Respond to Sunday, August 4, 2019
“A Flock of Shepherds” Matthew 18-10-14 | Pastor Rickey Primrose
Truth: We must love our spiritual siblings enough to pursue them as soon as they begin to stray. The parable of the lost sheep shows that God has called us to be a church family that shepherds each other well. This parable is not just for Pastors, but for all His disciples.
Response: What are some warning signs that someone is straying from the church? What are some characteristics of a church family that shepherds well? Pray this week that our church will be a body of believers that shepherds well and pursues straying sheep.
Truth: We must commit to membership in the church. Just attending church is not enough. The only way we can pursue the sheep that stray is if we know who the sheep are in our fold. One of the reasons we have membership is so that we know who is in the flock.
Response: Why is only church attendance not enough in the Christian life? Who are the church members close to you that God has given you responsibility to pursue? Think about church members you haven’t seen in a while. Pray that God will give you courage to call them this week to check in on them and encourage them.
Truth: We must pursue authentic fellowship in the church. It is easy in the current church culture to be a member of a church, to attend regularly, and even to serve, but never engage in authentic Christian fellowship. We must go deeper than surface friendliness and pursue authentic fellowship, where we are sharing in one another’s lives.
Response: Are you connected to a Community Group? Who, in the church, is holding you accountable to Christ’s commands? If you aren’t a part of a Community Group, commit to visiting some over the next few weeks and joining one.
Truth: We must love each other enough to have hard conversations. One of the primary ways the American church has been influenced negatively by culture is an unhealthy desire for privacy. Privacy is not a bad thing. However, the mentality that we have a right to be as private as we want to be in our faith and in the church is found nowhere in the Bible.
Response: How have you seen the tendency toward privacy manifest itself in the church? Are there topics in the church that seem to be off limits? Repent of any judgmental attitude you may have in exhorting others. Pray instead for love, grace, and humility as you proceed with hard conversations.
Family Response
Truth: God loves His children so much that He can’t ever forget about one of them. And He doesn’t want any of His children to forget about each other either. It’s kind of like building the LEGO Millennium Falcon but discovering that one tiny brick is missing, so all your friends come over to help you find the missing piece. Or like having the complete collection of American Girl Dolls and realizing that Melody Ellison’s sunglasses are gone, so all your friends search with you until they are found. How amazing is that!
Response: Jesus used the illustration of a lost sheep because sheep and shepherds were a part of the audience’s understanding and culture. In Texas we have longhorns, and you can see them being “shepherded” almost everyday in the Ft. Worth Stockyards at 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Imagine what would happen if they wandered off and no one tried to find them. For more information on this local experience, visit https://www.fortworth.com/the-herd/.
Prepare for Sunday, August 11, 2019
Pray for the Church
- Leaders in worship: Pastor Rickey Primrose, Brandon Ramey & the Worship Music Ministry.
- God will meet with us through His word and by His Spirit, lead us to worship Christ and grow in Christ-likeness.
- God will help us to be a church of zeal and hope, passionate about ministry and confident in His promises.
- God will make us more passionate about and obedient to His mission of leading people to trust and follow Christ.
Prepare for the Message
“Submit to God’s Word” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 | Pastor Rickey Primrose
We begin a new mini-series this week entitled, “Distinct: The Core Values That Shape MacArthur Blvd.” We will return to Joshua on September 22 as we begin our Ron Dunn Encourager Conference. This Sunday we will be focusing on 2 Timothy 3:16-17 as the text that will drive the message around our first value, “Submit to God’s Word.” Take time this week to read all of 2 Timothy 3 to understand the context of this passage. What does this passage say about why the Bible is our ultimate authority? As you think about this value and what scripture says about submitting to God’s Word, what are some things that this value will require from you? From our church? Pray about the application of this passage to you personally this week.
Music for Sunday
You Are Good
by Israel Houghton
Victory In Jesus
by Eugene M. Bartlett