Who Needs the Church?
I run into many people who say they are believers, but when you ask them where they go to church they say I don’t need the church. A Friend told me this week when I asked where she was attending church, said at home. Recently the leaders of my former church said they were not attending church anywhere, but just worshipping at home. Disillusioned with church as a whole. The often used phrase today is: “I can be a Christian without attending or belonging to a church.”You can’t separate Christ from his church. Yet many have been wounded in church, or misunderstood events and left. (Pastor voted out etc.) You can’t have Christ, but hate his family. It’s like a marriage. You don’t say to your bride - I love you but I want nothing to do with your family. They are strange, do strange things, etc. She would leave. But many say that to Christ. I love you but I want nothing to do with your family. They are strange, outcasts, etc. In 1 Corinthians 6:19 it says Your physical body is the temple 1 Cor 3:16(naos) it also says YOU (the whole local church body) is the temple of God. 3:16
“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will bring ruin upon anyone who ruins this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you Christians are that temple. (NLT)
I Why bother belonging ? (1-8)
1. Humans are made with a need to belong and Christians are part of a community of believers. Membership is a response to these realities.
Remember as kids we would create a club that would include us and our friends and keep others out. It was an exclusive club. We had rules you had to go by to get in and stay in. Boy haters club, Baseball card club, Why did we do it? We wanted to belong to something that made us feel valued and important. Through high school. The more they say “The were a member of the spanish club, member of FCAS, etc. the more liked and important they are. God placed within us a desire to belong to some group the greater than our selves the church. We have prostituted it with everything but, such as: Motorcyles clubs, AA membership, Eagles, Masons, Easter Star, sororities, and even gangs.
2. Becoming a member is a form of witness to your values and priorities.
Willie Nelson has purchased the Methodist church of his youth in Abbott, Texas. Nelson, 73, had a celebration with guests that included longtime parishioners, friends and family for prayers and gospel singing. "Sister Bobbie and I have been going to this church since we were born," Nelson said. "Now, you’re all members of the Abbott Methodist Church, and you will be, forever and ever." The church, which dates from 1899, closed in May after its last service. The dwindling congregation merged with a larger one in Hillsboro. Services on the first Sunday of every month will now be coordinated by a boyhood friend, Donald Reed.
3. Public commitment is also a type of Accountability. Everyone needs to be held accountable for the important things in life. Membership attempts to help.
4. Membership gives expanded opportunities for your growth and service for Christ.
5. We all tend to need mutual encouragement.
6. Membership involves responsibility.
7. It is an affirmation of your personal commitment to Christ to be a serious part of His Church on earth.
8. Your committed involvement becomes one added blessing to the congregation, your gifts and abilities contribute to the strength of the total effort. Everybody wins!
Religion: A Good Thing
The good news is that science now agrees: Religion really is a good thing. Consider the following, reported in Time magazine’s cover story for June 24:
1. Heart-surgery patients who draw comfort from their religious faith have a significantly higher survival rate than those who do not.
2. The blood pressure of people who attend church is 5 mm lower than that of those who do not.
3. People with religious faith who attend church regularly experience less depression than nonreligious people, while suicide is four times higher among nonchurchgoers.
“Perspectives on the News,” Signs of the Times, September 1996, p. 4.
Scriptures
42 They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. Act 2:42-47
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up only one body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into Christ’s body by one Spirit, and we have all received the same Spirit.
27 Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it. 1 Cor. 12
. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. 6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12
Bill Hybels “The local church is God’s method to save the world today.”
II Why I Believe In the Church p26 1-6
1. The Church is the only organization committed to addressing ultimate issues (i.e. time and eternity).
2. Christ, the gospel, and the Church give dignity and hope to those who believe and belong.
3. The Church of Jesus Christ is a moral and spiritual compass in a world of moral chaos.
Oprah
Love her or loathe her, Winfrey has become proof that you can’t be too rich, too thin or too committed to rising to your place in the world. With 49 million viewers each week in the USA and more in the 122 other countries to which the show is distributed, Winfrey reaches more people in a TV day than most preachers can hope to reach in a lifetime of sermons.
