Well, today is Anniversary Sunday.
We've been three years old as a church.
Three years ago, we, amen.
We had our first public service,
and to commemorate that,
we set aside every first Sunday of October to rejoice.
Well, it was the fall of 2012,
and I was at the tail end of an assessment
by the elders of Crossway Community Church.
Crossway is the church that planted Christ the King Church,
and I went through a year-long assessment
to see if I was fit to do this work,
and as part of that, in that fall,
I was asked to write a BHAG, B-H-A-G,
a big, hairy, audacious goal.
A God-sized goal.
And this is what I wrote.
We read this at every membership class.
The vision of Christ the King Church
is to see the gospel of Jesus Christ
transform every area of our personal lives,
our families, our church, our city, and our world.
It's 1020 a.m. one Sunday in the year 2033.
It's a red light.
As cars come to a stop at the intersection of Sheridan and 60th Street,
they hear the one voice of Christ the King Church
singing, Blessed Assurance,
through the open stained glass windows of their building.
Inside the building, almost all of the 1,000 seats are filled.
Remember, this is a vision.
Dreaming big.
They had to expand the capacity of their building in 2020.
The whole church is standing with hands raised.
There are dark chocolate hands raised.
There are also deeply tanned hands raised.
There are fair and freckled hands raised.
There are some nicely groomed hands that are raised.
There are a smattering of exotic fingernails.
Tattoos on hands are common.
Most of the hands are calloused, strong, and rough.
And as the people sing, standing,
tears gently stream down cheeks as with one voice.
Christ the King Church lifts her praise to God.
No one expected God to do what God has done.
The light turns green.
For the last 20 years,
there's been a pronounced and sustained outpouring of God's spirit
throughout Kenosha's downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
God has spread the people of Christ the King like Levin
throughout the neighborhoods of Uptown, Harbor Park,
Sunnydale, Lincoln Park, Frank, Allendale, Wilson,
even out west of Green Bay Road.
The people of Christ the King Church
reach out with the gospel often and intentionally.
Evangelism usually involves a couple members of Christ the King
inviting some of their friends to come over for a meal
and eventually the topic turns to Jesus.
477 people have become Christians
and have been integrated into the life of the church
over the last two decades.
It was in 2018 that God finally opened a door
into the African American community.
Shawan Jackson was a co-worker of Mike Purgatelli.
They were on the same work crew for the city's water department
and Mike had been sharing the gospel with Shawan weekly
as they made runs in their blue dump truck.
Finally, God opened Shawan's eyes to see his need for Christ
and after coming to faith in Christ,
Mike brought Shawan to a small group.
They were studying Ephesians together
and that life group warmly welcomed Shawan.
They shared openly about their hardships,
fears, joys, and struggles with sin.
And after about 18 months,
Shawan was able to let down his guard
with people who were not black.
He experienced Christian fellowship with Anglos and Latinos.
He came to realize that he had more in common
with his Anglo and Latino,
these Anglo and Latino sinners saved by grace
than he did with his Frank neighborhood buddies.
Shawan started bringing his longtime friends
from Frank neighborhood to the Christ of King Church
of Sunday service.
Some were convicted of their sin.
They repented and put their trust in Christ.
But most did not.
Shawan continued to grow in the face
of being ridiculed for his devotion to Christ
and the people of Christ the King.
He married Manuela in 2023
and soon they had three beautiful boys.
Shawan never met his dad,
but God provided what he needed.
A handful of godly older men
had been mentoring Shawan since his conversion.
He's now a godly dad.
His boys feared the Lord.
And then from 2024 to 2027,
Shawan participated in Christ the King Church's
leadership development program.
And by the fall of 2028,
Shawan had been nominated to become an elder.
He's formally set in as an elder
of Christ the King Church January of 2029.
He's just started his second three-year term.
God continues to use Shawan
to evangelize the young men of Frank neighborhood.
In fact, he's mentoring three young men
from his neighborhood now.
2018 was a significant year in the life
of Christ the King Church.
