132 Sermon Illustrations on Fellowship

Submitted by: David Zimmerman

(adapted from a devotional article)

Remember the banana - when it left the bunch, it got skinned.

The banana is not the only thing in nature that teaches us the value of belonging. All around us are illustrations - some obvious, others not so obvious - that God created life to be nurtured in an environment of togetherness. For example, scientists have discovered that when the roots of trees contact one another, a substance is released which encourages the growth of a fungus. This fungus becomes a link between the roots of different trees - even different kinds of trees! If one tree has access to water, it is shared with the other trees. If one set of roots is in soil packed with nutrients, those nutrients will soon be passed to the other trees. Thus, the trees share with one another, providing for the survival of them all.

Our society tends to isolate people. We live in homes with mini-blinds and curtains over the windows to insure privacy. Many work in environments where interpersonal relationships rarely have the opportunity to develop. We can walk through a mall crowded with hundreds of people - and all of them are strangers. No wonder so many people struggle with feelings of boredom and loneliness!

The church can provide a place where boredom and loneliness are conquered. It is the soil in which we can sink our roots and touch one another in meaningful relationships. We have the opportunity to give and receive - to nurture and to be nurtured. This is the value of belonging. Is there a place for you? Yes! Is there an advantage to regular church attendance? Absolutely! Remember the banana - be part of the bunch!

A salesman drove his car into a ditch. Nearby was a farm and he was able to asked the owner if he had a tractor to get his car back on the road.

"Nope, but I got my mule, Blue," replied the farmer.

"I doubt a mule is strong enough to pull it out."

"You don't know Blue!" The mule's proud owner responded. So Blue was hitched to the vehicle.

"Pull, Blue!" The car didn't move. So the farmer called out, "Pull, Elmer!" It moved a little. The farmer yelled, "Pull, Biscuit," and the car was free.

"Thank you so much," said the truck owner. "But I've a question. You called your mule by three different names. Why?"

"Simple," said the farmer. "Blue is blind. If he thought he was the only one pulling, your car would still be in that ditch tomorrow!"

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Source/Attribution: Original source unknown; SIEW

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1. The greatest thing in all my life is knowing You.

The greatest thing in all my life is knowing You.

I want to know You more.

I want to know You more.

The greatest thing in all my life is knowing You.

2. The greatest thing in all my life is loving You.

The greatest thing in all my life is loving You.

I want to love You more.

I want to love You more.

The greatest thing in all my life is loving You.

3. The greatest thing in all my life is serving You.

The greatest thing in all my life is serving You.

I want to serve You more.

I want to serve You more.

The greatest thing in all my life is serving You.

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1. Another year is dawning

Dear Father, let it be,

In working or in waiting,

Another year with Thee;

Another year of progress,

Another year of praise,

Another year of proving

Thy presence all the days;

2. Another year of mercies,

Of faithfulness and grace;

Another year of gladness

In the shining of Thy face;

Another year of leaning

Upon They loving breast;

Another year of trusting,

Of quiet, happy rest;

3. Another year of service,

Of witness for Thy love;

Another year of training

For holier work above.

Another year is dawning;

Dear Father, let it be,

On earth or else in heaven,

Another year for Thee.

[Tune “Aurelia”]

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Lone-Ranger Christianity is not biblical Christianity. God's purpose is to build a church, not just to save isolated individuals. He desires a family of redeemed people who know they belong together.

Some say they love the Lord but don't believe in the local church. How can they be in fellowship with the One who "loved the church, and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25)?

Only in healthy interdependence on each other, in a fellowship where love is actively lived out, can we realize the ideal provided in Ephesians 4:13, "... until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness."

The new life we have in Jesus Christ is not a private matter to be lived in isolation. Without doubt, our faith has its solitary aspects. No one can be saved for another. Each must individually turn to Christ. People are saved one at a time, not in groups. Saving faith is personal faith.

But there is a corporate element in our faith. The church of our Lord is the body of Christ and a family in which we are fellow-citizens. He is the head and we are the members. We cannot belong to Christ without belonging to his people as well. We cannot be properly related to each other without being properly related to God. But, we cannot be properly related to God without being properly related to each other.

There is no such thing as genuine fellowship of believers among themselves apart from their individual fellowship with God. And there is no genuine fellowship with God that does not produce a living fellowship with other believers. A vital part of our life with the Lord is our lives with each other.

That's why the apostle Paul warned the Ephesians to put away lying and to speak the truth because "we are members of one another" (Eph. 4:25).

There is no private sin, no isolated wrong. A lie is a sin against the fellowship of believers, a hurt inflicted upon others in the faith.

This idea of fellowship dominates the New Testament teachings about the church. Any thought of enjoying salvation in isolation is foreign to the New Testament.

Christian fellowship moves us toward mature stature of his fullness and is the earthly counterpart and foretaste of the eternal fellowship that is in heaven.

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It was one of those times when a parent wishes they could trade places with their child because of the pain their child is going through. Our 12-year-old son Doug had been playing a pickup football game with some of his friends when a tackle caused him to break his arm. I mean, really break his arm. The fracture was so severe that his arm bone bulged out grotesquely, his hand was limp, and he was really, really hurting. The doctor met us in the emergency room and went to work trying to reset this arm that was broken in several places. Doug was tough, but it was obvious that he was in excruciating - I think almost unbearable - pain. He's pretty sure he doesn't ever want to do that again.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “The Pain of a Fracture.”

Our son would be the first to tell you how much a fracture in your body hurts. It's pain that the Son of God understands all too well. He describes all of us who belong to Him as His “body” on earth. And when there's a break in His body, He feels the pain.

