Why Did God Save Us? (But not take us home yet)? | Ephesians 2:1-10

Scripture: Ephesians 2:1-10; Mark 12:28-34; Matthew 28:18-20; John 15:16

Bottom line: God created us to do good works which he prepared in advance for us to do.

SERMON OUTLINE
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
NOTES
MAIN REFERENCES USED

SERMON OUTLINE

Introduction

People should KNOW your church is in the community.

They should BE GLAD your church is in the community.

And they should BE BETTER because your church is in the community.

-Dave Adamson, MetaChurch

Bottom line: God saved us to do the good works that prepared in advance for us to do.

Why did God create us? Ephesians 2:1-10

To love and know and be loved and known
To bless others through good works.

What kind of good works?

Good works done in uniqueness.

We all have a unique S.H.A.P.E.

Spiritual gifts
Heart and passions
Abilities and talents
Personality
Experiences in life

But we all are part of one body--the body of Christ.

Good works done in unity.

We all are part of the same body or family.
We all became family the same way--by the grace and mercy of God (Eph 2)
We've all been prayed for by Jesus to do good works in unity (John 17)

Good works out of love (Mark 12:28-34) "Great Commandment"

Love God, love people - It's over our front doors for all to see
What's the best way to do that?

Great Commission

Go and make disciples...(Matt 28:18-20)
Bullseye--fruitfulness (John 15:16)

How does our local church fit into all of this?

Our church exists to help each of us become the best neighbors ever where we live, work, learn and play so that every man, woman and child in those places has multiple opportunities to hear, see and respond to the good news.

This is our good work.

This is where it happens.

Our church does this in two ways:

We equip each other to do this where we live, work, learn and play.
We model this by doing some of this together, even as we teach the what, how and why.

Examples:

The Shirzads: We helped Lutheran Services "Welcome" a refugee family a year and a half ago.

We housed them
We fed them
We helped them get their legal benefits
We taught them ESL
We helped them get drivers licenses and a job
We became friends.

This was probably too big for any one family in our church to do. But together we were able to do it. This not only showed us how to do it, but it equipped us to know how to do it better. Not to mention the joy it was to do.

Gloo: We trained a team of people to respond to requests for prayer online. Team members prayed for these requests and in some cases began conversations that led to in-person encounters. Because most of these are now people from the Charleston area, we were also able to invite some to worship with us. As a result, some took us up on it and are reconnecting to the Lord through our local church.

Our people were already praying for others in person and online. But we expanded that to people we've never met. As a church, we still do this. But each of us can pray for someone online that we have never met. We could pray for 1 person a day online simply by interacting through social media.

As a result of the praying for hundreds online for the past 3 years, we will start our first online bible study dedicated to them Sunday night at 6:30.

Homeless: We helped a young, unmarried couple that was homeless and living out of their car along with their puppy. We helped them with a campsite at the KOA, get food and car repairs, and map out a plan to move forward. He has a better job now than he did. One of our families gave the puppy a good home relieving them of the burden of caring for it. And they are doing well.

We have multiple families who have or are fostering caring for children. We have multiple families who have adopted children from this country and from others. These children have a much brighter future than they did.

Why did God create us? To do good works.

What good works? The ones he created in advance for us to do? The ones that lead people from death to life through Christ Jesus.

Am I doing this? Am I doing what God created me to do? On purpose for a purpose?

One of the responsibilities of your church leaders is to discern how to equip, encourage, and empower our church to do good works--individually, as families and as a church family. These conversations are always happening.

What's next for Grace? Here are some things that we are currently zeroing in on:

Praying like it all depends on God. (Starting tonight at 6:30)
Starting more Friends & Family groups next spring.
"Welcoming" another refugee family. But this time through World Relief.
Unofficially "adopting" a mom-to-be who elected to keep her baby instead of aborting. We would pick up where the pregnancy center leaves off. We would help needy moms who choose this practically for up to a year.
We want to double-down on knowing and loving our 8 closest neighbors by name; prayer-care-share
We want to do identify a circle of influence similar to that around our church campus in Ladson. This means we'd identify a 1-5 mile radius and would take responsibility for lostness in that area. Our mission to that area would be to saturate it with the good news so that every man, woman, and child would have multiple opportunities to hear, see and respond to the gospel. This would be accomplished in many ways including:

Local ministry projects in the schools; especially tutoring grades 1-3 to read and do math well
ESL in homes and/or in our building
Prayer walking neighborhoods
Serving local businesses
Sharing the good news in neighborhoods and public spaces
Looking for ways to bless the poor
Championing life at all stages
Working towards racial reconciliation
Teaching a biblical sexual ethic
Being peacemakers
Sports ministry
CSU/college ministry

We will continue to encourage and help families foster children.
We will continue to encourage and help families adopt children.
Continue to champion biblical literacy and training up our children and adults in disciple-making. Discipleship Pathways are in our future.
Invest in strengthening marriages in and outside of the church through conferences, sermons, and mentoring couples
We will continue to flesh out the great commission around the corner and around the world focusing on places like Uganda, Pakistan & Curacao; upcoming trips to both on the horizon
We will continue to reach out to the Charleston area through our online tools as well. The Charleston area will top 1 million people by 2030.

