Psalm 46:10.
Be still, and know that I am
God; I will be exalted among
the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
BE STILL
(STOP WORRYING)
BE STILL (GOD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU).
BE STILL. (STOP YOUR BUSYNESS).
BE STILL,
(START LISTENING).
GOD HAS CREATED US TO BE IN COMMUNITY
TO BE PART OF A FAMILY AND
TO HAVE REGULAR FELLOWSHIP
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD IS THE PERSONAL PART AND WE LOOKED AT THAT LAST WEEK
TODAY WE LOOK AT THE CHURCH.
THROUGH HIS WORD.
THROUGH HIS CHURCH (LOCAL).
DEVOTIONALS.
CHRISTIAN FRIENDS (MENTORS).
THROUGH HIS CHURCH (UNIVERSAL).
THROUGH SONG.
THROUGH GOOD RECOMMENDED BOOKS.
HAVE WE
OPENED THE
DOOR?
WE OPEN THE
DOOR BY
PREPARING
OUR HEARTS
AND OPENING
OUR EARS..
PREPARATION IS NEEDED IF WE COME TO CHURCH EXPECTING THE LORD TO SPEAK TO US, IT IS AN ACT OF FAITH ON OUR PART
2 Kings 3:16-18.
And he said, Thus says the Lord: Make this valley full of ditches. For thus says the Lord: You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink. And this is a simple matter in the sight of the Lord; He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
Hosea 10:12.(ERV)
If you plant goodness, you will harvest faithful love. Plough your ground, and you will harvest with the Lord. He will come, and he will make goodness fall on you like rain.
AS MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY,
IF WE DON’T DO SOME PLOUGHING EVENTUALLY GOD WILL DO SOME PLOUGHING.
ARE WE ALERT AND PREPARED TO
HEAR FROM THE LORD WHEN WE
FELLOWSHIP TOGETHER?
HAVE WE DONE SOME WEEDING
AND SOME PLOUGHING?
HAVE WE HAD ENOUGH SLEEP
HAVE WE GOT RID OF THE ROCKS
OF OFFENCE AT THE COST OF
DISCIPLESHIP?
JESUS TOLD US TO COUNT THE COST!
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF DISCIPLESHIP HAVE NOT CHANGED IN THE LAST TWO THOUSAND YEARS.
AND WE SIGNED THEM WHEN WE CHOSE TO FOLLOW JESUS.
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF DISCIPLESHIP HAVE NOT CHANGED IN THE LAST TWO THOUSAND YEARS.
BAPTISM
Matthew 16:24-25.
Jesus told his disciples, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
THIS IS WHAT YOU ADVERTIZED TO OTHERS WHEN
YOU WERE BAPTIZED.
DYING TO SELF, SO THAT CHRIST COULD LIVE
THROUGH YOU.
PAUL SAID
Galatians 3:20.
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
JESUS IS WAITING FOR US TO HEAR HIS VOICE
(HIS KNOCK AT THE DOOR OF OR HEARTS)
Revelation 3:20.
Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my
voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.
THIS HAS AN APPLICATION TO THE CHURCH
FAMILY, AND THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO FOCUS
ON TODAY.
JUST AS JESUS WAS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR OF THE LAODECIAN CHURCH, IF WE HAVE BECOME LIKEWARM AS A BODY IN BRAKPAN, HE WILL, I BELIEVE, HAVE BEEN KNOCKING AT OUR DOOR,THE QUESTION IS “HAVE WE HEARD HIM AND HAVE WE OPENED THE DOOR”?
CHRIST IS THE HEAD OF THE BODY AND THERE NEEDS TO BE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE HEAD AND THE BODY FOR
IT TO FUNCTION PROPERLY (I CAN
TESTIFY TO THIS SINCE MY STROKE),
BUT IN THE CHURCH THE PROBLEM IS
NEVER WITH THE HEAD,
BUT ALWAYS WITH THE BODY,
THAT IS PLAIN TO SEE IN THE LETTERS TO
THE 7 CHURCHES IN REVELATION 1 TO 3.
HAVE WE BEEN HEARING THE LORD?
Revelation 2:7.
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
YEARS AGO, WE STOPPED OUR SUNDAY EVENING GOSPEL SERVICE AFTER PRAYING AND SEEKING THE LORD’S WILL ON THE MATTER
Isaiah 1:12-14.
When you come to appear before me,
who has asked this of you, this trampling
of my courts?
Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations,
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
Your New Moon feasts and your
appointed festivals I hate with all my
being. They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
Isaiah 1:15-17.
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! DO WE HAVE THE BLOOD OF PEOPLE ON OUR HANDS?)
Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of
my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.
Ezekial 3:18.
When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.
HAVE WE HEARD WHAT THE LORD HAS BEEN SAYING TO US ABOUT PREACHING THE
GOSPEL?
WILL WE HAVE BLOOD ON OUR HANDS?
