Why Church?
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Talk about Darius
This leads me to my topic for this morning and the topic is WHY CHURCH?
Now I must admit that this sermon was a kind of hard sermon to put together because the truth is I have been delaying this for quite a while
In fact I belive it is more than a year I was getting this prompting to write this sermon but I kept ducking it and putting it off because it is a bit personal some of the things I have to share but I feel this urging to share on this topic of Why Church?
The prompting is not just to talk about what the scriptures say or what the bible says but to share personally how being part of the church has actually helped me grow.....
You see it’s very easy to share on what the Bible says about a certain topic but it’s a totally different thing when you share how this have actually impacted your life.....
It’s easier to speak of the general instead of the personal.......
It’s easy for me to tell principles about what the bible says about raising kids than for me to have to raise them myself
This sermon might be a little different from my regular sermons because it may be a bit more personal because i feel this prompting to share it like this
Pastor Mario always says when it comes to speaking that not to preach outside your experiences
Don’t preach above your head
Don’t preach about things you have not experience
Don’t preach about marriage if you not married......
This sermon is definitely not about marriage.....cause I aint qualified
As I said i am hear to talk to you about why Church?
I heard it said there are lots of people who only come to church 3 times in their lives
When they hatch, when they match and when they despatched.
3 times in life alone they have come to church........
Why church?
Think about that for a second.
Why should we come to church?
What is so important about church?
Monday - Friday we have to go to work or to school if you are a child
Saturday - some people still have to work
Satuday some kids have to go lessons
Monday to Saturday we are occupied now you telling me I have to come to church on a sunday now
Come on nah man
Why church?
Why can;t i sleep in ?
Danny was sharing how he used to rip out his clothes not to come to church
I myself used to duck having to come to church cause I wanted to sleep late and watch cartoons
I don’t know if neisha used to fuss as well or maybe she a saint since she small and always like coming to church
But for me and Danny - we were the opposite of David
1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
I was sad when they said to me
My dad would bribe me with KFC to come to church
I not in this chuch thing nah
Doh tell me about this chuch thing
I aint want nothong to do with that chuch thing
Could it be that the thing you running from the most is the thing that would help you to Grow The Most
I remember after having read out the Bible the next step I felt prompted to do is to join the church
Make a commitment that when Sunday comes I will no longer be home sleeping, I will no longer be home watchng tv but I will be in church....
And that is where I started....
The only commitment I had was I will be in youth group on a friday and Church on a Sunday......
That was all I did
There may have been other things going on but this was where I started.....
If you are where i was when I was around 12-13 years then a good place to start is by coming to church......
I wasn’t looking for any postion, I wasn’t looking for anything except to be where God is and where his people are on a Sunday....
That’s it
When I look around today at who is still here from when I joined it’s just a few who still here
I see Sister Chan, Danny, Neisha and just a few others
Some have died, some have gone to different churches and some have just quit totally this chuch thing
They want nothing to do with this chuch thing
I am sure if I were to ask Neisha and Danny what is one discipline that has played a huge role in their spiritual growth they would both mention that being part of the church helped groom them into the people they are today.....
I want to assure you that if you will just commit yourself to not just being a member of a church but actually being a part of it - you will grow in lots of different ways that cannot be done otherwise
This question of why church is a very important question we need to ask ourselves post pandemic because I think we are seeing a world wide decline in church attendance since the pandemic and after the pandemic
A lot of peope have lost a reason to come to church now.
before the pandemic a lot of people didnt see the importance of church but now even more post pandemic we are seeing what is happening with members of churches
people who may have once been faithful members of a church are not so faithful post pandemic
Members who came almost every sunday are not coming so often again
They are not even viewing the services online
It’s like church has lost it’s importance to people
This is not just something that is happening in Trinidad but it is happening all over the world
Covid 19 has not only taken the lives of people but it has taken the membership of churches as well
One major issue we see during Covid was that it caused a great divide among Christians
This whole debate about vaccine caused people to fall out with their own brethren over what they believed was in it and it caused people to watch down on each other
There were some who were pro vax and those who were anti vax and both held strong opinions of what they believed and caused a great divide in churches today.
The Devil used that vaccine to cause a great divide in the church
Some members said it was taking the mark of the beast and if you took the vaccine you cant call yourself a member of a church no more.
I am not here to debate this vaccine but to show the challenges that Pastors have to face in a post pandemic world when it comes to getting people to come back to church.
I believe the devil will do any and everything in his power to keep you away from church.
The Devil knows that we can do a lot of great things as a church when we are united
When we are not United nothing much can be obtained
The Devil uses theological differences to cause people to have big arguments and big falling outs
Recently I was among some church people who were talking about Grace vs the Law and if the 10 commandments are necessary for our Salvation
Well you know that was a can of worms opened there and it caused someone to shout at others in other to prove his point and it caused a lot of friction
Some even left after they saw what was happening
We allow these petty issues to destroy churches
Politics is a huge divide as well
Trump vs Biden
The American church was greatly divided in this area with some prophets even prophesying that Trump would win and when he didnt win
Man it was a great divider especially for the American church for those who was following that election
If the devil can create disunity in a church he can success in stopping a church from being effective
So why church?
