Church Life 101 – Why belong to a church
Ephesians 4:11-13; Mark 1:1–3
Pr Chris Kam | 14/15 May 2022
=============================


## Local church series in 2020 

Spiritual Authority / Safe Home / Equipping Station / Global Mission.


## The Call to the Church

# Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40) and Commission (Matthew 28:19–20).

# Tagline: Love God, Serve People and Make Disciples towards Christlikeness.

# 1. History – What we did

* How we started – small group (Care Group) was something implemented at the very beginning of the church

* Singapore Cell Church Conference

* Persecution/Pandemic-proof the church

* DNA (Strategic Distinctives) of DUMC today 
i. Discipleship
ii. Missional
iii. Cell Group
iv. Experiential
v. Family 


# 2. Theology - Why we do what we do

* Acts 2:42-47 (The early Church model)

* Exodus 18:17-23 (Jethro’s principle of Organisation) 

* Ephesians 4:11-13 (Body Ministry – to equip His people for the works of service)

* Methodist heritage of holiness and accountability

* Kingdom of God - Being missional – (Why the understanding of the Kingdom of God is crucial to being missional)

Mark 1:1–3
Exodus 23:20; Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3
Mark 1:14–15; James 3:6; John 1:14; 
Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7
Matthew 6:10; John 1:29; Romans 6:10 


# 3. Practice – How we do it 

The Philosophy of Ministry statement:

Cell Groups (CG) become the basic building blocks (or communities) for all Church ministries. The Church is formed from them and is the sum of them. CGs never grow larger than 15 people and multiply as they reach this figure. There are no other activities which exist in competition with the cell. Everything in the Church is an extension of them and flows from their combined strength. Our philosophy of ministry is in accordance to Ephesians 4:11-16, which in essence requires that all members or regular worshippers of DUMC be part of a CG so that they can be involved in the ministry of edification (inwards) and evangelism (outwards), i.e., works of ministry.


## Characteristics of a cell church:

1. Everyone belongs to a _______________ (Basic Building Block)

2. The Cell Group exists hand in hand with the corporate worship. 

3. The Cell Group is the _______________. (Micro-church) – A body of believers

4. Cell Group will be multiplied into two when it grows to more than 15 members.

5. There is no regular activity that exists in competition with the CG.

6. Every member is a _______________. (Ministry is not confined to leaders and pastors.)

7. The Cell Purpose can be summarized as Edification and Evangelism.


## The Normal Christian Birth (David Pawson)

RuBBeR: 4-step process of the normal Christian birth:

R – Repent towards the Father

B – _______________ in the Lord Jesus Christ

B – Baptized in Water 

R – _______________ the Holy Spirit



Application Questions:
======================
1. Share how you came to DUMC. Do you have a sense of belonging and permanency in this church? Why or why not?

2. What were some of the reasons that made you decide to join and to remain in DUMC?

3. In what ways has the Cell Group helped you anchor in DUMC? What do you think you would be like if there was no such community available for you? In what ways can you help others anchor themselves in a Cell Group? Is there someone you know who needs that?

4. Discuss the merits of the DUMC Philosophy of Ministry Statement. Are you aligned to it?

5. In the 4 steps of the normal Christian birth, are you missing any step? What can you do to address that? Discuss how the CG can help you.