1 Cor 3:9-13 NIV ….For we are Co-workers in God’s service ; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
This morning i want to share with you a message on what Elements are needed to Build a Thriving Church…. now
There are To many to bring up now and There are Some that i wont mention for times sake and for knowledge sake e.g i don't have all the Answers….
Im not claiming to be an Expert on Church Growth All i have is 15 years experience and watching the Growth of our Church, and the leadership; WithThat Being said I Believe that ( The Commitment of our Leadership Is one of the Greatest Determining Factors of our Growth)
as A Senior Pastor This is something i Concern myself with and also i believe at this point were In A Plateau mode ( Maintaining) here in V O Reno and i believe were in This place for a number of Reasons
1st off the buck stops Here for sure some of it has to do with the Pastors Leadership
But The Pastor cant Build a Church By Himself…. So i Asked myself what do we need to Go forward, To go to the next level… So let me share with You what I believe are The Elements needed to Continue Growing….
Let me add that I Believe these are The Elements Needed for any Church To Grow
We need first of all (The Right Atmosphere one of Love and Acceptance) Prov 19:22 Says every man and Woman are looking For Love its the desire that every Human Heart Being people must feel Welcomed; and im not Just talking about welcoming signs But ‘Welcoming people” From the Parking Lot to The Children's Ministry
Ive been to alot of churches with welcoming signs but once i got in the Church i was on my Own People are Looking for That “ Im at Home kind of Feeling”
We also need an Atmosphere where there is (Freedom To Worship God) but that freedom must be lived out from the Front Row 1st….
Each person in the congregation is an Atmosphere Setter and is critical to the atmosphere of the church services; When New people Walk into our services if their sitting next to a stiff cold Person during Worship it will stifle the Atmosphere
A Spirit of Worship is Contagious” an Atmosphere of Worship Creates an atmosphere where God "moves in" with His presence and power, drawing people to be touched, healed, forgiven, and saved.
Worship is the right response to the presence of God, a personal and biblical response., (Praise and Prayer must be The ambiance of the Church) …. Worship, Praise and Prayer are The Fruit of A Grateful People.
“A Worshipping Church”
Also for our Churches to Grow there must be an (Emphasis on Prayer) ; it must be part of the Churches Culture we must create an opportunity for there to be corporate Prayer before Church services; Have a Weekly Prayer Night, Some do it Before Work at The Church… It Must Be Happening if we want to see Growth and Transformation in the Lives of People!
The Word of God Must be Preached Doctrinally and Balanced; we are A Vision Driven Ministry But we are also A Bible Based Bible Teaching Ministry, But there must also be Vision Casting “Without it The People Perish”
Proverbs 29:18.
“ A Man With No Vision Always Returns To His Past”
The Church nor its Leadership can compromise The Word of God ; Truth is Always The Truth and Sin is Always Sin… No Compromise
Thats the Basic stuff now lets get to where we were Headed at the start; Ive Found some things that must be happening with the Lay Leadership “The Co-Workers/ Laborers” in The church;
For The Church To Grow and to Sustain its Growth; Here are some things That Must be Happening with The Co-Workers in Gods Service…
We need Workers that are willing to Work and Sacrifice ….. Sacrifice is Worship Work is a 4 letter word But its Not a Bad Word… The Bible Teaches That we were all created for Good Works ; When Adam was Placed in The Garden he was Placed there to WORK Gen 2:15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to take Ownership of It.
Eph 2:10 says we were saved for Good Works…. The term Good Works Means “Good for passing Through”. Christians labor for God in order to Please Him, not to appease Him. Christians do good works because it Delights God, not in order to be forgiven.
Christians do good works out of a Love for God, not to make God love us, out of Gratefulness, not out of Fear.
We don't make ourselves Christians by doing good things. Christians do good things because they are Christians.
Most times because we have lives outside of the Church Life: Church work becomes a-lot of Sacrifice but I've discovered Christianity without Sacrifice is Only Religion
Sacrifice is another Form of Worship…. When Abraham took Issac up Mount Moriah too Sacrifice him He told His servants He and The Lad were Going up the mount to Worship The Lord… Sacrifice Is Worship
The work will not get done if The Co- Workers are unwilling to put in The Work and I Know it gets tiring “ the World is Run by tired People…….It Takes Sacrifice to Build A Church. “ Ive Been tired Since I Got Saved…..