Early in that spring,
Christ the King Church sent out
her first church plant to Waukegan,
El Rey de la Gracia.
Lou, give it to us.
Today, God has grown that church to 215 people.
They meet in Waukegan High School.
They joined the Crossway Association of Churches
in 2021.
Since 2016, Christ the King has been sending teams
across the globe to play a small role
in filling the Great Commission.
Every year since 2016,
Christ the King has sent out a multi-ethnic team
to visit, strengthen, and assist
the international mission partners of the church.
There are strong ties to partners in Myanmar,
Philippines, Brazil, Morocco, India, China,
Georgia, as in the Republic of Georgia,
though the state of Georgia needs missionaries too.
Somalia, France, Ethiopia, and Vietnam.
God has done a mighty work
in uniting the diverse people
of Christ the King Church
into a mature body
whose head is Jesus Christ.
No one spends a lot of time
thinking about what it means
to be ethnically diverse anymore.
Christ the King Church is ethnically
and socioeconomically diverse.
The church reflects the community it's in.
Every dimension of Christ the King Church
is experiencing the transforming
and unifying effect of the gospel.
The children's ministry volunteers
are ethnically diverse.
Worship team, ethnically diverse.
Greeting team, diverse.
Life group leaders and life groups
are ethnically diverse.
Deacons are ethnically diverse.
And of course, the elders of Christ the King Church
are ethnically and socioeconomically diverse.
The diversity is a sign of a greater reality.
The power of the gospel of Jesus Christ
radically changes individuals
as well as a people.
A diverse people living in downtown Kenosha
have been given new identities.
United in Christ,
resulting in a whole new people group.
We are Christ the King Church.
As we were,
the elders of our church
were seeing this day approaching,
we thought it would be good
to rally us around our mission
as a church.
to call to mind why we're here.
Why we do what we do.
And it's our third anniversary this morning.
So we want to refocus us as a church
on our mission as a church.
And to do that,
we're going to take a break from Matthew 6,
and we're going to plop down
right in the middle of Colossians.
Colossians 1, verses 28 and 29.
And in these two verses,
the Apostle Paul gives a brief
but potent summary
of his gospel ministry.
It's all about Jesus.
So if you would open up your Bibles
to Colossians 1.
Hear the Word of God.
1, verses 28 and 29.
Him we proclaim.
Warning everyone and teaching everyone
with all wisdom
that we may present everyone
mature in Christ.
For this I toil.
Struggling with all His energy
that He powerfully works within me.
So as we take our cues
from the Apostle Paul
and Jesus Himself,
we exist as a church
to make known the life-transforming power
of the gospel of Jesus Christ
to all people.
It's all about Jesus.
We're all about Jesus.
And so this morning,
to help you see that,
three points.
Our goal,
our method,
and our strength.
Our goal,
our method,
and our strength.
So let's look at first
our goal.
And you can see our goal
in the second half
of verse 28.
I'll just read verse 28 again.
Him we proclaim,
warning everyone
and teaching everyone
with all wisdom
that we may present
everyone mature
in Christ.
And so as we talk about our goal,
I want you to notice three words.
Mature,
everyone,
and present.
So let's look at this word mature.
The goal of Paul's ministry
was to present everyone
mature in Christ.
You see that little word that?
That,
we may present.
That word,
that,
signifies purpose.
Aim.
Goal.
And our goal
is the same as the Apostle Paul's.
To present
everyone
mature
in Christ.
Now that word mature
comes from a Greek word,
teleon,
which means complete,
fulfilled,
lacking nothing.
One commentator wrote
that this sense of maturity
is in someone
who is so wholeheartedly
devoted to Jesus
that their conduct
is blameless.
Wholehearted devotion.
It's not any kind of maturity
we're talking about here.
This is mature
in Christ.
The goal of Paul's ministry
was to present people
mature
in Christ.
And what that means
is to be Christ-like.
Would you hold your spot
in Colossians 1
and flip over a couple pages
to Ephesians chapter 4?
