Presented March 6, 2005 am
THE CHRISTIAN AND SELF-RENEWAL (11)
The Church and Renewal (3)
In previous lessons concerning the church and renewal we have noted that God expects the church to grow. A major concern that we have (at least we ought to have) is that we are not growing as we ought to, spiritually or in other areas. If we are not as close as we ought to be to one another, we may need revival/renewal. If we are not reaching out to the lost we need renewal/revival. If we are not fulfilling our purpose with fervor and truthfulness, we need to make change. If we are dying instead of thriving, we need renewal. We have discussed the need for growth, the importance of planning and determining what our purpose is (according to God’s will). Last week we identified according to God’s word, what that purpose is – worshipping Him, edifying each other, evangelizing, and limited benevolence. Today we want to notice some things we NEED to do to promote growth and ensure that proper growth continues (renewal).
I. Examine Where We Are At
a. We have noted that Christians are expected to examine their lives continually – 2 Corinthians 13:5, Galatians 6:4. But what about churches? Do they need to take a look at where they are from time to time? I am firmly convinced we ought to do just that and it is the FIRST step toward ensuring that we are where we ought to be.
b. Many of the epistles written to churches addressed problems that they needed to be dealt with. The first step to dealing with those problems was examination.
i.
The church at Corinth was
improperly worshipping God. Chapter 11 deals with abuses in their worship
service to God. They needed to examine what they were doing.
Chapter 12-14 deal with improper attitudes toward one another that they needed
to examine and correct.
Chapters 1-4 deal with their divided state and what they needed to do about
that.
Chapter 5 dealt with immorality in the church. They needed to examine their
terms of fellowship and make correction.
ii. Revelation 2:5 – the church at Ephesus which had lost its first love was called upon to “remember therefore from where you have fallen; Repent and do the first works…”
iii. Revelation 3:2-3 – the church at Sardis was told to “Be watchful (which can involve examination), and strengthen the things that remain…Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent.”
c. Even faithful churches were challenged to remain faithful –
i. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 speaks of brotherly love that was as it ought to be. But even in that they were encouraged to “increase more and more” (10)
ii. Philippians 1:9-11 – Paul prayed on their behalf, “that you love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.”
d. Calls for unity, purity and discipline within the church all demand examination from time to time. Standing for the truth and withdrawing from and exposing error calls for examination. IF there is a pattern to be followed (and there is) then we need to examine ourselves as to whether or not we are following that pattern.
e.
WE too need to frequently examine
where we are at.
The reason for last week’s lesson on identifying what our purpose is in this
study is so that we might know where we OUGHT to be. NOW we need to ask, “Are
we there yet?”
i. Is God pleased with the way we worship Him? Sure we follow the pattern we find in the New Testament, but is our attitude what it ought to be? Are we joyful and reverent? Is it our best?
ii. Are we building each other up? How? What are we doing to promote the fact that we are to prefer one another? Do we challenge our brethren to increase in our love for one another?
iii. What are we doing to reach the lost? Are we taking steps to introduce the gospel within our community? What are we doing to prepare brethren to be soul winners? Are we doing enough?
iv. In the area of benevolence – are we there for one another when a need arises? Do we know and respect our limits as the Lord’s church in this area? Are we encouraging our brethren to “do good unto all, especially those of the household of faith” as they have opportunity? (Galatians 6:10)
II. Set goals
a.
Once we have determined where we
are at – we then need to determine where we need to be. That is what a goal
is. The best goals are set up in stages – with both short term and long term
goals.
Consider Acts 1:8 where Jesus instructed His apostles at His ascension. He told
them where they would begin (starting point), the direction they were headed
(short term – Judea, then Samaria), the ultimate goal (long range goals – end of
the earth)
Why set goals? Because they are motivators. They give our lives direction. We
all need that.
The book of Nehemiah a good example of planning and goals. Jerusalem was still
in ruins years after Judah’s return from captivity. Nehemiah sees their state
and rebukes them. He points out their need to rebuild the city. He helps them
set goals and in 52 days, the walls of the entire city are repaired (6:15).
b.
As with examination, we have noted
the importance of goals in the individual Christian’s life
Paul knew the direction he was headed – Philippians 3:14 tells us that he
pressed “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call o f God in Christ
Jesus.”
