About 20 years ago, a man received a call from his mother while deployed in Iraq. It was the weekend, and she asked if he had to work on Sundays. He replied “Mom, we have to work every day… it’s a war.” (Jeanice Shelley, Reader’s Digest 2/08 p. 50)
Last Sunday we talked about the fact that we are at war with Satan. When Peter declared “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” Jesus replied “On this rock (Peter’s confession) I will build my church, and the GATES of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
Gate are attached to things like fortresses and castles, and they’re designed to keep people like you and me… out. But Jesus was saying that wasn’t going to happen. The Gates of Hell WILL NOT prevail against us. We will not be kept out of Satan’s fortress. We will enter; we will conquer; and we will overcome. We are literally fighting a war we can’t lose … as long as take it seriously.
Jesus BUILT His church (not of brick and mortar) but with people like you and I. And He built His church with us – so that you and I will take the fight to Satan. We’re not here to defend buildings. We are here to conquer Hell. We are an army on the march.
ILLUS: I’m something of a history buff and I’ve read a lot about WWII. One of the things that has caught my attention was that when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor – America was not ready to go to war. They didn’t have enough war factories; They didn’t have enough ships or airplanes; and they didn’t have the standing army to fight Japan… let alone Germany and Italy.
But within about 2 years’ time, that began to change.
ILLUS: According to one source: During WWII, each front-line soldier needed 18 support people to meet their needs. Each day, he needed 96 bullets, 6 pounds of food and up to 20 pints of water. Those needs basically amounted to 1 ton of material, food and water each month. For every yard he advanced a soldier needed a team of 18 support troops, clerks and cooks, mechanics and medics to service his needs. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faVjvreNHGQ – begin at 44:02)
The soldiers and their support team needed each other - just as we need each other.
Now why did I tell you all that? Well, first, many churches aren’t ready to go to war with Satan. They don’t have the resources; They don’t have the support group; and they barely have a standing army. And one of the reasons they aren’t ready for war is summed up in this verse “If the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?” I Corinthians 14:8
Too many churches don’t give a distinct call for battle. They’re too busy playing “CHURCH”. They’re too busy with programs, and entertainment for the crowd. And as I said last week – they’re just too busy doing ministry for themselves inside the walls of their building.
That’s why we keep hearing people ask this annoying question “Do I Have To Go To Church? They just don’t see CHURCH as a priority.
Now I’ve seen several memes that try to address that question.
#1 - The first one (shown on screen) shows a person trying to put air into a huge tire with these words “Trying to live a Christian life without the fellowship of the church.” Essentially its declaring: “If you’re struggling & you need some AIR in your tires, you need to get to Church.”
#2 – The 2nd one has a very artsy view of church seating with one seat illuminated in white with the words “We have a spot RESERVED for you … we miss you.”
#3 – The 3rd meme is perhaps my favorite. It has a scene from “Mama’s Family” with the son telling Mama “Now Mama, you don’t need to go to church to go to heaven.” To which Mama replies “Well you don’t have to have a parachute on to jump out of an airplane either, but it certainly helps.”
Now I like all of those MEMES… but as I studied for this sermon, I realized that they ALL miss the point. All those memes make church all about you... and it's all about me.
ILLUS: A huge church did a door-to-door survey a few years back and asked (Willow Creek) “If you don’t go to church, why not? The five biggest reasons: (1) Boring, (2) Irrelevant, (3) Asking for money all the time, (4) I’m too busy already, (5) I feel awkward at church.
Notice, all those excuses reflect an attitude of “Church Is All About Me!.” And that’s why people ask “Why Should I Go To Church?” I mean - IF it’s all about ME/ if I don’t feel like being with the church - WHY SHOULD I GO? That’s why those memes don’t hit the mark. Asking that question (“why I should be at church?”) is like a Marine asking: Do I have to go to boot camp? Do I have to go thru drill? Do I have to train and exercise all the time?
Answer: Well yeah! If you want to be ready for war that’s what you do! (PAUSE) Did you realize our nation’s Marines/Army/Navy/ Air force don’t ever bribe people to come to bootcamp? Why not? Because, while we have a volunteer army, once those folks sign up for duty it’s required! They have to be there!
In the same way, if you gonna be a soldier of the Cross - you need to be here! Now granted the military punishes you if you don’t show up. But we don’t do that … anymore. True, in the year 1610 in Virginia - people who failed to show up for church services for 3 consecutive Sundays were to be executed. But like I said… we don’t do that anymore.
Church Is Bootcamp and Acts 2:42 tells us what Christian bootcamp is like: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42
Notice the first item on that list “Apostles’ Teaching.” It’s first for a reason. It’s there because it’s of first importance. Without the teachings of the Apostles (we call it the New Testament) we don’t have anything. We’re just a club, a social gathering, or group who hangs together. Too many churches don’t preach Scripture. Too many churches ignore the Bible because its inconvenient.
