Do I Really Need the Church, Part IV

I've been sharing some reasons why we need to be actively involved in a local church.

I started out sharing some reasons that Walter Woodbury wrote in a booklet called Why Be A Christian, Why The Church?  Yesterday I shared some reasons from Rick Warren in his book titled Purpose Driven Life.  Here are a few more from Rick Warren...

• The Body of Christ needs you.  God has a unique role for you to play in his family.  Your local church is the place God designed for you to discover, develop and use your gifts.  Jesus has not promised to build your ministry; he has promised to build His church.

• You will share in Christ’s mission in the world.  When Jesus walked the earth, God worked through the physical body of Christ; today he uses his spiritual body.  The church is God’s instrument on earth.  As members of Christ’s body, we are his hands, his feet, his eyes, and his heart.  He works through us in the world.

• A church family will help keep you from backsliding.  None of us are immune to temptation.  Given the right situation, you and I are capable of any sin.  A church family provides us with the accountability to keep us on track, to be strong while fighting the temptations that come our way, and to work through our sin when we fail.  Satan loves detached believers, unplugged from the life of the Body, isolated from God’s family, and unaccountable to spiritual leaders, because he knows they are defenseless and powerless against his attacks. 

In another of his books, The Purpose Driven Church, Warren points out that God really made us to be a part of the life of a local church.  We are created with five basic needs:  a purpose to live, people to live with, principles to live by, a profession to live out, and power to live on.  The church is the only place on earth where you can meet all five of these needs in one place. 

Are you still sitting on the fence?  Or are you beginning to see that the church is necessary.  And that you need the church if you are going to mature as a believer.  If you don't currently belong to a church, I hope you can make the commitment to begin visiting some churches this week.  Find one you can grow in.  And become active in all that it offers.

Do I Really Need The Church, Part III

The last couple of days, I've been sharing some reasons for joining a local church.  I've shared some of what Walter Woodbury wrote in his booklet, Why Be A Christian, Why The Church? 

Rick Warren, in his book, Purpose Driven Life, points out several other reasons for church membership that make even more sense to me:

• A church family identifies you as a genuine believer.  I can’t claim to be following Christ if I’m not connected to any specific group of disciples.  When we come together in love as a church family from different backgrounds, race, and social status, it is a powerful witness to the world.  You are not the Body of Christ on your own.  You need others to express that.  Together, not separated, we are His Body.

• A church family moves you out of self-isolation.  The local church is the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family.  As a participating member, you learn to care about others and share the experiences of others:  “If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it.  Or if one part of our body is honored, all the other parts share in its honor.” (1 Cor 12:26)  Biblical fellowship is being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ.  God expects us to live our lives for each other.  

• A church family helps you develop spiritual muscle.  You will never grow to maturity just by attending worship services and being a passive spectator.  Only participation in the full life of a local church builds spiritual muscle.  “As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Eph 4:16b)  We need more than the Bible to grow; we need other believers.  We grow faster and stronger by learning from each other and by being accountable to each other.  When others share what God is teaching them, I learn and grow, too.

 A few more reason next week.  I'd love to hear your comments.

Do I Really Need Church - Part II

Yesterday, I started the conversation about whether we really need the church.

I gave four reasons why we need the church from a booklet titled Why Be A Christian, Why The Church, by Walter Woodbury.  Here are the final four...

5.   By staying outside the church, I am throwing my influence against Christ and His Church.

6.   If all people refused to unite with the church and support its ministries, there would be no church.

7.   The church offers the opportunity to invest in a great and worthy cause, namely, the extension of God’s Kingdom in the world. 

8.    If I do not stand up for Christ and His church here, how can I expect Him to claim me among His own when He comes in triumph?  (If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father. - Matthew 10:33, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26 with only minor variations)

I don't know that any of these by themselves are conclusive, except perhaps the last one, but together they make a convincing argument that perhaps we do need the church.  

Tomorrow, I share some reasons Rick Warren gives for being a part of a local church...

