Bring Your Reality | Pastor Greg Ford Sermon | One Church Columbus

ICEBREAKER:

What is the best compliment you have received?

MESSAGE NOTES:

Series: Next is Now

Sermon: Bring Your Reality

Text: Hebrews 11:33-40

DEEP CHURCH…What does that mean?

A mile wide and an inch deep…discipleship…what does that mean…sing for 2 hours and don’t preach…preach for 2 hours and don’t sing…all of our time at the church…all of our time in the community…we cry together…we’re so spiritually minded we don’t get sad…most of our friends are Christians…most of our friends are heathens

Depth of a Church…Depth of a community…heart, soul, mind, strength, neighbor

Emotional - Spiritual - Mental - Physical - Relational

The Big Idea

Church is not the place where we escape reality. It’s the place where we bring our reality.

[Hebrews 11:33-40]

By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. 35 Women received their loved ones back again from death. But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. 36 Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. 37 Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. 38 They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.

Ill. MLK Sr

- Pics

- Timeline - Ebenezer (1962), MLK Jr (April 4, 1968) Alberta King (June 30, 1974) MLK Sr (1984) born 1899, Pastor 1931

- MLKjr born in 1929…Michael King…Travels to Germany Martin Luther…changes his name & his sons name in 1934 (Protestant Reformation)

- Playing the Lord’s Prayer on the organ

- Her Father A.D. Williams was the pastor before MLK Sr

In 1927, he became assistant pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church of Atlanta, then senior pastor in 1931. With the country in the midst of the Great Depression, church finances were struggling, but King organized membership and fundraising drives that restored these to health.

By 1934, King had become a widely respected leader of the local church. That year, he also changed his name, and that of his eldest son, from Michael King to Martin Luther King after a period of gradual transition on his own part.[4]

He was inspired during a trip to Germany for that year's meeting of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA). While visiting sites associated with reformation leader Martin Luther, attendees also witnessed the rise of Nazism. Whilst the BWA conference issued a resolution condemning antisemitism, the senior King gained deepened appreciation for the power of Luther's protest.

Although the meeting was in Berlin, King "traveled to Rome, Tunisia, Egypt, Jerusalem and Bethlehem" first, the Washington Post reported.

While in Berlin, the senior King witnessed the beginnings of Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler had become chancellor the year before King’s arrival.

King toured much of Germany, the country that is the birthplace of Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, which led to a split with the Catholic Church.

MLK sr

Woman whose husband died unexpectedly at 46 with all of his dreams ahead of him

Friend who has a loved one with a rare disease

Church is not the place where we escape reality. It’s the place where we bring our reality.

We don’t put our heads in the sand, we lift our hands to our father.

We don’t stuff our emotions, we bring our tears to our father.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

QUESTION 1:
What would your “trailer” say about you? What would be missing from the “novel”?

QUESTION 2:
Between Physical, Relational, Spiritual, Mental, and Emotional depth; Which one(s) your strongest. Which one(s) do you feel you could grow in?

QUESTION 3:

If willing to be vulnerable, what are some emotions you have potentially stuffed down?

GUIDED PRAYER:

God thank you for your faithfulness. God thank you that when we walk through doors we don’t have to hide who we are. Lord you know our realities better than we know ourselves. Lord I pray that we would first bring everything to you So that you can guide us in walking with others. God I pray that you place a softness in our hearts to recognize the novels people are and that we don’t judge by the trailer or cover. Thank you God. I love you, praise you, and worship you. In Jesus name - amen.

One ChurchOctober 24, 2023