INTRODUCTION:

Happy 25th Year Anniversary, Church of God!

We are on our month-long celebration; 1 we are the church (please get the PIC on FB Page)

This second week, we are to talk about

TITLE: 2 Lego Principle - Serve Now.

PRAY!

Show picture of 3A LEGO pieces

 Every piece is beautiful, it has different shades, shapes and sizes
 Alone it is formless, useless, less.
WHY? They must be put together according to the plan and purpose of the BUILDER and they will
eventually come out something beautiful and useful.

THIS IS THE LEGO PRINCIPLE

 But together, it is limitless, priceless, matchless –

3B Alone Together
3C Formless 3F Limitless
3D Useless 3G Priceless
3E Less 3H Matchless

TS: Do you want to be limitless, priceless and Matchless, the simple answer would be, is LIVE TOGETHER.

 4 Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an
automobile - Billy Sunday
 5 Stop going to church everywhere and start belonging to church somewhere - Matt Handler
 6 The difference between listening to a radio sermon and going to church… is almost like the
difference between calling your girl on the phone and spending an evening with her. - Dwight L.
Moody

TS: Let’s see what the Word of God has to say about the church.
(MAE, kindly put the following: Galatians 5:6, 1 Corinthians 13:2b and James 2:14 in THREE
COLUMNS in a single slide)

7A Galatians 5:6 CEV

If you are a follower of Christ Jesus, it makes no difference whether you are circumcised or not. All that matters
is your faith that makes you love others.
HIGHLIGHT 7B If you a follower of Christ Jesus; All that matters is your faith that makes you love others.

 A faith that does not express itself through love is not authentic faith.
 7C A faith that does not express itself through love is of NO VALUE. - 7D FORMLESS
 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
 7E THE BEST EXPRESSION OF FAITH IS LOVE

7F 1 Corinthians 13:2b CEV

What if I could prophesy and understand all secrets and all knowledge? And what if I had faith that moved
mountains? I would be nothing, unless I loved others.
HIGHLIGHT 7G I would be nothing, unless I loved others. - 7H USELESS

7I James 2:14 BBE

What use is it, my brothers, for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? will such a faith give him
salvation?
HIGHLIGHT 7J for a man to say that he has faith, if he does nothing? - 7K LESS

 His faith is only in his words. His words are the only place where you can see any evidence of his faith
and it is.

***
8A Galatians 5:6 CEV
If you are a follower of Christ Jesus, it makes no difference whether you are circumcised or not. All that matters
is your faith that makes you love others.
HIGHLIGHT 8B If you a follower of Christ Jesus – 8C Connected Vertically
HIGHLIGHT 8D faith that makes you love others. – 8E Connected Horizontally

 8F THE PIECES THAT ONLY COUNTS ARE THOSE WHO ARE CONNECTED TO BUILD
ACCORDING TO PLAN AND PURPOSE.

9 He who does not have the church as his mother, does not have God as his father - Augustine of Hippo

***
(the verse will be shown In parts)
10A Galatians 5:13 CEV
My friends, you were chosen to be free.
HIGHLIGHT 10B chosen to be free

 10C Free from the guilt of sin because the believer experienced God’s forgiveness
 10D Free from the penalty of sin because Christ died for the believer on the cross
 10E Free from the power of sin in daily
 In essence, it is saying, 10F YOU WERE SAVED, Therefore, you were saved 10G TO SERVE and
NOT SAVED BY SERVING.

***
11A Galatians 5:13 CEV
My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want.
HIGHLIGHT 11B an excuse to do anything you want.
The number one reason we don’t have the time or energy to serve others is that we’re preoccupied with our own
agendas, dreams, and pleasures.

 I can’t
 I don’t know how
 I don’t have time
 I’m all alone
 I’m afraid
 I won’t
 – 11C SELFISHNESS
12A WHAT IS A PICTURE OF SIN?

If I asked you to draw a picture of sin, what would you draw? You could 12B picture an arrow missing a
target. That means what sin is—12C falling short of the glory of God. You could 12D picture a clenched
fist. Sin is 12E rebellion against God.

There is another picture you could 12F picture —a man bent over, gazing at himself. When Adam and Eve
were in the Garden of Eden, they were able to behold the face of God. They walked upright. They talked with
God face-to-face in the garden.

But Satan said to them, “You can be like God!” Instead of looking to God, you can look to yourself. But as he
seeks to take the place of God, he becomes bent over on himself. Instead of loving God and trusting God and
obeying God, he loves himself, trusts himself and serves himself. 12G Instead of worshipping God, he
becomes his own God.

That’s what sin does to us. That’s the condition of the man James is describing. He claims to have faith in God,
but he does not care about other people. He sees a person in need. He does not want to get involved.

Why? Because he really only cares about himself.

13 “If you are idle in Christ’s work, you are active in the devil work.” – Charles Spurgeon
 Whether you serve or not, someone will benefit from your life, it is either God or the devil.

14 WHEN YOU FIND HUNDREDS OF REASONS NOT TO CARE TO FOR OTHERS, WITH YOUR
ONE AND ONLY LIFE. MAY THE CARE OF GOD’S ONE AND ONLY SON, GIVE YOU
THOUSAND REASONS TO SERVE THEM.

15 Mark 8:35 LB
“If you insist on saving your life, you will lose it. Only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for
the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live.” 

TS: Instead, let me share to you

16 John Wesley's motto for Christian living was:

"Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can."
***
17A Galatians 5:13 CEV
My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it
as an opportunity to serve each other with love.
HIGHLIGHT 17B an opportunity to serve each other with love.

TS: ON THIS CHURCH, THERE ARE SEVERAL OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE EACH OTHER
WITH LOVE
 HOLD
 DAWNWATCH
18 Churchgoers are like coals on fire. When they cling together, they keep the flame aglow; when they separate,
they die out - Billy Graham
 LADIES MINISTRY
 MENS’ MINISTRY
 YOUTH
 YOUNG ADULT

19 I go to church as an expression of my need for God and for God’s family – Philip Yancey

 MARSHALLS
 USHERING
 REGISTRATION
 PRAISE AND WORSHIP
 MULTIMEDIA
 VISITATION
 CHILDREN’S MINISTRY
 CLDP

WHEN YOU SERVE, YOU ARE PROCLAIMING

 LORD’S FOLLOWER
 EXEMPLIFY LOVE
 GENUINE FREEDOM
 OPPORTUNITY TO GLORIFY GOD
***

20A-20L SHOW ALTERNATELY

Serving Get Serving to Give
Satisfaction knows the value of Sacrifice in service
Enriching Self – what benefit me Enriching Others
Wait to be Ready Ruled-over – for LORD’s disposal
Vigorous – driven by Strength Visionary – driven by passion
Eye-catching – long to please others Eternal Worth – long to please God

21 Picture of MEDTECH finishing the lab test despite of impending danger (FIRE)

22 Our faithfulness in Christ’s service in dark moments of history may be the only light that some will
ever see.