I want to see how
Paul talks about this
in another way.
Similar way.
In chapter 4,
verse 11,
we read,
and he gave the apostles,
the prophets,
the evangelists,
the shepherds,
and teachers
to equip the saints
for the work of ministry,
for building up the body.
So God gives leaders
to the church
to equip the church
to build up the church.
gospel ministry
takes place
among all of us.
All of us
are gospel ministers
building the church up.
And then look at verse 13.
Until we all attain
to the unity of the faith
and the knowledge
of the Son of God
to mature manhood.
Same word.
To mature manhood.
And then look at the next clause.
To the measure
of the stature
of the fullness
of Christ.
Our goal
is to present
everyone mature
in Christ
to be like Christ
in all that they are
in every area
of their lives.
It's all about Him.
Paul uses this
maturing Christ language
all throughout his epistles.
But when we turn
to the Gospels,
it's a different
kind of language.
And so instead of
talking about
someone mature in Christ,
the Gospels talk about
being disciples
of Jesus Christ.
Discipleship.
And so when we
talk about it this way,
the goal of our church
is to make
mature disciples
of Jesus.
You remember
Matthew 28.
Luke quoted it
when he was praying
and starting
our worship service.
Jesus commissions
all of His disciples
of all time.
He says,
go make disciples
of the nations.
Make disciples
of me,
Jesus,
of the nations.
Jesus Himself
has commanded us
to be about
this business
of making
mature disciples
of Jesus.
And a disciple
is someone
who is a lifelong
learner of Jesus
and His ways
and a lifelong
follower of Jesus
and His ways.
Not only do they
know who Jesus is
and what they taught,
they learn in order
to obey,
to observe all
that He commanded.
Now,
what does a mature
disciple of Jesus
Christ look like?
Well,
it has a variety
of appearances.
But you remember
we were preaching
through the Sermon
on the Mount.
We've been preaching
through the Sermon
on the Mount
and early in the summer
we were working
through the Beatitudes.
The Beatitudes
are just a wonderful
profile of a mature
follower of Jesus.
Do you remember
where they start?
Blessed are the poor
in spirit.
Humility is a hallmark
of a mature disciple.
It starts all there.
I know it's not
about me,
it's about Him.
Jesus radically
changes a sinner
to think less
of themselves
and more of Him,
more of God.
And so that's
where it all starts.
Poverty of spirit,
spirit,
that is the root
and then
it blossoms
into the beautiful
peacemakers
that we are to be.
Sharing the gospel,
helping people
be at peace with God
through the blood
of Jesus,
be at peace
with each other,
peace within ourselves.
But it doesn't
stop there.
Peacemaking isn't
the end.
Being persecuted
is.
Mature disciples
catch heat
for the name
of Jesus.
That's what we're
called to.
Making mature
disciples
of Jesus Christ.
Now did you notice
the word
everyone?
It's repeated
three times
in verse 28 alone.
So you see,
Him we proclaim
warning everyone
and teaching everyone
with all wisdom
that we may present
everyone
mature
in Christ Jesus.
Now,
when you hear
the word
everyone,
you might start
thinking,
whoa,
are we talking
like seven and a
half billion people
on the face
of the planet
right now?
And in one sense,
yes we are.
Jesus says,
go make disciples
of the nations,
all 7.5 billion
of them.
It's good we're
not in it alone.
God's worldwide
church is carrying
out His mission.
But the way
to think about this
too is to be
considering this.
everyone we come
into contact with
and is responsive
to the gospel,
everyone we present,
we want to present
mature in Christ.
Now,
I want to point out
something very
interesting about this.
Notice in verse 27,
to Him God chose
to make known
how great among
the Gentiles
are the riches
of the glory
of this mystery,
which is Christ in you,
the hope of glory.
Gentiles.
What's that
a reference to?
Well,
a Gentile
is a non-Jew.
Remember,
back in the first century,
a Jew would think
of the world
in two categories,
Jews and everybody else.
