The document discusses the importance of faithful teaching and living within the church, encouraging perseverance in faith and community support, particularly for newcomers and families. It also explores the evolving doctrine surrounding Mary in the Catholic tradition and highlights scriptural teachings about honoring God through genuine worship and sound doctrine. Additionally, it addresses reasons for leaving a church, categorizing them into good, possible, and bad reasons.

1. Things that matter to newcomers
Young people, young families, other
newcomers
Attenders making changes in their lives,
Attenders ready to discuss faith
Support for those with roles
Contemporary style of music and worship

2. Let us hold unswervingly to the
hope we profess, for he who promised
is faithful. 24 And let us consider how
we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds. 25 Let us not
give up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another—and all the
more as you see the Day
approaching.
23

3. This is a church!

4. Will this Church
persevere me in
Christ till Jesus Christ
comes

5. 16 Watch your life and doctrine closely.
Persevere in them, because if you do, you
will save both yourself and your hearers. 1
Tim 4

6. Rev 2:14-16
Rev 2:18-25
Rev 3:1-3

7. Faithful
teaching/doctrine
Faithful living/life

8. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful
for teaching, rebuking, correcting and
training in righteousness so that the man of
God may be thoroughly equipped for every
good work
2 Timothy 3:16-17

9. Bible
Tradition
Experience
Reason

10. 431 AD Council of Ephesus - Mary was
declared to be the mother of God as
well as mother of Jesus Christ
1477 AD Popes Sixtus IV – Mary was
Immaculately Conceived (Free from
all sin at birth)
1883 AD Pope Leo XIII – Mary was the
mediatrix of graces
1950 AD Pope Pius XII - Mary bodily
assumed into heaven

11. In line with this, Pope Pius showed the
relation of the Assumption to the Immaculate
Conception:
For she, by a completely singular privilege,
conquered sin in her Immaculate Conception,
and thus was not liable to that law of
remaining in the corruption of the grave, nor
did she have to wait for the end of time for the
redemption of her body"
Global Catholic Network

12. And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies the Lord
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
Luke 1:47-48

13. 5 For there is one God and one
mediator between God and men, the
man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself
as a ransom for all men—the
testimony given in its proper time.
1 Tim 2:5

14. 3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the
command of God for the sake of your
tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your
father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses
his father or mother must be put to death.’ 5
But you say that if a man says to his father or
mother, ‘Whatever help you might otherwise
have received from me is a gift devoted to
God,’ 6 he is not to ‘honor his father’ with it.
Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake
of your tradition.

15. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he
prophesied about you:
8 ”‘These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.
9 They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.’”
Matt 15:3-9

16. Bible
Tradition
Experience
Reason

18. I see the Bible as a human response to God…
it contains their stories of God, their
perceptions of God’s character and will, their
prayers to and praise of God, their
perceptions of the human condition and the
paths of deliverance, their religious and
ethical practices, and their understanding of
what faithfulness to God involves. As the
product of these two communities, the Bible
thus tells us how they saw things, not about
how God sees things.
Pg 22-23

19. “This is the one I esteem:
he who is humble
and contrite in spirit,
and trembles at my word.
Isaiah 66:2

20. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will
judge the living and the dead, and in view of his
appearing and his kingdom, I give you this
charge: 2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season
and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—
with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the
time will come when men will not put up with
sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires,
they will gather around them a great number of
teachers to say what their itching ears want to
hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth
and turn aside to myths. 2 Tim 4:1

22. Bible
Tradition
Experience
Reason

24. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and in your name drive out demons and
perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell
them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from
me, you evildoers!’
Matt 7:21-23

25. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in
accordance with the work of Satan displayed
in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and
wonders, 10 and in every sort of evil that
deceives those who are perishing. They perish
because they refused to love the truth and so
be saved.
2 Thess 2:9-10

26. Bible
Tradition
Experience
Reason

27. Faithful
teaching/doctrine
Faithful living/life

29. But everyone who hears these words of
mine and does not put them into
practice is like a foolish man who built
his house on sand. 27 The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds
blew and beat against that house, and it
fell with a great crash.” Mt 7:26

30. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but
only he who does the will of my Father who is
in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day,
‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and in your name drive out demons and
perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell
them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from
me, you evildoers!’
Matt 7:21-23

34. Will this Church
persevere me in
Christ till Jesus Christ
comes

35. Faithful
teaching/doctrine
Faithful living/life

36. “What right do you ever have to leave a
church?”
Good Reasons for Moving On—The Four P’s
1.Providential moving
2. Planting another church
3. Purity has been lost — no more faithful
teaching or living
4. Peace of the church is in jeopardy due to
my presence

37. “What right do you ever have to leave a
church?”
Possible Reasons for Moving On—The three S’s
1.Spouse
2. Special Needs
3. Special Gifts

38. “What right do you ever have to leave a
church?”
Bad Reasons for Moving On
1.Children’s Ministry
2. Buzz
3. Youth Group
4. Church has changed
5. New Pastor
6. I’m Not Being Ministered to
7. Music
8. Other reasons