Do I Really Need the Church... Part I.

As a pastor, I meet a lot of people who don't belong to any church.  And when I can strike up a conversation with them about church and faith, as you can imagine, I get quite a variety in answers.  Many who don’t go to any church, but still believe that God exists, tell me you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.  Often they add that they can experience God in the woods while hunting, or on the golf course.  Personally, I’ve never been that good a golfer that I could experience God on a golf course. In fact, I'm so bad I often leave the golf course thinking it's one of the few places on earth totally devoid of God's presence.  There is no other way to explain how I golf.

Yet, as often as I’ve heard the comments that you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian, I've honestly never met a “good” Christian, who was actively growing in the Lord and taking the Bible at its word, who wasn't an active church member.  I’ve yet to met anyone who doesn’t go to church that prays everyday, who does daily devotions, and reads the Bible with an eye toward applying what they learn to their everyday life, so actively seeks to serve others in the name of Jesus. 

For years, I agreed that faith in Jesus is the source of our salvation, and that can, and usually does, happen outside the church context, so a part of me agrees with them.  But deep down inside I know that for a person to mature in their faith, they are going to need more.  They are going to need what they can only get in an active, Bible believing church.

So for the next couple of days, I wanted to share some reasons that I’ve found for joining a local church.    In a booklet called Why Be A Christian, Why the Church, Walter Woodbury brings out several reasons to join in membership with a local church congregation.  I’ll share a few today, and the rest tomorrow…

1.   Because of what the church is (The living body of Christ), and what it has for me (opportunities for nurture, fellowship, growth and worship).

2.   Because you need the help of God’s church, and the church needs you.  (As for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. – Psalm 73:2)

3.   It is selfish and wrong of me to expect the benefits of the church if I refuse to join it and help to sustain it.

4.   I would not want to live nor bring up children in a community without a church and I cannot reasonably ask others to provide a church for my family, unless I am willing to do my share.

Walter has four more reasons, which I'll share tomorrow, then I'll share some reasons from Rick Warren, then through in a few of my own.

How Can I Forgive Myself?

This week at Almond Union of Churches, we continued our series on Forgiveness:  The real F word.  While last week we looked at how to make sure we were forgiven by God in  a message titled Finding Forgiveness, this week we look at how to forgive ourselves, in a message titled, How Can I Forgive Myself.

I identified three steps I must carry out to be able to truly forgive myself.  Last week we looked in depth at the first.  This week we summarized that message by going over the three steps again:  We must 1) recognize our need for God, 2) return to God, 3) receive forgiveness through Jesus and what He did on the cross.  but possibly the most important part of that message was that forgiveness is available to everyone who will turn to God and earnestly seek it.  The first step in my being able to forgive myself, is to come to God seeking forgiveness from Him, and knowing for sure that I have been forgiven.  Forgiveness by God enables me to forgive myself.  I can't possibly forgive myself if God hasn't first forgiven me.

The second step in my forgiving myself is to change my behavior.  We call this repentance.  I will never be able to forgive myself for something if I'm still doing it.  If I'm feeling grief and shame and despair, and I desperately want to be able to forgive myself for this, I've got to stop doing it.  I've got to turn away from the wrong behavior that caused these feelings of regret, and I've got to turn to God and make sure I get right with God again.

The third and final step in being able to forgive myself is to create a new future for myself.  Many people who experience the pain and regret and despair from sin fail here.  They are tempted to withdraw and isolate themselves and continue on in the pain they feel.  In order for us to get past it, we've got to truly start again, to step out in faith in the path God has for us.

If you would like to read the entire message, click on the title below.  You will also find an audio link if you would rather listen to it.

Forgiveness:  How Can Forgive Myself?

Not Quarrelsome, etc...

And the servant of the Lord must not quarrel 

but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient.

