1. Never Forget: Relevant Church doesn’t exist to become a great church. We exist because we serve a great God who has given us His great gospel to share with others. Titus 3:4–7 (NLT) “But when God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace, he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 (NLT) “But when God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace, he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” 2. Never forget: Relevant Church does not exist simply to inform you about Jesus but to equip you to follow and serve Him. Ephesians 4:11-12 (NLT) “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.” Relevant Church doesn’t exist to create spiritual consumers; we exist to raise up spiritual contributors. Relevant needs to be a place that cultivates the next generation of Pioneers • Pioneers Inspire Growth and Innovation in the Kingdom of God Isaiah 43:18–20 (NLT) “But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and owls, too, for giving them water in the desert. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.” • Pioneers Lead with Bold Faith and Obedience to Christ Daniel 3:16–18 (NLT) “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.’” • Pioneers Build a Legacy of Kingdom Impact for Future Generations Psalm 145:4 (ESV) “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” 3. Never Forget: Relevant Church Isn’t the Church—You Are the Church 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NLT) “And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And He gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” It Is Time To Go All In Mark 8:34–36 (NLT) 34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. 35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Go all in with your faith Go all in with your commitment to serving Jesus Go all in with your finances Go all in with your ideas Go all in with your values The Next 20-Year Journey Investing Empowering Coaching Challenging Releasing Galatians 6:9–10 (NLT) 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. Psalm 145:4 (ESV) “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”