How can this church move forward?

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• How can this church move forward?
• A series of sermons

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The Series

1. Challenges to Accept
2. Enemies to Defeat

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Introduction

• The church is a body
• But the body can become sick, diseased, hurt by
  accident
• Attacked internally, externally
• Enemies can cripple, even kill
• Think about 4 enemies

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1 - Ignorance

• Ignorance comes in many forms
• Isaiah 4520b - They have no knowledge, Who carry
  the wood of their carved image, And pray to a god
  that cannot save.

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1 - Ignorance

• Religious ignorance pagans make a god from a
  tree
• Today same ignorance crystals, idols, New Age
  Movement, reincarnation

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1 - Ignorance

• Jeremiah 521 - Hear this now, O foolish people,
  Without understanding, Who have eyes and see not,
  And who have ears and hear not
• Stubborn ignorance
• Refuse to see, hear, think

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1 - Ignorance

• Ignorance can destroy us
• Miss salvation, joy, forgiveness
• Miss power of prayer
• Miss faith, hope
• Miss eternal life

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2 - Unbelief

• Not just for atheists
• Christians can have unbelief
• John 824 - Therefore I said to you that you will
  die in your sins for if you do not believe that
  I am He, you will die in your sins.

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2 - Unbelief

• 2 Corinthians 43-4 - 3But even if our gospel is
  veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing,
  4whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who
  do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of
  the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,
  should shine on them.

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2 - Unbelief

• Hebrews 312 - Beware, brethren, lest there be in
  any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing
  from the living God
• Can unbelief prevent the church from moving
  forward?

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2 - Unbelief

• Do you know God, Bible?
• Do you believe God cares how you live?
• Do you believe that God has a plan of salvation?
• Does it matter how we worship God?

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2 - Unbelief

• Mark 924 Lord, help my unbelief.
• Be great believers. Little faith will may bring
  your soul to heaven, but great faith will bring
  heaven to your soul. Charles Spurgeon

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3 - Apathy

• I dont know, and I dont care
• Apathy is the attitude of Laodicea
• Revelation 315-16 lukewarm, not hot or cold

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3 - Apathy

• Is this church lukewarm?
• Do we have the passion, drive, desire for growth?
• Are we Christians with the BLAHS?
• This is a real danger.

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4 - Sin

• This is the most obvious enemy
• Ignorance, Unbelief and Apathy all lead to sin
• Hebrews 121 Lay aside the sin that ensnares us

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4 - Sin

• James 520 - 20let him know that he who turns a
  sinner from the error of his way will save a soul
  from death and cover a multitude of sins.
• We need to help each other stay on track.

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Summary

• To move forward, we must defeat these enemies
• Old comic strip Pogo We have seen the enemy,
  and he is us.
• We can try to blame others
• Are we the enemy of Christ?