EVANGELIST CAROLYN MALAIKA FOSTER-BROOKS
THE MINISTRY OF S.A.R.A.H.
(serenity*atonement*restoration & healing)
Lyons, GA.
May 18, 2003
*sermon delivered at White Chapel MB Church
Lyons, Georgia
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your Divine message that was revealed to me in the midnight hour while others were yet slumbering and dreaming. This is truly God a time when your people need to know that there is hope for a brighter tomorrow. Lord, remove me, Your humble servant from the thoughts of Your children and allow them to receive You through me in this message of deliverance. Allow them, God, to receive the gospel truth as you have given it to me. Lord, I thank You for everything- right now allow the anointing of the Holy Spirit fall fresh upon me as I share this message with the world! In the name of Jesus Christ, I have prayed. Amen. And so it is!
INTRODUCTION:
I bring you greetings from the Ministry of S.A.R.A.H. and from my church home, Mount Chapel Missionary Baptist Church of Lyons, Georgia.
It is indeed an honor and a challenge to be before you because I know Satan is on the war path right now....he is not happy that you have chosen to hear a message from the Lord! And while you are here with me, satan is going to do his best to aggrevate you, to make you feel bored and sleepy, make you look at your watches and make you want to be somewhere else!
But, in the sweet and holy name of Jesus, I rebuke satan because he is nothing but a liar and I rebuke every other lying spirit that might encompass you now. Do not be distracted, because God said in His word, "SET YOUR AFFECTIONS ON THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS ON EARTH." (COLLOSIANS 3:2)
To my brethern in the gospel, I say to you there is a special Word from God for you as you receive this message! (1PETER 1:2) GOD , THE FATHER CHOSE YOU LONG AGO, AND THE SPIRIT HAS MADE YOU HOLY. AS A RESULT, YOU HAVE OBEYED JESUS CHRIST AND ARE CLEANSED BY HIS BLOOD. MAY YOU HAVE MORE AND MORE OF GOD’S SPECIAL FAVOR AND WONDERFUL PEACE!
SCRIPTURE: (JAMES 5:16)
CONFESS YOUR FAULTS ONE TO ANOTHER, AND PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER, THAT YE MAY BE HEALED. THE EFFECUAL FERVENT PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN AVAILETH MUCH.
TEXT:
My topic for today’s message will be , HOW CAN WE HEAL A DYSFUNCTIONAL CHURCH?
First of all, I am not talking to or about the building....no, I am speaking to the body of Christ, because we are the church!
And secondly, am I saying that there is something wrong with the church? We all know that there is, but in the family of God, often we don’t want to acknowledge our mistakes. No, we would rather hold to an illusion of instant sanctification when we become born again. Or think that just because we have been in church all of our lives, that we have it made!!
You know what ? If this wasn’t so true, it could be funny, but it’s not! In the church, we know we are all sinners ( myself included, because when I point a finger at someone else, I have 4 fingers pointed back at me! So who are we to judge other people???) we know that we were born in sin, but the thing is that nobody wants to admit to what his or her particular sin happens to be. Big sin. Little sin. It does not matter....sin is sin!
We have become soo caught up in living in denial and delusion that openess and honesty are difficult to come by. There is a great deal of pain involved with denial and often it is easier to believe that there is no problem at all..... we have swept the obvious under the rug and often we don’t address the fact that the church has a problem with greed, or lust, or a nasty tongue, or manipulation, or alcohol, or drugs, or HIV, or alzheimer’s and many other problems the church is facing today! The list could go on and on and on...Denial, a short six letter word, but it’s meaning has a long -term negative effect... DON’T EVEN KNOW I AM LYING (to myself!!!)
Many of us are attending church and we are functioning in our positions and doing our duties according to the outside world, but so often we are not worshipping in spirit and in truth. Therefore we are not giving God our very best and He is not pleased with our half-hearted efforts!!!!
MATTHEW 7:21 clearly tells us that NOT EVERYONE THAT SAITH UNTO ME, LORD, LORD, SHALL ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN; BUT HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN (will make it in) So the question remains, How Can We Heal a Dysfunctional Church? What steps can we take today to break down the barriers of denial? How can we messengers get through to the church that is sitting on the benches of do nothing????
I have come to believe that until a Christian is open to the voice of the Holy Spirit, you cannot hear the message or the messenger....
Step 1- is found in the BOOK OF PSALMS 143:8 where you petition God by saying, LET ME HEAR OF YOUR UNFAILING LOVE TO ME IN THE MORNING, FOR I AM TRUSTING YOU. SHOW ME WHERE TO WALK, FOR I HAVE COME TO YOU IN PRAYER.