Gentiles.
And what Paul
seems to be saying
here is that,
hey,
we proclaim Christ
to everyone,
Jew or Gentile.
we warn everyone,
we teach everyone
in order to present
everyone
mature in Christ.
Now,
let's dial that in
a little bit.
So for us
as a church,
do you know
what that means?
Here's what that means.
Regardless
of someone's ethnicity,
regardless
of someone's gender,
of their socioeconomic status,
of their age,
of their present
marital status,
or their past
marital status,
of their past history
with the law,
our aim
as a church
is to present
everyone
mature in Christ.
All are welcome.
Everyone we come
into contact with
and is responsive
to the gospel,
we are to present
them mature
in Christ,
to help them
grow in Christ-likeness.
And of course,
there's that word
present.
Paul uses it earlier
in verses 21 and 22
of chapter 1.
He says,
and you who were
once alienated
and hostile in mind
doing evil deeds,
he is now reconciled
in his body of flesh
by his death
in order to present
you holy
and blameless
and above reproach
before him.
And so,
there is a direction
of that word present.
Think of it as
an aimed present,
aimed at God.
Our presenting
everyone mature
in Christ
is towards God.
We present them
to God.
So do you know
what that means?
Our ministry
is an act of worship.
Our proclaiming Christ
and presenting people,
everyone mature
in Christ,
it is worship
of the living God.
We are presenting
them to him.
our ministry
is Godward.
It's for his glory.
It's an act
of worship.
The goal of Paul's
ministry,
and therefore the goal
of our ministry,
is to present
to God
everyone,
everyone we encounter,
everyone who's
responsive to the gospel,
everyone mature
in Christ,
that they become
more and more
like Jesus.
it's all about
him.
That's the goal.
Now let's look
at the method.
Now you may be
asking yourself
the question,
okay,
the goal
is to present
everybody mature
in Jesus.
How do we do that?
How do you get
towards that end?
How does that
take place?
Well,
in the first part
of 28,
we have the answer.
him we proclaim.
Warning everyone
and teaching everyone
with all wisdom
that we may present
everyone mature
in Christ.
How do we present
people mature
in Christ?
We proclaim
Christ to them.
Him we proclaim.
Remember,
it's all about him.
In order for somebody
to become like Christ,
they've got to hear
Christ proclaimed
again and again
and again.
him we proclaim.
Now the one
great need
of everyone
on the planet
is Christ.
Him we proclaim
to everybody.
Think about it
this way.
Think about
a timeline
of a maturing
disciple
of Jesus Christ
Christ.
And it starts
with when
we were
non-Christians.
When we were
non-Christians,
we were dead
to God.
We were living
in darkness.
We had no hope
in the world.
We,
our hearts,
were devoted
to anything
and everything
but God.
That's what
we were living
for.
Do you know
what someone
who's living
in darkness
needs to hear?
They need
to hear
Christ
proclaim to
them.
Jesus is
the light
of the world.
He's the only
one that can
transform a
heart that
is living
for oneself,
transform that
heart to a
heart that is
empowered to
live for the
one true
God.
Only Jesus
can do that.
So what do we
proclaim?
Who do we
proclaim to
non-Christians?
Jesus.
Now let's
say a
non-Christian
hears the
gospel,
God gives
them ears
to hear,
and they
believe.
And at
that moment
their eternity
changes.
A radical
transformation
has taken
place in
one moment.
And now
we have
an immature
disciple of
Jesus.
He's a baby
Christian.
What are we
going to
proclaim to
that baby
Christian?
You know,
what you
really want to
start doing
now is reading
every book of
the Bible
twice every
day.
You want to
pray every
minute of
every day,
and if you
do, here's a
list of 900
things to be
praying for.
Our
inclination is
to point people
who just become
Christians to
to-do lists.
You know what
we need to
point them to?
Him we
proclaim.
They need to
learn about
their master.
They learn to
know what he
taught, and
they need to
learn his ways,
and so we're
going to point
them to him
over and
over again.
