1 – What God Says To Do

This booklet focuses on three key things God wants all Christians to do, and a team-based strategy for doing them.
LOVE - Romans 12: 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.
There are very strong words in this verse.
The phrase “be devoted” is translated from the Greek word “philostorgos” which refers to the deep love you have for family. You’ll do things for your family that you wouldn’t do for anyone else. If your family member is in the hospital, you’re very likely to be there with them. If you have a family member with a financial need you are very likely to help them. God wants us to have this kind of devotion to other Christians.
“Brotherly love” is translated from the Greek word “philadelphia.” This is not talking about the city where the Phillies play. It is talking about the love that you have for those that are close to you.
The word “honor” is translated from the Greek word “time” (pronounced tee-may) which refers to the value you place on something. God is telling us to place a high value on other believers to treat them like they are very important.
We are all commanded to love and honor each other. We can do this in a general way for all Christians. However, love and honor are best understood when they are shown in personal, practical ways. For this reason, we each need to develop deep friendships with a group of believers with whom we can practice brotherly love. You probably can’t practice very strong “philostorgos” with 100 people, but you can with 4 to 12. That’s why we need to be part of a team. Our goal on Mercy Night is to develop teams of 4 to 12, which obey the command to love and honor each other, and the commands to serve and grow together.
SERVE - 1 Peter 4: 10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
This verse shows us that every Christian is gifted and the purpose of our gifts is to serve others. Every believer should find a way to serve. A believer who does not serve others will never be healthy themselves. Many acts of service will be done spontaneously and will not need planning, leadership, or organization. However, a team working together can help each other see needs and work together to meet them. Working with a team will help new believers discover gifts they may not have known they had.
It has often been said that a church typically has 20% of the people doing 80% of the work. This not only leaves the other 80%, who aren’t serving, unhealthy, it leaves the 20% who serve overworked. This will make them timid about taking on new challenges or breaking new ground. By opening doors for everyone to serve, the church can discover its full strength.
GROW - Ephesians 4: 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
This passage shows that it is God’s will for all of us to grow to maturity. This means that each one of us will know and speak the truth and each of us will do our part for the body to grow and become strong.God hasn’t called any of us to be spectators. He’s called us all to be active in love, to apply our gifts to serving others, and to grow strong in Him. Let’s be a fellowship where everyone is given an opportunity to reach their potential. That’s the goal of team based ministry. Mercy Night exists for those who aren’t accustomed to church, so teams will need to find ways to love, serve, and grow, that are not complicated or hard to become part of.