Scripture: Ephesians 3:17-19
Sermon Series: 2026 Purpose – Part 1 – b

This morning, we want to talk about our focus for 2026. It’s a twofer, a two parter. So, we’ll be talking about it this week and next Sunday. It dovetails with our mission statement here at Grace.

So, let me start by setting a tone for this. My understanding is that this is a true story from a college campus in the 1960s. Before I tell the story, do we have any marines here this morning? Any others who served in our country’s armed forces? All right please give these folks a big hand.

According to this true story in the 1960s a bunch of students gathered in a college auditorium. The students packed it out and reps from four of the branches of the military came as recruiters. The first was a recruiter for the Army. He gets up and gives a little pitch. He’s like, “I’m from the United States Army. Join the Army and if you sign up, you’re gonna get in on the G.I. Bill. Your college is gonna be free. Uncle Sam’s gonna pay for it.”

A woman recruiter for the Navy gets up. She explains how you should join the Navy. You’ll learn job skills. You’ll have career advancement opportunities. You can learn to fly jets. And in the Navy, you’ll get to fly more than you do in the Air Force.

The recruiter from the Air Force gets up and says, “Hey join the Air Force and you’ll learn to fly jets. You can work on engines. You can retire early and make a ton of money with the skills you learned in the Air Force.”

Finally, this dude from the Marines gets up. He’s scary, scarred up and real, real ugly. So, this guy grabs the lectern, and he leans forward and doesn’t say a word for over 60 seconds. He just makes eye contact with everybody in the room. It’s real awkward. He just eyeballs everybody. And when he’s done, he says something like this “Ladies and gentlemen, I was asked today to come recruit potential Marines, but from the looks of this audience, I think that’s a waste of my time and yours. I know that you expect me to tell you that if you join the Marines, you’re gonna love it. You expect me to tell you about career advancement opportunities, an early retirement, lots of job skills that you can put into practice in the private sector. But I’m not gonna tell you any of that because it’s probably not gonna be true. If you join the Marines, you’re gonna hate it. If you join the Marines, you’ll curse the day you were born. You’ll be mad at your mom for giving birth to you. You’ll go to bed, hungry and cold and thirsty. You’ll be shot at. You’ll be hit by live ammunition. You may be killed in the line of duty. Because when you join the Marines, you’re the first ones in and you’re the last ones out.

But I’m wasting your time and I’m wasting mine because I’ve looked over this crowd. I’ve made eye contact with every single one of you. I’ve looked at you and I don’t see a single person here who has what it takes to be in the United States Marines. Forgive me for wasting your time. Good day.” Then he closes his little book and walks off after a long silence.

According to the story, afterwards there was a handful of people at the tables at the other branches, but the line to sign up for the Marines was out the door. Why? Because what people want more than an easy button for their life is a purpose. They want a mission worth living for and dying for.

When Jesus came to earth, He didn’t lower the bar or dumb it down. But that’s what we’re told today is what it takes if you want to grow a church. You’ve gotta lower the bar. Jesus didn’t do that. What Jesus did when He came is say things like: “If anyone would follow me, you must be willing to take up your cross, an instrument of death, deny yourself and follow Me.” It was “Come die with Me if you want to be one of My followers!”

And friend, if you’re looking for a feel good, hold hands and let’s sing Kum Bah Ya church, you’re in the wrong one because that’s not Jesus’ church. It’s not what the Bible teaches and it’s not our church!

Our purpose for 2026 is simple. If you grew up in church. You remember the children’s song – Deep and Wide. That’s our focus this year. We want to grow deeper, and we want to reach wider. We want Jesus to use us to build His Church! This morning it’s Part 1. We’re talking about what it means to Go Deeper. It’s a continual theme of the Bible. Ephesians 3:17-19 unpacks it (p. 918) So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Notice that first phrase, So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. What’s that mean? It means you’re a Christ-follower. It means you’ve been born-again. It means that you’ve committed and surrendered your life to Christ. It means you know you’re a hot mess, doomed to Hell and if Jesus doesn’t rescue you, then you will be lost for all eternity!

Unfortunately, the word “Christian” has lost any biblical meaning. Most think a Christian is a good person or someone religious. Many think a Christian is someone who goes to church or serves the less fortunate. None of that will make you a Christian. It will never make you part of God’s family. Because it’s not what Jesus said. It’s not what the Bible says.