They're born
again.
They want to
live for Jesus,
right?
And they're
looking at
their lives,
and they're
seeing, oh
man, where
do I start
with Jesus?
Him we
proclaim.
How about
someone who
is no longer
an immature
disciple, but
is a maturing
disciple?
These are the
kind of people
who they have
a split devotion
from time to
time.
There are
significant areas
of their life
that still need
to come under
the lordship of
Jesus.
What are we
going to tell
them?
What are we
going to
proclaim to
them?
Him we
proclaim.
We call them
to Jesus.
We point them
again and
again to
him.
Who he is,
his ways,
and see over
time him do
a work where
every area of
their life comes
under his
reign.
How about a
mature disciple,
a brother or
sister who has
a wholehearted
devotion that
results in a
blameless life?
What do we
proclaim to
them?
Jesus!
Now, a
wholehearted, a
mature disciple,
just to clarify,
they're not
sinless.
Perfection hasn't
reached this
person.
In fact, they
would probably
say something
like this,
you know what,
I am more
aware of God's
holiness than I
ever have been,
and as a result,
I am more aware
of my sinfulness.
It's not the
blatant sins
I did when I
was a little
baby Christian.
These are the
more refined
sins that I
do now, but I
see them as
even more
grievous in
God's sight,
so they're more
aware of their
sin, yet they
would also say,
and I'm more
aware of what
Christ has done
for me.
One of the
distinctive marks
of a mature
Christian is not
that they're just
dwelling on who
Jesus is a lot
of the time.
They are seeking
to make disciples
of Jesus as
well.
They're seeking
to proclaim Him
to others, to
help present
others mature in
Christ.
This book is
Christ revealed.
He reveals Himself
to us through this
book.
It's a living
book.
And so we
help people follow
Jesus by showing
them Jesus through
the book, showing
Him His ways
through the book.
So here's what I'm
trying to tell you.
No matter where
you're at on the
timeline of a
maturing Christian,
whether you're not
a Christian yet, or
you're a mature
Christian, do you
know what you need
to hear most, and
most often?
Christ for you.
That's what you
need to hear.
He's for you.
He loves you.
He died for you.
He was raised for
you.
He's interceding for
you, and He's
coming back in order
to bring you to
Himself so you can
see each other face
to face.
If you just look at
the first chapter of
the book of
Colossians, do you
know what Paul does
with these Christian
Colossians?
He preaches Christ
to them.
Take a look at
verse 15.
Talking about the
preeminence of
Christ.
He is the image of
the invisible God,
the firstborn of all
creation, for by Him,
Jesus, all things were
created in heaven and
earth, visible and
invisible, whether
thrones or dominions or
rulers or authorities,
all things were created
through Jesus and for
Jesus.
And He's before all
things, and in Jesus
all things hold
together.
You know what Paul's
doing?
Hey, Colossian
Christians, here is
your Savior, Lord of
creation.
And He doesn't
stop there.
Look more.
He goes into verse
18, and He is the
head of the body, the
church.
He's the beginning, the
firstborn from the dead,
that in everything He
might be preeminent.
For in Him, Jesus, all
the fullness of God was
pleased to dwell, and
through Him, Jesus, to
reconcile to Himself all
things, whether on earth
or in heaven, making
peace by the blood of His,
Jesus' cross.
And so not only does He
proclaim Jesus as Lord
over creation to these
Colossian Christians, He
doesn't stop there.
He goes, He's Lord of
redemption, Lord of the
church.
He's Lord of it all.
So here we see in the
book of Colossians, Paul
proclaiming Christ to
Christians.
This is who your Savior
is.
And if that weren't
enough, in verses 21
through 23, Jesus, Paul
takes, okay, here's Jesus,
Lord of all, and he goes
very personally, he says,
He's your Lord.
Look at verse 21.
And you, who once were
alienated and hostile in
mind, doing evil deeds,
He has now reconciled in
His body of flesh by His
blood in order to present
you holy and blameless,
above reproach before Him.
