What If? (Find Your Place, part 2)

This weekend at Eastbrook Church, we continued looking at the theme of finding our place within the church. Last weekend I talked about how Jesus sets the tone for our service, but this week I focused on the question, “what if someone does not step forward to serve in response to God’s invitation?” I looked at six aspects of humble service from the lives of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Ananias, a disciple from Damascus.

You can listen to the message at the Eastbrook web-site here. You can also follow the RSS feed for Eastbrook sermons or follower Eastbrook Church on Twitter or Facebook.

The outline for the message is included below:

“I am the Lord’s servant” Mary answered. “May Your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

“The Lord called to him in a vision, ‘Ananias!’ ‘Yes, Lord,’ he answered.” (Acts 9:10)

Two Towering Figures of the New Testament: Jesus and Paul

• Their life, mission, and legacy

Two Servants of God: Mary and Ananias

• Hearing God’s invitation (Luke 1:28; Acts 9:10)
• Seeing God’s purposes for us…and others (Luke 1:29-33; Acts 9:11-12, 15-16)
• Asking our questions about God’s call (Luke 1:34)
• Facing our fears about God’s call (Acts 9:13-14)
• Submitting as servants of God (Luke 1:38)
• Moving forward in response to God’s call (Acts 9:17-18)

What if…?

• What if Mary didn’t respond with humble submission to God because of her questions?
• What if Ananias didn’t respond with active obedience to God because of his fears?