A true Christian is a person who has put his/her faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ, including His death on the cross as payment for their sins and His resurrection. John 1:12, Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. You must commit your life to Christ totally, just like you commit yourself to a plane to fly you to some other city. You don’t try to help the plane fly. It’s total trust and always brings about a life change from the inside out. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. A true Christian goes Deep and Wide. What does it mean to Go Deep? Let me share some basics of what that means. If you’re taking notes…

1. You feed – You read the Bible. 

(Hold up jar of baby food.) Anyone want some? Can you imagine if the only time your child ate was when you fed him? You spooned it out to them and did it for decades. That’s how many Christians eat spiritually. The only time they eat is when they come to church and a preacher spoons it out. It’s not God’s plan. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Do you want to know why so many professing Christians don’t live like Christians? They’re eating junk food. They know more about their favorite sports team or hobby, or TV show, or the Top 40 than they do God’s Word.

Who do you trust today? God’s Word is the absolute truth. God speaks to us directly through it. The Bible is God’s way of speaking into the deepest parts of our lives so we can know His heart and how He wants us to live. Scripture makes clear the goal for our lives is to think and live like Jesus.  That will never happen unless you read it.

You eat daily, so eat spiritually daily. Read the Bible every day, yet don’t make it a spiritual marathon. I’d suggest starting in the New Testament with one of the four gospels, (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) or one of the New Testament letters. Do a chapter or section a day.

You wouldn’t want me as your pastor, if I didn’t consistently spend time in God’s Word. Because I’m a real jerk, if Jesus doesn’t work in my life. He uses His Word. It’s why some of you are jerks. You’re not eating right. So, you’re snippy or sarcastic…even mean. God’s Word is an attitude adjuster if you submit and obey it! It’s a mirror revealing our hearts so God can change our lives.

And you need to be part of a group of others studying God’s Word. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Studying God’s Word with other Christ-followers keeps us from going off in the weeds.

It’s why I love our Dad’s Bible study. As we share, we grow. We know better how to pray for each other. So read the Bible alone in your personal quiet time. Be part of a group too. That will help you go deeper!

The Action Steps: Put your Bible where you see it every day. Before you head out the door, read a chapter. Then, join a small group to partner with to study and discuss God’s Word.  

2. You talk – You pray and talk to the Lord. 

Nothing is more relevant. Nothing else can be part of the cure for our sick world except saints, and saints are never made except by prayer. It’s us, Christ-followers, the Bible calls us saints. It’s nothing but saints who can save our world. The deepest root of all the world’s problems is sin. Saints are the antibodies that fight sin. Prayer makes saints because only God can make saints, and we meet God in prayer. Prayer is the hospital for souls where we meet Doctor God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, Pray without ceasing. Prayer isn’t to be a spare tire when your back is against the wall like Jimmy Stewart in It’s a Wonderful Life. And it’s not just my needs or my family’s needs.

I love The A.C.T.S. prayer model. It’s a helpful framework that stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.It guides you to praise God’s character, confess sins, give thanks, and ask for needs.

Adoration: Start by praising God for who He is, His holy attributes, and His greatness. I use Lewis Sperry Chafer’s 33 blessings of salvation to help me. There’s a link in your sermon notes. I pray and meditate on 5 a day in my devotions.

Confession: Honestly admit your sins, agreeing with God and asking for grace to change. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). 

Thanksgiving: Express gratitude for all God’s blessings, big and small, and His constant love. Personally, I keep a gratitude journal to help me write out God’s blessings to me.

Supplication: Pray for your own needs and the needs of others (family, friends, world), presenting your requests to God. 

But we don’t just pray alone. We pray together. The reason the church in America limps when God wants it to run is we don’t pray and we don’t pray together. Jesus told His followers, For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst (Matthew 18:20).

The early church prayed. No wonder God used them to turn their world upside down. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42).

At Grace we have a Wednesday night prayer meeting. We’d love to have you join us, but you can pray with others whether you come out on Wednesday night. There’s nothing super spiritual about Wednesday nights. So, get some Christian friends together on a regular basis and pray.