What benefit is there for me in coming to a Church?
What benefit have I personally experienced ?
The Church Will Help You Grow In Ways No other Discipline Can
The Church Will Help You Grow In Ways No other Discipline Can
Here is what happens when you really go out there and give yourself to the Local Church and Body of Christ
By being involved in a Church it will introduce you to a you whom you never met before
What I mean is by being involved in the church you will find yourself doing things you didnt think you could do and other people didnt think you could do.
If you had told me I would one day be sharing from God’s Word and being a preacher of God’s Word I would have told you, you smoking too much cocaine
Not me - I cant do them kinda thing
Here’s the thing - when you involved in church you get opportunities and you get to see what you good at and not so good at
Or for me when it comes to acting
Man people when they see me act for the first time they get shocked
They say way sah- I didnt think you an actor - you not like that in real
A day i invited my coworker and he brought his wife to a concert
He said his wife was shocked and she told him “ i thought you say he is a quiet fella”
By being involed in the church it will introdce you to a you whom you never met before
You will be shocked at the change in your life and others will be shocked as well
This can only happen if you give yourself to the Church
Reading the Bible is good, praying is Good but to really be effective in both of those areas you have to be part of the church
I wont have ever been so good an actor if it wasnt for being part of the church and getting so much opportunities
If i had stayed home I would have never been able to act
Im not gonna act in front of some teddy bears
I need an audience
If you would get involved in the church you will be surprsed at what you become
The Church Helps To Keep You Accountable
The Church Helps To Keep You Accountable
One thing I must admit that helped me as a young believer growing up in church is that the accountability that happens when you are part of the church
From an early age I have been playing drums on a Sunday
In fact I would say over 20 years continuously playing drums and I think it is a helpful thing to keep young people in church when they know they accountable especially on a Sunday to do something
It have many young people who passed through this church but never remained or stayed for a while and then they left
Maybe if there was some sort of role that they had and they knew they was needed
They knew that on a Sunday they were making a difference it would have helped them to remain
I know the youth group is in a period of transition right now and this may be one way to help keep the young people
I see Sarai and Darius being trained right now which is a step in the right direction
It worked in keeping me and if you look at all those who are still in the church you would see it was similar in that people like Danny, Susan, Neisha, Tabitha and all these others had a role on Sunday and they still here today
Because here is the thing - The World is calling out to young people and not so young people to join them
The Church is where you will get help and give help
The Church is where you will get help and give help
There are going to be times in your life when things are not going to go well for you
There are going to be times when troubles are coming your way and you cant deal with it on your own
There are going to be problems that your average friend cannot help you with or even the doctors cannot help you with but you need someone to help you that is divine
I am sure Sister Susan can agree with me in this when I say there are times when you just need a group of church people to just come surround you and pray and encourage during times of distress
I am sure Sister Gladys will say the same
I remember the parable of the prodigal son
That son fell terribly
Made a mess of his life and had reached the stage of going to eat pig food
I believe if this young man had some church people in his friends
He won’t have reached that level of mess
If he had some people he was accountable to he would have been better of
I highly doubt he would have reached such a level
If someone belongs to a church and they reach the level of eating pig food and no one in the church reaches out to that person then that is shameful..
Also as I said - you belong to a church and you can do something for them
You can be a blessing to someone as well
Many times people feel that when they give to the church that nothing is being done with that money but when you give you actually help people without you even knowing
That little tithe or offering that you give it goes a long way in helping people in their needs and their struggles
When you in church you can give help and get help
Just recently we had this memorial by us and several people in the church played a part in helping for that
Now I would like to share some scriptural reasons
It’s a Command in the New Testament
It’s a Command in the New Testament
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
In this verse we see that it is important for us to meet together as a Body.
We are living in trying times and many people are giving up on meeting together but it says we ought not to give up on meeting together
I wonder what our lives would look like if God only showed up at our house as often as we showed up at His. The Bible is clear about the importance of assembling or coming together
We have some dry season Christians
I want to ask you a question to think about
Think of someone who you know used to be in church and they are no longer in church.
Look at how they live now compared to the average church memeber who is always in church.
I am sure that for the majority of people who are no longer in church - there lives are a mess.
There lives may be successful in the World’s eyes but when it comes to the things of the kingdom their lives are falling apart spiritually
If i take a year off church I can guarantee I may find myself getting into a lot of trouble becuase there is no one to encourage me in the things of God
he says in verse 24 consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds
Did you know in the Bible there are close to around 60 one anothers that are recorded
We cannot follow these one anoothers without being part of a local church
some examples are
…Be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50)
2. “…Wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)
3. “…Love one another…” (John 13:34)
12. “…Stop passing judgment on one another.” (Romans 14:13)
13. “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you…” (Romans 15:7)
14. “…Instruct one another.” (Romans 15:14)
I like how Andy Stanley puts it
He says The primary activity of the church was one-anothering one another. – Andy Stanley
To stay away from church is to spit in God’s face and despise his gift of the kingdom.
