Unsinkable: Week Four Study Guide

As Christians, we’re all part of something bigger than ourselves: the Church. That means, we’re part of the greatest mission on earth. As we conclude this special four-week Church United series alongside 45 other churches in South Florida, special guest Pastor Alan Platt unpacks the mission of the Church and how our Lord Jesus equips us and works through us to carry it out!

Watch the video below to see a few highlights from the message and share it with your friends via social media. To watch the message in its entirety, click here.


FOR THE NOTE TAKERS

Let’s recap some of the key talking points from Pastor Alan’s message this weekend:

According to a Barna survey, 77% of South Floridians identify as Christian, yet only 23% agree strongly that they have a responsibility to evangelize. According to LifeWay Research, only 25% of Christians between the ages of 18 and 29 look for ways to share their faith. This means that, overall, many see themselves as Christians, but not as ambassadors for Christ. We must change this! As Christians, as carriers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are called and commissioned by Jesus Christ to be ambassadors of the gospel, to take the gospel into every dimension of our lives and societies.

We must connect Sunday’s faith with Monday’s life. Why? Because as believers, we have the most amazing, life-changing news to share: the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have experienced the saving work of Jesus; we have received forgiveness, acceptance, and eternal life; and we’ve been redeemed, restored, and renewed by the blood of Jesus. Our lives have been transformed by the grace of God. And so, it is both our great and glorious privilege and our mission to share this good news.

The Lordship of Jesus Christ was designed for every dimension of creation: Below is the image Pastor Alan Platt showed during service to demonstrate Christ’s Lordship over all of creation.

The-Lordship-of-Christ-Over-All

Jesus is Lord over all. He made it all; He paid it all. And one day, all of creation will be fully reconciled to Him; one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. But until that day comes, it is our mission to serve Him and act as His ambassadors to a lost and dying world. It is our responsibility to share the good news and lead people to Jesus so they may be saved. It is our great honor to be used by God to redeem the lost. Sadly, it seems as though we as the Church are just holding on until He returns, as if we have no obligation in regards to the restoration of all things. We’re just holding on until Jesus comes back, waiting for Him to return instead of realizing that we have been restored in order to be agents of restoration and ambassadors for Christ.

As Alan said, “Here’s the bottom line: Get with the program! You’ve been enlisted into a program. We now represent the kingdom of God wherever we go.”

“All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.”—Ephesians 1:20–21 (MSG)

God speaks and acts when we as the Church gather. But it’s when we disperse, when we “GO” into the world, into our cities, into our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, restaurants, stores, and every other space and place we enter into, we have the opportunity to flood that place and fill the world with the presence of Christ!

Quote to Remember: The gospel has the power to influence every dimension of society.—Pastor Alan Platt


UNSINKABLE SERIES: POST-SERIES FAITH AND LIFE SURVEY

As we wrap up this powerful series, we want to invite you to retake the same survey we started this series off with to see where we all stand after having explored these core foundational elements of the faith. To take the survey, click here!


A LOOK AHEAD

Join us this Wednesday for an amazing night of prayer and worship as we celebrate all the Lord has done through Love South Florida! All of the churches who participate in Church United have been invited to attend. In addition, our regional campuses will close down and join us at our Fort Lauderdale campus so we can celebrate as one church together.

Then at our weekend services, as the holiday season gets underway, we’ll kick off a special three-week series titled, “Imperfect Christmas.” In this series, we’ll experience the joy and wonder of Christmas as we make our way through the story of the birth of Jesus, God’s perfect gift to us, and discover how He meets us in our imperfections and changes our lives.

About the Author

Danny Saavedra

Danny Saavedra is a licensed minister who has served on staff at Calvary since 2012, managing the Calvary Devotional and digital discipleship resources. He has a Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling and Master of Divinity in Pastoral Ministry from Liberty Theological Seminary. His wife Stephanie, son Jude, and daughter Zoe share a love of Star Wars, good food, having friends over for dinner, and studying the Word together as a family.