Paul is preaching Christ to
these Colossians, Colossian
Christians.
He's telling them who Jesus
is and what He has done for
them.
Do you know that goes by
another word?
Do you know what it is?
The gospel.
He's proclaiming the gospel
to these Christians.
Him we proclaim, a.k.a.
the gospel.
It's the good news.
And we never outgrow the
gospel.
We never outgrow the good
news about Jesus.
It is the old, old story that
never gets old.
It's new today as it was
yesterday.
This past week I had lunch
with a brother from the
church and he is a mature
brother.
I touched base with him this
morning.
I'm like, how?
He's been a Christian for over
40 years.
That's a long time of walking
with Jesus.
And so here we are having lunch
together.
And we reach a point where
we're kind of both reflecting on
past mistakes and past
hardships.
And it was kind of like out of
nowhere.
He said something to the effect
of, and I am so grateful that
God has borne all the wrath for
my sin in Christ Jesus.
Here he is, 40 years in the
faith, reveling in the gospel
work of Jesus.
Jesus at lunch.
40 years in the faith, we never
outgrow the work of Jesus at the
cross.
We never do.
He's 40 years in the faith and it
happened, he's talking about like
it happened yesterday.
We never outgrow the good news of
who Jesus is and what he has done
for us, what he's done for you,
what he's done for me.
Him we proclaim to both
non-Christians and Christians.
It's all about him.
It's all about who he is and what
he's done.
That verb translated proclaim, it's
in the present tense.
And so we're to keep on
proclaiming.
Him we proclaim and then
proclaim again.
We proclaim, proclaim, and
proclaim.
And this proclamation of Christ
involves both warning and
teaching.
Did you notice that?
Him we proclaim, warning everyone.
That Greek word translated
warn literally means to place
something into someone's brain.
It's a word of admonishment.
It works kind of like this.
Hey man, in light of who Jesus is,
in light of what he's done,
really you don't want to reject him.
We're proclaiming Christ and
warning everyone.
In light of who Jesus is and what
he's done, don't stray from him,
sister.
In light of who Jesus is and what
he has done for you, brother,
don't grow cold in your
devotion to him.
A word of warning as we
proclaim him.
It's part of the proclamation
of Christ.
And by the way, that word
warning is a present tense
verb as well.
We're to continue warning.
It's part of our life together
as a church.
Part of our love for together
as a church.
Helping each other.
But in addition to warning,
we also see there's an ongoing
teaching as part of our
proclamation of Christ.
Christ.
That's what we see Paul doing
in Colossians 1.
Constantly teaching who Jesus is.
Lord of creation.
Lord of our redemption.
Lord of all.
Constantly teaching what he has
done.
He shed his blood on the cross
in order to make peace between
a holy God and sinful man.
You.
Constantly teaching what he is
doing.
Did you know right now
that Jesus is interceding for you
at the right hand of God?
Constantly teaching what he will
do.
He's coming back.
And we see throughout the New
Testament in both Paul and in
James that the promise of his
return is to encourage us.
Constantly teaching that his bride,
the church,
who we are.
We are he,
the apple of his eye,
the blood-bought people.
And we're to proclaim him to
everybody.
Would you look at Colossians 3,
16?
This is a command to the
Colossian church.
We read,
let the word of Christ,
the gospel,
dwell in you richly.
Teaching and admonishing,
warning one another in all
wisdom.
Singing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs with
thanksgiving,
thankfulness in your heart.
We preach Christ to each other
in a variety of ways.
We're to teach them to observe
all that he has commanded.
So,
warning everyone and teaching
everyone both have important
and vital roles in our
proclaiming Christ to everyone.
God uses it all to bring about
maturity in his disciples.
Do you know what we do on
Sunday mornings at our
breakfast that we reach out
to the community?
Do you know what we do there?
We preach Christ.
Do you know what we do here
Sunday mornings when we gather
as a church?
We preach Christ from the
Bible.
