EFT: Banking Details: LoveKey NPC, FNB, Current Account Number: 62824888525, Branch code: 250655

Card Payment link: https://pay.yoco.com/lovekey-npc

PayPal: partner@lovekey.co.za

MAIN MESSAGE:
SERIES: “WHO SHALL ASCEND?”
SESSION 4: “THOSE WHO WALK IN LOVE, LIGHT AND WISDOM” - SPIRITUAL FAMILY & DISCIPLESHIP

FAITH FOUNDATIONS:
1. REPENTANCE
2. SALVATION
3. FAITH
4. LORDSHIP/OBEDIENCE
5. BAPTISM OF WATER
6. BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
7. SPIRITUAL FAMILY/LOCAL CHURCH
8. DISCIPLESHIP

WHY THESE FOUNDATIONS?
FOUNDATIONS IMPACT OUR:
1. Identity
2. Purpose
3. Marriage
4. Parenting
5. Community

MAIN SERIES SCRIPTURES:

ELEMENTARY PRINCIPLES
Hebrews 6:1-2 - 'Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.’

SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING ENLIGHTENED
Colossians 1:9-12 - 'For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. '

OUR SERIES ANCHOR SCRIPTURE:
Psalms 24:1-6 - ‘The earth is the Lord ’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord ? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive blessing from the Lord , And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah'

REVIEW:
REPENTANCE
SALVATION
FAITH
OBEDIENCE
BAPTISM WITH WATER
BAPTISM OF HOLY SPIRIT

TODAY’S TWO FOUNDATIONS:
SPIRITUAL FAMILY
DISCIPLESHIP

MAIN MESSAGE: “WALK IN LOVE, LIGHT & WISDOM”
We’ve come to the last two foundations of our foundations series: Spiritual Family and Discipleship
The two foundations go hand in hand therefore I am going to discuss them together and what they really mean together is local church
Our title comes from Ephesians 5 where Paul instructs the church 3 important things: that we are to Walk in Love, Walk in the light of God and Walk in the wisdom of God.
We will look at Eph 4 and 5 more closely and we will also look at what Romans 12 says about how the local church should function
The local church is Jesus plan for mankind. It is the strategy to bring the good news to the whole earth. There is no other plan. It is through the local church.
Jesus is the King, the head of the body of the church and we are many members that make up the body of Christ.
Jesus is also called the groom and the church is the bride. Think about that intimacy!
Jesus is the King, the head, the groom
The church is the servant, the body, the bride
At the end of Eph 5 Paul says this is a great mystery - that means that it is something we will always explore, learn more about and grow in as we mature as Christians - do not suppose you will ever total grasp this beautiful mystery
Ok, so Jesus is the head of the now global church. The the global church is made up of hundreds of thousands, probably millions of local churches who all look quite different depending on denomination and country and local culture.
And then each local church is made up of individual people - the ultimate reason for the existence of the church: reaching people with the good news of Jesus and helping them to get to know Jesus and make Him known to others.
Individuals come from and/or have families. Families are the nucleus of society and each local church, and each marriage is the cornerstone of each family, and each man is the head of each home with his wife as his helper.

JESUS - CHURCH - MARRIAGES - FAMILIES - INDIVIDUALS (MAN, WOMAN, CHILDREN)

WHAT SHOULD A LIFE-GIVING LOCAL CHURCH BE? A PLACE WHERE:
Lost people get saved - evangelize
Saved people get healed - pastor, teacher, counselor, inner healing
Help healed people discover their callings - apostolic, prophetic, pastor
Send those people out in their callings in the local church and in their vocation - apostolic, prophetic

The way we say it at LoveKey Church, we are a local expression of the body of Christ with a specific focus and calling in the broader church of Jesus; our mission is to to create a place, opportunity, and atmosphere where people can, through worship and word and fellowship,
1. Encounter God
2. Align with His purposes
3. Reign in life
4. Help others do the same

Encounter - Align - Reign - spells EAR
Add the Help other and you get HEAR…

The local church, and in our case, LoveKey Church, is your spiritual family when you commit to be a member and get involved in serving the local church.
When you are part of the spiritual family, an important dimension of the connection to the spiritual family is discipleship
Your spiritual family should ideally originate from or at least include your natural/biological family who is part of a life-giving local church, ie spiritual family.

