Latest / Madison Church of Christ Bible Studies / 2026 Summer Series | Bob Houghton | Connecting To God Through Serving Each Other

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2026 Summer Series | Bob Houghton | Connecting To God Through Serving Each Other · Madison Church of Christ Bible Studies

• 0:00
  Speaker A: Hey, thanks so much for listening to this message. My name is Jason and I'm one of the ministers here at the Madison Church of Christ. It's our hope and prayer that the teaching you hear today will bless your life and draw you closer to God. If you're ever in the Madison area, we'd love for you to stop by and study the Bible with us on Sundays at 5pm or Wednesdays at 7pm if you have questions about the Bible or want to know more about the Madison Church, you can find us online@madisonchurch.org be sure to subscribe to this podcast as well as our Sermons podcast, Madison Church of Christ Sermons. Thanks again for stopping by. I hope this study is a blessing to you.
• 0:38
  Speaker B: I want to start, you know, by introducing you to my family. So here you see my lovely wife, Missy. She's the one to my left. I know she looks like my daughters, and she's young. She's aged very, very well. And I'm not so much, but that's okay. But I want you to see my family. My daughter Heather, our oldest, is beside me and her husband, David, the Tennysons and their three daughters, Kayla Beth is beside her, our youngest and her husband Jace, the Hamptons and one of their children, they have another one. I'll show you in a minute. She was pregnant at this time. And then Brian, our son, and his wife Shannon and their three girls. And Shannon was pregnant at this time, too. So I wanted you to know them because a lot of folks that I meet, first of all, they go, oh, I know Missy. I didn't know she was your wife. Or they go, oh, yeah, I didn't know Heather was your daughter. I didn't know Kayla Beth was your daughter. So I wanted everybody to see my family. And it's really appropriate because we're going to talk about family tonight and generational change. But here are the two newest additions. These guys are two years old as of January. After seven granddaughters, we were blessed with two grandsons three weeks apart. And so they brought a whole new element to life. They're very, very different than the girls. Love them all, but these keep you hopping. And we're just excited to have them. And Kayla Beth is expecting. I know both my daughters are like, don't call me out, but she's expecting the end of July, 1st of August, sometime in there. And they decided not to find out what it is. I've already decided it's a boy. So I've been right the other nine times. So number 10, we'll see if my record holds on that. But I've been right nine times. All right, so our series, our Vision Sunday, we spoke about. It's our theme for the year. It's about connecting, connecting to each other, connecting to ministry and connecting to God. And so, you know, it's. It's tonight I'm going to talk about connecting with each other. And so first I wanted to go through the things that we kind of mentioned during the Vision Sunday and remind you of those we kind of defined or thought that connecting with each other was basically being united in love, and that that's a defining characteristic of the church. So John 17:23 23 says, My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one. Father, just as you are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me, I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one, as we are one, I in them, and you in me, so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. So tonight we're going to look at the first century church, and we're going to look at that fellowship of believers and how they operated, the things that were important to them, and review that in context with our vision. We discussed the purposes of connecting within the church and connecting with each other. And it's to help bear each other's burdens. Galatians 6:2, bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. We discussed Accountability and Proverbs 27:17. It says, as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. And we really believe that if we are going to be a connected congregation here, a connected body of Christ, that we need to have accountability one to another, and we need to encourage each other. Hebrews 10:24:25. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another. So we're going to take that and look at areas that we as a congregation can make a difference and become more connected to each other as we serve each other. And that's the emphasis that I want to put on tonight, is the service to each other. Actions. We expect that if we have a purpose, that there are going to be actions. If we're going to be a connected congregation, there are Things that we had to do. Part of that is to be present. If you're not present, how can you be connected? To greet others and to share. Share your burdens, share your joys, share your struggles, share life together. And then we said, let's look, listen and touch. How can you be connected if you're not actually doing those things and aware of what's going on? So tonight I'm going to challenge each of us that we take a meaningful action in service to each other. That it's not just words, but it's action in motion. And then of course, we expect results if we're going to do these things. And unity and love, of course, is one of the greatest things. We're going to talk some about unity tonight, but also mutual support and protection and comfort. A bold and clear example of what the kingdom life is. We will defeat Satan by not losing our children and by not missing those who would become God's child. So we are going to talk some about outreach, but I'm going to talk about in reach in the way that we have to reach our own families here. We have to make a generational impact within the church and within our families if the church is going to grow and be significant not just this year, but in the years to come and in the generations to come. And then we said that our starting place was going to be connect groups and then the elders who have now kind of moved into the connect group so that we can build a relationship with everybody. But tonight we're going to consider opportunities for each member to connect and serve. Some of that is going to be within many ministries, but much of that is outside of the ministries that we have. We can connect in so many ways besides the ministries that we have. Over 70% of our budget goes to external benevolence, to missions and to outreach efforts. And I threw in, it was 65%. I threw in external benevolence because that is a great outreach effort as well. We had serve weekend this last weekend. I don't know how many different areas that we served, but it was amazing to see the pictures and hear the stories. And I know that where we went with the empty nesters, it was great to see the transition from when you first walked up and what you saw to how it was when we left and to know that those folks need that support. They can't do it on their own. They don't have a lot of support. But we have a chance to make a difference. Even if it's just one day. We can make A difference that lasts for those children for weeks, months and years. And so it was a great opportunity. And I know there were so many others, and Andrew mentioned several, you know, Sunday night. And then we were able to come back here and worship together and fellowship together. And it was us returning from our outreach to being back together as a family. And that was Wonderful. We have 79 mission efforts here from looking at our budget list, but that doesn't account for all the countries that are directly or indirectly affected by the efforts that we do here. And that is done by not just the mission, our missions that actually go to locations, but it's the churches that are planted and it's the teaching that goes on there, and it's the radio programs, and it's so many things that are done. And then we have our benevolence efforts and we have the external benevolence where we are actually touching lives of people in need. And I think it calls out best. You know, what's mentioned in Matthew 25, when Jesus says, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me. Our benevolence efforts exemplify these things in service. And I know that even beyond the benevolence efforts, there are members and there are people that go out and they. They help with these things as well. And so all of these things are wonderful and they should be recognized and applauded for the efforts that we do. And I want to thank everybody for your generosity, because if you're not out there serving, it doesn't mean that you're not contributing to those wonderful things. And those contributions also affect the service. Okay, but tonight I want to talk about in reach. I want to spend a little bit of time talking about, talking about connecting within the body, creating a deeper, more meaningful bond with each other. I want to talk about serving each other to foster spiritual growth and a solid foundation of faith. Faith within this congregation and faith within your families that can be a generational effect. And so, you know, we're going to talk mostly about inreach tonight. So let's start with the first century church. And you know, they're often recognized as the fellowship of believers. So let me just read Acts 2, 42, 47. And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and the prayers and awe came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all as any had need. And day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all people. And the Lord added to their number, day by day, those who were being saved. So if you look at the first century church family, you know, what things did they do? So first, they prioritized on the church family, right? They prioritized on the brotherhood. So they were family centered. They lifted each other up and encouraged each other. They shared meals together, they were bound together in prayer. There was teaching in the homes, not just in the temples and not just in the assemblies. And they were providing for each other's needs, providing for each other's needs. And they were selling their possessions. And a lot of people think that every time that selling possessions and giving to the, the church and supporting needs is like the rich young ruler that came before Christ. And you know, Christ said, go and sell all you have. Well, it means sacrificing to support others in need. When we see people in need, it's our responsibility to support our brotherhood. And that's the goal there. So when we provide for each other's needs, it can be an act, it can be a kind word, it can be an encouragement, or it can be supplying their financial needs. It's supplying needs. And that's the way the church focused. And we need to do the same. And God blessed them for that. And so when you look at verse 44, it says, and all those who believed were together and had all things in common. So what does all things in common mean? Well, I don't think it means every aspect of their life was the same. You know, this congregation is very broad. Okay, maybe it's 60% engineers, but it's not everybody the same. It's not everybody is of like, skills and talents. And it's not that everybody has the similar gifts and abilities, but it is the fact that they have a common focus. The common focus was on taking care of each other and on spreading the gospel. It's interesting in the scripture earlier that by lifting up the church, by supporting each other, they were able to then go out and teach others because of the unity, because of the respect, because of the actions of the church. And so we need to have that same focus. But a strong church begins with strong internal relationships. And so it doesn't, you know, Common focus and common purpose starts when you, when you start acting on that. Not just because you think it, not just because you say it. Actions must be part of it. So the families worshiped together, they studied together, they ate together, they prayed together, they served together, and they supported one another. And those actions built the bond in the church that made them so strong. And that's what we need to strive for today. We need to be a congregation that seeks that kind of unity and that kind of support amongst each other's. So if we look at the responsibility of the church was to support the most vulnerable. And we do that here very well, I think. But there are still times when folks get overlooked and we have ministries to do that. And, you know, we have the benevolence team, we have meal trains, connect groups, Smiles, ladies ministry, men's ministry, and there are probably 20 more that focus on things that are not just external but also internal. But as I'm preparing this lesson, I'm kind of thinking about the first century church. And I thought, did they have all these ministries designated and deacons assigned to each one and members that are assigned to do this task and that task? I don't think so. I think that the first century church they might have had, you know, they established deacons to make sure that things were done. But we're very structured and organized. But I think the church lifted itself up. They saw needs and they fulfilled needs. They did the things that were necessary because they saw them, not because it was their assignment. And I'm not saying that any ministry only works because it's an assignment. It works to serve God, but it doesn't mean that that's the only place that service can take place. So I want to challenge every member tonight to serve beyond the ministries. We need to be diligent to see those in need before they make their need known. We need to have our eyes open to see the hard to see things, to see the people that are struggling, the people whose heads hang because they're just in a dire state or they're struggling emotionally, or the word said prick their heart and prick their emotions and you can see it on their face. And we need to be aware of those things. We need to serve in so many different ways. We need to look for the broken, spirited, for the lonely and provide companionship. We need to see the mothers that are stressed. And one of the biggest things, you know, an encouraging word to a mother whose child is going crazy on Sunday morning or any other time that we meet, an encouraging word can mean the difference of whether that mother decides to stay home next week because it's just too hard, or whether they're going to come back. And that's serving this congregation. It's serving that person. And it didn't take a nickel to do. Took a kind word, and it took the fact that you observed it and saw it. And we need to be that congregation. We need to see the people that are struggling at work. There's a couple of different things that I think about when I think about work. First of all, this community has been in chaos for over a year in defense contracting and things like that. Been in absolute chaos with reorgs and job changes. And the job you had today doesn't exist tomorrow. And there's so many things. And we need to be aware of the people that are going through those struggles and lift them up and encourage them. If we have opportunities to help them find a job, help them find a job. If we see somebody that is getting too attached to work, it becomes their lifestyle instead of their family. We need to be a brother or a sister and tell them, hey, let's keep our focus in the right place. That's a family. And that's something you might do for your son or your daughter, your brother or sister. But we have a family here within the church, and we need to do the same thing for them. But we need to be aware of those things because we have to have our eyes open. And then we have to also look for new people, folks that are looking for a job. We have so many new members come in here, so many new member meetings, and we tell them about the works that we do, and we send them to MSP to sign up. And there are thousand entries, okay? But we can invite them to participate and help in any activity we don't have. They don't have to go to MSP and to a deacon and then be asked. We can invite them, we can encourage them, and we can bring them along. We don't have to let them be out there just kind of waiting on an invitation. And so, 1st Peter 4:10 says, as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. So let's all be diligent to look for those to serve. We all have a gift. Even if your gift is speaking a kind word to somebody, it's a gift, so let's use it. We also need to serve our children. I think it's one of the greatest responsibilities that we have. And we got a lot of Children in this congregation, a lot of children. So Deuteronomy 6, 6, 7 says, and these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children. You shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise. This commandment emphasizes that we are to make God the focal point of our everyday life. And so we do that in so many different ways. But I reflected back to email that Brian LeMaster sent. Brian was our youth minister, many of you know, and then he was stolen away. But we have two great youth ministers. Don't get me wrong. Brian asked, how did you and Missy most influence your children spiritually? Wow. What a great question. Way too hard to answer. So it took me a couple days. I thought, what is the one thing, you know, what one thing was the most important? Well, I landed on this, and I told him that I felt it was around the dinner table and in the car, and as I reviewed the Scripture, it's when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way, well, we drive by the way. But I felt like that in those times, we could have God in our everyday life. We could talk about the things that were good and bad, and we could say what was godly and what was evil. And we didn't take those conversations and turn them about what they did. It wasn't about, you did this wrong or you did this, and God isn't happy with that. And it wasn't so much that as it was opening their eyes to see God everywhere that they were. And I mean, to be honest, it was probably accidental that it happened that way. But I did feel like that was the most influential was all those conversations. And so I also told him that I believe that in that way when they go off to college and when they have challenges in life, that they will at one point return to their roots, they'll return to their faith. And so the things that they go and experience, you know, are just a stage and they're not their foundation. And so I'm always staggered at the low retention rates for our children when they go to college. And it's sad. It's just so discouraging to know. But, you know, I want to challenge every parent out there and every grandparent, and I want to challenge everybody beyond those parents and grandparents. Anybody that has an opportunity to show God to a child, you need to do that. We need to take that opportunity. So let the children that you are around See your faith. Don't just tell them. Don't just talk it. Let them see it. And make sure that they see your relationship with God. Those things I've heard it said, pray with your children, or pray in front of your children and do things that you think are spiritual, that you want to go do privately, but do them around your children so that they know that it's part of your life and that God is an active part of your life. I also like Psalms 145. It says, One generation shall commend your works to another and. And shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty and your wondrous works. I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds. I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. We have opportunities here at Madison just everywhere. We will have eight more classrooms for children in the new building here in less than a year. And when we do that, you know, we're going to probably split twos, threes, fours into two rooms, into two classes. We may have to split other classes. Our ministry leaders are begging for teachers every quarter. They're begging for people to come and be a part of that. And it's only going to grow as Madison grows. And so we need people that are going to step up and do that. We are overflowing with our children's ministry, so we must serve our youth. They need to see mentors other than their parents. They need to see influences that are outside their home, not just inside their home. So we must serve our youth, and they must see those teachers and mentors. We must create a foundation of generational influence. The next generation of leaders depends on our commitment to them and their spiritual growth and development. If we don't give them that, then they'll flounder. I guess the goal really is to help them build their own faith. It shouldn't be our goal that our children have our faith. It should never be our goal. Our goal should be that your children develop their own faith with their own foundation and their own roots. But they're not going to do that without guidance. So we guide them in that. But we have to do that in such a way that their foundation is firm. We need teachers for that. We need mentors for that. I'm very happy. I mean, we've got an incredibly growing children's ministry. It's brand new, a year old, if that. And we have fam. What is it? FAM Groups, Mentors, for the middle school and high school, there's always a need and always an opportunity to mentor the young. And that's a challenge for us to be a part of that and do that. We have to focus on the physical and the spiritual needs of this body. Galatians 6, 9, and 10 says, and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up. So then as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Did you catch that? It says, especially to those who are of the household of faith. I think a lot of times we're eager to support things outside of the church. We need to give as much attention to the Madison family as we do to outside activities. It's real easy to get involved in community service outside the church or in work activities with ball teams and with extracurricular activities. I know, I know. I've gone through it. You know, it's easy to do that to the point of separating from the church. And we can't allow that to happen. And we need to. You know, we mentioned accountability in our vision Sunday. We need to hold people accountable that they keep their priorities straight, and that's part of our responsibility of serving Madison. Missy and I, when we moved to Madison, we moved in 1988. We had Heather. She was three months old. We were a very young couple. We married when she was 18 and I was 20. We had Heather when two years later. So we're a very young couple. We come to town, and we know nothing about being plugged into a church, really. Not at all. And the people here, we visited half a dozen congregations around, but we landed here at Madison because of the people. The Glenns, the Sherrods, The Hargetts, the McClures, they were all around. They invited us into their home. They took us in, they fed us. They invited us to devotionals. We worshiped in their homes, and then they expected us to do the same. And so we had people in our homes, and I was expected to do a devotional. And if you think I was nervous now, I was nervous then because I had never done anything of the sort. And so it was not in my comfort zone, let's just say that. So, you know, we did those things. And out of that, you know, a young couple, a young family built deep, lasting connections. And I still rely on those people for, you know, my difficult times. We felt loved and we felt included. So Ephesians 4, 15, 16 says, rather speaking the truth, in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. So we need to seek out and serve, you know, the new, the weak, the grieving, the brokenhearted, the lonely. We need to find a place for them, and we need to help them find a place. Because when we strengthen that joint, then we strengthen the whole body. When you strengthen their relationship, you can change their life forever and change their path forever. And you may not see it, but it's there. It makes a huge dynamic difference in folks. So those early bonds, they helped us grow up spiritually and taught a young couple how to really be true Christians. Like it's described in Romans 12:10. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Church that serves itself well, you know, becomes healthy in an emotional connection and deeply unified. Missy and I aren't perfect. You know, it's. But we've made a lot of mistakes. But I do feel like that being here and being invited in and being included and being nurtured and influenced and taught made a huge difference in our lives in who we were going to be and what we were going to do. So another area that this church really focuses on is we want to strive for unity, okay? But unity is not uniformity. We want to be scriptural and focus and not compromise on scriptural, doctrinal things, but on differences of opinion and traditions. We want to leave latitude. We feel like that we're going to have multiple opinions here. And I guess the big thing that I want to get across this is that we don't want differences to separate us. We want to serve regardless. So we need to serve without conditions. If somebody has a different political point of view, it doesn't mean that you don't serve them. You serve them well because they're a brother or sister and there's a need. If they don't cheer for the same team, if they're Auburn. I'm just kidding. Just kidding. Auburn folks, I apologize. But if they have different lifestyles, different things, if they're not a contradiction to Scripture and it's not something that's going to divide the church, then don't put conditions on your service. Instead, serve generously and lovingly and supportingly, and let that be something that drives you. We want to create generational faithfulness. And I've already talked about this a little Bit. But remember, in Psalms 145, it says, One generation shall commend your works to another. Inreach demonstrates service to one another. It also creates generational faithfulness. And so, you know, I think back, I've always wanted to be the patriarch of the family because my grandfather was. My grandfather dictated, you know, that we participated in church. If my mom and dad didn't want to do something, he was on them, and he wasn't as loving as maybe I try to be. I try, but he was on them. But we knew where he stood. We knew his faith. We knew what was important. We knew his priorities. That's what I want to get across, is that we need to be generational leaders also, and so take part in the lives of those around you. Take part in your family, but also take part in this Madison family. And I think that's one of the things that we want to do with elders in the connect groups. And so, you know, I'm 61, sitting in with the primary families, you know, the faith builders. And, yes, I feel out of place many, many times, but it's wonderful to hear what's going on in their lives and to know and to be able to pray directly for things that I hear and understand. And so that connection is important. It's important to me, and it's important to this church. And so we want those type of things. So we want to make generational changes in our families and all those that we influence. The phrase more is caught than taught, I picked that up from teaching Dave Ramsey classes. But it's really a solid principle in that there are countless opportunities to make an influence, and most of those are from things that are actions and not words. And so, you know, we want to do that. When our kids were young, Missy made a meal one time. I think it was roast and all the fixings. And the kids are all excited. They're gonna get a really good meal. And then she packed it in a box and was leaving the house with her. Where are you going with our dinner? Well, it was intended for somebody else. She told them, this is for a family in need. And they. What are we eating? Whining, of course. And she said, we're eating ballpark food. So, you know, they had to do that. But the thing was that they saw that, and they saw it frequently. They saw service in the home, and I think it made a difference. I know how active our children are in serving in different capacities, too. And I think more is caught than taught. I think that the children, your children, the Madison children, the families that are served, and all those that are watching, they all see that. And it's influential by your actions, not just by your words. Second Timothy 1:5 says, I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. We need to be generational because it is not accidental. We need to be intentional that we are making changes. And Timothy, while he was brought up in that family, he didn't only serve his family because we know the things that he did to serve the church. And that's part of this, too. When you raise your children that way, they become servants beyond just the family. And that's what we have to have as well. So in conclusion, above all, keep loving one another earnestly. Since love covers a multitude of sins, show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace. Whoever speaks as one who speaks with the oracles of God, whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything, God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Ever. That was first Peter 4, 8, 11. So I challenge each of us to be more active in our church. Be active in the ministries that serve inside, but also be active on your own. Be active to make a difference in somebody's life in some way. In so doing, you know, let work. Let's work to build a stronger, more connected body of Christ through our service to each other at Madison. And find your connection, find your area of service, use your talent, even if it's only a sweet voice to somebody struggling, don't care what it is. Find some way to serve this congregation, and in doing so, you're going to serve the Lord, and you're going to serve the church for generation after generation. All right, bow with me. Dear Heavenly Father, we're so thankful for this congregation here at Madison. But, Father, we know we can always do more. We love you and we have so many things, so many missions or so many ministries that serve you and serve you well. But, Father, each one of us can have a ministry within ourselves. And, Father, I pray that the words tonight were from you, that they were guided by you, and that they have meaning in you, and that this church will move out and try to grow generationally. Try to build a faith that is a foundation that helps this church be strong in your word. And in your teachings. We love you. We're thankful for the love that you give us. And we pray, Father, that we take that love and share it with the world. We pray this in Christ's name, amen.