River Crest Church

To Build a Healthy Church: Agree, Serve, Disciple

How is a healthy church to be built?

Mat 16:18 NKJV …I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

The Lord gave me these three points in this order: Agreement, Service, Discipleship. They will come one after the other. If we are part of the Church, that which Christ is building, then we are being built together in this way.

First, Agreement- we must be willing to travel together in the same direction.

Amos 3:3 NKJV Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

We must walk in the same direction. Doctrinal unity is close to impossible, but unity of mission is essential for an assembly.

Our vision is the last verses of Matthew 28. We are to make disciples of the nations.

We are NOT event driven shallow people never growing up in Christ. We are a community of faith in a faithless world: a place of sanctuary, restoration, and training.

When we agree on the direction we are going, then leaders must rise up, relationships must be built, substance must be given, plans must be drawn, so we can accomplish our God given task.

Second, Service – then, we must be willing to serve another's interests before our own.

John 13:14 NKJV If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet.

We move from Agreement to Service in a natural way, as we see the needs that arise along the journey, we move to supply that need.

Third, Discipling – finally, we must be willing to sow effort into another's success.

Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

We walk together, serve each other, and finally come to submit ourselves to the bigger plan.

If we understand that we are disciples, then those who come in after us will be expected to become disciples as well!

CLOSING THOUGHTS – all of this is part of the forming process of Christ.

Gal 4:19 NKJV My little children… I labor in birth… until Christ is formed in you.

We can’t properly be shaped into the men and women of God we are destined to be unless we walk together as a Christian community finding agreement, giving in service, and submitted to being and making disciples.