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Community part 3 | Sermon Notes
7. Serve One Another through Accountability:
James 5:16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Healed from addiction. Healed from fear. Healed from depression. Your healing comes from God through your connection to others. Your accountability does not just keep you from sinning, but it heals you.
You are saved by God through faith. You are healed by God through community.
We often skip the confess your sins to each other part. And when it comes to the second part, we just highlight the pray part. We say…Pray and you will be healed. However, the “confess” AND “to each other” parts are JUST as important. “Oh I just can’t do that. It’s too personal. People don’t need in my business.” “OK, don’t get healed.” “Ok, keep sinning.”
Hebrews 3:13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
Admit to sin and look to another human to help you overcome it.
Voluntarily develop a circle of Christian friends to whom we are regularly accountable for areas of behavior that are especially difficult, or in which self-deception is easy.
WE ARE TO LET OUR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS INTO OUR LIVES DEEPLY ENOUGH TO SEE OUR WEAKNESSES AND HOLD US RESPONSIBLE TO GROW INTO CHRIST’S LIKENESS.
The best way for accountability to work is for you to be around people enough for them to pick up on the difference. If you only have a meeting once a month where you are supposed to confess your sins to a person and you don’t even know them. It is much more likely for you to hide. However, if you are in close proximity with someone you are able to say…something isn’t right with you.
Podcasts are Back!
PromiseLand Church is now podcasting again. However, this time we are podcasting the entire sermon every week!
There are a couple ways you can listen to the podcast.
- iTunes – If you are an iTunes user, you can subscribe to our podcast directly through iTunes. Click here for iTunes. If you subscribe through iTunes it will automatically download to your account (your iPod, iPhone, computer, etc) as soon as we post it online.
- Non iTunes – If you do not use iTunes, then you can go directly to our podcast website: Click here From this site, you can listen directly to any podcast or you can subscribe through other ‘players’.
If possible, please go to our iTunes page and RATE (5 stars 
or REVIEW our podcast. The more ratings and reviews the more we will show up in search engines and get a bigger audience!
If you have any questions, please comment below and I will try to help out!
Examples of Randy’s Marketing and PR Philosophy
This blog is part 2 of a previous post. See the original post here
EXAMPLES
The Passion
When the Passion of the Christ Movie came out our church rented 4 theaters and had over 1000 people attend the day before it released to the public (a great ‘anchor store’). The news media was not interested in covering that story. However, Randy invited a Jewish Rabbi to watch the movie with him at one of the theaters. Since it was so controversial with Jews, the paper and TV channels were eager to cover the story of the Christian pastor and Jewish Rabbi watching the movie together.
PCD
In 1990, Randy had the ‘anchor store’/God idea to be a nationally known songwriter and recording artist. He had a lot of talent in both of those categories. However, when he went to Nashville and met with labels, they said they were not interested in signing a guy to a contract at that point. He went back and found 2 old friends that just happened to be amazing singers and songer writers (C & D). The three of them went back to Nashville and the rest is history.
How We Plan a Year
We use Google Docs and map out the year. We are currently penciling in ideas for 2013. Sermon series, holidays, guest speakers, vacation times, all these help shape our plan.
There are weeks that we call ‘stand alones’ these are sermons that are not a part of a series. We often change the schedule in the middle of the year when things flow differently. However, we try to nail down as many things as possible early on.
Here is how 2012 has ended up.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ar0DdqHAywQZdGlKczhXQnBQQml3TGZhekd4RVpCc2c
Prayer for the Local Church
Today, we give thanks for the local church. Scripture compares the church to a body and tonight is attempt to bring that body together. We strive for unity. Not a bunch of churches getting together, but The Church getting together. Many branches but one tree. Many parts but one purpose. We are thankful to God that he has given us this method of establishing His kingdom here on earth. The local church saves the lost, feeds the hungry, clothes the naked, visits the imprisoned, heals the sick, rebukes the devourer. Each November those that are involved in the San Marcos Ministers’ Association gather as sort of a heaven practice. All gathered in one place, at one time, in one mind to worship and give thanks to our creator and Savior.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for providing this vehicle called the local church. Where strangers become family and broken are mended. Thank you for the spiritual community of San Marcos, TX. Lord, we are grateful that you have placed us in this place at this time for this moment of your kingdom. We pray that we will take the rightful responsibility as your church and not squander our resources and talents, but we will rise to the great calling you have placed on us. To be the Salt of San Marcos. To be the light of the world. A city on a hill that cannot be hidden. May your light permeate from your church to the darkest parts of this community. Endue us with power from your Holy Spirit to build your kingdom, we pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen!