That's why He makes very clear how we're supposed to be treating each other in passages like our word for today from the Word of God in Ephesians 4, beginning with verse 1. “...Live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit...”

Now, fractures in Christ's body hurt Him and hurt us. We can avoid those painful breaks by living “worthy” - treating each other gently, humbly putting the other person's interests first, patiently bearing with and choosing to overlook slights and hassles and the shortcomings.

But maybe you're in the middle of a break in Christ's body right now. If there is anything you can do to help repair that fracture, please do whatever it takes. It's hurting your Savior. It's hurting you and the other people involved, and it's hurting the reputation of Jesus with anyone else who knows about it.

Someone has to have the Christ-like humility to say, “This has been broken long enough. I'm not going to let my pride keep me from doing something about this any longer.” That may take a grace that is so counterintuitive for us but so instinctive for Jesus - it's called forgiving. You may say, “How can I forgive them after the way they've treated me?” You probably can't. So, you'll have to ask Jesus, the Great Forgiver, to pour His forgiveness into you. Then, as Colossians 3:13 says, you can “forgive as the Lord forgave you.” You don't treat them the way they treated you. You treat them the way Jesus treated you - with unconditional love, with forgiving grace.

All of us who belong to Jesus really have only one enemy, and that's Satan. He loves it when we treat each other like the enemy - and we shoot at a brother or sister ammunition that should be aimed only at our real enemy!

You can start the healing with words like these: “I was wrong.” “I miss you.” “I forgive you.” When you take that healing initiative, you are loving your Jesus enough to help relieve the pain that fracture is causing Him. His body was broken for us on the cross. Wasn't that enough? How can we break it again?

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Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc., PO Box 400, Harrison, AR 72602. Used by permission. Written by Ron Hutchcraft. "Practical Answers to Real Life Issues"

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #18446]

Why Go?

Read: Psalm 122

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. --Hebrews 10:24-25

It's Sunday morning, and our neighborhood is alive with activities. One neighbor is backing his boat out of the driveway as his family prepares for a day on the lake. Another sits comfortably on his front porch reading the newspaper. My daughter's friend calls and asks her to go to a basketball game. At the same time, our family is racing to find a missing pair of shoes so we can get to church on time.

Has that ever happened around your house? If so, you may feel as if you're swimming upstream against a current of apathy. It might even be easy to give in and give up going to church. Before you do that, think about what you'll miss.

* The joy of gathering with others who love to praise God for His

greatness (Ps. 122:1).

* The encouragement, care, and unity that occurs when believers meet

together (1 Cor. 12:25).

* Obedience to God's command to meet together regularly (Heb. 10:25-26).

* The instruction, edification, and challenge that come from the teaching

of God's Word (2 Tim. 4:2).

No other Sunday activity can replace what you'll get by meeting with fellow believers. See you there! --JDB

Our week's not complete till we make it our goal

To honor the Lord's Day and nourish our soul;

The help that we need for the tasks that we face

Will come as we worship and draw on God's grace. --DJD

Christians are like coals of fire--together they glow; apart they grow cold.

TEN LITTLE CHRISTIANS

Ten Little Christians, standing in a line,

One disliked the pastor, then there were nine.

Nine little Christians stayed up very late,

One slept too late on Sunday, then there were eight.

Eight little Christians on their way to Heaven,

One took the low road, then there were seven.

Seven little Christians chirping like some chicks,

One disliked the music, then there were six.

Six little Christians seemed very much alive,

but one lost his interest then there were five.

Five little Christians pulling for heaven's shore,

but one stopped to rest, then there were only four.

Four little Christians, each busy as a bee

One got her feelings hurt, then there were three.

Three little Christians knew not what to do,

One joined the sporting crowd, then there were two.

Two little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done,

differed with each other, then there was one.

One little Christian, can't do much 'tis true;

brought his friend to Bible study -- then there were two.

Two earnest Christians, each won one more,

that doubled the number, then there were four.

Four sincere Christians worked early and worked late,

Each won another, then there were eight.

Eight splendid Christians, if they doubled as before,

In just a few short weeks, we'd have 1,024.

In this little jingle, there is a lesson true,

You either belong to The Building, Or to the wrecking crew!

Our congregation is making a special effort to recalibrate our focus to be more like Jesus, who always put people first. Only his Father's will meant more to Jesus than the individual people to whom he ministered and longed to minister. I hope that we can be better at noticing when someone is missing, then go find that person and bring him or her back. As I read the Scriptures, several parts of this process are crucial.

1 COMMUNITY

We must have a relationship with each other that lets us know each

other and our needs. That means that many of our churches need to

have house-to-house meetings like the early church did (See Acts 2:

46; 20:20; cf. Romans 16:3-5; Philemon 2) in addition to our larger

church assemblies. Much of the New Testament teaching focuses on

"one another" issues. That means we must build "one another"

communities so that when someone is missing, we know it.

2 CONCERN

When some is missing or lost to us, our concern must lead us to

action. Praying for missing people is great, even crucial, but much

we must also actively search for them. (Matthew 18:12-14) Let's go

find them, visit with them, and seek to bring them home. That means

we listen to their words so we can hear the hurt in their heart,

address their concern, and seek to bring them back into life our

church family.

3 CELEBRATION

When someone comes back that has been away, has been lost from the

family, we want to celebrate their return! Each person is precious

to God and they should be to us. Their return to our family life is

a time of joy. (Luke 15:6-7, 9-10, 22-24, 32)

4 COMMITMENT

It is not just the person who returns that needs to recommit

himself or herself to the work of the Lord; it is also our need. We

want to offer encouragement and support for our returning brother

or sister to help them know they are loved, appreciated, and

needed. (Hebrews 3:12-14; 10:19-25)

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Mamie made frequent trips to the branch post office. One day she confronted a long line of people who were waiting for service from the postal clerks. Mamie only needed stamps, so a helpful observer asked, "Why don't you use the stamp machine? You can get all the stamps you need and you won't have to wait in line." Mamie said, "I know, but the machine can't ask me about my arthritis."

