Bible Text: Luke 15:1-2 | Preacher: Pastor Steve | Series: Abiding in the Lord, Transformed
Our mission is transformation and incarnation and connection with one another and people outside the church walls.
If the BODY is not moving it will become unhealthy
Luke 15:1-2 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!
Two of the reasons we struggle with being incarnational witnesses in front of people are that we fear rejection and we fear loneliness.
There is a new breed of believer attending the church:
The floating-believer
Loyalty is based on price, convenience and selection.
Many believers FLOAT in order to HIDE from others because in this way no one can really KNOW you, and therefore they cannot REJECT you.
John 1:40-42 One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messiah (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Now when Jesus looked at him, He said, You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas (which is translated a Stone).
The Word of God focuses our future potential rather than on our past failures!
Philippians 3:13-14 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Luke 9:62 But Jesus said to him, No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
The enemy wants to bring our past into the present in order to destroy our future.  But God comes to bring our future into our present in order to free us of our past.
Because of INCARNATION and TRANSFORMATION and GRACE, we are all TENS!
The W.O.W. factor: Walking On Water
Matthew 14:25-33 …And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water. So He said, Come. And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, Lord, save me!  And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
We need to be willing to become INCARNATE and TRANSFORMED in front of people!
We can become spiritually agoraphobic in our walk with God.
The enemy’s strategy is to take away our future by keeping in front of us our past failures and disappointments and turn them into a personal vision.
Matthew 16:13-23 …And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…
Matthew 10:32-33 Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 26:69-75 …But he denied it before them all, saying, I do not know what you are saying…But again he denied with an oath, I do not know the Man! …Then he began to curse and swear, saying, I do not know the Man! Immediately a rooster crowed…
John 21:15-17 After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Yes, Master, you know I love you (X3) Jesus said, Feed my lambs (X3)…
JESUS NEVER GIVES UP ON US!