Why should I come back to Church?
Introduction:
Why do we do certain things in life? (The following taken from Scott Bayles, Pastor, First Christian Church, Rosiclare, IL)
You go to school to get an education so you can make a living.
You go to work to make money so you can pay the bills.
You go to the gym for exercise and better health.
You go to the mall to shop for clothes and the grocery store to buy food.
You go to the lake to fish, the ball game to cheer, and golf course for fun.
But church? Why go to there? Why get up early on one of your few off-days? Why go through the hassle of dressing up and the getting the kids ready? Why go to the trouble of finding a parking space near the front or the back?
Why go to church?
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering about that little question, you’re not alone. Surveys tell us that as many as 79% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, yet only 20% of Americans attend church regularly. I guess some people look at going to church as a bother—an unnecessary burden to be avoided whenever possible—a perfectly good hour wasted in order to keep a wife or a preacher or a parent off their backs. Others see it as sort of like punching a spiritual clock or earning brownie points with their Maker.
But to someone who understands church and what it’s really all about, going to church can be the most spiritually fulfilling, inspiring thing you do all week.
The Book of Acts tells the story of how the church got started. Fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, he sent the Holy Spirit to empower his disciples. They went out and began preaching about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus—the Good News. Millions of people listened, thousands believed. Then at the end of Acts 2, we find this short snapshot of what life was like in the early church:
“Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 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—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:41-47 NLT)
Sounds like an amazing place and I would love to be in a church like this! Wouldn’t you?
We are also encouraged in Hebrews 10:25 to persevere in going to church: It states, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
This is my message to encourage you to reconsider or even consider church as a major part of your life and growth in the spiritual dimension of life.
I was praying Tuesday morning asking the Holy Spirit to give me the message for Sunday. What do I say to people who have decided to give church a chance again or even for the first time? I looked at my Bible sitting on the front row of the seats by the window and the pages were blowing from one to one. I heard a small quiet voice say, ‘Mike walk over to the Bible because the pages will stop blowing on the page and chapter you are to speak on.
That chapter was Psalm 72 - let’s read it.
Psalm 72
1Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.
2May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.
3May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.
4May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.
5May he endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.
6May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.
7In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more.
8May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust.
10May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.
11May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him.
12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
15Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.
16May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive like the grass of the field.
17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.
18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.
19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Psalm 72 “The Message”
1Give the gift of wise rule to the king, O God, the gift of just rule to the crown prince.
2May he judge your people rightly, be honorable to your meek and lowly.
3Let the mountains give exuberant witness; shape the hills with the contours of right living.
4Please stand up for the poor, help the children of the needy, come down hard on the cruel tyrants.
5Outlast the sun, outlive the moon—age after age after age.
6Be rainfall on cut grass, earth-refreshing rain showers.
7Let righteousness burst into blossom and peace abound until the moon fades to nothing.
8Rule from sea to sea, from the River to the Rim.
9Foes will fall on their knees before God, his enemies lick the dust.
10Kings remote and legendary will pay homage, kings rich and resplendent will turn over their wealth.
11All kings will fall down and worship, and godless nations sign up to serve him,
12Because he rescues the poor at the first sign of need, the destitute who have run out of luck.
13He opens a place in his heart for the down-and-out, he restores the wretched of the earth.
14He frees them from tyranny and torture—when they bleed, he bleeds; when they die, he dies.
15And live! Oh, let him live! Deck him out in Sheba gold. Offer prayers unceasing to him, bless him from morning to night.
16Fields of golden grain in the land, cresting the mountains in wild exuberance, Cornucopias of praise, praises springing from the city like grass from the earth.
17May he never be forgotten, his fame shine on like sunshine. May all godless people enter his circle of blessing and bless the One who blessed them.
18Blessed GOD, Israel’s God, the one and only wonder-working God!
19Blessed always his blazing glory! All earth brims with his glory.
20Yes and Yes and Yes.
Thesis: The Psalmist reminds us why we should honor God on the Sabbath and why we should be plugged into a local church.
I. We find an emphasis on prayer in the church that we don’t find anywhere else in our society.
a. When the church is a house of prayer it changes the nature of each of us and it causes transformation in our society (vs 1-4; 15-18).
i. Verse 1 and 2 -- He prays for the leader of his nation, for his children and for him to lead and rule the nation with God’s justice and righteousness. To see the need of the afflicted and do something about it. He is asking for God’s help for this to happen in his country.
ii. Jesus said my house shall be called a house of prayer. He said this after cleaning out the Temple.
1. Matthew 21:12-16: “12Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers.’”14The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. 15But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.16“Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him.“Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “‘From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise’?”