Part of this idea is that the husband and father understand and fullfills their role as king, priest, and prophet of the home by loving and leading well his wife and children - he should be the main spiritual influence in his wife and children’s lives - he disciples them.
Alongside the husband and father, the wife and mother is the helper and nurturer and they form a very important team that creates a safe environment for the children. Unity between husband and wife in terms of relationship and in terms of being on the same page spiritually (believing the same core Biblical truths, and committed to the same local church) is paramount.
The parents then co-disciple their children with the local church leaders, the parents’ peers and the younger leaders will all in some way also lead, impact and influence the family,
but the husband and father’s role remains central as it is by God’s design.

(In short - spiritual family and discipleship should start in the home)

However, we know that for many people this ideal is not their reality, unfortunately.
Extreme examples can include an unsafe home environment for many different reasons, but in some way there will be physical or emotional fatherlessness

It could also be that the family does go to a church, but it is not a life-giving church, it is more like a life-sucking church that no one wants to go to but are forced to go to out of religious tradition rather than salvation, healthy conviction and relationships with people in a healthy spiritual family.
Or, the situation is fairly good, but can be better
Depending on your situation, finding a life-giving church and healthy spiritual family can look very different for different people with different backgrounds or experiences.

Discipleship should function according to Jesus’ example and the example set by Paul with Timothy.
“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” - 2 Tim 2:2
Paul discipled Timothy, Timothy must commit it to faithful men, who will also teach others - four “generations” or levels -
Paul, Timothy, faithful men, others
Jesus sent his disciples into the world to make disciples of all nations, baptising and teaching them

All of this happens in the context of local church

Ok, so let’s look at Eph 5 and Romans 12 and look at why a local spiritual family should “WALK IN LOVE, LIGHT AND WISDOM” and how the main thing we should see in a life-giving church is constant transformation of people who then help others to transform as well.
Then we’ll look at 7 things a local church should always be doing:
1. Love God, Love People
2. Always evangelize
3. Always teach the word of God (rightly divide the word of truth)
4. Pastor the flock, the people
5. Always train up leaders
6. Pursue, establish and maintain unity
7. Reach and impact the local community - first priority are the members of the local church, then also those outside who need to be helped physically and reached with the gospel

and how it all should happen through leadership in:
1. Sunday services
2. Connect groups
3. Fellowship
4. One on one discipleship

Ephesians 4 and 5, and Romans 12:

Ephesians 4:1-7,11-16 (NKJV) - 'I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.'

Ephesians 5:1-2,8-21 (NKJV) - 'Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.'

Romans 12:1-16 (NKJV) - 'I beseech (Eph 4) you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (wisdom). For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith (humility). For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another (unity in diversity). Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another (unity). Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion (wisdom).'

WALK IN LOVE, LIGHT AND WISDOM
What kind of word is the word “walk” - it is a verb, right? A DOING word. If we are told to walk in something, it requires action, it is something that should be seen on our lives, there should be fruit.
You know the saying, “walk the talk” - it is actually a call to integrity - do what you say, then I know you really believe it.
So in Eph 5 Paul is calling the church to walk, to function, to move in, to be known by: love, light and wisdom.
Now I know, at first glance this title seems a little ‘new-agey’ or secular - we all know people in the world who would say things like “I’m sending you love and light”... Have you heard that?
But in this context we see that it is so important for us as saved, born-again, Holy Spirit filled, Jesus following Christians to understand that we are called and commanded to walk in love, light and wisdom.
Why?

