I am Pastor Charles White-Kiser of the Liberty Community Church and Founder of FORWARD STEPS MINISTRIES in Rock Hill, SC

I greet you in The Name that is above every name Yeshua, Jesus The Christ.

I pray that as you read that word live you will be inspired by the message.

The following is a study series on growth both personal and church development.

I pray we will all come to understand how important it is for us to grow and mature

To grow in grace and in knowledge.

God our Father desires this of us that we may be fruitful and multiply in the Kingdom. I have only listed in this series lessons borrowed that we have learned perhaps and must relearn again as the journey is an ever learning one.

The series is titles:

 CHURCH GROWTH FOR CHANGE

Sermon Study 1

FORMULA FOR A GROWING CHURCH

2 Peter 3:18

INTRO: God wants our church to be a strong church. She can be a church that will do great things for God, but only if we, as her members, do the same things. She is what we make her. If she is to be that church God wants her to be, she must meet certain conditions that God has required. Let's look at these conditions.

I. A WITNESSING CHURCH.

In order to be a growing church, we must be a witnessing church.

1. God requires that we do His work.
A. Parable of the ten talents (Matt. 25:14-30).
B. According to our ability (Luke 12:48).

2. Where and how to witness.
A. In the home (Mark 5:19-20).
B. In the Church (Ephesians 5:19).
C. In the world (Matthew 28:19-20).
D. Without shame or fear (2 Timothy 1:8).
E. Always ready (1 Peter 3:15).

II. A SERVING CHURCH.

Before a church can be a witnessing church, she must first be a serving church.

1. God demands service (Deuteronomy 10:12).
2. Immediate service (Mark 1:16-20; Luke 19:5-6).
3. Not double-minded or half-hearted service (Luke 16:13).
4. Not unsure service (Luke 9:62).

III. A UNITED CHURCH.

Before a church can be a serving church, she must first be a united church.

1. In prayer (Matthew 18:19).
2. In Christ (Romans 12:5).
3. It was Jesus' desire and prayer for His church (John 17:21).
4. To bring men to Christ (Mark 2:3-12).

CONC: God wants us to be this church in this year. Have you done your part to make our (your) church the church God wants her to be? If not, make that commitment to God right now.

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Sermon Series 2.

Growing Tall and Strong

2 Peter 1:1-1:11

I.                   God has given us the means to grow spiritually (vv2-4)

A. He has given us everything that we need to grow spiritually (v3a)
1. His Holy Spirit (John 16:5-15)
a. He draws us to salvation (vv5-11)
b. He guides us unto all truth (vv12-15)
2. The Bible (2 Tim 3:16-17)
a. God's exact words are contained in scripture (v16a)
b. It teaches us what to believe (v16b)
c. It tells us when we are wrong (v16c)
d. It tells us how to get right (v16d)
e. It tells us how to stay right (v16e)
f. It equips us to do everything God calls us to do (v17)
3. He gave us older Christians to disciple us (Matt 28:19-20)

II. He gave us the motivation to grow spiritual (vv2-4)
A. He saved us from destruction (v3b)
B. He has given us great and precious promises (v4a)
C. He gave us a new nature (v4b)

III. He gave us the method to grow spiritually (vv5-7)
A. He has shown us that we must put forth the effort to grow spiritually (v5a)
B. We must add virtue to faith (v5b & James 1:21-27)
C. We must add knowledge to virtue (v5c, Rev 3:1-7, & I Peter 3:15)
D. We must add self-control to knowledge (v6a & James 3:13-18)
E. We must add perservence to self-control (v6b)
F. We must add godliness to perservence (v6c & I Peter 4:12-19)
G. We must brotherly kindness to godliness (v7a & Matt 6:1-4)
H. We must add love to brotherly kindness (v7b & I Cor 13:3)

IV. God shows us the manifestation of spiritually growth (vv8-11)
A. You will bear fruit (v8)
1. New Converts (Matt 13:1-9)
2. The fruit of the spirit (Gal 6:22-23)
B. You will live a righteous life (v9)
C. You will not backslide (vv10-11)

Sermon Series 3.

Daring to Dream Introduction: What is it that you dream about? Notice that I didn't ask you if you dream. Everyone dreams.
I am not talking about the dreams at night that wake you up and make you cry as a child. I am talking about the future and what we dream toward.

‒ I love to dream. I love to dream big dreams. Listen to the following poem about dreaming.
Man is a dreamer ever,
He glimpses the hills afar,
And dreams of the things out yonder
Where all his tomorrows are.
And back of the sound of the hammer,
And back of the hissing steam,
And back of the wheels that clamor,
Is ever a daring dream.
-Author Unknown

‒ Listen to these mighty dreamers.
‒ Henry Ford, His dreams put the world on wheels.
‒ Thomas Edison dreamed and night disappeared.
‒ Christopher Columbus dreamed and a new world was discovered.
‒ Ludwig Von Beethoven was stone cold deaf, but his dreams created beautiful music.
‒ And the list could go on and on.