2. Why? Prayer changes things – highlight Cymbala
a. Jim Cymbala, in his book “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire”, details the miraculous growth of the Brooklyn Tabernacle because of its dedication to prayer. In 1972 he was asked to pastor part-time a small church in a shabby two-story building on Atlantic Avenue in New York City. The location was bad. The people were few. The facilities were falling apart. In fact, he tells about how a pew broke one Sunday night, spilling several people onto the floor as he preached.
As he prayed one day about what to do, Cymbala writes that he sensed God speaking: “If you and your wife will lead my people to pray and call upon my name, you will never lack for something fresh to preach. I will supply all the money that’s needed , both for the church and for your family, and you will never have a building large enough to contain the crowds I will send in response.”
He went back to the church and told them that from that moment on the health of the church would be measured by its Tuesday night prayer meeting. That first night 15 people came. God began to move. The church grew. The prayer meeting became larger. They were forced three times to seek larger facilities. By 1985 they were running 1600 each Sunday service. Hundreds came to the Tuesday night prayer meeting. God brought miraculous conversions.
Today, besides the Tuesday meeting, there is a prayer ministry in which each hour of each day of the week, someone is in prayer for the church and its pastor. Its choir is world famous. Its pastor is asked to preach all over the world. But most importantly, lives are being drastically changed by the power of God.
b. Jim Cymbala discusses the importance of prayer in his new book Break Through Prayer:
He states, "Everywhere I travel, I keep hearing the defensive teaching that fervent prayer, heartfelt prayer is really overrated and not necessary today. Since God is love, some people reason, we just have to ask once and politely for what we need and everything will turn out fine. No need today for prayer meetings and prolonged times of waiting on the Lord, no answer comes. No, that’s part of an old-fashioned, out-of-date theology that belongs to another era…Well, I have two questions in response to all that: 1. what do these words from the Bible mean? And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night?’ (Luke 18:6-7) He also notes; If Jesus himself prayed with ‘loud cries and tears’ at times, then we can certainly feel free and unashamed to pour out our souls to God” (22). 2. When it comes to de-emphasizing prayer and the prayer meeting in churches across the land, where are the spiritual results that prove we have found a better way?"
iii. Our country needs a church that is fervently praying for her.
1. We have been doing this summer and plan on continuing this for the sake of our land and our economy.
b. Prayer is the part of the One Thing we all must do in this life.
i. Prayer is the intimate communication and the experience of bring in His presence – it is between God and you!
1. Roberts, “We must understand that the greatest treasure is waiting in front of every believer. We’ve all seen reality shows. I’d even guess that you have imagined winning a million dollars. You may not have phrased it exactly like this, but the question comes down to, ‘What would it be like to have success in this life?’ Your definition of success depends on where your imagination has taken you. But whatever definition of success you’ve formed is only the beginning of what it means to encounter God. A million dollars? A hundred million? All is nothing compared to experiencing God” (One Thing, page 44, 45).
ii. The church –his church –this church will challenge you to pray more and fret less.
1. Max Lucado says, "Fear is the perceived loss of control, I will try to control it, control others, control something, and that leads to nothing but anxiety." He adds, "Fear-filled people are not great witnesses and testimonies for Christ."
2. Max states, “Pray, first. Don’t pace up and down the floors of the waiting room; pray for a successful surgery. Don’t bemoan the collapse of an investment; ask God to help you. Don’t join the chorus of co-workers who complain about your boss; invite them to bow their heads with you and pray for him. Inoculate yourself inwardly to face your fears outwardly. ‘Casting the whole of your care (all anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all) on Him…” (1 Peter 5:7 AMP) (Page 49, Fearless).
c. The Psalmist prayer changes from praying for the leader of his nation and moves to praying for the land to reveal a people living rightly and honorably.
i. Talk about what happens to the land when a nation lives unjustly.
1. The land is ravaged by war and pollution and it causes starvation and death.
2. Share about Somalia and other nations rapped by war and unjust living.
ii. Our church wants to be promoting a vibrant and healthy environment.
1. Martin Luther “The power of God is present at all places, even in the tiniest leaf…God is currently and personally present in the wilderness, in the garden, and in field.”
iii. Our church wants to be a part of promoting right justice in our society.
1. Our church will not be burning any Quarn’s!
iv. We do want to speak the truth about cruel tyrants and stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.