And please pray for much more than health or travel. Pray for revival. Pray for growth in grace. Pray for the lost to come to Christ. Pray God will unite our church and use us to make a difference in this community. Someone wrote: What we do for the Lord is entirely dependent upon what we receive from the Lord, and what we receive from the Lord is entirely dependent upon what we are in the Lord, and what we are in the Lord is entirely dependent upon the time we spend alone with the Lord in prayer.

The Action Steps: Every morning when you wake up, tell God what you’re grateful for. Pray for grace and wisdom for the day. Pray for your family and Christian friends. Pray for at least one lost person to come to Christ. Join a prayer group and pray with others on a regular basis, maybe with your ministry team.

3. You relate – You love your brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Read the New Testament. You won’t find our modern pictures of the church. It’s not about attendance. It’s about relationships and spiritual family.

God’s plan is that the local church is meant to be like a mighty tree, growing from a common root of fellowship in Christ. Pastor Bob Russell writes, Despite the diversity among God’s people, they enjoy the richest fellowship imaginable because it is based on a common commitment to Jesus Christ.

The Bible teaches that a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It’s unnatural. The Living Bible says, You belong in God’s household with every other Christian (Ephesians 2:19). Our culture of individualism has created lonely, spiritual orphans. Rick Warren calls them, Bunny believers who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. My friend, the church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it: Christ loved the church and gave His life for it (Ephesians 5:25).

The local church family was so much a part of the New Testament that it’s assumed. The Apostles would have no comprehension of our age of “spiritual hitchhikers” along for the ride yet not committed. If you follow Christ, it’s important to be committed to a specific community of believers. Being part of a church family is one way to show you’re a believer. Jesus said, Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples (John 13:35 NLT).

Your commitment to a church is a visible sign that you follow Jesus, but it also strengthens you as a believer. When you meet with your church family, you receive motivation and encouragement, and you provide motivation and encouragement to them. Spiritual family isn’t optional, it’s critical. At Grace, our DNA is that we are family!

You’ll find that it’s rarely the big things like heresy or major sins that hurt a church family. It’s the little stuff. Ephesians 6 is a family passage and speaking of dads it says, do not provoke your children to anger… (Ephesians 6:4). Bible scholar, Fritz Reinecker, points out that fellowship is the setting aside of private interest and desires and the joining in with others for common purposes. That’s vital – setting aside of private interest.

So, if you’re married, I want you to think about a percentage of your spouse or of your children. Out of 100%, how much do you appreciate about your spouse or children? What are things that you like and appreciate? If you’re normal, it’s something like 90 to 95%. But what do you focus on, talk about, gripe about, even argue about – 5 to 10%. The same is true with church families. We love 90% but we focus, criticize and gripe about 5 to 10%. And it saps God’s power and our unity.

Craig Groeschel says that If you get 80%, you should be thrilled! So, do we live in a petty, critical, griping culture? Yes! As Christ-followers, are we to be different? Absolutely! But are we? Are you?

If you’re a griper or a critic, you need to repent. You’re hurting Christ’s body and our unity. My friend, Don Magee, had a man in his church who told him that he was called to be the church critic. Don told him that he needed to do what the man with one talent did – go bury it!

If there is any place that we should be encouraged, built up and affirmed, it must be here. Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

The Action Steps: Make church attendance a priority. Don’t rush in and rush out. Interact with individuals that you don’t know or new folk. Look for ways to encourage and pray with others. Touch base with other Christ-followers throughout the week…maybe to just let them know you’re praying for them.

4. You contemplate – You worship our awesome God. 

New York City has the largest Ukrainian population in the United States, a community of about 150,000. Thousands had come to the United States as Christian refugees under a special asylum for those fleeing religious persecution.

When Putin attacked Ukraine, some took to the streets to join the protests against Putin’s aggression. But mostly, these followers of Jesus gathered in their churches to pray, weep, lament, and sing to God. They called their praise songs weapons of war. A worship leader said, Our hope is in the Lord, the One who holds things together. No matter how things fall apart, the Lord created this world, and He holds things in His hands.

Puritan Thomas Goodwin said, In public worship all should join. The little strings go to make up a concert, as well as the great. So how do we worship? Let me just touch on them.

With our tongues. In many churches the only ones singing are the worship team. That’s unbiblical. Worship is not a spectator sport. It’s not a concert. It’s all of us joining together with our voices praising God.

