Presented December 16, 2007
IS THE CHURCH REALLY IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Last week, we presented a lesson entitled, “I am resolved” in which we addressed some areas that we need to examine ourselves in to determine whether or not we need to make resolutions to improve in those areas. We talked about our relationship with God, our brethren and those of the world (who are lost). In dealing with our relationship with our brethren, we noted that one way we improve that relationship is to make the church a priority. In fact, I believe it safe to say that the degree to which we are increasing in our relationship with our brethren correlates directly with how important we think the church is.
So, is the church important? And if it is (which we will show), HOW important is it to you? Remember, that the future of the Lord’s body here depends on how seriously we consider these questions. But for many, I fear that the church is NOT as important as it ought to be. In this lesson we want to address this subject. We will briefly notice why the church is important and why it should be important to you. Then we will examine some reasons why Christians do NOT see it as important as they ought to.
I. Is the church important?
a. The word “church” means, “to call out” and describes one called out of the world into a relationship with Christ. In its universal sense it is a description of the saved. A local church is simply a group of Christians (reflecting an understanding of salvation) joining together to meet and do the work of the church at a given location. We are described as “the body of Christ” Ephesians 1:22-23.
b. God planned it before the foundation of the world – Ephesians 3:10
c. Jesus died for it- Acts 20:28 (He purchased it with His own blood)
d. Its work shows its importance – in the church we are to:
i. Worship God – Ephesians 5:19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
ii. Build up the saints – Ephesians 4:16
iii. Help our brethren according to God’s pattern
iv. Proclaim the gospel by supporting the preaching of it and maintaining its purity.
II. Is the church important to you?
a. Do you attend and participate? (Heb. 10:24-25) Is it really a priority?
b. Do you value your brethren? How much?
c. Does your life demonstrate the church as important and an influence in all you do?
d. Do you tell others about the church? *Let it be our goal that this coming year we will put forth greater effort to bring others to Christ.
III. Why some Christians don’t do more for the church
a.
Sadly, many Christians treat the
church as just another compartment in their lives and give it less importance
than it deserves. It is no secret that we live in a society where many live
lives of mediocrity in all that they do. They are content to do the minimum
with their job and be told what to do (instead of rising to the top), they live
for fun and avoid getting involved in society, community and other areas as much
as possible, unless there is something in it for them.
And for some, this attitude spills over into the church. There are many who
strive to do as little a possible and still reap the benefits of being a part of
the church. They want to attend the minimum requirements, give the minimum
amount, do the minimal work to be considered faithful. But, with the church,
it doesn’t work that way!
b. But, WHY are some Christians satisfied with this attitude? Why don’t many Christians do more than they do? There are actually a number of reasons. Let us notice a few of them this morning:
i.
They are not truly converted
The basic idea of conversion is change – TOTAL change! This involves one’s
intellect, will, and emotions. Not a superficial change or a change with hidden
motives.
This change in attitude leads to a change in conduct – cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-11, Rom.
6:1-4
There are many who are a part of the church for reasons other than true
conversion
- some are second or third generation Christians – doing what their parents did.
- some are doing it to please friends or someone else
- some see social benefits to being part of the church
- some act out of mere routine or habit – they know deep down this is where they
ought to be but they would rather be somewhere else. Their “compromise” is to
go “through the motions” and give the minimum.
WHEN one is not truly converted – he will NOT give the church adequate place in
His life. That is why we read, “Repent and be converted, that your sins may
be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the
Lord” (Ac. 3:19). Note how this is a call for REAL change in one’s life.
Matthew 18:3 says, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and
become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
The point – IF you are not truly converted and simply going through the
motions – YOU ARE LOST!
ii.
Some misunderstand what the local
church is
There are many misconceptions about
the church that hinder true growth
- Some see the church from a materialistic point of view – they weigh
success based upon size, the building, wealth, etc. They are more concerned
about standing in the community than being right. Like the church at Sardis –
Rev. 3:1 and Laodicea – Rev. 3:15-17. Such will also seek physical glory in
what they do.
- Some see the church as an agency through which THEY can accomplish what God
expects. I.e. they give on Sundays (perhaps substantially), attend the
worship services and support (i.e. give lip service) to what is going on. In
turn for this, they see membership as their ticket to heaven. After all they
hire and support the preacher to teach, the elders to deal with the problems and
the deacons to take care of the needy and do the work. Like American
Express®, “membership has its privileges” they reason.
- Some see the church as existing for the primary purpose of taking care of
its own members – usually they are the ones who expect to be taken care of
and everyone is to cater to them. Some of these see the church as nothing more
than a benevolent institution. This is the mindset of much of the world toward
churches.
But, according to scripture, this was NEVER the intent of the church – cf. 1
Tim. 5:16.
- Some see the church as only existing when we assemble together. When
they leave the building, what they do is no one else’s business.
Such concepts cheapen the REAL purpose for the church which Jesus died to
establish. And as such, they will NOT stand behind the REAL purpose of the
church.
iii.
They fail to understand their
responsibility in the church’s success
Many fail to do more because they simply don’t want to get involved.
Like Pilate washing his hands (Matthew 27:24) they want someone else to do the
work. Especially the dirty stuff.
But we cannot overemphasize that we are described as a body, not only in 1
Corinthians 12:12-27, but also in Romans 12:4-5, Ephesians 4:16, Colossians
2:19, etc.
The word “church” is a collective noun meaning it describes a group of something
(like a herd of cattle, or a school of fish). A single Christian
cannot be a church. But he IS to be a part of the church.
For the church to succeed, everyone HAS to do his or her part – Eph. 4:16.
For example, consider church discipline. For it to work properly, EVERYONE must
be willing to follow God’s pattern – even though it is not pleasant. When
members don’t cooperate – the whole purpose is thwarted.
When one fails to see their responsibility, they will NOT do their part
within the church.
iv. They are not as sincere and committed as they ought to be (apathy).
Perhaps the biggest reasons we don’t do more is
because of apathy. We DO want the church to succeed, and we know what needs to
be done, and we may even know that we need to do our part, but what it boils
down to is that it usually costs more than we are willing to pay.
Apathy is one of those subjects that we need to harp on continually, because it
is so easy to be wrapped up in it. And it can also cost us our souls.
Consider these passages as they apply to our need for commitment:
Proverbs 18:9, “He who is slothful in his
work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.” – Sloth, which is a
fancy word for laziness is described as something that destroys things. Cf.
Ecclesiastes 10:18)
Is it possible that our apathy is causing the church to fall apart
(spiritually speaking)? And if so, can we say that we have clean hands in the
matter?
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore
comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” The
word edify means to build up. We cannot do that IF we are apathetic.
Romans 1:16 – the gospel is the power of Go d unto salvation. We
know about lost souls and how they need the power of the gospel. Are we
apathetic in looking for opportunities to take it to them?
Matthew 6:33 - “Seek first the kingdom of God and His
righteousness.” Can we honestly say we are putting Him first when we don’t put
His interests first?
Titus 2:14 - Christ, “gave Himself
for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself
His own special people, zealous for good works.” IF we are apathetic
in our actions, can we honestly say we are what Christ wants us to be?
If truth be known, apathy can be tied to every aspect of our lives
as Christians, from the way we worship, to the way we respond to our brethren,
the way we respond to the instructions of our elders, personal growth in our
lives, and how much effort we put into reaching the lost.
How important the church is to you boils down to what you do about it. A fact that we need to HONESTLY remind ourselves of is this: WE DO WHAT WE WANT TO DO! Are we guilty of any of these attitudes? If so, let us repent and resolve to do better and show the Lord and our brethren how important the church really is to us.