BACK TO CHURCH SUNDAY
Scott Bayles, pastor
First Christian Church, Rosiclare, IL
It is so easy to hit the snooze button on Sunday morning when the alarm sounds at seven o'clock, roll over and go back to sleep. Maybe you had every intention of going to church, maybe Sunday School, too...even had your clothes laid out, but your sleepy side wins and you satisfy your conscience with the thought, "Next Sunday."
Then again, why do we even go to church?
You go to school to get an education so you can make a living. You go to work to make money so you can pay the bills. You go to the gym for exercise and better health. You go to the mall to shop for clothes and the grocery store to buy food. You go to the lake to fish, the ball game to cheer, and golf course for fun.
But church? Why go to there? Why get up early on one of your few off-days? Why go through the hassle of dressing up and the getting the kids ready? Why go to the trouble of finding a parking space near the front and pew space near the back?
Why go to church?
If you've ever found yourself wondering about that little question, you're not alone. Surveys tell us that as many as 79% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, yet only 20% of Americans attend church regularly. I guess some people look at going to church as a bother—an unnecessary burden to be avoided whenever possible—a perfectly good hour wasted in order to keep a wife or a preacher or a parent off their backs. Others see it as sort of like punching a spiritual clock or earning brownie points with their Maker.
But to someone who understands church and what it's really all about, going to church can be the most spiritually fulfilling, inspiring thing you do all week.
The Book of Acts tells the story of how the church got started. Fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, he sent the Holy Spirit to empower his disciples. They went out and began preaching about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus—the Good News. Millions of people listened, thousands believed. Then at the end of Acts 2, we find this short snapshot of what life was like in the early church:
"Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved." (Acts 2:41-47 NLT)
If we could pause and look intently at this poignant paragraph, I think we'd finally begin to realize the real purpose of the church and why we meet together every week. Looking at the example of this very first group of Christians reveals five reasons why the church exists and why you should be a part of it. The first thing that church brings into our lives is membership.
MEMBERSHIP
In other words, the church gives us a place to belong. The passage we read in Acts is absolutely flooded with fellowship. The Bible says, "All the believers devoted themselves... to fellowship, and to sharing in meals...and all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had." Jesus gave these new believers a sense of community, belonging and togetherness at a level that you cannot find anywhere else in the world.
All of us need a place to belong. All of us need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. All of us need to experience family and fellowship. Vance Packard calls America "a nation of strangers, and studies show that 4 out of 10 people experience feeling of intense loneliness. Our American culture produces people who more closely identify with characters on a weekly TV series than with their next-door neighbors. Everywhere you look, there are signs that people are hungering for fellowship, community, and a sense of family. Beer commercials don't sell beer; they sell fellowship. Advertisers don't portray someone drinking alone; it's always in the context of enjoying each other's company. People long to be connected.
There are many analogies for a Christian disconnected from a church: a football player without a team; a soldier without a platoon; a tuba player without an orchestra; a sheep without a flock. But the most understandable and biblical pictures is that of a child without a family. That family is the church. God does not want his children growing up in isolation from each other, so he created a spiritual family on earth for us. A Christian without a church family is an orphan.
This fall when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in V formation, you might be interested in knowing what science has discovered about why they fly that way. It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. Christians who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are traveling on the thrust on one another.
Also, when a goose gets sick or wounded and falls out of formation, two other geese follow him to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly, or until he is dead, and then they launch out to catch up with their group. Jesus gave us the church so that we could do the same for one another: support each other and stand by each other when we're down and out.
Secondly, church gives us an opportunity to magnify the God who made us.
MAGNIFICATION
Going back to Acts 2, the Bible says, "They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity, all the while praising God" (vs. 46-47 NLT).
In case no one has ever told you this, it's not all about you. It's about Jesus. Church gives us an opportunity to worship God the Father and his Son Jesus, though the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, I've said more times than I can count that worship is far more than what goes on in a brick building for one hour on Sunday mornings; worship is a way of life. But the truth is that most of us don't worship God on our own.
Life is busy and hectic, and we're so easily distracted. All of life should be worship, but usually it's not. Church gives us one hour a week of focused worship and attention on Jesus Christ. I've always like how David described worship. He said, "Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!" (Psalm 34:3 ESV).
Do you know what it means to magnify something? When I was a kid, my dad bought my mom a colossal crimson-colored telescope for her birthday one year. I remember taking it out on the back porch; my dad steadied it as I climbed up on a small stool to peer through the little lens. That telescope magnified the moon! In other words, it made the moon bigger to me as I gazed in awe at its radiance, its cavernous craters and majestic mountains. The same thing happens when we magnify, or worship, God. He becomes bigger in our hearts and lives as we stand in awe of his indescribable beauty, his inexpressible splendor and incomprehensible wonder.
If you let yourself be truly immersed in worship, no matter what style of worship service you prefer, you will feel God's presence in this place, and it will stay with you.