Love -
if we truly love God and love our spouses, children, church family, friends, and neighbours, we would have an urgency to: get lost people saved and saved people healed, discover their callings and step into them. We woul passionately pursue spreading the good news and helping people to encounter God so they can align with His purposes and reign in life. That is what true love looks like.
True love God’s way also means we sacrificially lay our lives down to serve, we are humble and we pursue unity in church despite our own feelings and opinions.

Light
The call to walk in light is a call to not entertain sin, to recognize darkness for what it is and to expose it (remember our series of 1 Cor? Light in The Darkness? - go listen and train again)
It links with love in the way that if you love someone and you see sin in their lives, or darkness pulling them in, you will reach out and bring the light of Jesus into that person’s life.
It confirmed by 1 John 7 - we should walk in the light as Jesus is in the light and have no fellowship with darkness

Wisdom
To walk in wisdom, from these scriptures, means to understand and know the will of God.
So, if these scriptures says we can then we can know it’s possible and it is something we need to pursue earnestly.
It is confirmed in James 1 - if we desire wisdom we should ask, but ask without doubt then we will receive it.
Wisdom helps us to walk in the way of God, and to also give wise counsel, teach and preach the word of God in an accurate way and help people to transform and not conform to this world.

Leadership should embody and lead in these ways and raise up more leaders that help to reach more leaders.
Our local church should be a place where all people, whether unsaved or walking in their calling or anywhere in between, feel loved, experiences the light of God and grow in wisdom.

This love, light and wisdom should be what marks our spiritual family and the way we do discipleship.

Today I’m not just preaching a message on these subjects, I’m doing some vision casting for LoveKey Church as well and I’m inviting you all to be part of it, to walk in love, to walk in light and to walk in the wisdom of God - yes on Sundays, as you serve in setup, Kids church, coffee team, welcoming, praise and worship, and in connect groups and when you have a one on one session with someone, but also in your marriage, parenting and family.
Let’s keep on being be a people who turn the tide of fatherlessness and be a real house of transformation of individuals that transform their marriages and families

Why? Because healthy families build a healthy nation and a healthy family is build upon Jesus and are part of the church of Christ.
Remember, the local church is God’s plan for this earth. There is no other plan. This is it. We all need to be plugged in and submit under a local church ordained by God serving a specific purpose in the broader body of Christ.

When you do align yourself with this family, I can promise you you become part of something amazing and supernatural that God is doing and you will see the fruit of it on your life.
But, it will cost you. It requires sacrifice and service, humility and a focus on being constantly transformed by the love, light and wisdom of God.
Out of love for God and obedience to His word, all are called to serve this local church
It will require love for your leaders and fellow church members and every new person that walks in here looking for love, light and wisdom - we can give it, but to give you need to have it.
Church is not a spectator sport or activity - you are part of the team and no one is on the bench.

The more you serve, help, become a part of, the more you will deepen your relationship with God, grow and mature as a Christian
It also means we all need to show love toward one another, and do the things we read in these scriptures - weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice, take care of people in need, etc.
Let’s choose today to be this kind of church
The things we should always be doing:
1. Love God, Love People
2. Always evangelize
3. Always teach the word of God (rightly divide the word of truth)
4. Pastor the flock, the people
5. Always train up leaders
6. Pursue, establish and maintain unity
7. Reach and impact the local community

and how it all should happen through leadership in:
Sunday services
Connect groups
Fellowship
One on one discipleship

Reflect and respond
If anyone have not given their lives to Jesus, I want to give you an opportunity to do so and I will pray with you - altar call
If you realize today that you may be saved, baptized and Holy Spirit baptized, but you have never had a revelation of the importance of spiritual family and discipleship and the fact that you need to be committed to serve in a local church, pray this after me: prayer of repentance and commitment to local church
Husbands and fathers, please lay your hands on your family where you are at home and pray this blessing over your family with me: prayer for marriage and family with focus on man being main spiritual influence in their lives for love, light and wisdom
Final prayer