Week of October 7th - Commitment to your local church

Key Thought:
If you were fortunate, you stumbled onto Mountain Vista Community Church and immediately felt like this was “your church.” Other people struggle for months looking for the right church before settling on one. Some people are looking for a certain feeling the moment they step through the front door, while others are looking for something from the service or the children’s program. Some people showed up at our church their first Sunday with no real expectations. Whatever the circumstances for your beginning at MVCC, the day has come or will come when you will clearly see some of the deficiencies and short-comings of our church. Each of us face a moment of truth when we are confronted with the imperfections of “our church.” Will I be a problem finder or a problem solver? Will I “pile on” by being unsupportive and negative, or will I express confidence in God’s will for my church. God’s will for our church is that we are “attaining to perfection (Eph 4:13).” This is a process that is continuing and will never end. God willing, our church will outlive all of us and have a huge impact on this world for many years to come. In the process we can be sure of two things, 1) God is actively at work to make us perfect. 2) Until Christ returns, we will never be a “perfect” church. Churches that ignore their shortcomings cannot become mature in Christ. Similarly, churches whose members become aware of their problems and, instead of seeking a solution, choose to leave or grumble, will not achieve maturity. Our responsibility is to find out if God has called us to be a part of MVCC and, if he has, we must commit ourselves to it regardless of the issues that disappoint us.

Sermon:
Take some time to write down some important thoughts that have stuck with you from Steve’s Sermon “Picture Perfect Church” (Oct 7th, 2007)

Bible Reading:
Mon – Ephesians 4;11-15
Tue – Matthew 18:15-18
Wed – 1 Corinthians 1:1-17
Thurs – Galatians 2:11-16
Friday – 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

Key Questions to Ponder During the Week:

1. What originally led you to be a part of MVCC?
2. How long did it take you to discover that MVCC is not perfect?
3. What are some current strengths of our church? How do you think these strengths came about?
4. Is it discouraging to you to know that our church will never be perfect?
5. How can we be proud of our church without unintentionally creating unreal expectations in the minds of newcomers and friends whom we invite?
6. What does commitment to church mean to you?