Seven Reasons Why Going To Church Is A Big Deal
3 Part Series (1 of 3)
June 22, 2003 Chester, FBC Chester, Illinois Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A Clara Null asked her granddaughter how she liked her first trip to the circus. The little girl said, "Oh, Granny! If you ever went once you’d never be satisfied with church again!"
a For some, Church is a big show. (Who’s wearing what, Who’s mad at who, what can I can get mad at Mike about this Sunday.)
b For some people in a church it doesn’t take much to make them happy. . . and even less to make them unhappy!
B But for better or worse. . .The Church is special. Jesus didn’t die for the lions, eagles, moose, elks. Jesus is not going to rapture the rotary, toastmasters, optimist club, chamber of commerce, or the salvation army. He died for his church and he will rapture that church at his second coming.
a Eph. 1:22 "And God placed all things under his (Jesus’) feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body. . ."
*Who is the head of the Church? JESUS
Eph. 2:20 [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. [21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
*Who is the Church built on? JESUS
b We’re starting a three week series on "Seven Reasons Why Going To Church is a Big Deal."
C Jesus is working through His Church to bring salvation to a lost generation. (ESS)
a I hope you’ll make going to church a big deal to you and your family. (Objective)
b What are you doing that shows church is a big deal to you? (P.Q.)
T.S.: Let’s look at the first two reasons of why going to church is such a big deal.
I The first reason going to church is a big deal is. . . TO EXALT GOD IN WORSHIP.(Gen. 1:1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
A Worship is the proper response of the creation to the Creator.
REV 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."
a REV 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. [13] I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Worship is the right response of the dependent on the sovereign.
b The pages in between Genesis & Revelation document how God reconciled a sinful human race to a sovereign Creator and our Ultimate Judge.
*Rev. 5:9 And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
B Worship centers around God.
a Worship styles are a hot topic and have cost many pastors their job & have caused many churches to be at war with one another.
(Contemporary, Traditional, Blended, Passion, Vineyard, Praise & Worship)
*Folks go some services wanting an emotional boost. (WRONG!!!)
*Emotion may be an end result of worship, but emotions do not take you to authentic worship.
b Worship is not about us. (Our prefrences, our individual tastes. . .worship is about God)
Do you know whose behind worship wars?
*Satan doesn’t care if we have church services as long as we put our focus on anything but God. (Argue about the tool rather than the propose/product of the tool. . .Connecting with God.)
*Devil divides a church. True Worship Unites a church
*Devil offers power True Worship offers Brokeness
C Reginald Heber was always trying to improve the music at the large Urban Anglican church he served, even though his superiors frowned on the use of anything but the old songs. (Heber served at his church for 16 years, then he accepted a call to serve in Calcutta, India.)
a He was surrounded by the worship of false gods in India, reflected on how he was surrounded by sin in the city he had served 16 years in.
b What Reginald was impressed with was with the holiness of God. (Whether Reginald was facing the sin in the city, or idolatry in India. .God was still holy. He wrote this song that puts the view of our worship in focus.
*3rd v. of "Holy, Holy, Holy" on PowerPoint.
II The second reason going to church is a big deal is. . . TO EVANGELIZE THE WORLD THROUGH PROCLAMATION & MISSIONS.
A The Great Commission (Matt. 28:18/20*) was taken with great seriousness by the early church.
a (Acts 2-7) Preached in Jerusalem (Acts 8-12) Judea & Samaria, (Acts 13-28) Ends of the Earth. (People were healed, thousands believed.)
b The early church obeyed the great commission, even at a great cost.
*Disciples were imprisoned. *Grumbling among the greek widows disrupted church unity in Acts 6 *Stephen was martyred *Saul persecuted the church *Encountered demons. . .YET, THE EARLY CHURCH DID NOT GIVE UP PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO THE MASSES AND TO INDIVIDUALS.
B We have church services to preach the Word & present the gospel to the unchurched. (How many unchurched people do you know?)
a Dr. Rainer, America’s leading church growth expert has found that. . .
11% of the unchurched are highly receptive to the gospel.
27% of the unchurched are receptive to the gospel and to the church.
38% of the unchurched population are open or very open to the gospel.
82% of the unchurched population would go to church if they were invited to church by 1. Someone they knew & 2. They would walk into church with them.
In Chester. . .there are 5,200 souls.
*874 People in Chester who are totally unchurched.
*96 Are ready to give their heart to Jesus today, they just need to be shared the gospel. Another 245 are real close to saying "Yes" to Jesus.
*717 People would come if you just asked them! ! ! (People would come if you were just nice enough to ask them to church, offer to pick them, or meet in front of the church, McDonald’s, Oojie’s)
In a 10 mile radius of our church. . .there are 12,668 souls.
*2,534 People in a 10 mile radius of our church are totally unchurched.
*279 People in a 10 mile radius are ready to give their hearts to Jesus today. Another 609 are real close to saying "Yes" to Jesus.
*2,078 People in a 10 mile radius would come to church if you just asked them!!!
JN 4:34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. [35] Do you not say, `Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.
b Were not doing some things right.
1. We are not sharing our faith.
2. We are not inviting people to church. (Most of the unchurched are more concerned about their children’s spiritual development than their own. Tell them we have Sunday School Classes for all ages that teach about the Bible and God.)
3. We are not picking them up or meeting them at the door.
The devil could care less if I preach (or even the gospel) and you come to church. . .when we start inviting people to church, picking people up, meeting them at the door.
Conclusion:
Jesus is working through His Church to bring salvation to a lost generation. (ESS)
A We have looked at two reasons why going to church is a big deal. . . .
a Exalt God in Worship
b Evangelize the world through proclamation and missions.
B I hope you’ll make going to church a big deal to you and your family. (Objective)
a Choices: Come to Worship to Connect with God. . .or stubble through a few stanzas of "Just as I am" and leave "Just as you were."
b Choices: Invite, Pick-up, Meet your unchurched friends at the door. . .or "Tell them to ‘Go to Hell’." Some of you are more offended that I just ‘go to hell’ than you are offended that your friends/neighbors are genuinely dying and going to hell.
C What are you doing that shows church is a big deal to you? (P.Q.)
(Think of three people you can invite to church with you next week. Write there name down.)
a Two things you don’t talk about, Politics and Religion.
*Barna Research Group did a study on June 9th and discovered that 4 out of 10 (42%)unchurched people talk about religion in a conversation every week.
*Remember how many unchurched are open or very open to the gospel and church? (38%)
b Jesus is working through His church to bring salvation to a lost generation.
c What are you doing that shows church is a big deal to you? (P.Q.)
(Think of three people you can invite to church with you next week. Write there name down.)
I will ask these three people to church with me next Sunday.
1.
2.
3.
I will ask them if they want me to pick them up, meet at another location and come togther, or I will meet them at the front door.
Signature
***Notice: I have used Sermon Central sermons for a VERY long time. If this or any of my sermons are similar to a sermon that is already on Sermon Central by another pastor or teacher....chances are I have used it. Actually, there is probably absolutely nothing in this sermon that hasn’t been preached before! If I used your sermon and haven’t given you credit, please write me and I’ll give you credit by name. I have in no way intentionally withheld credit to any work I’ve used/borrowed from. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF I HAVE "USED" YOUR WORK IT WAS BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD A SUPER SERMON! I prefer to preach with an outline and just rearranged your sermon. My intent is to make sermons relevant and easy for outline guys to use. If you use MY work, feel free to claim it. I do not care!! Simply realize that I have borrowed from other preachers, too.
Mike Fogerson, Pastor, Chester’s First Baptist Church