"One of the things that’s key," says Marcia Nelson, author of The Gospel According to Oprah, "is she walks her talk. That’s really, really important in today’s culture. People who don’t walk their talk fall from a great pedestal — scandals in the Catholic Church, televangelism scandals. If you’re not doing what you say you do, woe be unto you."
In Ellen DeGeneres’ stand-up comedy act several years ago, she included a joke about getting to heaven and finding that God is a black woman named Oprah.
Last fall, at the start of this 20th season of The Oprah Winfrey Show, guest Jamie Foxx said much the same thing, but he wasn’t joking. "What you have is something nobody can describe," Foxx said to Winfrey on the air. Then he explained about how he told Vibe magazine: "You’re going to get to heaven and everyone’s waiting on God and it’s going to be Oprah Winfrey."
In a November poll conducted at Beliefnet.com, a site that looks at how religions and spirituality intersect with popular culture, 33% of 6,600 respondents said Winfrey has had "a more profound impact" on their spiritual lives than their clergypersons.
Cathleen Falsani, religion writer for the Chicago Sun-Times, recently suggested, "I wonder, has Oprah become America’s pastor?"
One of Winfrey’s most appealing subtexts is that she’s anti-institutional, says Chris Altrock, minister of Highland Street Church of Christ in Memphis. He says Winfrey believes there are many paths to God, not just one. After doing his doctoral research three years ago on postmodernism religion, a religious era that began in the 1970s as Christians became deeply interested in spirituality and less interested in any established church, he came up with what he calls "The Church of Oprah," referring to the culture that has created her.
Marcia Nelson says that it’s not going too far to call her a spiritual leader. "I’ve said to a number of people — she’s today’s Billy Graham."
4. The Church is a community of love and healing for all people, regardless of age, education, color, or class, available to help from birth to death.
5. In the Church of Jesus Christ, everybody is somebody special!
6. When everything else has fallen, the Church will still be standing!
III Five Habits of a Healthy Church p29 (Hebrews 10)
1. Their priority is drawing near to God. 10:22
2. They cling firmly to their hope. (10:23)
3. They keep finding ways to motivate each other.(10:24)
4. They will never give up meeting together. (10:25)
Church For Fanatics
One man wrote "I was a supply preacher for a small town Texas Church, coming in early Sunday, preaching a sermon to the congregation, and then leaving after lunch. Arriving early one Sunday I sat down at a local donut shop, opened my Bible and went over my sermon notes. "
A man was sitting down the counter from me and he said, "You a preacher or something?"
I replied, "Yes I preach at the Christian Church here in town."
He got excited and said, "Hey, I’m a member of that church."
The church was small and I knew all the regulars so I said, "I’ve been preaching there for about three months and I’ve never seen you there."
He looked at me kinda strange and said, "I said I was a member of that church. I never said that I was fanatical about it!"
5. They specialize in encouraging one another. (10:25)
Joyful uplifting
Church Behavior
A young child in church was standing up on the pew, looking around and smiling. His mother grabbed him, shoved him back down into the pew, and walloped him on the legs. His mouth dropped open and he started to cry. She said, “That’s better; remember that you’re in church.”
Erma Bombeck
IV Biblical Names for and Description of the church p35 - Saints -called out ones
1. A Chosen People. 1 Peter 2:9
2. A Royal Priesthood 1 Peter 2:9
3. A Holy Nation 1 Peter 2:9
4. A People belonging to God 1 Peter 2:9
5. Christians Acts 11:26
6. The Body of Christ 1 Cor. 12:27
“Now all of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it.”
7. Temple of God - 1 Cor 3:16-17 -the Christian community is God’s temple together as well as individually.
8. The Bride of Christ Eph 5:22-31
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church-- 30 for we are members of his body. 31 "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32 This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church.
The church is both an invisible universal reality and a local, concrete expression.
V Why membership in Wesleyan p18
The overall objective of membership in The Wesleyan Church is:
To acknowledge believers as belonging to the body of Christ.
