LAKE ERIE CHURCH
THE BLOG
Empowered People
Stacey • March 31, 2021
God's Plan for Expanding His kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven
"Empowered people" in our day and time is an expansive term that takes on it's own contextual meaning across culture and within the walls of the church. As a result, empowerment can look and sound different depending on where you hear it. Empowerment, however, isn't a novel idea birthed from a current social movement; it is an age-old principle detailed in scripture and expressed in the Christian church. Theoretically speaking, if we were to search the earth for the perfect picture of empowered people, they should be found flourishing within the church - and by church, I mean a body of Christ-like people, not a building.
Ephesians 4 gives us a beautiful picture of what this looks like:
"But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
Can you picture that? A whole body joined together with Christ at the head, and every joint supplying - doing the work needed for the body to grow and edify itself in love. Sounds amazing, right? It is. This picture serves as a metaphor for empowerment, and it is one to revisit time and time again as we check the fruit of our lives and the church.
Empowerment is at the the core of our vision at Lake Erie Church, which is to "love God, empower people, and serve the world." So what does empowerment look like to us? For starters, we work hard to resist the tendency to center the church around the pastor. The pastor is not the head of the church, Christ is. Paul did not describe a church in which every pastor supplies. He described a church in which every joint supplies. While we value the role of pastor, we don't elevate the role of pastor above others. In the context of Western Christianity, pastors are highlighted in their role within the Sunday service and so there is a misconception that every aspect of church should function this way. Instead, the Sunday service is a small portion of the church's much bigger and broader function of bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth through empowered believers.
God's plan for bringing His kingdom to earth has always been through you and I. [Mat 10:7,8] As each joint supplies, the body of Christ fully functions. When we walk in our destiny, and fulfill the calling of God on our life, His kingdom is realized here on earth. Jesus redeemed each of us, and qualified us for the work that is set before us. He could have easily done it all himself, but he said it would be better for Him to go, for a Greater One was coming! [John 16:7-15] Through the power of the Greater One who takes up His dwelling place inside of us, Jesus said we'd do even greater works than He did. [John 14:12] This is how his Kingdom comes, on earth as it is in heaven.
One of our pathways to empowerment here at LEC is through the Destiny Finder course. Here you will discover your unique gifts and strengths, and how you can utilize them to impact the world around you! We truly believe that the Kingdom of heaven is released on earth by empowered people (like you) walking in their destiny! To take a step today toward empowerment, check out our Destiny Finder class here.
Those Who Overcome “ For whoever is born of God overcomes the world, and the victory that overcomes the world is our faith ” (1 John 5:4 MEV). It is by faith that we overcome! As Born-Again believers, we are overcomers. We may believe that, but do we act on it? We must awaken and shift from simply “knowledge” to “action.” The enemy would steel our victory. We must stand against him in Jesus name and take action. “ I have told you all this so that you may have peace... take heart, because I have overcome the world ” (John 16:33 NLT). This is the Pre-Season for the Eternal Season When get to heaven we will reign forever. If He can trust me here, He can trust me there. We must use that with which we have been entrusted to be fruitful for Him. Our rebirth must be demonstrated in our lives. Everything that I do in this life matters in the next life. Finishing well is what is most important . My old nature may be dead, but there is still junk in my mind and emotions. We have authority over the devil, but what do we do with our own flesh? We crucify it! " Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me' " (Matt.16:24). My spirit may be new, but the way I think and feel isn't. Love of God and neighbor entails action. Overcoming with Love Science shows that our greatest need is to belong. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15), to bring us back. Otherwise, people seek belonging in the wrong places. The number one thing that keeps us from feeling that we belong is shame. The belief that "I am the problem" keeps people from relationships and love. As we are open and vulnerable with one another, we can overcome that false sense of shame. There is great power in unity. Forgiveness flows from agreement. " Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven... if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them... " (Matt. 18:18-19). We think of these verses are about spiritual warfare, but they really are about forgiveness, relationships and unity. Before going to the cross, Jesus said: " A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another ” (John 13:34-35). We aren't told to witness, but to be a witness (Acts 22:15). To overcome, we must learn to love. Paul prays for Philippians (1:9): ". .. that your love may abound more and more.. ." The love chapter, 1 Cor. 13, tells us that if we exercise gifts and do all kinds of works but don't have love, we are " nothing ." Love Casts Out Fear If love is to be perfected, this is our measuring stick. " There is no fear in love, but perfect (mature) love casts out fear... whoever fears has not been perfected in love " (1 John 4:18). How do we overcome fear with love? It is with the knowledge of who we are, “ the righteousness of God in Christ ” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Righteous with the righteousness of Jesus, we can courageously go forward. The fear of death is the root of so many issues even among Christians. But Jesus “ free(d) those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage " (Hebrews 2:14-15). We Overcome by Fear of the Lord What robs us of victory? It might be fear of death. It is anything that brings us down and makes us feel hopeless. That is not the Lord but a lie. We need to challenge any belief about ourselves that doesn't line up with God's Word. Fear of Man also robs us of our courage. It keeps us from speaking up. It masquerades as wisdom. It causes people to be ineffective when God wants to use them. With Fear of Man, I may pray, but will I obey? Fear of Man will allow you to pray, but it won't allow you to obey. I will pray for the lost, but will I witness to the lost? I will pray for the poor, but will I approach the poor to meet their needs? We wonder, “What will people think?” The better question is, “What will God think?” The Fear of the Lord (awe of the Lord) was a key part of the rapid growth of the early church. “ Then the churches... had peace and... walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied " (Acts 9:1). We are close to the end of the age. The clock is ticking. We need one another to overcome.
If you've ever been a part of an outreach, given your time volunteering, or blessed others through generosity, then you've more than likely experienced the joy that comes from serving others. Serving and loving those in need awakens something inside of us. That’s because you were actually created to serve! The scriptures are packed full of examples and encouragement to serve one another in love. Jesus, who lived as the ultimate sacrifice, came to serve – and He laid down his life as the ultimate act of love for a world that could not save itself. There is no greater privilege than to lay down our lives for others with generosity, care, and compassion! In Matthew 25:35-40, Jesus revealed to the disciples the very heart of the Father as it pertains to loving, serving, and giving ourselves to those in need: For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ When Jesus unveiled this revelation to his disciples, it laid the blueprint for serving. Simply put, when we serve others, we are serving Jesus! Amazingly, even current research supports the idea of serving others. Studies have shown that serving, volunteering, and giving of ourselves to those in need can actually reduce stress levels, decrease depression, and help us find a greater sense of purpose. One analysis of data from the Longitudinal Study of Aging found that those who volunteer and serve others actually experienced a decrease in chronic pain and have even been shown to live longer than those who do not. There is life found in giving! Science offers further proof of the power of this Kingdom principle. So, what are you waiting for? Join us as we joyfully serve our community through outreach projects. Check our calendar here for upcoming opportunities. At Lake Erie Church, our heart is to Love God, Empower People, and Serve the World , and there is no better time than now!
