Loyalty & Steadfastness
James 1:8 A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
Hebrews 10:24,25 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works; not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
One of the greatest problems that plagues the church today is the lack of loyalty.
What is loyalty? Feeling of allegiance or act of binding yourself, intellectually and emotionally to something
DANGER SIGNALS IN THE CONGREGATION!
Where is your soul fed?
Where do you go to worship and to meet God?
Is this church meeting your needs? If not, why?
WE MUST CREATE A CORE GROUP.
BE READY FOR A CHANGE FROM TIME TO TIME.
ARE YOU GETTING BORED WITH CHURCH?
DO YOU FEEL THAT YOU KNOW IT ALL ALREADY?
What is the first thing that people do when things aren’t going the way they planned? They start looking for other things to do.
It will always be easier to run to other churches and other surroundings than it will be to stick it out and mature in the Lord.
You will want to quit every good thing you do, when the going gets hard.
EVERYONE LOVES THE HYPE, FIRE AND EXCITEMENT BUT NO ONE LIKES THE WORK AND COMMITMENT.
Are you a committed Christian?
Where are your commitments? In Jesus, in your Pastor, or in your service to God?
Those who refuse to commit usually wind up being “Church Hoppers”
They always go to a church for a little while, and then move on. You can never really put your trust in them for very long and they have no roots.
Everything in nature has to put down roots and weather the storms if it is to grow and get stronger.
There are times when we are instructed and inspired by God to move to a different church, job, or school. But most of the time we move and then ask God to bless us after we make our own choice.
It is easy to miss God’s will if all we do is follow the excitement.
HAS GOD TOLD US MOVE ON OR IS IT OUR OWN DESIRE?
In Matthew 26, Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane. It is his last hours upon earth. His crucifixion is soon.
He is in agony, its hard work, his sweat is as great drops of blood upon the ground and he asks his disciples to pray with him for 1 hour.
It was hard for them to stay awake and they were tired.
The devil was out to kill Jesus and he made it hard for the disciples to pray.
This was hard work! There wasn’t any excitement.
But Jesus had a job to do. As hard as it was, as troublesome as it was, as weary as he was, it had to be done.
But the disciples were weary. They had many questions. They had learned so much and still didn’t understand what was happening, even as they slept.
Jesus said, “Can’t you wait for me even for one hour”?
What about us? Can we watch an hour? Are we too impatient?
Are we too caught up in the hype? The excitement? Is our only real desire for the shout?
LIFE ISN’T ALL SHOUT!
LEARN TO PUT DOWN SOME ROOTS AND GROW WHERE GOD PLANTS YOU.
SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN OR, STILL ARE, INVOLVED IN SPORTS.
Where do you learn to play Basketball or Baseball or Football?
Is it out on the field during the game, when confusion reigns, the teams clash, and the fans are screaming? NO!
You learn in the times of hard work, training for hours on end, learning the plays, learning how to hold a bat, the endless hours of physical training, of practice after practice and in continual repetitions of the basics. That’s where you really learn.
The time on the field is only exciting because you have spent the time in preparation. Without the preparation, the time on the field would be a time of utter defeat.
THE SAME IS TRUE OF THE CHRISTIAN WALK!
You can never experience the thrill of victory without going through the agony of growing and practicing and the day to day work of learning to be more like Jesus.
IF ALL THERE WAS TO SERVING JESUS WAS JUST GOING TO CHURCH, SHOUTING AND HAVING A GOOD TIME - WE WOULDN’T HAVE A PROBLEM FINDING PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO ACCEPT CHRIST AND LIVE RIGHT BEFORE GOD.
BUT BEING A CHRISTIAN REQUIRES MORE - IT REQUIRES A TOTAL COMMITMENT TO CHRIST, EVEN WHEN THINGS AREN’T EXCITING, EVEN WHEN THE SHOUT IS CALMED DOWN, EVEN WHEN WE GET DISCOURAGED!
A big part of our walk with the Lord concerns where we attend church and why?
Most of you attend this church regularly. Why do you come?
Do you come to get excited and leave when it’s not there all the time?
Do you come to grow and to learn of God and then leave when you think you know it all and that no one else can teach you?
Are you looking for growth, are you looking for fellowship, are you looking for knowledge, are you looking for somewhere where you can get a good foundation? Why do you come?
Are you coming because you are forced to? It won’t do you any good!
WE OFTEN MISS THE MARK BECAUSE WE FORGET TO BE LOYAL TO EACH OTHER, TO OUR PASTORS AND LEADERS, TO OUR YOUTH GROUP AND TO OUR OWN CHURCH.
PUT YOUR ROOTS DOWN AND GROW UP SO GOD CAN USE YOU IN THE FUTURE.
Don’t be a Christian tumbleweed! You have to make your choice. Decide where God wants you prayerfully and then decide to stay until God moves you on.
How can you be loyal? How can you be established?
If you are not satisfied here then find where you are satisfied but make sure you base your decision on what the Holy Spirit is telling you and not on what you like.
ALL TO OFTEN, I SEE PEOPLE WHO ARE SAVED, FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT AND LOVE JESUS WITH ALL THEIR HEART. THEY ARE FULL OF ENERGY AND ZEAL FOR A LITTLE WHILE.
BUT WHEN THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFE OF LIVING FOR JESUS COMES ALONG AND THINGS AREN’T HOPPING, THEY START BEING UN-FAITHFUL TO CHURCH. PRETTY SOON THEY ARE BACKSLIDDEN.
Find your place in the Body of Christ. Find the church you want to call home and then stick to it.
Be faithful to your church services. Don’t go visiting other churches when your home church is having services. That’s not right!
Visit other churches all you want, attend special programs, revivals, concerts and all that but do it on the nights that your church isn’t having services.
Your loyalty should always be to your home church first.
EACH OF US HAS TO MAKE OUR OWN DECISIONS. EACH OF US WILL EITHER GROW STRONGER OR WEAKER DEPENDING ON WHETHER WE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION OR NOT.
Like the verses in the beginning tell us,
DON’T BE DOUBLE - MINDED. GET SOME STABILITY IN YOUR WALK WITH THE LORD.
DON’T FORSAKE ASSEMBLING YOURSELF WITH OTHERS WHO BELIEVE LIKE YOU DO. THERE IS WHERE YOU WILL DRAW STRENGTH.
Running from one church to another will bring ultimate confusion.
You won’t feel at home anywhere.
Then you are open to the attacks of Satan because of the doubts that come concerning your own salvation.
MAKE YOUR DECISION. WHERE SHOULD YOUR LOYALTY LIE?
LOYALTY MUST BE TO JESUS FIRST!
BE LOYAL TO YOUR CHURCH HOME, PASTOR AND LEADERS, FRIENDS AND FAMILY, but ONLY AS THEY LEAD YOU IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS AND ACCORDING TO GOD’S HOLY WORD.
PRAY FOR GUIDANCE IN MAKING YOUR DECISION. DON’T BE IN A HURRY. LET GOD SHOW YOU WHAT TO DO.