1. What about the church?

**What are your dreams for this church? Right now we are making plans and beginning dreams together as a church. I want to talk for the remainder of the time about what it is going to take for us to realize our dreams for God's kingdom here!

2. As we dream about the future, what is it going to take to realize our dreams?

‒ A spiritually minded people.
1. Know the Word.
1. The word of God is our food and spiritual nourishment.
1. (1 Peter 2:2 NIV) "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation...." (1 Peter 2:2 NCV) As newborn babies want milk, you should want the pure and simple teaching. By it you can grow up and be saved,

2. The word of God judges our thoughts and intents.
1. (Hebrews 4:12 NIV) "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

3. The word of God is our guide.
1. (Psalms 119:105 NIV) "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

2. Be willing to pray.
1. Wouldn't it be great if the PHONE COMPANY called one day and said........
1. "Sir, in an effort to improve communication among people, we are extending to you the privilege of calling anyone, anytime, anywhere, at no charge."
1. In essence, that is exactly what God has done with the avenue of prayer.
2. Prayer is our lifeline to God!
3. Prayer indicates our relationship with the Father.
1. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) "Be joyful always; {17} pray continually; {18} give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."


‒ A working people.
1. Dreaming and visioning is serious hard work.
1. We can know the word and pray all day, but we must be willing to live it! Listen to James on the subject of action.
1. (James 1:22 NIV) "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says"
2. (James 2:18 NIV) But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do."

2. We must work together for the common good of the church.
1. (Acts 2:46-47 NIV) "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, {47} praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
1. They had all things in common.
2. They were a happy people.
3. They "ate together with glad and sincere hearts."
4. The had "favor with all the people."

‒ A loving people. Through a dreaming process and change, there will be differences of opinion about how things are going. We must be willing to....
1. Love for one another.
1. (1 John 4:20 NCV) If people say, "I love God," but hate their brothers or sisters, they are liars. Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen."

2. (Galatians 6:10 NCV) "When we have the opportunity to help anyone, we should do it. But we should give special attention to those who are in the family of believers."
3. Jesus said there would be a benchmark of Christianity. When people look at us, they will know that we belong to Jesus by one way.
1. He said, (John 13:35 NCV) "All people will know that you are my followers if you love each other."

2. Love for the lost.
1. (Matthew 28:19-20 NCV) So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. {20} Teach them to obey everything that I have taught you, and I will be with you always, even until the end of this age." W
1. Why were people like STEPHEN willing to die in order to preach to lost humanity?
1. It was because He loved the lost.

2. Why later was PAUL willing to, make three great missionary journey's, suffer incredible pain and loneliness an finally die?
1. It was because he loved the lost.
3. Why did he say as he did in (Romans 9:3 NCV) "... I wish I could help my Jewish brothers and sisters, my people. I would even wish that I were cursed and cut off from Christ if that would help them."
1. It was because he loved the lost.
3. We must love the lost enough to sacrifice some of their......
1. Time, Money, and Talent for God and for the lost.


Conclusion:
‒ Our focus needs to be on God and His will for us.
‒ Our dreams must be shaped by that as well.

3. A Dream or Vision is powerful when it is centered in the will of God!
‒ Jesus knew His mission. He began by saying, "I must be about my Father's business."
1. His goal was to please the Father.

2. His desire to please Him led Him to the cross. (Philippians 2:8 NCV) "And when he was living as a man, he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death--death on a cross."

4. God is a God of Action
‒ When we dream God will act.
1. A God of surprises. Sometimes God's actions are not what our dreams are. But we don't put our dreams in His will we put His will in our dreams.
1. I once dreamed of being a rock n roll star.
2. God placed me in a situation that changed my life forever.
3. My dream was not realized and now I see the results of that broken dream. NOTHING BUT GOOD FOR ME.
1. Family, spirituality, friendships.

2. The children of Israel were enslaved to Egypt. They surely wanted to be out of Egyptian bondage, but it was only a dream.
1. Then God sends Moses and Joshua. He always delivers in His own time!

My dear brother and sister he stands by now willing to do more then you can think, or ask if you will allow him to have first place in your life you will grow beyond measure tall and strong and you may dare to dream the impossible dream because you serve the impossibility making God. May his peace by with you.

PLEASE COMMENT ANDLET US KNOW HOW THIS WORD HELPED YOU.