We live in a world that has become extremely impersonal. You can take care of numerous business transactions without dealing directly with people. When you do talk with people, most of them aren't going to ask you about your arthritis. They want you to state your business and get out of the way for the next customer.

We can get our lunch from a machine if we choose to. We can take our own blood pressure at the drug store. It's been a long time since many of us have had a conversation with a real, live telephone operator.

When you live in that kind of context, it's hard to find anybody who is the least bit curious about your arthritis, your gout, your bad cough or anything else that ails you.

People still need human contact. Solitary confinement is still the most severe punishment that a prisoner can receive. As Christians we need to be sensitive to the need that people have to be touched and cared for. "For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone" (Romans 14:7).

Sermon on why we need church. Hebrews 10:22-25

WHO NEEDS CHURCH?

=================

I. Don't go to church!

II. The church is a divine institution.

A. God set it up.

B. God should be the focus.

C. God can look after the church.

III. God's goals for a church. Acts 2:42

A. Authentic worship.

B. Sound instruction.

C. Effective service.

D. Intimate fellowship.

IV. You need church more than you realize.

A. Many drop out due to hurts and slights.

B. Our individualism can defeat us.

C. To discover fulfillment, try commitment.

In moments like these,

I sing out a song,

I sing out a love song to Jesus.

In moments like these,

I lift up my hands,

I lift up my hands to the Lord.

Singing I love You, Lord.

Singing I love You, Lord.

Singing I love You, Lord.

I love You.

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Seeds and Weeds

Read: Matthew 24:1-14

Their voice has gone out into all the earth. — Romans 10:18

At Campbell University, where I teach, a lot of students are praying for revival. They want a movement of God to ignite our campus — Christians repenting, and non-Christians responding to what they see by starting a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

What unbelievers often see around them, however, are not the seeds of revival but the weeds of compromise. That is discouraging, but even such apathy has an encouraging side. As we read Matthew 24, we see that revival is not a sign of the end times. Jesus Christ predicted His return with words like persecution, false prophets, and wickedness — quite the opposite of revival.

Matthew 24:14 does talk about worldwide proclamation of the gospel at this time of persecution. But the spiritual weather for evangelism is going to be icy cold.

Christians differ about the specific time Jesus will rapture His church to heaven — whether before, during, or after the 7-year tribulation. Matthew 24:1-14, however, seems to describe a time before those events, a time of persecution that every Christian must be ready to face.

Persecution challenges any group of Christians, because it separates the true believers from the fakes. Some pretend-believers will even turn against the true ones (v.10). They, like all nonbelievers, will be easy targets for false prophets (v.11). Society, meanwhile, will head downhill, with wickedness on the increase (v.12).

Sounds like quite a downward spiral, huh? Sounds like the farthest thing from revival, huh?

So what are we supposed to do? The same thing as always: Seek a genuine, life-transforming relationship with God. If that’s where you are today, stay there. If you’re a Christian but your daily faith experience cannot be described as genuine and life-transforming, trust God to make it happen through His Holy Spirit. If this is not even close to who you are but is close to what your heart cries out for, you can trust God to make that happen too.

The revival that will begin in your heart might not be a sign of the end times, but it will show that you’re ready. — JC

REFLECTION

• Why do so many Christians my age pray for revival?

• What do I want God to do in my life, so I can stand strong against persecution?

• Lord, I often pray for revival, but I feel unprepared to face persecution. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit so that I can stand strong against any opposition, and not fall away from my faith.

Revival begins with prayer — or persecution.

When God breathed life into Adam, he was both physically and spiritually alive. Adam was spiritually alive because his soul was in union with God. We were never designed to be separated from God or to live independently of Him. We were born to be spiritually alive.

For the Christian, to be spiritually alive is to be in union with God. This concept is repeatedly presented in Scripture by the prepositional phrase in Christ. Being in Christ is the theme of the New Testament. Like Adam, we were created to be in union with God. But Adam sinned and his union with God, and ours as well, was severed. It is God’s eternal plan to bring human creation back to Himself and restore the union He enjoyed with Adam at creation. That restored union with God, which we find in Christ, is the essence of our identity.

When you were born again, your soul was united with God and you came alive spiritually, as alive as Adam was in the garden before he sinned. As the New Testament repeatedly declares, you are now in Christ, and Christ is in you. Since Christ who is in you is eternal, the spiritual life you have received from Him is eternal. You don’t have to wait until you die to get eternal life; you possess it right now!

There are many benefits of faithful fellowship with God’s people. DON’T MISS OUT!!! GET TO CHURCH THIS SUNDAY!!!

Miss church, and you miss CHRIST’S POWER & PRESENCE. Christ promises to meet with us (Matt. 18:20). God’s manifest glory and power is at work when His people get together in obedience and fellowship (2 Chr. 7:2-3; 1 Sam. 4:21). Out of church you can lose power in your relationship with God through disobedience (Judges 16:20).

Miss church, and it will damage your WITNESS. A fellowshipping Christian can effectively invite the lost to hear the public, evangelistic preaching of God’s Word (Acts 15:7; 1 Th. 2:9). The witnessing Christian who is connected to a Spirit-filled, Biblical Fellowship collectively and actively reaching out to the lost (Acts 2:40,41) can be truly fruitful. Miss church and the effectiveness of your witnessing will be greatly hindered, and you will grow passive, neglectful, and sterile (2 Pet. 1:8).