Someone once said, “The Bible is an armory of heavenly weapons, a laboratory of infallible medicines, a mine of inexhaustible wealth. It is a guidebook for every road, a chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, and a balm for every wound.” Thomas Guthrie
Everything we know about Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit/ Church, Christian living, etc. it’s all in here. And if it ain’t here, it’s not worth talking about. Our brotherhood has a saying “Where the Bible speaks we speak. And where the Bible is silent we try to be silent.” We don’t always get that right… but that’s our goal. There is no CREED; there is no book of DOCTRINE; There is no DECREE of a church denomination; that equals the depth and power of Apostles’ Doctrine. The Bible you hold in your hands IS GOD’S WORD. That’s why Paul said: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” II Timothy 3:16-17
The New Testament is our authority (the Apostles’ Teachings). Ephesians 6:17 tells us “the sword of the Spirit… is the word of God”. On Wednesday Nights our Youth) have something they call “Sword drills” where they teach the elementary kids to find Bible verse and learn what those verse say. In the same way we gather here to become familiar with God’s Word. You learn to use your “Sword” during Sunday School classes; the New Class this week; Saturday morning prayer breakfasts; Monday afternoon ladies’ study and Thursday night Bible Study. All of our teachers take bible seriously, because – of first importance – we must know that book. Otherwise. we’re helpless
Now SECOND on the list is FELLOWSHIP. Believe it or not fellowship is important even for the military. Now they don't call it "fellowship" - they have a much more manly phrase like "team cohesiveness." When an army prepares for war, they do almost everything together. A main goal for a military unit to build stronger cohesion in the team. One website said that – to build a strong team - you have to be deliberate. You have to actively create: Mutual Support – get them to the point where they depend on each other. Cooperation – the military trains as a team, they go over the same obstacle courses help each other over the same walls. They tend to cheer each other on. Coax, challenge, cajole one another. They tend to do to do get other team member succeed. They seek team cohesion. Communication is key! Clearly articulate the mission, goal, or objective. Schedule and prepare for unit training events. Train, train, and train. Task cohesion develops as a team tackles a task together, so training is critical in strengthening the bonds of working together. (https://www.hprc-online.org/total-force-fitness/gotmysix/resources/building-team-cohesion-military-units)
Fellowship is all about creating a church that hangs together, and works together, and understands THE GOALS of the group. That’s why Hebrews 10:24-25 says “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
And that’s what this church does all the time. I watch in amazement as you work together on various ministries. I watch in wonder as I many of you will pick up communion, for folks who can’t get out of their seats. I marvel that (during our greeting time) we can’t hardly shut you up. And that’s for just for starters. Church is all about being together and you thrive on that.
The 3rd thing on the list is COMMUNION (Acts 2 calls it “breaking bread”). The Lord’s Supper is the one of the 4 pillars of church worship because it explains why we’re here. Communion explains why we meet every Sunday. We meet eat with Jesus. We meet to proclaim that He died for us. We meet to learn what we should do for Jesus. I mean – if He died for me then I need to serve Him (I owe Him). It was so important to the early Christians that they met weekly to take communion. Acts 20:7 “On the first day of the week… we were gathered together to break bread.”
And that’s what the early church for the first few hundred years - every week of every year. But why do it weekly? Because this is a place where we quietly remember our sins and we ask God to forgive us, BEFORE we take of communion. Communion is weekly proclamation – HE DIED FOR ME and so - I must be willing to believe that and to live for Him. Jesus paid a really high price for me. Thus, I’ve got to ready and willing to war for Him.
ILLUS: Just the taste of grape juice is powerful. A 7 years old girl went to the refrigerator and grabbed a grape… juice box. As she tasted it… she hesitated… then she took it to her sister and asked her to drink of it – "Here, taste this, and tell me if it tastes like church.” Communion should be such a powerful force in our lives that even drinking a cup of grape juice should taste like church.
Lastly, church is a gathering where … we PRAY. Not that we can’t pray any other time of the week. I mean I can pray all by myself in the woods. It’s just that when we pray as a group it of unleashes power from God in a unique way. And things happened when the early church prayed. One of the most impressive prayers (for me) is found in Acts 4 where we’re told Peter and John had been arrested for preaching Jesus. They were brought to the Sanhedrin where they were commanded not to preach about Jesus anymore!
So Peter and John returned to the church … and told them all about it. And then they prayed… they prayed: “‘Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And WHEN THEY HAD PRAYED, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:29-31
THAT’S the kind of praying we need strive for. Not halfhearted “well, if you don’t mind… if you’re not too busy” kind of prayer. We want to pray prayers that shakes building. A prayer with anticipation so built into it that it changes US. Hebrews 10:19-22 tells us that "since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water."
Because of the blood of Jesus, we now have boldness to enter into the very presence of God to boldly make our petitions before His throne.
ILLUS: D.L. Moody once said “If God is your partner, make your plans large.”
CLOSE: We are the army of God. We are Christians soldiers, marching as to war. We stand up for Jesus… and lift high his royal banner. And when we meet to worship God - we talk about the Apostles’ Doctrine; we DO Fellowship; we FOCUS in Communion on Christ’s sacrifice; AND WE PRAY. When we do that we prepare for war.
ILLUS: I’m told that centuries ago in a mountain village in Europe, a wealthy nobleman wondered what legacy he should leave to his townspeople. So he decided to build them a church. But no one was permitted to see the plans or the inside of the church until everything was finished. At its grand opening, the people came and marveled at beauty of the new building. Everything had been thought of and included. It was a masterpiece. But then someone said, “Wait a minute! Where are the lamps? It is really quite dark in here. How will the church building be lighted?”
The nobleman pointed to some brackets in the walls, and then he gave each of the families a lamp, which they were to bring with them each time they came to worship. “Each time you are here, the place where you are seated will be lighted. Each time you are not here, that place will be dark. This is to remind you that whenever you fail to come to gather with the church, some part of God’s house will be dark.” (Reader’s Digest 2/08 p. 50)