1. Why we take a stand on Abortion – This is why we are a Pro life church!
II. We need to be a part of an organization that focus’ us on eternal things not temporal things.
a. We know that the Lord will outlast the Sun and the moon (vs 5).
i. We know that He will outlive each of us.
ii. So we need to commit to a place that highlights to us on a regular basis eternal things, eternal concerns, eternal rewards, eternal punishment and eternal values.
iii. So it is important to be a part of an organization that gets us to focus on eternal things because these matter more than temporal things in life.
b. We know that everyone will bow to the Lord in the end of time and we need to be reminded of that day (8-11).
i. We need to be reminded that He is coming again sooner than most of us think.
III. We need to be reminded on a weekly basis who it is that unleashes the spiritual rains of refreshment in times of drought.
a. God sends the rains of life and renewal (vs 6, 7)
i. Do you need a fresh outpouring of his Spirit?
ii. Are you dried up in the spiritual dimension of your life?
iii. Then ask for a fresh rain on your life today.
1. Do you want to experience his Spirit on a regular basis then you need to commit to a local church that cries out for a fresh rain each week and throughout the week.
b. Let righteousness blossom in your life as the Spirit enables you daily to live a righteous life in his presence.
i. Let His perfect peace flood your life of chaos and the unknown of tomorrow.
c. We need to allow the Spirit to rule us and control us! To lead us and guide us! To feed us and empower us forward in crisis times.
d. He is the one who creates and makes a place that is filled with healing.
i. The healing church emphasis
IV. We need to be part of an organization that reminds us on a weekly basis who is the miracle working God (vs 12-20).
a. He is the one who enables this church to help the needy in this community and abroad.
i. Our mission’s emphasis.
ii. My desire to create service ministries
iii. Our desire to minister to the needy with tangible acts of kindness
1. Share from book.
a. Making a “Good church Great!”
b. Jesus bleeds when we bleed!
i. We need to be encouraged that we are not alone in our struggle.
ii. The church to me is one big support group
iii. It’s not just the pastors it’s the body of Christ
iv. Mourn with those who mourn – Paul
c. When he dies they die
i. Die to self is the best way to be resurrected to new life.
d. When he lives you live!
e. This message all points to a healthy church because it’s connected to God in prayer and it is working in conjunction with the Holy Spirit. This therefore points to a healthy church.
V. We need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves (The Bible)
a. Bayles states, “All of us need a place to belong. All of us need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. All of us need to experience family and fellowship. Vance Packard calls America “a nation of strangers” and studies show that 4 out of 10 people experience feeling of intense loneliness. Our American culture produces people who more closely identify with characters on a weekly TV series than with their next-door neighbors. Everywhere you look, there are signs that people are hungering for fellowship, community, and a sense of family. Beer commercials don’t sell beer, they sell fellowship. Advertisers don’t portray someone drinking alone; it’s always in the context of enjoying each other’s company. People long to be connected. There are many analogies for a Christian disconnected from a church: a football player without a team; a soldier without a platoon; a tuba player without an orchestra; a sheep without a flock. But the most understandable and biblical pictures is that of a child without a family. That family is the church. God does not want his children growing up in isolation from each other, so he created a spiritual family on earth for us. A Christian without a church family is an orphan.”
b. Video of Jasmeen's Story (8 min) http://www.brooklyntabernacle.org/transformations/
Conclusion:
My desire as Sr. Pastor of this church is to see Christian Hills become the following:
A Praying church
A Healing Church
A Healthy Church
Then we will not be ashamed as Jesus walks up and down our aisles to see how we are doing – reference Revelation series coming up – speaking of end times and the power of the church that is practicing the 3 values above.
Can I tell everyone here today: “I do not want to play church! I really want to be a part of an organization that hears God’s voice, listens to God’s voice and does what He tells us to do. I believe He is telling this church to pray more, to become a healing church as we connect with His presence and His power and as we do this faithfully then we too will be Healthy as a church, our people will be healthy spiritually, our church will be in the lead in our community bring health and wholeness to it.
People will look at this church on the church on the hills and say – That church prays, that church has helped a lot of people get healed and that church is a healthy example of The Body of Christ making a difference in their community!
Are you making a difference with your life? (following from Bayles)
Is anyone going to be in heaven because of you? Will anyone in heaven be able to say to you, “I want to thank you. I’m here because you cared enough to share the Good News with me.” Imagine the joy of greeting people in heaven whom you helped get there. The eternal salvation of a single soul is more important than anything else you will ever achieve in life.
I hope that I’ve given you enough reasons to get up and go to church next Sunday! The truth is—church isn’t just something you attend; it’s something you are. When you understand what it means to not just go to church, but be the church, you discover your life’s true purpose—you were made to be a member of his family, to magnify his glory, to mature in his image, to be a minister of his mercy, and a missionary of his grace.