We need Faithful Consistent Tithers A Tithing Church is a Sign of A Healthy Church; show me a Church where People are Not Giving and ill show you an Un-Healthy Church;
If The Church or Co workers don't Tithe or Give, it will Stunt The Growth of A Church….Why do we give money to the Church? The answer is because of God.
We give as an act of Obedience “ Since God doesn't need our Money we must Conclude that “The Tithe is what God uses to test Our Obedience”, God has invited us to participate in His giving to meet the Churches Needs.
We don't give because the Church has bills We Give out of Obedience To The Word of God and the Fruit of Our Obedience will build a healthy well kept Church That Glorifies God, Obedience, Love & Gratitude are Why We Give! We Give Because its God Way of Growing Us
Babies don't GiveThey Take… When i was a Child I Behaved like a Child i Stoped becoming just A Taker and NOW IM A GIVER…. 1 Cor 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.
John 3:16… For God so loved the world, that He Gave his only Son… God is a Giver and His True Children are Givers; Our Giving is Proof of The Legitimacy of Our True Conversion….
2 Cor 8:8 God uses Giving to test The Sincerity or legitimacy of Our Love for Him (God)…
Also for The Church to Grow and fulfill its Purpose We Need Disciplers… We need People who will Work with People Model for Them what it is to Be A Believer and A Disciple
“We are Not DISCIPLES if we Don't Disciple”
Churches wont Grow without Discipleship The Apostle Paul told his Disciple Timothy 2 Tim 2:2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others… Jesus” Matt 28:19 Last command before going to be with His Father was For The Disciples to Go into every Nation and “Make Disciples” We are Living Disobedient Lives if we are Not Discipling…
We need Co Workers Church members , Team Members who will be Willing to Invest in Other People to Build them up and Model Prayer, Faithfulness, Worship, Giving Evangelism and how to Endure Hardness Like Good Soldiers…
The term "Disciples" occurs 269 times in the New Testament, while the term "Christian" only occurs 3 times, so it would seem that Jesus is not looking for Christians He is looking for Disciples… Churches wont Grow without Discipleship…. Discipleship is simply Taking another Believer and Telling Them to follow You as You Follow Christ!
We Need People who can Endure Hardship like Good Soldiers….we need people who understand Spiritual Warfare, We need People with Spiritual Discernment who are not so easily Bewitched Men and Women of God Who are not to Lazy to Fight on there Knees not to Complacent and Comfortable to Attend Prayer Meetings…
“Prayer is the only thing that will change the trajectory of people’s minds for real, lasting change”.
Strong Marriages and families …Churches grow when there are Strong Marriages and families Strong Marriages are the Backbone of the Church if your Married and you Need Counseling Talk to The Pastor and His Wife
in V.O We Believe in Family we cant build a Church if our Families are Falling apart….. strong Marriages and Strong Families are needed for their to be A Healthy Thriving Church…Work on Your Marriage , Eph 5: Teaches us that Our Marriages are to Be A Reflection of Gods Relationship with The Church….The Church exists for Families…
We Need Soul Winners… Matt 9:37…The Harvest is great but The Laborers are Few; Finding Laborers has always been a problem but Jesus gets to the root of The problem Luke 17:11-19 where he Heals 10 lepers and Only 1 Comes Back to Thank Him , We live in a Generation of entitled People and its not just the Younger Generation its Both Generations People are so Ungrateful just like Paul Prophesied in his letter to Timothy
2 Tim 3:1-5 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
When was The Last time you Led someone to The Lord or were apart of an Outreach We are Victory Outreach… We need to never lose The Pioneering Spirit The Church is the Only Organization that exists for its non Members street Evangelism is Biblical and will never be Outdated…
He who Rules The Streets Rules the City…… Pst E.J.M
We Need people that can Build Ministries not command Ministries but build; not just point the way but show the way the Bible says 1 Sam 18:16 the people loved David because he went into war and out of war with them,
and lastly we need people who will take Ownership of The The Church and The Vision of The Church
So what does it mean to take ownership of the church?
First it means live like you have a vested interest in the Lord’s church because you do! Its MY CHURCH!
If The church has A Need Then i Have A Need,That includes every Ministry, If The Church Looks Good I Look Good, Churches that are growing are Churches With co-Workers who are committed to God and His church.
They are people who are excited about their salvation and their Church and want other people to share in that excitement… Are there Any Co Workers Here This Morning Any That would say This IS MY CHURCH I am The Church….
For we are Co-labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.
