Service Recap: 4/24/05

Announcements (for more information please contact the church office)

• Matthew West will be in concert June 4, 2005 at Christ Community Church in Plainfield. Call 815-254-3800 for more information.
• Krispy Kreme fundraising cards are still available! For New Song that means $5 from every $10 card purchased goes straight to the New Song building fund. For you that means for every dozen donuts you buy you get a dozen free! Krispy Kremes make for a great start to your Sunday (before church that is).
• This week New Song welcomed a new class of five confirmands into membership. Congratulations to all the new members as well as their families and friends who helped them along the way. God's blessings as you enter the church fully!

Readings
Old Testament: Deuteronomy 6:4-9
New Testament: Romans 1:11-17

Sermon Outline
Sermon Series: Set For Life
Title: Habits of Highly Ineffective Christians
Text: Selected Passages

4 Habits of Highly Ineffective Christians
1) Highly ineffective Christians edit scripture. (2 Timothy 3:16)
2) Highly ineffective Christians live an unexamined life. (Psalm 139:23,24)
3) Highly ineffective Christians live like a chameleon. (Matthew 6:24)
4) Highly ineffective Christians keep quiet about their faith. (Matthew 28:19,20)

3 Steps toward superficiality
1) Fill your life with noise, because God often speaks in a gentle whisper. (1 Kings 19:12)
2) Fill your life with activity, becasue the Lord says, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)
3) Fill your life with superficial friendships, because the Bible says, "As iron sharpons iron so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)

2 ineffective methods of sharing your faith
1) The "skirt": "Me? Christian? Yeah, but not really serious about it.."
2) The "scare": "I'm a Christian? Let me pray for your immortal and otherwise dammed soul right here and now in the middle of the toll-plaza."

Are you an "insulated Christian"? Do you look at your faith from the outside with no real connection to what it means?