He told Timothy, “You have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life,
purpose, faith, longsuffering…”
c. Churches need goals as well
i. Paul helped the church at Corinth set goals for raising funds for needy brethren – 2 Corinthians 8:10-11
ii. Churches condemned in Revelation 2 & 3 were told to get right immediately. They needed to determine the right path AND GET BACK ON IT. In a sense, that was a goal they needed.
iii. Acts 11:23 – Barnabas is sent to brethren in Antioch from Jerusalem to encourage them all “that with purpose of heart they should serve the Lord.”
iv. We understand (I hope) the Christian’s life is goal based. It ought to be the same with the church. We often pray that God will bless this congregation. Sometimes we ask that we be the best or strongest church in this community. Of course our desire is the best congregation in God’s eyes but also an asset to the community (w/o compromise) fulfilling His purpose. But ARE WE WILLING TO DO OUR PART to be the best church in this community? Are we willing to set some goals for growth and to be an influence in this community?
v. We NEED to set goals. We have not (and never will) reach a point of perfection where we cannot grow anymore or improve. We ought to examine ourselves and set some goals to improve. For example:
1. In worship. Are there things we can do to make each act of worship more meaningful? Do we do enough to prepare our minds as we partake of the Lord’s Supper? Are we learning more songs so that our singing doesn’t become stale and monotonous? A continuing goal in this area OUGHT TO be to develop our leaders to be and do their best.
2.
In Edification. We need goals to
help us increase our knowledge and understanding of God’s word. How effective
are our Bible classes? Is there anything we can do to make them better?
We need to set goals draw us closer to one another.
Is the purpose of our workgroups being met? Maybe we can extend the role of our
work groups – perhaps to include sending notes to visitors?
What can we do to help brethren who need to be built up and to overcome wrong
attitudes such as bitterness, selfishness, etc.?
3.
In Evangelism. We need to set
goals to equip our members so that they can go into the world to reach and teach
the lost.
We need to set specific goals of growth. As an example – why not make it a goal
to take away the ropes? (NOT right now, but because we HAVE TO).
We need to determine that we will overcome obstacles that make it more difficult
to reach the lost in this society.
vi. Much more could be said about goals in general. One thing I know – THEY ARE NEEDED and we need to sit down and determine some goals for the church here. Goals that are not too easy (a challenge) but not too hard (seemingly impossible).
III. Formulate a plan
a. Having established what our goals are, next we need a plan. We have noted the importance of planning. Planning is a scriptural concept. God planned for our salvation. Jesus taught us to count the cost before committing to Him – Luke 14:28-30 gave an illustration of one who did not truly consider what was needed before he built a house and failed to complete it.
b. Are we planning? A plan is to be based on where we are, where we need to be and HOW to get there. We could take each of the above mentioned goals and suggest plans for achieving our goals.
IV. Implement your plan
a.
All the goal setting and planning
in the world is useless IF WE DON’T IMPLEMENT what we plan.
Consider Nehemiah. He had a problem and he identified the problem by SHOWING
his brethren the broken walls. He established a plan and then PUT IT INTO
ACTION.
b. Jesus had a plan for spreading the gospel to the world. He set goals and gave a plan to His apostles. In fact He spent 3 years preparing them. Then they carried it out.
c. If we want to grow we have to do something – and that applies in WHATEVER area you are talking about (edification, worship, evangelism, etc.).
d.
The need to inform brethren.
Since the church is made up of individuals, if anything is to be accomplished,
it will be through them. How can they carry out plans if they don’t know what
the plans are? Again, Jesus took 3 years to let His apostles (and disciples)
know what was expected and what to do.
Paul in his letters often informed the brethren of his plans and what they could
do to help him implement them (sometimes it was as simple as asking for
prayers).
e. Call for a commitment to the plan. In the book of Nehemiah, after the walls were built, they still needed to restore proper worship and Nehemiah calls for a commitment from them. After the people confess their sins, chapter 9:38 tells us the leaders WROTE a covenant to be sealed by the leaders on behalf of all the people. NOTE 10:1 where we find they SIGNED the document. My point in this is that when we make plans known and express HOW they will be implemented, we need to call for a commitment from our brethren (another lesson within itself). It may not need to be in writing, but there needs to be a commitment nonetheless.
V. Don’t forget God.
a. Far too many make plans without considering whether or not God is pleased with what they are doing. In our plans we need to FIRST determine if they are in accord with God’s word. We can NEVER compromise and be pleasing to Him.
b. Pray to Him to help us fulfill our goals.
c. Believe. If our plans are according to His will, let us show the proper faith and trust in Him that He will help us fulfill our plans. NOTE I did not say He would do them for us. We still need to do the work. We need to plant and water and let Him give the increase.
VI. Continued evaluation
a. Finally, and we leave this for another time, we need to from time to time do an evaluation to determine if we are still on track. THIS is the key to renewal. In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul was speaking to Christians about something that was ongoing.
b. We may need to reevaluate our goals. Maybe our goals have been met, and we need to set other, greater goals. Maybe something is working and we need to try something different.
In all this, one thing we must never forget is all that we do must be done WITHOUT COMPROMISE. Thus we have seen some things we can do to 1) be pure and pleasing in God’s eyes and 2) put measures into place to ensure that we stay that way. That has been the purpose of our study. Next week, we will bring this study to a conclusion.