
You don't show up.
Sometimes you up for other things on Saturday and it causes you not to get up on Sunday, you don't show up.
Can I even say I love online worship. It's great, and it's a blessing for college students who go away for people when they're on vacation for people during a time, like covid-19 sick or your homebound when you're recovering.
But something is missing when, when you're missing from here and When you miss from here, other people are hurting. Let us not give up meeting together, because if we aren't together, we can encourage one another.
And you know what? I'm not going to pull any punches because I've done online worship. Unless you are the most focused dedicated hardcore sit at home and watch TV Church from the beginning to end. The odds are pretty good. You don't engage their like you do here. It's easy to get up, go to the bathroom, get some more coffee, take the dog out. Pick up your phone, send some emails. My friends. God doesn't mince words when he talks about important step of how to church it. Neat requires showing up.
And I don't know where you're at, on the spectrum of 0 2 times a year, Christmas Easter 50 Discovery drop off Sunday or That season or whatever it is. But can I can I can I ask you if that's a step in the right direction, how to church, you want to get better at that? I pray that God blesses you in that because you know what happens here and just about only here, An hour of dedicated time to talk about there.
Like words of sin and Grace, take us there.
Reading Ephesians chapter 3, reminds us of their and what he's done.
You know what happens here? We get to see there. I cannot forget the amazing gift God. Gave each of us in the waters of baptism. You know what happens here. When you show up you stand right up here. And the amazing body and blood of Jesus Christ is received where you are sure to have the Forgiveness of your sins, showing up connects you to Jesus Christ himself. Okay, need you to prep up because I think it will spill over into showing up in. Can I put on your heart? To just make that a priority because of what happens here.
But when you show up, Maybe this is for those of you who have done this every day, you do this every week. You forget about this step. Here's what the Bible says about. What we do here. Scripture is god-breathed useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. So that the servant of God, may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Prep up show up. And when you show up do this, Listen up.
Like, I know when you hear and see the screen at the beginning of service, and you see Mission Vision series, how to you're like going, yeah, how to be a boring sermon series? Like, why can't we talk about trending? And why can't we talk about screens and souls? And why can't we talk about relationships? And why can't we talk about emotional Wellness? Like those things are really needed these roots things Pastor, you talk about all the time. We do this all the time and once a year because without these five routes
We don't believe you'll experience the spirits fruits. So this series like every series when you show up, listen up. And not just when I'm speaking and don't just remember the corny jokes of the pastor says, But listen up from beginning to end.
Like, listen up to the songs joined in singing them. Like it's not a sin. I know some of you don't think you're good singers. It doesn't mean you can't move your lips and sing softly.
Have the words go through your brain. Look at the screen. Listen to what God is speaking to you through those, beautiful powerful words, what he's done.
No, he won't fail. Ever, ever, ever like that song has words that can speak to your heart. Listen up. Like when the scripture reading is read don't just tune out. Maybe following in the screen, maybe Circle, a verse that you want to come back to when you never heard before, that was really meaningful, like, Ephesians 3:20 and 21. Our God is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine. Like, if you want to go to verse,
To remind you the power of prayer. The power of God, write that one down. But you'll miss it. If you're not listening up.
Listen up, when the pastor says go in peace, your sins are forgiven. Because it will help you deal with guilt. Listen up when we're praying because it might point you in the direction of others who are in our circle of and family, who just might need you to reach into their life this week and put an arm around them. Listen up.
And here's the thing, I want to make a compelling case for and listening up.
I couldn't put it in the blanks because it didn't match. My nicely little blank up. You guys are thinking of all the fancy words you would write it in there right now. Can I kick it? Can I convince you of helping the engagement like write it all up the engagement if you are the best listener in the world. Like if you listen so closely nothing in here distracted. You like, the cute little kid in front of you or behind. You like the pastor's tie being caddywhompus, the little of thing going on here. There, the music wasn't quite on. Like if you even are the most perfect listener, you got every Last Detail today. 100% good at listening skills. You know what? The experts are tell you. You took away today.
At the end of the day, 10% 10.
So, can I convince you to up the engagement? Don't be a passive listener. Like, there's a reason why we put pens out there and pens in there and offer you a bulletin with blanks in it. There's a reason why on your app. Like there is a place that you can fill in notes, that can be saved.