Step 2- ROMANS 12:1-2...AND SO, DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, I PLEAD WITH YOU TO GIVE YOUR BODIES TO GOD. LET THEM BE A LIVING AND HOLY SACRIFICE- THE KIND HE WILL ACCEPT. WHEN YOU THINK OF WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR YOU, IS THIS TOO MUCH TO ASK? (2) DON’T COPY THE BEHAVIOR AND CUSTOMS OF THIS WORLD, BUT LET GOD TRANSFORM YOU INTO A NEW PERSON BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK. THEN YOU WILL KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS YOU TO DO, AND YOU WILL KNOW HOW GOOD AND PLEASING AND PERFECT HIS WILL REALLY IS.
Step 3- Stop denying that there are problems in our church families by taking on the responsibility for encouraging openess! The BOOK OF EPHESIANS is a letter to a church....4:25 states, SO PUT AWAY ALL FALSEHOOD AND TELL YOUR NEIGHBOR THE TRUTH, FOR WE ARE ALL MEMBERS OF ONE BODY.
Don’t we say that we love each other? Don’t we say that we love God? When we pray, don’t we pray to Our Father?? Yes we know that we are different, yet, we are all the children of God...many members, but one body! So we must be responsible for each other and encourage each other. Not be judgemental...not put our foot on another brother or sister to keep them down!!!!! Let somebody else know how good God has been to you. Tell them how He brought you out of a sinful situation and saved you by His grace and by His mercy! Tell somebody the truth!!!
You see after we learn to be honest with each other
, then and only then can we have the deligence to make a difference in each other’s lives!! Don’t you realize that when you are able to help another, you are as well helping yourself?? ( I’m still talking about How Can We Heal A Dysfunctional Church ???!!!)
The final steps of How Can We Heal A Dysfunctional Church is found in the BOOK OF JAMES 5:13-16 which emphasizes the power of prayer and concern for the congregation.....
(13)ARE ANY AMONG YOU SUFFERING? THEY SHOULD KEEP ON PRAYING ABOUT IT. AND THOSE WHO HAVE REASON TO BE THANKFUL SHOULD CONTINUALLY SING PRAISES TO THE LORD.
(14) ARE ANY AMONG YOU SICK? THEY SHOULD CALL FOR THE ELDERS OF THE CHURCH AND HAVE THEM PRAY OVER THEM, ANOINTING THEM WITH OIL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD.
(15) AND THE PRAYER OFFERED IN FAITH WILL HEAL THE SICK AND THE LORD WILL MAKE THEM WELL. AND ANYONE WHO HAS COMMITTED SINS WILL BE FORGIVEN.
(16) CONFESS YOUR SINS TO EACH OTHER AND PRAY FOR EACH OTHER SO THAT YOU MAY BE HEALED. THE EARNEST PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS PERSON HAS GREAT POWERS AND WONDERFUL RESULTS.....
My brothers and my sisters, this Word from God today was especially for you! Somebody here today has wandered from the truth, but it is God’s desire to bring you back again! Jesus Christ died on Calvary’s cross so that sinners could be saved and our sins could be forgiven. God has given us the privilege of being born again and now we live with a marvelous, great, awesome and wonderful expectation, because Jesus Christ rose again from the dead....and He is coming back again!!! We know He is coming back because God said He would. We do not know when and we do not know how, but according to the scriptures and the events of the world as we know it and see it today, the day of Judgement is near!
There may be someone suffering right now because they are not sure of their relationship with Christ, you might want to rededicate your life to God and/or join a church of your choice....Now is the appointed time. Don’t wait before it is too late. There doesn’t have to be a big ceremony or any special occasion for you to give yourself to Him, he will accept you just as you are....Trust the Lord right now, and ask Him to save you......
Repeat this prayer:
LORD JESUS I KNOW YOU LOVE ME BECAUSE YOU PROVED IT BY DYING ON THE CROSS TO PAY THE PENALTY FOR MY SINS.
THANK YOU JESUS FOR DOING THAT FOR ME.
I ADMIT THAT I HAVE SINNED AGAINST OTHERS AND AGAINST MYSELF, BUT MOST OF ALL GOD, AGAINST YOU!
PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR MY SINS AND GIVE ME YOUR POWER TO RESIST THE TEMPTATION TO SIN.
I BELIEVE THAT YOU ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND THAT YOU REALLY ARE THE ONLY TRUE GOD. I ASK THAT YOU COME INTO MY LIFE AND LIVE AT THE CENTER OF IT.
PLEASE ACCEPT ME. BY FAITH, I ACCEPT YOU, JESUS.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME ETERNAL LIFE WITH YOU. AMEN.
BENEDICTION:
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
***Special Note: On the day that this sermon was preached a young man in the congregation (Alfred Gibbons), visiting from another community decided to give his life to Christ by joining the Piney Green MB Church in Lyons, GA. As the deliverer of this message and God’s servant, I am asking everyone who reads this sermon to keep this young man in your prayers and pray that he will stay strong and grounded in the Lord!
Thank you. Evangelist Carolyn)