Miss church and you will lack FRUIT. Joyful, loving believers are productive members of a fruitful, visible, local church (Col. 1:6, 10), exercising the Fruit of the Spirit, in regular interaction with God’s people, as Brothers and Sisters. Out of church you can tend to develop a bitter, critical spirit (Eph. 4:31; Gal. 5:15) and become isolated, and unrelated to the Family of God’s people.

Miss church and you miss FELLOWSHIP. In church you can relate and meet with other believers (Heb. 10:25), and can collectively help other saints to grow in their walk with the Lord, and in their understanding of the things of God (Acts 2:42). Out of church you may be cut off, unstable, ineffective in helping yourself or others in the faith, and you cannot grow in grace and love of the brethren (2 Pet. 3:16-18).

Miss church and you miss MINISTRY. In fellowship we are joined, as an effectual, working part of the Body (Eph. 4:16), exercising gifts and callings within the framework of Scriptural Fellowship. We can have opportunity to use our gifts and talents to the glory of God and the mutual edification of God’s people (Heb. 6:10; 13:21). Out of church you have severed yourself from the body, and are unable to effectively serve or use gifts and talents for the benefits and edification of others; you cannot be obedient to God’s call to serve one another (Gal. 5:13).

Miss church and it shows your lack of OBEDIENCE. You are failing to obeys God’s command to gather with the saints and be joined together in public assembly and in the receiving of godly admonition from God’s servant/s (1 Th. 5:12, 13). You will likely become apathetic, carnal, inactive; and will show by your works an open disregard to the clear and plain instructions of God in His Word (Titus 1:16).

Miss Church and you will miss HEARING GOD’S WORD. In church you can hear the Word of God read (1 Th. 5:27; 1 Tim. 4:13), and preached (Acts 13:44) and gain instruction - whilst you may not necessarily agree with all that is said (1 Cor. 1:21) by the imperfect human instrument, though that person is God’s vessel at that time (Acts 20:7) - whilst receiving it, you can “be a Berean” (Acts 17:11). Miss church and you’ll likely be rebellious, have closed your ears to the public preaching of God’s Word through God’s vessel at that time (Zech. 7:11-12; Acts 7:57); and are deliberately and disobediently dull of hearing (Heb. 5:11; Acts 28:27).

Miss church and you miss LEARNING. There is opportunity to be taught and receive exhortation - if you are receptive (Heb. 13:22). Without fellowship you will tend to be stagnant; stunted in spiritual growth, weak, not receptive, proud (Rom. 12:16), unteachable, and contentious.

Miss church and you miss GODLY RELATIONSHIPS, where you can interact scripturally (1 Th. 5:14) and build godly relationships; pray together, and learn together. You miss opportunity to encourage those who are weaker in the faith; and to exercise the fruit of the Spirit with those who are lacking in it. You miss opportunity to love the brethren (1 Th. 4:9); and to recognise the needs of others in order to be of some service or blessing to God’s family, in edification and love (Eph. 4:16). You will have limited in inter-relations with other believers, and you will tend to be divisive, cause strife, be carnal (1 Cor. 3:3); selfish, self-centred (Lk. 22:24), disobedient, and will not submit to scriptural authority (Heb. 13:17)

Miss church and you miss DOCTRINE where you can gather together to hear the teaching of God’s Word (Acts 2:42); as balanced Christians. You will tend to get off track, and become unbalanced and cultic (Phil. 1:15).

Miss church and you will miss RECEPTIVITY - being open to hearing from God and be able to exercise scriptural discernment (Heb. 5:14). You will tend to be faultfinding, picky (Jas. 4:11) and gainsaying.

Miss church and it will hinder your ATTITUDE. People who fellowship are more likely to be positive, productive, solid and faithful (Acts 14:22, 15:32; plus many Bible references to “faithful brother”). Those who don’t fellowship are likely to be negative, destructive and unreliable.

Miss church and you will hinder INVOLVEMENT - you will not be able to be active, or put faith into action. In church you can proactively participate (1 Cor. 14:26) and be a relevant, working part of God’s church (2 Th. 3:13), you have opportunity to serve God and man, and be an effectual working part in right relation to others (Eph. 4:16); striving together (Phil. 1:27), and always abounding in the work of the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58), with patient continuance in well doing (Rom. 2:7). You will likely have passive, dead faith (Jas. 2:14, 17); you cannot take part - or are deliberately idle - unwilling to work; in effect you have become a severed part from the local body of believers.

Miss church and you miss WORSHIP - the opportunity to join in the joyful corporate public worship of God in unity with other believers (Acts 2:47).

Miss church and you will fail in WITNESS TO COMMUNITY. You won’t show the world that we can be a shining light (Acts 2:47) and corporate public testimony (1 Pet. 2:12); as a glowing, visible, radiant witness. When believers fail to be a faithful part of the assembly in the local community it is destructive to the visible church of God. By not being part of the visible church they are effectively standing against it, and stand with the world and God’s enemies (Ex. 32:26).

Miss church and you fail in TESTIMONY - the opportunity to testify of the goodness of God in order to encourage and uplift others. Your testimony will be hindered; you will be a poor witness to younger believers, and can cause little ones to stumble (1 Cor. 8:12; Rom. 14:13).

Miss church and you show lack of COMMITMENT. True believers will be committed to the visible local church in the community, upholding the Word of God, in union with the people of God, to a lost and hell-bound world (throughout the Bible). Missing fellowship leads to lack of commitment and carnality (1 Cor. 3:3).

Miss church and you miss PRAYER. You miss joining in corporate prayer (Acts 4:31, 12:12). You cannot share needs and answers to prayer and be thereby encouraged (2 Cor. 1:11). By missing corporate prayer (Acts 1:14) you will not be able to minister as effectively to others by joining together in prayer with other believers, nor receive prayer for yourself.

