Why Church?

Jesus said:
“I will build my church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
(Matthew 16:18b, ESV)

Acts 2
³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:36-47, ESV)

God expects our church to be devoted to . . .

1. and the truth of God’s word. (v. 42a) [Discipleship / Maturity]
2. with other believers in the body of Christ. (vv. 42b, 44) [Fellowship / Membership]
3. together. (vv. 42c, 47a) [Worship / Magnification]
4. for and one another as we have needs. (v. 45) [Service / Ministry]
5. Verbally sharing the so that others might be . (v. 47) [Evangelism / Missions] 

When God’s Spirit empowers our efforts, we should expect to experience, to feel, and to see . . .

1. in the presence of God (v. 43a)
2. Life (v. 43b)
3. (v. 46b)
4. (v. 46c)
5. Numerical . (v. 47b)

At Ingleside we say:

Our mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ
for the glory of God. 

Our goal is to make disciples who . . .

to worship,
in a group,
in the body, and
with the gospel. 

As we begin a new school year and church year, I need to ask your help and offer some challenges:

1. Unless your health or driving distance precludes it, move from livestream or TV to in-person participation at Ingleside.
2. When you come to Ingleside on Sundays, be guest friendly by parking farther away and sitting closer to the front.
3. If you are “worship only” right now, take the next step by connecting to a small group, class, or study. (dpeterson@ingleside.org)
4. If you have not done so yet, make the commitment to membership at Ingleside. (mhudgins@ingleside.org)
5. If you are not yet serving regularly, find your place and use your gifts to serve others in Jesus’ name at Ingleside.
   • Preschoolers (jmitchell@ingleside.org)
   • Children (mcopeland@ingleside.org)

Pray earnestly, serve joyfully, give generously,
prize and protect our unity diligently, and
anticipate the next chapter optimistically.
The best is yet to come!