YEARS AGO, WE WERE WAITING FOR THE LOST TO COME TO CHURCH!
BUT JESUS HAS TOLD THE CHURCH TO GO TO THE LOST….
We have been given much.
Luke 12:48.
for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required;.
WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN MUCH.
Hebrews 2:1-3.
Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation.
One of the ways to open the door to the lord is to fellowship with our fellow believers.
This is a truth some ignore mainly because of offence but always because there are other priorities.
But do we really believe the lord can accept us not having a desire to fellowship with the rest of the “BODY of CHRIST” that he purchased with his own blood and whom HE loves dearly.
We are called to be like JESUS, so aren’t we supposed to love that, and those, whom HE loves.
Are we opening the door? There are some easy tests:
Are we diligently praying, studying, meditating, fasting, and not allowing our deceitful and sleepy natures to accept excuses for failure?
Are we opening our minds and hearts during services by being alert and eager?
Are we wise or foolish virgins (Matthew 25:1-12)? Have we been
lulled to sleep and see no need for urgency (II Peter 3:4)?
God knows the true answers to each one of these questions.
Do we?
Pat Higgins
I have a theory. For so long, the enemy has tried to get God’s children to turn their back completely on the Lord. But it’s a hard sell to convince someone to go from love to hate that quickly. Instead, he’s found it’s much easier to distract us from God. We now have Netflix filling the time we used to use to read our Bibles. The world’s constant noise distracts us from praying. And if we’re being honest, it’s so much easier to
skip out on church than to get up and go on
Sunday morning.
But you know what? We’re stronger than that, and we’re not going down without a fight. It’s time to take back what’s ours! In order to do that, we need to look our Sunday morning excuses square in the eyes and tell them to hit the road!
So, without further ado, here’s my list of the top 10 worst
excuses for missing church.
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN JESUS KNOCKS AT OUR DOOR?
1. I overslept.
2. The Broncos game is on early.
3. I lost track of time.
4. It's my only day to sleep in.
5. I connect with God better on the golf
course, nature trails, at the beach, etc.
6. My kid's traveling sports team only
plays on Sundays.
7. I'll just listen to a sermon via podcast.
8. It's too far to drive.
9. I don't feel like going.
10. I'm doing fine. I don't need church.
Podcasts are on the shortlist of things I love. I seriously listen to at
least three a day, and a lot of those are sermons.
But it’s time to set the record straight: No matter how thankful I am to have world-renowned teaching at my fingertips, podcasts aren’t a replacement for church. There’s so much power in being in community, having that support system of believers, and always being surrounded
by a group of people who love you and can hold you accountable.
So please, keep listening to your sermon podcasts for extra
teaching throughout the week or even to catch up if you
miss the occasional Sunday. But let’s all make it a
priority to find community within a church.
I don't feel like going.
There have been so many times that I’ve woke up Sunday morning and didn’t feel like going to church. Sometimes I stayed home, but when I went, one of two things would happen: Either I heard a sermon that was so impactful that I feel like God was speaking directly to me, or I was a sluggish lame-o the entire time at church.
While one of these situations is far more glamorous than the other, both are important. In the first situation, the enemy was trying to stop God from speaking truth into my life and I didn’t let him! In the second situation, I learned to worship God even when I was tired, groggy, or just not feeling it and that, my friends, is critical.
There will be many times in life that we’re dragging our feet to church, or to read our Bible, or to pray. But every time we push through those feelings, we’re getting another opportunity to connect with God!
IS THERE A LONGING IN YOUR HEART TO SPEND TIME WITH THE LORD AND HIS BODY?
WE’VE DONE A WHOLE SERIES ON WHY FELLOWSHIP IS VITAL!
Psalm 42:4-5.
These things I remember as I pour out my soul:how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.
1 Corinthians 12:27.
Now you are the body of Christ,
and each one of you is a part of it.
DO WE LOVE OUR BROTHERS
AND SISTERS IN CHRIST?
EVERYONE LOVES THEIR OWN BODY AND PROTECTS IT AND NOURISHES IT AND TAKES EXTRA CARE OF IT IN TIMES OF ILLNESS.
Ephesians 5:28-33.
After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church, for we are members of his body.
1 Corinthians 12:12-28.
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.
1 Corinthians 12:12-28.
If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, I don’t need you! And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable
1 Corinthians 12:12-28.
But God has put the body together, giving greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.
In most congregations, there are varying degrees of commitment among the members...
The faithful few
who can always be
counted on to do whatever is needed.
b. The fairly faithful
who attend somewhat
regularly, but are not as
dependable.
c. The C&E group
who attend only on Christmas,
Easter, and other special days.
d. Then there is the FPO group
(using a church for funeral
purposes only).
There are those whose ministry
is one of support while other ministries get more of the
limelight, but those ministries
are vital and without them the body would collapse.