Miss church and you miss EDIFICATION; the opportunity to edify the saints (Acts 9:31, Rom. 14:19, 1 Cor. 14:12) and extend your arms of friendship and love to other believers. You cannot give heed to godly edifying (1 Tim. 1:4); you are not able to edify yourself - or others, and will tend to become contentious (Prov. 26:21).

Miss church and you fail to GLORIFY GOD. Believers can assemble together and give Glory to God together (Rom. 15:6-7) and see His hand at work in the corporate gathering (Acts 4:31). Those who don’t assemble refuse to glorify God in the assembly (Jn. 17:10).

Miss church and you fail to EXPRESS UNITY with God’s people. God promises to bless the expression of scriptural unity (Ps. 133:1), as shown in being part of the local body of believers (Eph. 4:3; 1 Cor. 12:20, 1 Cor. 1:10). You will likely just murmur, complain (Jas 5:9); create schism (1 Cor. 12:25), or disunity and discord (Prov. 6:19).

Miss church and you miss BREAKING BREAD TOGETHER; you miss opportunity to join in corporate remembrance of what Christ has done for us in His work at Calvary (Acts 2:42, 2:46), and the keeping of the ordinances (1 Cor. 11:2). This is disobedience to Christ’s command.

Miss church and you miss the RESULTS of church-going; in terms of growth, and vibrancy of spiritual life

(2 Th. 1:3). You will tend to become stagnant, worldly, and backsliding.

Miss church and you lack ACCOUNTABILITY - You will not be a responsible part of a disciplined and God-ordained fellowship (Gal. 6:1), acting under authority (2 Cor. 10:8); receiving godly instruction, challenge and exhortation (1 Th. 2:9). You will likely become selfish, will lack submission to scriptural decency or order; and will not be in right Biblical relationship to God’s people or submission to godly leadership.

Miss church and you miss being able to show STEWARDSHIP - to faithfully (1 Cor. 4:2) support the visible expression of God’s work on the earth (Gal. 6:10), and its extension by Biblical preaching and ministry (2 Cor. 11:9) and giving (Rom. 12:13). You will fail to support a local expression of outreach or ministry in a scriptural manner.

Miss church and you fail to show CARE. The members should have care of one another (1 Cor. 12:25). You are called to love other believers (1 P. 1:22, 3:8), not please yourself (Rom. 15:1). If you miss church you are self-centred; you cannot effectively support the weak (Acts 20:35) and cannot effectively care for other believers.

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”A great mystery … Christ and the Church” — Eph 5:32

The New Testament uses various metaphors to express the union of Christ and the Church, but the most sacred is that of marriage. In a mystical sense, Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church His bride. Ephesians 5:25-32 clearly teaches this. Verses 28-31 latently allude to Eve, the first of human wives. Taken from Adam’s body, Eve was verily “of his flesh and of his bones” (30), but she was also “his wife” (31), which two facts together comprise a “mystery” expressing the union of Christ and the Church (32). The Old Testament furnishes illuminating type aspects of the Church’s mystical bridal relationship, in Eve, Rebecca, Asenath, Zipporah, and Shulamith.

How full of meaning is the metaphor as applied to the union between Christ and His people! In wedlock, husband and wife are one in law. As soon as both parties have subscribed to the marriage contract, the voice of special authority says, “I now pronounce them husband and wife.” Similarly, in the eyes of divine law, believers are “married to … Him who is raised from the dead” (Romans 7:4).

Next, in wedlock husband and wife become one in name. The bride foregoes her maiden name for the privilege of assuming her husband’s name. Even so, James 2:7 reminds believers of “that worthy Name by which you are called.” Every true wife glories in her husband’s name, if it is worthy, even when it is ill-used.

Again, in wedlock husband and wife are one in love. They are all to each other. “Christ loved the Church, and gave Himself for it.” “My beloved is mine and I am his.” If the husband has done great things for his wife, her love increases even more. Christ “gave Himself” to save and win me! How I ought to love Him!

But further, in ideal wedlock husband and wife are one in service. So it is with our Lord and His people: “Go into all the world … lo, I am with you.” Moreover, in ideal wedlock, husband and wife are one in possessions. So it is with the heavenly Bridegroom and ourselves (John 17:22; I Corinthians 3:21, 22; Ephesians 1:11) . It is also a remarkable fact, that in loving wedlock husband and wife often become one in likeness. There is “intergrade” in disposition and even in facial appearance. So it should be with us as believers and our glorious Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18) until perfected in His likeness (I John 3:2).

Last, but not least, husband and wife are one in home. Our heavenly Bridegroom is even no preparing ours for us with Himself (John 14:3). Meanwhile, what is the bride’s true attitude? It is to be devoted to His interests; to delight in His will; to have no secret from Him; to long for His coming and the joys of that heavenly home.

And when my Savior face to face I see,

When at His lofty throne I bow the knee,

Then of His love in all its breadth and length,

Its height and depth and everlasting strength,

My soul shall sing

— the Evangelist, news-magazine of the Evangelical Tract Distributors, P.O. Box 146, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5J 2G9 –1-780-477-1538 – www.evangelicaltract.com – support@evangelicaltract.com

“that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you. Now the God of peace [be] with you all. Amen.” (Romans 15:32-33 NKJV)

And Prays That The God Of Peace May Be With Them

• That…joy — caused by the good spirit in which the saints in Jerusalem accept the help of Gentile converts

• by…God, if God will that I should come

• refreshed — you, by my words; I, by your prayers and help

• God…peace — 2 Cor 13:11, Phil 4:7, 9, 1 Cor 14:33, 5:18 — the author and giver of peace

• be…all — giving you the blessings of peace

Essentials to a successful enterprise — Anon.

