Non-Negotiables: The Church

1 Corinthians 12:12–20 (ESV)

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

Today, we are concluding our "Non-Negotiables" Series with a few thoughts that we hope are more of an affirmation of what you already believe rather than new ideas that might challenge your belief system.

Most of us know what the church SHOULD do, but we disassociate ourselves from it.

If I'm part of the Church (I'm a follower of Christ)

• When I think or say "The church should"....... Really means: "I should"

Usually the things that "matter" to you - the "shoulds" are things that God has placed in your heart to be as your part of the church.

Today we talk about the church: So what is the church?

Established by Jesus:

The Church is the means, the method and the measurement of God’s plan in these last days. 

• The church is the Means that God chooses to reveal his nature

  • God's character is too big to be accurately represented by the limitations of our character

• That's why we need each other:

Romans 12:4–8 (ESV)

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

• Verse 6: 

  • Having Gifts that differ

    • We need the aspect of things that you uniquely bring

      • When you look around and feel like you are different - it's because God never made you to be the same

  • Let us use them

    • When you don't use the things that God has placed in your heart 

      • We all suffer

      • Hattiesburg is shorted when you don't use your gifts

      • Like muscles, when you don’t use them, they don’t grow

We will be talking about the vision of Hub City Church in the weeks to come! 

• You're going o find places where your giftings and your heart line up - USE IT!

• The church is the method that God chooses to reach the world

• Through Missions

Matthew 24:14–15 (NKJV) 

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 

• To fulfill the plan of Jesus - we are mandated to take the Gospel to the world

  • Hub City Church is going to be:

    • A Church-planting church

    • A missionary supporting church

    • A missionary sending church

“No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once.”

J. Oswald Smith

• Through Discipleship

Matthew 28:18–20 (NKJV) 

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. 

We believe that the church (as individuals) have been called to be disciples that make Disciples

• Where are you in the discipleship process?

• Where are you in the disciple-making process?

• The church is the measurement of our world’s response to God

  • As the church grows, we better reflect Him

  • We’re not talking about counting "cheeks in seats", we’re talking about hearts submitted to Him. 

Here's the end goal:

Revelation 19:6–7 (ESV)

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;

We exist to see this replicated here on earth!

When we talk about our non-negotiable, we want to state this clearly:

We said last week that WE need more of HIM

Today, we are saying that HE deserves more of US

• More people groups

• More ethnicities

• More Voices

• More songs

• More prayer warriors

• More missionaries

• More church planters

He deserves more of my devotion!

The real questions:

Could you give more to Jesus?

Would you give more to Jesus?

Why wouldn't you give more to Jesus?