Belong and Value (5): Belong | Pastor Mark Harrell | Play/Download

Belong and Value (4): Belong - Sacrifice | Pastor Mark Harrell | Play/Download

I see a church that is built on the sacrifice of many and not just the gifts of a few.
Ephesians 5: 25 NLT

Sacrifice is always an action.
Matthew 20: 25-28 NLT

Comfort giving does not change the world.  Sacrifice does.
Three sacrifices we can all make:

1. Our Time
   Acts 2: 42-43 NLT
2. Our Talent
   Romans 1: 12 NLT
3. Our Treasure
   Acts 2: 44-45 NLT

Belong and Value (3): Belong - Marked by the Power and Presence of God | Play/Download

Belonging allows us to be who we are as we are discovering who Jesus is becoming in and through us.

Why Church?

1. The church is where we study God's Word together.
2. The church is where we learn to live better lives.
3. The church is where we become a family.

"Church isn't an ideal that we need to strive for.  It is a reality we are privileged to participate in."
- Dietrich Bonnhoeffer

When we are together and you BELONG, something captivates you.

Acts 2:42-44, 47

Two places the early church experienced the PRESENCE and POWER of God:

1. Through practical Biblical teaching
2. Through authentic Christian Community (the place they BELONGED)

The early church had a faith that bound them together and it was experienced as a group and not as individuals.

Belong and Value (2) | Pastor Mark Harrell | Play/Download

• Belonging requires us to be who we are, as we are discovering who Jesus is becoming in and through us.
  
• Value: Value people.  Value believers and the lost.
  
• Why Church?
• Churches were established and endured because it was a God ordained, natural way that people followed Jesus.
• Meeting together regularly to worship and learn has always been vital for believers.
• Throughout history Christians have risked everything, including their very lives to be a part of the Christian community.  That is something you don't grow out of, it is something you grow into.

Why Church matters:

1. The church is where we study God's Word together.
   Acts 17:10-12
2. The church is where we learn to live better lives.
   James 2:18-26
   Acts 18:24-28
3. The church is where we become a family.
   "Church isn't an ideal that we need to strive for.  It is a reality we are privileged to participate in." -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
   Romans 12;14-17

Belong and Value | Pastor Mark Harrell | Play/Download