I. A good motive.

II. Earnest prayer.

III. The blessing of God.

The God of peace — Anon.

I. His nature is peace.

II. His purpose is peace.

III. His presence secures peace, in every heart, among Christian brethren, from foes without, under all circumstances

Peace with all — Dr Lyth

I. Whence it flows — from the God of peace.

II. How it is secured — by His presence.

III. What is the result — peace within, without, with all.

The joy of doing good — The joy resulting from the diffusion of blessings to all around us is the purest and sublimest that can ever enter the human mind, and can be conceived only by those who have experienced it. Next to the consolations of Divine grace, it is the most sovereign balm to the miseries of life, both in him who is the object of it, and in him who exercises it; and it will not only soothe and tranquillise a troubled spirit, but inspire a constant flow of good humour, content, and gaiety of heart. — Bp Porteus

Cause for joy — Think you it will be a small honour to stand before the throne of God and the Lamb, and be clothed in white, and be called to the marriage-supper of the Lamb, and to be led to the “fountain of living waters,” and to come to the well-head, even God Himself, and get your fill of the clear, cold, sweet, refreshing waters of life — the King’s own well — and to pat up your own hand to the tree of life, and take down and eat the sweetest apple in all God’s heavenly paradise — Jesus Christ, your life and your Lord? Up, your heart! Shout for joy! Your King is coming to fetch you to His Father’s house. — Rutherford

“On others what more easily, or more fruitfully, bestowed than our prayers. If we give counsel, they are the simpler only that need it; if alms, the poorer only are relieved; but by prayer we do good to all.” — Hooker

“That which is good to be done, cannot be done too soon; and if it is neglected to be done early, it will frequently happen that it will not be done at all.” — Bishop Mant

Purpose-Driven Life series, #3 1 John 1:1-4

FORMED FOR GOD'S FAMILY

=======================

I. God is a family kind of guy. Ephesians 3:15

II. Second purpose of life - Love your spiritual family. 1 Peter 2:17

A. Why is it important?

B. God wants you to learn to love your family.

C. Misunderstandings about fellowship.

III. Four levels of Fellowship.

A. Membership: choosing to belong.

B. Friendship: learning to share. Acts 2:44

C. Partnership: doing my part.

D. Kinship: loving believers like family.

IV. Which level are you at?

A. Perhaps a need for a basic commitment - membership.

B. Always a need for a deeper commitment - involvement.

C. Our ultimate goal.

[Developed from the series by Rev. Rick Warren of Saddleback Church.]

Remember the children’s chorus of years gone by? “If we all will pull together, together, together… if we all will pull together, how happy we will be!” Last Saturday I was in a church where the folks were all “pulling together.”

Over 150 of them gathered in work clothes with tools, paint brushes, vacuums, cleaning rags, shovels, and rakes. You name it and they had it. After a breakfast at 7:30 a.m., those 150 folks put in four hard hours, doing everything you can imagine as laid out for them by the church administrator. I saw no one sloughing off!

Think of it, 600 hours of volunteer work, of hard work! What a transformation they brought about in that church facility! At even ten dollars an hour, the church would have had to lie out thousands of dollars for the same manual labor.

See, we have a choice as church members. We can complain about the landscaping, the paint jobs, lights that have burned out, dust on the piano, etc. or we can pitch in and do something about it. By noon those dear people were pretty tuckered and a huge meal was waiting for them in the gym.

They stacked their plates high and while they ate they laughed and got better acquainted having a good old time. The old chorus is right: “If we all will pull together how happy we will be.” The last I heard, those folks had had such a good time they were planning to do it again the next month and maybe the month after that!

Why, there is no telling what that church will look like before those folks get done with it. Of course they could have chosen the other route and just sat around complaining.

The modern age has been the age of revolution, and the world we now inhabit has been shaped by a series of earth-shaking revolutions that have altered the cultural, economic, political, and personal lives we lead. Now, researcher George Barna declares a new revolution -- a revolution on behalf of spiritual vitality, but at the expense of the local church. In REVOLUTION, Barna never seems to take refuge in understatement. To the contrary, he demonstrates a marketer's bravado when he declares: “Whether you want to or not, you will have to take a stand in regard to the Revolution. It is on track to become the most significant recalibration of the American Christian body in more than a century. Your response ought not to be based on whether you are comfortable with it, but rather on its consistency with biblical principles and its capacity to advance the Kingdom of God. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, then you must understand this Revolution of faith because it is already impacting your life, and it will continue to do so in the years to come.”

So there. Of course, from the very onset some may question the earth-shaking significance of a “revolution” announced in a 140-page book, no matter how shocking its cover and publicity. Of course, THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO was a short treatise as well, but this hardly seems a fair comparison.

When George Barna talks about the revolution he perceives, he speaks about “an explosion of spiritual energy and activity” that is “likely to be the most significant transition in the religious landscape that you will ever experience.” He begins his manifesto by illustrating his “revolution” by means of a conversation between David and Michael, two representative postmoderns. Both of these men, depicted as playing golf on Sunday morning rather than going to church, are described as having been “driven out of their longtime church by boredom and the inability to serve in ways to make use of their considerable skills and knowledge.” Beyond this, their response took the shape of two very different trajectories. David “decided to develop his own regimen of spiritual practices and activities in order to retain a vibrant spiritual life.” Michael, on the other hand, “chose to call a truce with God and simply get on with life, sans church.”

As Barna describes them, both think of themselves as “deeply spiritual” persons. Beyond this, both affirm the truth and reliability of the Bible and pray before meals. Both complain of being chastised by pastors for their failure to be involved in the local church.

