Welcome! We are happy that you joined us on Back to Church Sunday! Whether you attend church on a regular basis or accepted an invitation from a family member or friend today, we hope that you will feel comfortable and enjoy spending this day with us. Many of us have perceptions about church that make us wonder, “Is this the place for me? Will I fit in? Why does church make a difference? Who is Jesus?” You may want to learn more about who God is and what He has to say about your life. Others of you may have been involved in a church at one time, but for a variety of reasons stopped attending; now you feel it’s time to reconnect with God and others like you. And still others of you may already be involved in church and want to grow deeper in your relationship with God and as part of this community. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey and whatever your connection to your local church, we would like you to know we care about you and the things that concern you. Our hope is to come alongside you and share what God says in Scripture—most importantly that He loves and cares for you deeply. This Back to Church Sunday Next Step Bulletin Guide includes a sermon notes page, small group or individual study questions, six daily devotionals, and a tear-off Connection Card which will help you connect to the church and take the next step in your spiritual growth. We pray that you will be encouraged after you hear today’s message and walk away inspired.
SERMON NOTES Copyright ©2013 by Outreach, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO 80919. All rights reserved. Written by John Bolin. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE. NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Small-Group or Individual Study Questions Consider these questions and use the Scripture passages to help you. You may also wish to discuss these questions with your small group or family.
Read 2 Corinthians 3:18. According to the Apostle Paul, the writer of Corinthians, what do we reflect?
In what ways do you reflect the Lord’s glory to those around you? What other ways can you express God’s love?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21. What does verse 17 tell us about being a new creation?
What do you think it means to become His righteousness? What did God give so that we might become His righteousness?
In what area of your life do you need Jesus to make a big difference? Maybe it’s in a personal struggle or a family issue or your finances. List a few ways, then share them with your group, if you feel comfortable.
Read Psalm 25:14. How can a person draw closer to God as a friend?
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NEXT STEP GUIDE
What feelings or insecurities keep you from being a friend of God?
Read Ephesians 1:5. According to this verse, what has God decided to do?
How does God feel when we are part of His family?
Read Matthew 28. Jesus talked about how we should be His witness in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the “uttermost parts” of the world. How can we reflect Him in our families, our work, our community, and our world?
What can you do today to start to bring God’s love into your world?
Read Matthew 5. List the “beatitudes” Jesus teaches in this passage.
Write down which of these traits you relate to the most.
As a group, share your prayer requests. Write them down and commit to praying for each other throughout the coming weeks.
back to church SUNDAY
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daily devotionals
Monday All the Difference
Most of us have heard stories of people involved in life-changing efforts around the world in the name of Jesus. But what about us, right here and right now? The Christian walk is really all about transformation—the journey of you and me becoming more and more like Jesus. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that when we have the “veil” of our old selves removed, we “can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into His glorious image” (NLT). When we truly surrender to Jesus, He takes over and begins to change us “into His image.” Jesus really does make all the difference not just in ancient history, but right now in your life today. He wants to work in us to transform the way we see ourselves. God is big enough to make a difference in any and every area of your life. PRAY: Take a moment to thank Him for what He has done for you and ask Him to give you grace for that “big area” in which you need transformation. After all, He’s in the transformation business.
Tuesday The Difference in Identity Often we’re tempted to create a false picture of ourselves based on other people’s opinions. Look around you. People are desperately trying to figure out who they are, but the answer can be found right in God’s Word. In Isaiah 44:2, God says, “I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.” It might sound ironic, but God had you in mind before He made you. You are not an accident. In His Word, he calls you precious, treasured, and loved, and He made you in His very image. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tell us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (ESV). That’s the miracle of the gospel! When we give our lives to Christ, when we are “in Christ,” everything changes. The old us—our old sins and habits—are transformed. Beginning today, determine to see yourself as God sees you. PRAY: “Dear Jesus, I know that you designed me and love me. Sometimes I care too much about what others think of me. I know that you want to be reflected in me, and I want to be more like you, too. AMEN.”
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NEXT STEP GUIDE
ConneCtion CaRd
daily devotionals
Monday All the Difference
Most of us have heard stories of people involved in life-changing efforts around the world in the name of Jesus. But what about us, right here and right now? The Christian walk is really all about transformation—the journey of you and me becoming more and more like Jesus. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 that when we have the “veil” of our old selves removed, we “can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into His glorious image” (NLT). When we truly surrender to Jesus, He takes over and begins to change us “into His image.” Jesus really does make all the difference not just in ancient history, but right now in your life today. He wants to work in us to transform the way we see ourselves. God is big enough to make a difference in any and every area of your life. PRAY: Take a moment to thank Him for what He has done for you and ask Him to give you grace for that “big area” in which you need transformation. After all, He’s in the transformation business.