- 2 Timothy 2:24

In putting together our weekly email newsletter, I came across this passage.  The devotion used in the newsletter focused on making sure we are not quarrelsome.  Our motivation for arguing, even if we think we are arguing on God's behalf, is usually more self-focused than God-focused, and any argument we might get involved in will only detract from our Christian witness.  

We will never win anyone to Jesus by arguing with them.  You reflect a Christlike character by demonstrating patience to those who mistreat you or don't agree with you.

But on reflecting on that passage, there is a lot more to it.  Not only do we need to abstain from quarrels, but we must also "be gentle to all, able to teach, and patient."

Being gentle to all can mean a couple of different things.  Related to the first part of the verse, being gentle can mean not to argue.  But it also carries a little more to it.  The dictionary defines gentle as being mild in temperament or behavior.  It means we don't get upset, at least not that others can see.  So we need to be in control of our emotions, not letting anybody trigger any negative reactions from us.  Back to the dictionary, one of the synonyms for gentle was tender.  We are to be tender people, always caring about others, always looking to help in a tender manner.  Another synonym was meek, and we remember that the meek are especially blessed, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 6:15).

We are also to be "able to teach."  Many times we might argue with someone in an effort to try to teach them.  But certainly that's not a very effective teaching strategy.  So I think that Paul might suggest to alternatives.  First, know God's Word well enough to let it do the talking.  Quote from Scripture, or at least tell the gist of what a passage says if you can't remember it word for word (but make sure you get it right!).  God's Word is a two edged sword (Rev. 1:16).  In fact, it's the only offensive weapon we have in our armor of God (Eph. 6:11-17).  Just don't use it offensively!  Remember to be gentle to all at the same time.

I'm also reminded of Peter's charge to always be prepared with an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have (1 Peter 3:15).  That is way of teaching someone, and sharing your faith with them, in a way that shouldn't ever lead to an argument.  Our faith fills us with hope, because we know Jesus, the prince of peace.  We know that the Holy Spirit is with us, leading and guiding us.  And while troubles may come, we know the Lord will bring us through, so we can praise Him even in the midst of our troubles. That brings a peace others just can't know.

Finally, the verse tells us to be patient.  That's a hard one, isn't it.  But if we know that the Holy Spirit is always with us, leading and guiding us, and that the Lord really will bring us safely out of our troubles, and we really do praise Him even in our sufferings, then we need not worry about anything, because we know that we are the Lord's.  We can turn over all troubles to Jesus, and rest secure in the knowledge that in all things, we are His.  With that knowledge secure, we can be patient.  Understanding that God is in control.  Even when behind a slow motorist.  Even when someone is taking forever in the shopping line.  Even when talking to someone who won't end the conversation even if we're in a hurry.  

If you struggle with patience, Proverbs tells us "a man's wisdom gives him patience" (Proverbs 19:11).  And since wisdom comes from God (Prov 2:6), we can pray for wisdom, and work on growing closer to God.  The wisest men I've know have all had the closest walks with the Lord. 

Paul gave Timothy a lot to think about with this verse.  Don't quarrel, be gentle, able to teach, and patient...

Forgiveness: The Real F Word

On Sunday, we started a new sermon series titled Forgiveness:  The Real F Word.

I subtitled this series The Real F Word for two reasons.  First, it grabs your attention.  When you hear it you think "what?"  But second, forgiveness really is a word that many just don't understand.  Most people don't understand forgiveness, there are a lot of strange ideas of what it means and what it requires - and for some, it really is almost a dirty word.  So the real F word in the title fits.  Most people don't want to talk about forgiveness, fewer will admit they need forgiveness, and fewer yet freely give forgiveness.

This week we talked about the ultimate forgiveness, the level of forgiveness we all must receive if we ever hope to enter in the kingdom of God.  It's forgiveness from God.  How can assure that we are forgiven by God?  

We looked at the Parable of the Prodigal Son for some keys to forgiveness.  It was a great message on a very important topic. 

If you would like to read the message, or hear the audio recording of it, click the title below. 

10-14 - Finding Forgiveness

Thanks for reading!