With our time.God will always ask you to give in worship to Him what you value most. We’re all to give of our time. For some of us our greatest act of worship is giving the Lord our time in service to Him and His family.

With our talent.God has gifted each of us. He expects us to use it to serve Him and for His glory. Maybe your gift is praying or just being an encourager. Maybe you’re gifted at teaching. We’re to use our gifts.

With our treasure.If you think rich people should be the real givers, God is knocking on your heart’s door. We in the American church know little of giving and know nearly nothing about sacrificial giving. But how dare we be stingy with God when He gave His Son for us – when we were such a mess. And it’s not the amount that God cares about. It’s your heart.

The Action Steps: Sing with a joyful heart of praise to the Lord when we gather as a church family. Ask the Lord to guide you in ways to give in worship to Him of your time, talent, and treasure.

5. You exercise – You serve the Lord Jesus. 

In the Kingdom there are no small ministries. We don’t know the name of the little boy who gave up his lunch and Jesus did a miracle and fed the multitude with it.

Most of us never give an usher a second thought. Let me share a wonderful story about an unnamed usher. Most of you have never heard of Mordecai Ham, an American evangelist. In Charlotte, North Carolina in 1934, Ham was holding a tent revival. Two boys came by to see what all the people and commotion were about. When they looked inside it looked like all the seats were taken and they decided to walk out.

Well, an usher, who we don’t know the name of, rushed over to the boys and told them to come back and he’d find them a place to sit. The usher asked people to move together, and the boys were able to sit together and listen to Mordecai Ham preach. During this process both boys went forward and accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. 

The one boy we all know was…Billy Graham, who was one of the greatest evangelists of the 20^th century. The other boy was Grady Wilson. He too became an evangelist. Wilson was a childhood friend and close associate of Billy Graham.  He served as the inaugural vice president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

Mordecai Ham was credited with bringing over 300,000 people to faith in Christ. Many estimate it to be a million or more.  Billy Graham was credited with bringing the message to over 200 million people worldwide with many conversions. Grady Wilson left his pastoral position to join the original Billy Graham Evangelistic Association team, working alongside Billy in the conversion of lives.

When you think of these men you think what an impact they had on the world. Ham did so much; Graham spreading the word to millions with Wilson by his side.  However, they weren’t the most impactful people. The one who made the biggest impact was the unknown usher at Mordecai Ham’s tent revival who brought two teenage boys in to hear the gospel and accept Jesus as their Savior. It was that silent unknown act that made an impact on the world. It’s why we serve. We don’t know what Jesus will do with our often-unknown acts of service. Any of us could be that unknown usher. It only takes a spark to start a big fire. May it be you. May it be me.

The Action Steps: Each week look for a neighbor or coworker that you don’t know or don’t know that well and introduce yourself. Maybe take over cookies or brownies or have them over for a meal or take them for coffee. Ask what ministries that you could serve in at our church. Interact with those around you at church and with their child/ren.

Conclusion

In a 1993 newspaper article, Boston Globe reporter, Sally Jacobs wrote the following: “It can never be said that Adele Gaboury’s neighbors were less than responsible. When her front lawn grew hip-high, they had a local boy mow it down. When her pipes froze and burst, they had the water turned off. When the mail spilled out the front door, they called the police. The only thing they didn’t do was check to see if she was alive. She wasn’t.” The report goes on to explain that police broke into the side door of Adele’s small blue house and found the 73-year-old woman’s remains in her own kitchen. The medical examiner said she’d likely passed away from natural causes – four years before!

One of her neighbors said, “This never was a very friendly neighborhood.” Another long-time resident on the street, Ray French, said, “People have their own lives. They go their own ways. Neighbors don’t want to get involved with neighbors.”

I’m not sure about neighborhoods; I do know about churches. The sad reality is that churches aren’t like they were 2000 years ago, but they’re supposed to be. I don’t want to be just another church, another religious franchise. Do you? We’re brothers and sisters. We were bought with the precious blood of God’s only Son. That means something! It must change us. Do you love Jesus? Then, you must love your brothers and sisters. Faith is never faith alone. Jesus said, By this all people will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35).

During 2026 by God’s grace, let’s go deeper and let’s go wider. We’ll talk about going wider next Sunday!