Do you know what the King's
kids are doing right now as
they're gathered together?
We're preaching Christ to them.
Do you know what?
It's going to happen in our
life groups.
Preach Christ to one another.
In our men's and women's
Bible studies,
we preach Christ to one
another.
Do you know what Billy does
through the Gospel of John
at our Thursday evening
youth meetings?
He preaches Christ to our
young people.
As we show acts of mercy,
we're looking to proclaim
Him.
Him we proclaim.
It's all about Him.
Our goal?
Present everyone mature in
Christ.
Our glorious method is the
Gospel.
To preach Christ to everyone,
both non-believers and
believers.
And on a final note,
let's look at our strength.
Our strength is Christ
Himself.
Christ provides the power
to be faithful.
In verse 29,
for this I toil,
struggling with all His energy
that He powerfully works
within me.
The work of proclaiming
Jesus,
this proclaiming Christ to
everyone,
warning everyone,
teaching everyone,
it is not easy work.
Making disciples of people
is not easy.
It's hard work.
In fact,
if you look up at verse 24,
Paul writes,
now I rejoice in my
sufferings for your sake.
And in my flesh,
I'm filling up what is
lacking in Christ's
afflictions.
Hard work.
Look at verse down
at 29 again.
For this I toil.
It's a word that means
to work to exhaustion.
And then the next word,
struggling with all His energy
that powerfully works
within me.
And then in verse 1,
for I want you to know
how great a struggle.
Those words struggling
and struggle,
they come from the Greek word
that we get the word
agony from.
Agony.
The work of advancing
the gospel,
of proclaiming Christ
is hard work.
Rejection.
Alienation.
People questioning
our motives.
Charges of intolerance.
Getting labeled
narrow-minded.
Not being taken seriously.
Being put on the fringe
of your family.
Putting on the fringe
of your workplace.
The proclamation of Christ
can be offensive to people.
And then we can be
assumed upon.
Taken advantage of.
And then there's the whole
part of change
comes so slow
and it can be so
discouraging.
And then when you're
laboring in a church
and you're serving
in a church
and no one seems
to notice,
feel underappreciated,
taken for granted,
it can be hard work.
Not to mention the fact
that the goal
of our labor
to present everyone
mature in Christ
is humanly impossible.
What's going to get us through?
Where do we go?
Well, if you don't know
this already,
you're going to need
to learn it.
And that is only God
can change a person's heart.
Only God gives the increase.
Only God brings about
Christlikeness.
It's His work
and it's His power
that brings it about.
Our mission as a church
is humanly impossible.
We can't in and of ourselves
change people's hearts.
Only He can radically
change a sinner's heart.
But praise be to God.
Jesus provides the power
we need to be faithful
to proclaiming Him to all.
Christ is in us
to empower us
in order to present
everyone mature in Him.
In verse 29,
there's a pile up
of power words.
For this I toil,
struggling with all His energy
that He powerfully
works within me.
You could translate it,
struggling with all His power
that He so powerfully
empowers in me.
It reminds us of
our great need
for His strength
in this work
He's called us to.
We labor
by the strength
that He provides.
Remember John 15?
Jesus is the vine.
We are the branches.
Apart from Him
we can do nothing
but if we abide in Him
wholeheartedly
trusting in Him
He will bear fruit
in and through us.
He's our confidence.
He's our strength
in this mission
He has called us to.
We cannot afford
to trust ourselves.
It's His power in us.
It's Him dwelling in us.
Our goal
present everyone
mature in Christ.
Our method
proclaiming
gospel Christ
to everyone
and our strength
is Christ Himself.
On this anniversary Sunday
I just want to remind you
it's all
about
Him.
God
thank You so much
for Colossians 1
28 and 29
thank You so much
for three years
as a church
and God
if Jesus should tarry
God would You give us
many more years
of being
a gospel witness
to the non-believers
and believers
here in the city
of Kenosha
would You make much
of Yourself
in and through us
Jesus
You are our strength
it's Your name we pray
Amen