Last week it was a joy and privilege to celebrate with this church the 50th anniversary of its founding. As I left Sunday I was thinking, where do we go from here, and what does it look like? In life, as we age and mature, there is an underlying assumption that maturity leads to an increased level of depth and complexity. If you have been in a job for along time you may be expected to learn to do more complex tasks, the longer you have been in relationships, the deeper and more complex your interactions get with one another.
If you ask an athlete, a CEO, a dancer, a singer, and more their keys to success and growth, they would each tell you a firm foundation in the fundamentals of their trade. Baseball players spend hours each spring on drills that 10 year old players use in little leagues all over the country. CEOs go to conferences; work with coaches and read books about very basic business principles, to make sure their fundamentals are sound. They are not focused entirely on learning the most complex process; in fact many businesses have learned that they have gotten so complex they lost focus on why they even started the company. Basic does not mean simple, boring, or suggest a lack of depth. Instead looking to the basic and fundamentals can mean a great focus and also a clarity about ones identity and values.
This week we are beginning a sermon series, “Back to Basics” that will focus on some of the fundamentals of Christian faith, what is at the core of all that we do? What are some keys to Spiritual Growth both as a church but also as individuals? What is it that drives our ministry and our lives? We will take time in this series to focus and talk about some of the core elements of who we are as Christians, and who we are as the body of Christ in Brown Deer.
Take some time each week before worship to read and pray over these texts. You also can listen each week to the message from previous weeks on our website. Feel free to download, listen and share them.
May 23rd- Pentecost- Back to Basics- Acts 2 “A New Day”
Fundamental element for faith communities: Teaching, fellowship, caring for needs
May 30th Back to Basics- Acts 15:1-11, “What Really Matters”
Fundamental for faith communities: A believer confesses Christ, and reflects their faith in all that they do, not just with their words.
June 6th Back to Basics: Evangelism and Predestination- Ephesians 1:3-14
Fundamental: We are saved by Jesus deeds, not our own
June 13th Back to Basics: 1 Corinthians 9:19-29
Fundamental: Called to communicate the gospel relevantly