Tuesday The Difference in Identity Often we’re tempted to create a false picture of ourselves based on other people’s opinions. Look around you. People are desperately trying to figure out who they are, but the answer can be found right in God’s Word. In Isaiah 44:2, God says, “I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.” It might sound ironic, but God had you in mind before He made you. You are not an accident. In His Word, he calls you precious, treasured, and loved, and He made you in His very image.
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Wednesday The Difference in Worship
We all worship—it’s built into us. We were designed for it. The problem is we are easily swayed into worshipping things other than the One whom we were created to worship. We worship food, cars, money, and fame, and the list goes on and on. Some say that if you want to know where your heart is—the thing you worship—just look at what really captures your time, talent, and treasure. But God doesn’t want your relationship with Him to be a chore or driven by guilt. The creator of the universe genuinely wants to be your friend—to talk to you, to know you, to share your life. Psalm 25:14 says, “He offers his friendship to the godly” (NLT). God wants to be with you. He’s not looking down His nose or shaking his head as you pray. He’s anxiously waiting for you, looking for you. James 4:8 reminds us to “draw close to God and God will draw close to you” (NLT).
Share a Prayer Request:
PRAY: “Dear Lord, thank you for loving me. I want to pursue you with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I determine today to give you my time, my talents, and my treasure—my worship. I love you, Jesus. AMEN.”
Thursday
Becoming a Christian Getting Baptized Becoming a Church Member Spiritual Growth Small Groups Children’s Ministry Youth Ministry Women’s Ministry Evangelism/Outreach Ministry Places I Can Serve Baby/Child Dedication Other _____________________________ Please Have a Staff Member Contact Me.
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The Difference in Community
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Did you know that the entire Bible is basically a story about God forming His adoptive family? And that His plan is to have you as part of that family? The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 1:5, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (NLT). God did not design us to go through life on our own.
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My prayer request is confidential.
Share a Praise: ____________________________________________
That’s the miracle of the gospel! When we give our lives to Christ, when we are “in Christ,” everything changes. The old us—our old sins and habits—are transformed. Beginning today, determine to see yourself as God sees you.
Many of us grew up in families that are a little loving, a little crazy, and a little messy. Welcome to church! Some of us have had great experiences in church; others of us haven’t. God’s family works best like all families: when it forgives and lets go of past hurts. God’s family is His design to bring healing to our broken world. What would happen if we gave the church a pass for our past hurts and determined today to lock arms and move forward? It’d be amazing!
PRAY: “Dear Jesus, I know that you designed me and love me. Sometimes I care too much about what others think of me. I know that you want to be reflected in me, and I want to be more like you, too. AMEN.”
PRAY: Ask God to help you forgive those in your family or church who have caused you pain. Determine to do the same for those you might have hurt along the way.
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2 Corinthians 5:17 tell us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (ESV).
back to church SuNDaY a aY
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ConneCtion CaRd
Friday The Difference in Mission
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Please indicate: Regular-attender Visitor Out-of-town visitor
Please circle your current age group and school grades of any children Adults: 18–23 24–29 30–39 40–49 50–69 70+ Children: 0–3 yrs. 4–5 yrs. K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 College Male Female Single Married Single Parent Widowed
I made a decision today to: Receive Christ as my Savior Recommit my life to Christ
Just before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He gave us the command to “go and make disciples.” To begin His ministry, He called his first disciples by saying, “Follow me.” Throughout His ministry, He constantly gave His followers a sense of mission bigger than themselves. When Jesus stood on that mountainside in Matthew 28, He was essentially telling His followers that His Kingdom was coming to Earth to make things right, and that their mission was to proclaim that fact. Two thousand years later, nothing has changed. There is no Plan B. God has called His people to be His hands and feet to the world. PRAY: “Dear Jesus, I know that I was created on purpose to reflect your heart to my world, and you have placed me where I am for a reason. Show me how I can best accomplish your plan for my life. Guide me today and give me the grace and courage to live your mission. AMEN.”
Saturday In Matthew 5, Jesus talked about a new way to live including ideas that were totally counterintuitive at the time. He said things like “love your enemies” and “do good to those that persecute you.” He told us that the poor, the meek, and the peacemakers were the ones that were truly blessed. These were radical ideas. At the time, Rome had invaded Israel and threatened to dismantle the country and destroy the culture. But Jesus had a different strategy. He taught us to surrender our will and ambition to His plan and serve others as a reflection of Him. In a time when it seems our culture is being wrecked by forces that are antiGod, we face similar circumstances. What if the church responded with love instead of anger or disgust? Jesus said, “You will know my people by their love.” After all, that’s the message of the cross and the power of the resurrection. PRAY: “Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and love that is reflected in Matthew 5. I commit to learning more about how to love people as you did. Show me how I can engage our culture with Jesus-like love. AMEN.”