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Sermon Series: Discovering Terrace Lake Community Church

A four part series by Dan Houze.

Click the underlined titles for audio recordings.

Ephesians 2:19, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.”

 

Ephesians 3:10-11, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

1. Common salvation

2. Common statements

3. Common strategy

4. Common structure

 

Part 1 of Discovering Terrace Lake: Our Common Salvation

DISCOVERING TERRACE LAKE

A COMMON SALVATION

A Lifestyle of Sacrament

by Dan Houze, January 6, 2008

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE SAVED?

1. Salvation is based on objective TRUTH not subjective EMOTIONS.

"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

2. Salvation is based upon GRACE not WORKS. The dilemma solution about good works:
  • The Expectation: Jesus said in Matthew 5:48, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect"
  • The Bad News: Romans 3:10-12, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."
  • The Good News: Romans 5:6-11, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
  • The Result: Ephesians 2:8-10, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Saved for good works but not by good works.

    John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life."

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELIEVE?

  • Observation of the facts: James 2:19: "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder."
  • Acknowledgement of the truth intellectually.
  • Receive the solution personally. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."-John 1:12

 

WHAT ARE THE SYMBOLS OF OUR SALVATION?

  • Baptism
  • Lord's Supper

 

 

Part 2 of Discovering Terrace Lake: Our Common Statement

DISCOVERING TLCC

OUR COMMON STATEMENT

By Dan Houze, January 13, 2008

Ephesians 2:8-10,"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Romans 8:30, "Those he predestined, he also called..."

Ephesians 4:1, "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you received."

2 Timothy 1:8-9a, "So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and [italics mine] called us to a holy life."

At TLCC we believe we are called to be...

"Living Intentionally For Jesus Christ"

There are two passages of scripture that give us a clear picture of what it looks like to live intentionally for Christ:

Matthew 22:37-39, [THE GREAT COMMANDMENT] "Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

Matthew 28:19-20 [THE GREAT COMMISSION], "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all things."

These two commands of our Lord give us four important and essential purposes in order to be good citizens of heaven and a healthy church family:

1. LOVE GOD

  • Worship Him genuinely

Romans 12:1, "Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship."

We also show our love for God when we...

  • Obey His word.
    • John 15:9-10, "As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain (abide) in My love. If you keep My commands you will remain (abide) in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commands and remain (abide) in His love."
    • 1John 2:3-6, "This is how we are sure that we have come to know Him: by keeping His commands. The one who says, I have come to know Him, without keeping His commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly in him the love of God is perfected. This is how we know we are in Him: the one who says he remains in Him should walk just as He walked."

2. LOVE PEOPLE

  • Value all people.
  • Invite/invest in all people.

At TLCC we want to value and invest in people by living missionally, locally, nationally and internationally.

3. TEACH THEM TO FOLLOW

  • Equip all members.
  • Release maturing members.

Ephesians 4:11-14, "And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, [growing] into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit."

4. LIVE THE MISSION

Matthew 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

1 Corinthians 12:7, "But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

  • Surrender everything.
  • Serve everyone.

 

Part 3 of Discovering Terrace Lake: Our Common Strategy

DISCOVERING TLCC

OUR COMMON STRATEGY

by Dan Houze, January 20, 2008

ProvProverbs 20:18, "Make plans by seeking advice; if you wage war obtain guidance."

Proverbs 21:5, "The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty."

Proverbs 16:3, "Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."

Proverbs 19:21, "Many are the plans of a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purposes that prevails."

These passages teach us three things:

  • 1. Strategic planning is a good thing.
  • 2. Strategic planning apart from the right counsel is not.
  • 3. Programs don't last, purposes do.

Five things we can do to insure PURPOSE has the right relationship to our PLANS:

1. We will be more concerned with PEOPLE than with PROGRAMS.

2. We will be more concerned with GROWTH than with MAINTENANCE.

3. We will be more concerned with RESPONSIBILITY than with our REPUTATION.

4. We will be more concerned with our FUNCTION than our FORM.

5. We will be more concerned with CHANGE than with CONFORMITY.

 

PERSONAL LIFE STRATEGY

"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

--Hebrews 10:23-25

1. Who is that person(s) who have encouraged your spiritual growth?

2. In what specific ways can you spur other members of TLCC on toward love and good deeds?

 

 

Part 4 of Discovering Terrace Lake: Our Common Structure

Article Pic

DISCOVERING TLCC

Our Common Structure

by Dan Houze, Jan 27, 2008

(note: no recording of this sermon is available)

ORGANIZATION CHART

LBM MINISTRIES

Members:

Deacons- David Baker, Ross Paznokas, Clark Holland, *David Stidham, *Terry Cooney

Ministry Coordinator- Jeff Jewett

Ministers- church body.

Purpose: Service to the church and others by the servant leadership of deacons through body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12)

MINISTRY RESOURCE COUNCIL

Members: Permanent members from elder board and LBM along with ad hoc participants.

Purpose: Strategic implementation of the church's vision through gifts, wisdom and life experience of its members.

 

ELDERS

Members: Dan Houze, Harold Cooper, Dave Chapman, Pete Heckroth, Todd Thompson and Rob Woodbridge.

Purpose: Lead and oversee the spiritual direction and health of TLCC.

When do these groups meet? Elders: weekly; deacons: monthly

We function as a church on the basis of spiritual gifts not elections.

How we make decisions at TLCC: The Affirmation Process

At TLCC we ask for church affirmation for the following:

  • Annual church budget
  • The calling of pastoral staff
  • The calling of church leadership (deacons, elders)
  • Purchase of land or building
  • Changes in the by-laws and constitution

DEACONS

"So the twelve gathered the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait tables. Brothers, choose seven men among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and we will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.'"-Acts 6:2-3

Attributes of a deacon:

  • 1. He is a believer
  • 2. He is wise (sensitive and practical)
  • 3. He is responsible

ELDERS

"to the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers-not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away."-I Peter 5:1-4

 

You know you have the wrong man as an elder when...

  • 1. He considers his office a burden.
  • 2. He is motivated to serve for financial reasons.
  • 3. He is hungry for positions that give him power.

You know you have the right man as an elder when...

  • 1. He leads out of his care for others.
  • 2. He believes his greatest reward comes not in what he receives but what he has given.
  • 3. He views leadership as an opportunity to express Christ not himself.

 

 


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