R. C. Sproul
The Church Needs You
The Church Needs You
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;
7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;
8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
Now I dont know about your job but in my job they tend to always call me even when I am not working
I could apply for holidays and be on holidays and they calling me about an issue they are having
A technical issue
They call me because they need me
I have a gift that is unique to me and nobody else in the entire school has the speciality skill that I have
In the same way how my work needs me - the church needs you
Time will not permit but God gave every single person spiritual gifts and talents that are unique to them
You have gifts that are unique to you and the church needs that gift that you have
The Local church needs your gift
Gospel Lighthouse needs your gift
Could you imagine if Sister Susan did not give her gift of singing to this church
Not only would our church be struggling but IPA on a whole will be struggling without her voice
When you not in church people should miss your presence
The preacher just wants your money
Jesus Gave Himself For The Church
Jesus Gave Himself For The Church
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
To really know the value of something you need to look at the price someone is willing to pay for it
Jesus gave up his entire life for the Church
In this passage we see Paul using the anlogy of marriage in order to help us understand something about the church that we cannot see.
He said that husands love their wives by giving up their lives.
I heard Lydia testifying on Thursday how when she had her eye surgery Sanjay gave up himself to make sure she was taken care of.
Well in the same way Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified by order of ROme, risen from the dead on the third day - gave himself up for the Church
Through his sacrifice on the Cross, he pardoned all who turn from their sins and trust him.
Today you can be holy because Jesus gave his body.
Just as you nourish and cherish your body, so Christ nourishes and cherishes his church.
I believe this is the most important reason this morning
Imagine we have Christians today who know this but yet want nothing to do with the Church.
Nothing to do with joining a local church and nothing to do with fellow Christians.
Jesus gave himself up for you and I today.
Paul told the Church in Corinth
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
notice it says each one of us is part of the Church
I think sometimes we can forget that each and everyone is part of it
Sometimes in Churches we see some members being favored over others because of their status in society and some seems to be treated as though they belong more than others but according to Paul - we all are one big family
the “stage team” exercise theirs
Christ died for all
Christ gave up himself for all
So the member in the church who is a cleaner is just as much a member of the body of Christ as the member who is a bank manager
Salick Brother
Some people we look down on, the kingdom of darkness trembles at the sounds of their name
The member who cant play a musical instrument is just as important as the member who cant even keep a timing while clapping their hands
The member who is a backup singer is just as important as the member who is the backdown singer
We need to realise that all is important in the Body and we all play a part and Christ Dad for us all and it is a big insult for us to say “me aint want nothing to do with no local church”
I can’t stand them
In this body no one is more important than any other because everyone belongs by grace alone through faith alone.
The Elephant In The Room
The Elephant In The Room
Before I conclude I just want to speak about the Elephant In the Room
thta is the topic of Church Hurt
A lot of people want nothing to do with the church because of church hurt
Now hear is the thing
The church is an organisation whether we see it like that or not and just like every organisation in the world it is comprised of imperfect people
None of us is perfect
Sometimes we will say things and do things that hurt each other
It is just the way how things are
The Church is our Spiritual Family
We have our natural families and we have our church families
Our natural families can sometimes do things to hurt us
Yes or Yes
We hurt each other
Sometimes we get vex and say things that we later regret to our parents our siblings etc
And we learn to get past that hurdle and sometimes we don’t
Sometimes we as Kids can sometimes forget all that our parents did for us and we allow some petty dispute to mash us up
We quick to throw our paretns into a home for elderly people because we cant stand them no more
We forget and we throw them under the bus over sometimes very petty issues
Sometimes marriages breaking up because the husband cant seem to lift the toilet seat when he goes to use the toilet
These little issues can break up families
Here is the thing
a lot of times we allow little issues to break up the church
We get vex if we not get the leadership position
Sometimes we allow these things to get to us and we quick to break ties with people whom we once called brother and sister
We fall straight into the pit of the enemy
These incidents are incidents that happen a lot in churches today and it breaks them up
The Devil is scared of the church and if he can mash it up he will
I know at times people disappointed me and i disappointed people
It is a natural part of life
We got to learn to give and also forgive
These are moments where God can use to help us to learn to be a little more like Cinnamon
It’s not always easy
When we go through these times ask God to help you to forgive that person and also ask him to help you to humble yourself and learn to ask for forgiveness when you in the wrong
Sometimes we can be wrong and strong and only God can help us there to change
One of the fruit of the Spririt is Patience
Talk about me and not going cell group
Sometimes life can hit you in ways you didnt predict and cant anticipate
Peter and Jesus
Conclusion
Conclusion
You see, you belong to God and to one another. One body and many members - including you.
You have many reasons not to come to church but one reason why it is important
Because you see through these people
I want you right just to spend a few moments and just look around at the people around you.....
Through these poeple whom you may not like so much God wants to show his love to you.
It is the only kind of love that draws us out of ourselves and inteo a fellowship that transcends all others and it is the only essential way for us to find healing together
Why Church?
Why Church?
If the gym is the natural context to pursue physical fitness, the local church is the natural context to pursue spiritual fitness. The church is God’s gymnasium. - Tim Challies
Every Sunday we should go to gym!!!!