Of the two, David represents Barna's “Revolutionary Christian.” As such, he is “not willing to play religious games” and has little interest “in being a part of a religious community that is not intentionally and aggressively advancing God's Kingdom.”

As Barna acknowledges, “We live in an era of hyperbole.” Evidently, he has decided to join in hyperbolic expression. He acknowledges that the very idea of revolution is one that has attracted the attention of marketers. He identifies the Revolutionaries as a group of relatively young adults, now numbering over two hundred million persons. They are frustrated with local church life, have grown to distrust ministry leaders, and are determined to do more than “go with the flow” of contemporary evangelicalism.

And who wouldn't want what Barna's Revolutionaries desire? “They are seeking a faith experience that is more robust and awe inspiring, a spiritual journey that prioritizes transformation at every turn, something worthy of the Creator whom their faith reflects. They are seeking the spark provided by a commitment to true revolution and thinking, behavior, and experience, where settling for what is merely good and above average is defeat.”

These high-demand Christians represent a threat to the established church. With an amazing lack of nuance, Barna consistently presents his Revolutionaries in a positive light and the local church in a negative light. When Revolutionaries are criticized by established churches, this is “simply because of their determination to honor the God they love.”

Consider Barna's description of these brave souls. “Like their role model, Jesus Christ, they ignite fierce resistance merely by being present and holy. It is perhaps that holy presence that will get Revolutionaries in the deepest trouble they will face -- and that will bring lasting healing to a culture that has rebelled for too long against its loving Creator. These Christian zealots are radically reshaping both American society and the Christian Church. Their legacy is likely to be a spiritual reformation of unprecedented proportions in the United States, and perhaps the world.”

Beyond this, Barna warns that Christians are not to judge these believers “who are dedicated to pleasing God and blessing people” when “they are true to biblical principles and commands.” There lies the main problem with Barna's Revolutionaries and the revolution he so eagerly promotes. Where this revolution falls short is seen precisely in light of the Bible's presentation of the normative Christian life and the means of grace whereby believers are shaped into Christlikeness.

We should be fair and open-minded in understanding the passions Barna presents as formative for the Revolutionaries. He identifies these as a desire for intimate worship, faith-based conversations, intentional spiritual growth, servanthood, resource investment, spiritual friendships, and family faith. While some might describe these passions with different language, no one can doubt that Barna is on to something when he points to these issues as the reason for the Revolutionaries' dissatisfaction with so many existing congregations. Almost everything he says about the inadequacy of local church life is validated by even a brief acquaintance with the superficiality of American evangelicalism.

We should remember that Barna's dissatisfaction with the church is not a new development. In 1998 he published THE SECOND COMING OF THE CHURCH, in which he warned: “At the risk of sounding like an alarmist, I believe the Church in America has no more than five years -- perhaps even less -- to turn itself around and begin to affect the culture, rather than be affected by it.”

Still, something has gone tragically wrong when a marketing researcher declares that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is simply doomed -- especially in terms of local congregations. “There is nothing inherently wrong with being involved in a local church,” he argues. “But realize that being part of a group that calls itself a 'church' does not make you saved, holy, righteous, or godly any more than being in Yankee Stadium makes you a professional baseball player. Participating in church-based activities does not necessarily draw you closer to God or prepare you for a life that satisfies Him or enhances your existence. Being a member of a congregation does not make you spiritually righteous anymore than being a member of the Democratic Party makes you a liberal wing nut.”

A closer look at that argument reveals a glaring non sequitur. It completely avoids the question of what the church SHOULD be, and it undercuts a basic biblical premise -- that the local church is SUPPOSED to be the very place where Christians are drawn into the very passions Barna identifies -- and into so much more.

The fatal attractiveness of his argument is found most clearly in this short paragraph: “Being in a right relationship with God and His people is what matters. Scripture teaches us that devoting your life to loving God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul is what honors Him. Being part of a local church may facilitate that. Or it might not.”

Barna wants to identify the Church at the “macro” level as the universal fellowship of all believers. But the local church -- representing the “micro” dimension of institutional church life, is more often an impediment to spiritual growth, in his view, than a means of shaping Christians into authentic discipleship.

We must remember that Barna is a market researcher and not a theologian. Still, he has ventured into this territory and risks making sweeping theological statements that simply will not bear closer scrutiny. He implies that the Bible reveals no normative ecclesiology and that local churches, as known today, are simply “abiblical” -- not addressed in the Bible at all.

He argues: “The Bible does not rigidly define the corporate practices, rituals, or structures that must be embraced in order to have a proper church. It does, however, offer direction regarding the importance and integration of fundamental spiritual disciplines into one's life.”

That is true up to a point, of course. It is true that today's pattern of church organization with publications, youth ministries, gymnasiums, and church buildings is not drawn directly from the New Testament. Of all persons, a marketer should understand this reality very well, since he is best positioned to understand how the challenges of the modern world have been met with organizational responses at the local church level.

What George Barna misses is the big picture of New Testament ecclesiology -- a picture that identifies congregational life as the very means whereby believers are shaped into Christlikeness and Christian maturity through the ministry of the Word, the fellowship of the saints, and the normative patterns of church life. Barna's Revolutionaries may be involved on spiritual quests that have added dimensions of meaning to their lives, but what they lack is the accountability, deployment, mutuality, and koinonia of the local church as envisioned in the New Testament.