Why did God create us? To do good works. I call them God-works. Because these are good works that HE prepared in advance for us to do in light of Ephesians 2, Mark 12, and Matthew 28.

Conclusion

Bottom line: God saved us to do the good works which he prepared in advance for us to do.

How can I get started today?

By asking at least one person a day, how can I pray for you today? And then praying for them (and with them if led).

“How can I pray for you today? [pause] May I pray for you right now?”

3 of 8 billion say they are Christians. What about the other 5?

https://twitter.com/visualcap/status/1647012029159309313?s=12&t=idl32xYvZ1Ibm1ALWyhYlg

At the beginning we said that

People should know your church is in the community.

They should be glad your church is in the community.

And they should be better because your church is in the community.

-Dave Adamson

I would add that

People should know you’re in the neighborhood.
They should be glad you’re in the neighborhood.
They should be better because you’re in the neighborhood.

How can I pray for you today? This is the way.

Pray

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Discovery Bible Study process:

Retell the story in your own words.
Discovery the story

What does this story tell me about God?
What does this story tell me about people?
If this is really God’s word, what changes would I have to make in my life?

Who am I going to tell about this?

Final Questions (optional or in place of above)

What is God saying to you right now?
What are you going to do about it?

Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast

Q. What do I want them to know?

A. That God saved them to do good works that will last.

Q. Why do I want them to know it?

A. Because I want them to orient their lives around this truth.

Q. What do I want them to do about it?

A. Flesh out their new life by living out the good deeds that God prepared in advance for us to do.

Q. Why do I want them to do it?

A. Because this is why we’re still here.

Q. How can they begin to do this?

A. Ask people how we can pray for them.

NOTES

What percentage of 3rd graders passed the reading comprehension test in sc in 2022?

According to the South Carolina Department of Education, 47% of third graders passed the reading comprehension test in SC in 2022. This is an increase from around 42% in 2020-2021 and 45% in 2018-2019.

The SC READY assessment is used to measure student progress in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics in grades 3-8. The ELA assessment includes a reading comprehension subtest, which assesses students' ability to understand and analyze text.

The percentage of third graders passing the reading comprehension test has been increasing in recent years, which is a positive sign for education in South Carolina. However, there is still room for improvement, as nearly half of third graders are still not meeting expectations.

The South Carolina Department of Education is committed to helping all students succeed in reading. The Read to Succeed program provides additional support to struggling readers, and the state is working to improve early literacy instruction.

In Dorchester County?

According to the South Carolina Department of Education, 48% of third graders passed the reading comprehension test in Dorchester County in 2022. This is slightly higher than the state average of 47%.

The Read to Succeed program is available in Dorchester County, and the district is also working to improve early literacy instruction. These efforts are likely contributing to the success of third graders in the county.

In Berkeley County?

According to the South Carolina Department of Education, 46% of third graders passed the reading comprehension test in Berkeley County in 2022. This is slightly lower than the state average of 47%.

The Read to Succeed program is also available in Berkeley County, but the district is still working to improve early literacy instruction. These efforts are likely contributing to the success of third graders in the county, but more work is needed to ensure that all students are meeting expectations.

The reading score goals for South Carolina schools are outlined in the South Carolina State Reading Plan. The goal is to have all students reading on grade level by the end of third grade. To achieve this goal, the state has set a number of sub-goals, including:

Reduce the percentage of students scoring at the lowest achievement level on the SC READY reading assessment by 50% by 2025.
Increase the percentage of students scoring at the highest achievement level on the SC READY reading assessment by 25% by 2025.
Ensure that all students have access to high-quality reading instruction.

The state is working to achieve these goals through a variety of initiatives, including:

Providing additional support to struggling readers in the early grades.
Investing in professional development for teachers on effective reading instruction.
Developing and implementing a rigorous reading curriculum.
Working with families to support their child's reading development.

The state has made some progress towards its reading score goals in recent years. For example, the percentage of third graders passing the SC READY reading assessment has increased from 42% in 2020-2021 to 47% in 2021-2022. However, there is still room for improvement.

The state is committed to achieving its reading score goals and ensuring that all students have the opportunity to succeed. By working together, the state, schools, families, and communities can make sure that all students become strong readers.

MAIN REFERENCES USED

“Preaching the Word” Commentary, Douglas Sean O’Donnell, Edited by Kent Hughes

“Matthew” by RC Sproul

“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)

“The Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)

“Exalting Jesus in Matthew” by David Platt (CCE)

Outline Bible, D Willmington

NIV Study Bible (NIVSB) https://www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/

ESV Study Bible (ESVSB) https://www.esv.org

“The Visual Word,” Pat Schreiner

“The Bible in One Year 2023 with Nicky Gumbel” bible reading plan on YouVersion app

ChatGPT https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt