Perry Noble on the 6 Signs That Prove Church Is Making a Difference
The Bible points to six ways in which the church has proved it can make a true difference, NewSpring Pastor Perry Noble explained in a recent blog post and sermon.
The six "signs" that prove the church can make a difference include devotion, a sense of awe, unity, generosity, sincerity, and salvation.
Scripture points to four ways to live out devotion, Noble explains, including the Apostle's Teaching, fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and prayer.
Additionally, as Scripture explains in Acts 2:43, the early church had a perpetual "sense of awe" when witnessing the changes happening in Christianity.
"The early church did not take for granted what was happening. The entire movement began NOT because of an unbelievable new set of teachings or because a new program was launched – it began because a guy named Jesus had been executed in public, was placed in a tomb and three days later walked out ALIVE!" Noble states on his blog.
The focus of the church in Acts 2:44 and 2:45 is to maintain unity and be generous to the community, Noble continues, adding that the early church also practiced sincerity in its commitment to Jesus.
Lastly, the sixth sign of a healthy, impactful church is salvation, the megachurch pastor concludes, explaining that the early church "carried a conviction that the Gospel was the greatest message in the world and that as they boldly declared it, along with the moving of the Holy Spirit, lives would continue to be impacted, entire communities would be changed and God would get the glory for it all."
Noble also sought to explain how the church can make a real difference in his latest sermon on February 7, in which he provided several examples of how NewSpring gives back to its community and changes peoples' lives.
Although he provided several instances of NewSpring's dedication to the community, he spoke specifically about the church's Gauntlet 2016, an annual student ministry conference that seeks to bring new youth to Christ.
After outlining the several ways in which NewSpring has made a difference, Noble explained that "the best is yet to come in this place," adding, "Some of you are like 'this sounds like bragging," but no it's not bragging 'it's boasting in the Lord.'"