The Influence of the Church

These are the notes from Andy Stanley’s Thursday morning message at the Orange Conference. The Church is the hope of the world. It saved his life because of this word: Preventative The church saved him from him. Imagine if all the positives of the Church were sucked out of your life and you were stuck with the leftovers. The church’s prevented him from experience the pain. Every single Sunday or home group you host, you are preventing so much more than you can imagine in the lives of children and teens. And years from now when they are all grown up, they will be grateful you showed up. The Church helped…

1. Informed my conscience.
2. Instilled a sense of purpose. When you grow up knowing that there is a purpose in your life, you make better decisions
3. Provide the context for lifelong friendships. Relationships matter
4. Served as a window into God’s activingy all ove the world
5. Taught me to be generous. Rich people aren’t generous. Generous people are generous.

Don’t attend a church that teaches your children to hate church. Following Jesus will make your life better and make you better at life. The church provides the strongest argument for the dignity of individuals and for human rights.   Everyone has intrinsinq value because they are made in the image of God. Jesus brought dignity to women, to children and to individuals. The church inspires us to embrace the one mandate that could change everything – Love your neighbor as yourself. What do you think about what Andy said about the Church?  Do you feel that same way? Share your thoughts below or on social media using #rl16 and #ymsidekick. [mc4wp_form id="8855"]]]>