You know what happens when you do that? It goes up to 80%. Like if you bring a journal, you bring your real Bible. You take notes in the margins. You take your bullets and you fill out the notes, you take it home with you, your your learning will go up by 70%. Like if you involve another sense, I can trust me. I love that. You're all engaged on me, but I know how many of you are actually doing this. Can I convince you that doing this? Is it way to how to church? Well, You not to write a lot, you don't to be Pastor Mike and fill up your whole bulletin. Like one phrase one verse. Like, churching well. Is just like, Learning. Well, in school. If you don't take notes in school, you probably not going to get as much. Listen up. That's why Paul told Timothy to spend all this time investors energy devote himself to what we're doing now, churching the public reading of scripture, preaching. And teaching think it's right here, where God's word is her is right. Here, are God's true is our shared. It's right here where Jesus is front and center. It's right here where Grace is offered it's right here where forgiveness is reminded to you and to me that heaven is our ultimate destination. So I don't know when you're going to go through an anxious moment, I don't know when death might knock at your door. I don't know when your relationships are going to struggle but I know if you listen up and listen up well.
The things that you will hear here, be reminded of here that will bless you, strengthen your Jesus, fruits, and produce fruit in those moments.
Engage in worship. Like when you say the create don't just motor throat motor through it. Think about some of the amazing true as your hearing maker of heaven and Earth. That's my God. Crucified died and was buried on the third day. He rose. That's my God.
Holy Spirit who has created faith in our hearts through baptism. That's my God. Like, if you can engage in Worship in those ways, you'll be blessed. Which leaves us with one more step, and I would argue that if you prep up, it'll lead you to showing up when you show up, listen up, because God is going to do amazing things. Put all those things together. Without this last thing will leave you with less fruitful. Unless blast do not. Merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. James wrote these words do what it says and he will notice the word but does not do what it says. It's like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and after looking at himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. Whoever looks intently into the perfect law, that gives freedom and continues in it and remains in it and stays in it. And does it not forgetting what they've heard, but doing it, they will be blessed in what they do.
Like you will be blessed in what you do. And when you not just pray the words Lord, forgive us. Our trespasses sins as we forgive those who sin against us, but when you walk through those doors and leave these doors and you do it, You'll be blessed. When life goes crazy and everything seems to be falling apart that you do what God says, but by prayer and petition with everything present, your requests to God and the peace of God will help you guard your heart, do it. Like whether it's forgiveness, whether it's love your spouse, whether it's be patient with your kids, like what is it? You can take away from church and you can save this week. This is what I need to do to be the child of God, that he's called me to be not just to listen up at the follow-up.
Follow up. Like if you want to know how to follow up, if you want to grow in some way shape or fashion these fancy five things. One with each route in your notes is right there for you to use to be blessed. Work through those this week. Take your bolt and home with the notes that you just wrote. Maybe tomorrow, just relook at it, follow up. Pick one song from the service today that you maybe play Everyday, on your way to school with your kids, sing it out loud because that might serve as a great reinforcement of Godly truce follow up.
Like if you can catch all of it, if the kids sitting next to you is distracting, you know, what you can do today sermon, so you can listen up. You can listen, again it's on YouTube. Put it on when you're walking, put it on when you're jogging and put it on when you're at the gym, put it on one day to just listen up. Again, find something you hadn't heard before, like there's so many things you can follow up it and God Longs for you to follow. If it's biblical, you want to church. Well, don't just prep up, don't just show up, don't just listen up. Will be blessed in your life. Follow-up because as James says, when you do, you will experience fruit And I got to be honest with you,
I can do better at that.
Like how did Church well, Like, I know I'm up front and it's my job to speak.
But I always come with the same joy that King David describes.
And I think we'll find that Joy. If our how to church, well, plays out with those four steps. Here's what I know, at 1:51. If something in that list speaks to you, T talks to your heart, one action step this week. What would it be that you want to do to take your gather route to the next level? How to church? Well, Because God makes a promise to you. He will bless it.
Join me in praying about that. Heavenly Father We long for you to bless us. I'm so thankful. All these people showed up today, it's so vitally important. I pray that you bless them as they listened. That you bless my words. As I spoke, I pray that they might be a blessing to them in their follow-up, the week ahead.
That's what we need for us to be a church where we don't just listen to it but foolishly forgive what we heard. We do what it says because in doing so Lord. You know who's at work it's you and you'll bless it. Be bless us with more peace and more joy and more hope or patients or love in our life of Faith.