My Best Church Life Week 1: Gather Message Summary: What do you expect from your church? Your pastors? And what do they expect from you? As Moses (and Jesus and the Apostles) experienced, the answer must depend on the size of the group that you serve. Moses needed to change his church expectations in order to serve God’s people well and avoid his own burnout. This message looks at how churches of various sizes function, the blessings and challenges of each size, and how your church’s size must affect everyone’s expectations. ✦ Church size matters. ✦ Right-sized church expectations —> your best church experience/life. ✦ Acts 6:1 — In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ✦ Your roots matter! ✦ Hebrews 10:24,25 — And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 3 Gather Blessings (and Challenges) at a Big Church: 1) It gives us a glimpse of heaven. ❖ Revelation 7:9,10 — After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 2) It makes a great place for guests. ❖ Hebrews 13:1-2a — Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers 3) It blesses many lives with 200 proof grace & truth. ❖ Acts 2:46-47 — 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. Planting Jesus Roots GATHER — Check out our church’s worship playlist on Spotify so you can stay focused on the message (and not the messengers) next Sunday. GROUP — Find a friend and brainstorm five ways that a church has to change as it grows. Consider, for example, how relationships might look at a church of ten vs. a church of 1,000. Or think through how praying for one another is carried out when there are more prayer requests than minutes in a weekly service. After your brainstorm, ask God for wisdom that we would be a big church that does things well. GROW — Read Exodus 18 and compare it with the ideas you brainstormed with a friend. GIVE — Your offerings help fund the ministries that help us to “Go” and reach our community. Thank you for supporting our digital outreach, our Christian school, and all of 922Ministries. GO — Set a goal to practice hospitality next Sunday by getting to know one new person by name. Homework: Exodus 18