To Disciple them into covenant relationship with The Wesleyan Church and
To equip them to minister to the church, community, and the world.
Church Membership
Yet membership in a confessing body is fundamental to the faithful Christian life. Failure to do so defies the explicit warning not to forsake “our assembling together.” His understanding of this prompted Martin Luther to say, “Apart from the church, salvation is impossible.” Not that the church provides salvation; God does. But because the “saved” one can’t fulfill what it means to be a Christian apart from the church, membership becomes the indispensable mark of salvation.
“So highly does the Lord esteem the communion of His church,” Calvin wrote,” that He considers everyone a traitor and apostate from religion who perversely withdraws himself from any Christian society which preserves the true ministry of the word and sacraments.”
The Body, Charles W. Colson, 1992, Word Publishing, Page 70
MY PERSONAL REASONS
Accountability- Our own heart can be deceitful -we need others to confront us in our sin to save our soul- 1 Cor. 5 -Church Discipline- Don Dutiel and Six Mile Turn camp
As a child just knowing Church was tonight made me live better.
Encouragement- We get discouraged- someone else testimony, hug, comfort in trouble, someone to call when sorrow strikes., someone to share our burdens.
Faith Lifter- We live by faith in a physical world, our faith is constantly battered, It is easy to begin to live by sight and lose faith, church helps faith get a booster shot, Psalms 73 but when I came to the sanctuary
The Presence of Jesus -When two or three gather in my name - multiplied presence
Exercise your spiritual gifts
Display your spiritual fruit
Grow mature in community
Discipleship - Learn how to live pleasing to God, Learn how to get the most out of life. We never lose the need to be taught.
Belonging- A sense of belonging to something of great value.
Be a Family in a mobile and dysfunctional society. (Kingswood)We left our family God gave new friends, parents, grandparents, etc.
- Born Again - Into the family of God-
Prayer Covering Protecting from Satanic attack- Discipline in 1 Cor. 5 involved taking away the prayer shield and allowing Satan full access so he would turn back.
Dead or Alive
Live churches’ expenses are always more than their income; dead churches don’t need much money!
Live churches have parking problems; Dead churches have empty spaces!
Live churches may have some noisy children; Dead churches are quiet as a cemetery.
Live churches keep changing their ways of doing things; Dead churches see no need for change!
Live churches grow so fast you can’t keep up with people’s names; In dead churches everybody always knows everybody’s name.
Live churches strongly support world missions; Dead churches keep the money at home!
Live churches are full of regular, cheerful givers; Dead churches are full of grudging tippers!
Live churches move ahead on prayer and faith; Dead churches work only on sight!
Live churches plant daughter churches; Dead churches fear spending the money, time, and talent!
Live churches outgrow their Sunday School facilities; Dead churches have room to spare!
Live churches welcome all classes of people; Dead churches stick to their own kind!
Live churches’ members read their Bibles and bring them to church; Dead churches’ members seldom do!
Live churches’ members enthusiastically support the ministries; Dead churches have no ministries—only functions!
Live churches’ members look for someone they can help; Dead churches’ members look for something to complain about!
Live churches’ members reach out to share their faith in Christ; Dead churches’ members don’t have enough to share!
Source unknown
Love’s Power
1. Show me a church where there is love, and I will show you a church that is a power in the community. In Chicago a few years ago a little boy attended a Sunday school I know of. When his parents moved to another part of the city the little fellow still attended the same Sunday school, although it meant a long, tiresome walk each way. A friend asked him why he went so far, and told him that there were plenty of others just as good nearer his home.
“They may be as good for others, but not for me,” was his reply.
“Why not?” she asked.
“Because they love a fellow over there,” he replied.
If only we could make the world believe that we loved them there would be fewer empty churches, and a smaller proportion of our population who never darken a church door. Let love replace duty in our church relations, and the world will soon be evangelized.
Moody’s Anecdotes, Page 71-72
*adapted from Dr David Holdren Belonging Wesleyan Membership material