Third, church helps lead us to spiritual maturity.
MATURITY
Jumping back to Acts 2 again, the Bible says, "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to prayer" (vs. 42 NLT). In other words, they were committed to learning more about Jesus, who was the focus of the apostles' teaching, and growing to become more like him.
Let me explain something that I don't think a lot of preachers say: We don't study the Bible so that we can sound smart in Sunday school; we study the Bible so that, through it, the Holy Spirit can change us and make us more like Christ. The Bible says, "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1). God want to develop in you the kind of character described in the beatitudes of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, the fruit of the Spirit and Paul's great love chapter.
The Holy Spirit uses a variety of methods to lead us into Christ-likeness. He often uses the circumstances of life—trials and tragedies—to shape our character. He uses worship—as Emerson once noted, "It behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming." He also uses other people—fellowshipping with people who are more spiritually mature than we are helps us to grow. He definitely uses prayer—the more time you spend talking with God, the more you start to sound like him yourself. But I still believe the tool he uses more than any other is God's Word. In fact, the Bible calls the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit. As Rick Warren puts it, "The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make you more like the Son of God."
When you come to church—into the fellowship of other spiritually growing people—and hear the Word of God being preached, it teaches you what it really means to be like Jesus, it challenges you to follow in his steps, and hopefully it inspires you and equips you to be able to do it. Church helps us grow to spiritual maturity.
Fourth, going to church prepares you for ministry.
MINISTRY
Look at what else the church was doing in Acts 2: "A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders ... They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need" (vs. 43-45 NLT).
While the apostles were out healing the sick, blind and crippled, other Christians were helping the poor and looking out for one another. This points us to another great reason the church exists and you should be a part of it—ministry.
You were put on earth to make a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources—to eat, drink, and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life. While many best-selling books offer advice on how to get the most out of life, that's not why God made you. You were created to add to life on earth. God wants you to give something back.
The Bible says, "God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing" (Ephesians 2:10 NCV). These "good works" are your ministry. God has a ministry for you and the best place to discover and start fulfilling your ministry is in his church.
Unlike the apostles, we can't all go around healing the sick. We don't all have the resources to sell some property and give to the poor. But we all have special gifts, abilities, experiences and interests that God has given us for ministry.
If you love to cook, you can make meals for shut-ins. If you've got a heart for kids, you were probably made for children's ministry. Who better to help a recovering alcoholic than someone who fought that demon and found freedom? If you've been through the tragedy of divorce, God can use you to comfort others who are experiencing that same heartbreak. The possibilities are limitless. Unfortunately, so are the excuses.
If you've been saved and you're not involved in any service or ministry, what excuses are you using? Abraham was old, Jacob was insecure, Leah was unattractive, Gideon was poor, David had an affair and all kinds of family trouble, Elijah was suicidal, Jeremiah was depressed, Naomi was a widow, the Samaritan woman had five failed marriages, Thomas had doubts, and Timothy was timid. Yet, God used each of them in his service. He'll use you, too, if you let him.
Finally, being a part of the church helps you to understand and carry out your life's mission.
MISSION
Returning to Acts 2 one last time, the Bible says, "And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47 NLT). The church's mission is the same as Christ's mission—to seek and save the lost. When you get saved, Jesus adds you to his church and, therefore, his mission becomes your mission.
In church, we all have the same mission: to share the Good News of Jesus and his saving grace with a bent and broken world. You might fulfill your mission by sharing your testimony—the story of how you came to Jesus and what he's done in your life. You might carry out your mission by telling people the Good News—explaining the sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection of Christ and what that means to the world. Or maybe you will accomplish your mission by simply inviting people to church and letting them hear the Good News there.
The church in Jerusalem grew from 120 to 3000 in just one day. By Acts 4, that number had risen to 5000 and, by Acts 6 there were too many to count—all because they knew they had a mission and they set out to get it done.
Is anyone going to be in heaven because of you? Will anyone in heaven be able to say to you, "I want to thank you. I'm here because you cared enough to share the Good News with me." Imagine the joy of greeting people in heaven whom you helped get there. The eternal salvation of a single soul is more important than anything else you will ever achieve in life.
Conclusion:
I hope that I've given you enough reasons to get up and go to church nest Sunday! The truth is church isn't just something you attend; it's something you are. When you understand what it means to not just go to church, but be the church, you discover your life's true purpose—you were made to be a member of his family, to magnify his glory, to mature in his image, to be a minister of his mercy, and a missionary of his grace.
Invitation:
Maybe you've been out of church for a while and you want to get back into it. Maybe you've been coming to church your whole life and you've missed what it's really all about. Or maybe you've never been born again into God's eternal family. In any case, this invitation is for you. You can come to the front and dedicate or re-dedicate yourself to Christ and his church or you can talk to me privately and we'll figure out the next step together.
