This morning I want to talk to you about the NEGLECTED topic of FAITHFULNESS. I love to talk about this topic because it helps clarify faith! There are some people who are hyper-faith people who really talk in unhealthy ways about faith. For some people Faith is like magic. For some people faith is the way we twist God’s arm to get what we want. And unfortunately for some…faith is club to beat themselves up with…or worse to beat other people up with. They say things like…if you had more faith…then something bad would not have happened. A relative would not have died or something like that. This teaching on faithfulness helps clarify what faith looks like in everyday life…even when we are facing trials.

During this series I want to teach you or remind you of some very important biblical teachings that are often neglected in many churches. Why is this series important? Because our mission at First Assembly is to WIN people to Christ, to BUILD MATURE disciples, and release them so they can SERVE in the church and the community! You see…we need to WIN//BUILD//SERVE so we can plant a church by the year 2020. That is only 4 ½ years away! The church we plant will only be as strong and as healthy as this church! Today I want to talk to you about paying the price of following Jesus!

During this series I want to teach you or remind you of some very important biblical teachings that are often neglected in churches. The first neglected teaching that I want to present to you today is Church Discipline. It is neglected for at least 4 reasons (1) It is a “MEATY” topic...it calls for a lot of maturity on behalf of the church! Churches seldom seem to get people to that level of maturity because there are so many things to teach…as a result church discipline gets neglected. (2) most people in most churches are not committed to the church they attend to be disciplined. (3) Leadership in many churches do not have the courage to confront a person about sin in his/her life. (4) Many…and I mean many…people in the church choose relationships over the clear teaching of Scripture as result…Church Discipline get neglected!

This morning I am want to talk to you about CONQUERING ADVERSITY. Are you facing adversity…some type of difficulty? Do you have health issue that you are trying to cope with? Have you had someone attack you? It could be a family member, a friend, or someone else attack you verbally or physically? When you are attacked it leaves you hurt and confused and angry! Maybe you have a financial problem…you have more bills than you have money. Are you facing some kind of adversity this morning? Well, I am going to teach you from the Bible how to conquer adversity!

There is something down deep in men that women just don’t have. It goes beyond DNA…it goes beyond testosterone. What is it? It is the need or drive to rule and to conquer…it is the desire to be great and to follow greatness…it is the ability to admire greatness! That is why boys as well as men have this insatiable desire to brag and to leave a legacy. Every man wants to have a sense of accomplishment. Deep down inside of every strong, healthy man is a desire to say…I did that! I made that! I created that! I own that! I am mastered that! Whatever that is…it is a desire to be excellent at something!