Only the briefest of glances at the New Testament, looking particularly at the book of Acts and at the various letters to the churches, would reveal the centrality of preaching, discipline, congregational fellowship, and the central practices of baptism and the Lord's Supper. Barna offers genuine insight when he points to the larger cultural trends of generational transition, the rise of a new view of life, dissatisfaction with irrelevant structures, the impact of technology, the importance of genuine personal relationships, direct participation in reality, and the quest for deeper meaning. Still, one must wonder about Barna's nearly complete lack of nuance. What are we to make of Barna's claim that “Jesus Christ is the focal point of the life of every Christian Revolutionary today. It is His call to revolutionary living that beckons us and guides us on this path?” Are the Revolutionaries never wrong? Beyond this, Barna's definition of spiritual transformation seems amazingly superficial. “Spiritual transformation is any significant and lasting transition in your life wherein you switch from one substantial perspective or practice to something wholly different that genuinely alters you at a very basic level,” he writes. That's all?

He points to a cluster of what he calls “spiritual mini-movements” as indicative of where the Revolutionaries are at work. These mini-movements are, he argues, reshaping the shape of Christianity in America, from the emergence of cyber-churches and house churches to a new emphasis upon family and home-schooling.

Part of the problem undoubtedly lies in Barna's marketing approach to the church. A look through Barna's many books -- all widely read and helpful in understanding larger cultural trends -- reveals that he has never articulated anything close to a New Testament vision of the local church.

In GOD IN THE WASTELAND, David F. Wells points to the problem of approaching the church from the angle of marketing. “A business is in the market simply to sell its products; it doesn't ask consumers to surrender themselves to the product. The church, on the other hand, does call for such a surrender. It is not merely marketing a product; it is declaring Christ's sovereignty over all of life and declaring the necessity of obedient submission to him and to the truth of his Word. When the church is properly fulfilling the task it has been assigned, it is demanding far more than any business would ever think of asking prospective customers. Simply put, the church is in the business of truth, not profit. Its message -- the message of God's Word -- enters the innermost place in a person's life, the place of secrets and anguish, of hope and despair, of guilt and forgiveness, and it demands to be heard and obeyed in a way that not even the most brazen and unprincipled advertisers would think of emulating.”

As in the past, George Barna has served the church by describing and documenting trends that are shaping the culture and in revealing the superficiality and failings of all too many local congregations. Regrettably, his prescription is even worse than his diagnosis, for minimizing the importance of the local church runs directly counter to the Bible's vision for the Christian life. The real answer to Barna's concern is the recovery of biblical ecclesiology -- a recovery that would relativize and revolutionize the entire landscape of contemporary Christianity in America.

The revolution we truly need is a recovery of the New Testament vision of the local church -- a comprehensive embrace of the totality of congregational life, including all of the functions and marks revealed in Scripture. This is the great task to which this generation of Christians is called -- and we will need Barna's Revolutionaries in order to make this happen. Channeling all these energies into a comprehensive recovery of the biblical vision for local churches would be a revolution worth joining -- and worth celebrating. VIVA that REVOLUTION!

*

The importance of helping members develop friendships within your church cannot be overemphasized. Relationships are the glue that holds a church together. Friendships are the key to retaining members.

A friend once told me of a survey he took in a church. When he asked, “Why did you join this church?” 93 percent of the members said, “I joined because of the pastor.”

When he then asked, “What if the pastor leaves? Will you leave?” 93 percent said no. When he asked why they wouldn't leave, the response was, “because I have friends here!”

Do you notice the shift in allegiance? This is normal and healthy.

Lyle Schaller has done extensive research that shows the more friendships a person has in a congregation, the less likely he is to become inactive or leave. In contrast, I once read about a survey of four hundred church drop-outs who were asked why they left their churches. Over 75 percent of the respondents said, “I didn't feel anyone cared whether I was there or not.”

It is a myth that you must know everyone in the church in order to feel like a part of a church. The average church member knows 67 people in the congregation, whether the church has 200 or 2,000 attending. A member does not have to know everyone in the church in order to feel like it's “my church,” but he does have to know some people.

While some relationships will spontaneously develop by chance, the friendship factor in assimilation is too crucial to leave to chance. You can't just hope members will make friends in the church. You must encourage it, plan for it, structure for it and facilitate it.

• Think relationally.

Create as many opportunities as you can for people to meet and get to know each other. Members can walk in and out of church for a year and still never really develop any friendships.

Try to include some kind of relational activity in every congregation meeting. It may be as simple as saying, “Turn around and introduce yourself to one person and find out something interesting about them.”

Since most people have a hard time remembering names, especially in a larger church, use nametags as often as you can. Nothing is more embarrassing than not knowing the name of someone you've seen at church for years.

Although we've used all kinds of events to build relationships within our church family (supper clubs, sports, game nights, picnics, etc.), by far the most effective tool for cultivating new friendships has been our use of weekend retreats.

Consider this: The amount of time a person spends with other members at a single 48-hour retreat is greater than what they will spend together in Sunday over a year. If you're a church planter and you want to develop relationships quickly in your church, take everybody on a retreat.

• Encourage every member to join a small group.

Another effective tool for building relationships is small groups. Not only do they help people connect with one another, they also allow your church to maintain a “small church” feeling of fellowship as it grows. Small groups can provide the personal care and attention every member deserves no matter how big the church becomes.

Develop a network of small groups, built around different purposes, interests, age groups, geography, etc. To be honest, it really doesn't matter what rationale you use to start new groups. Just keep starting them!

It's unlikely that very many new members will join existing small groups. New members assimilate best into new groups. You can even start new groups right out of your membership class. New members have their “newness” in common.

One of the sayings I repeat over and over to our staff and lay leaders is, “Our church must always be growing larger and smaller at the same time.” By that I mean there must be a balance between the large group celebration and the small group cells. Both are important to the health of a church.

The large group celebrations give people the feeling that they're a part of something significant. Large group meetings are impressive to unbelievers and encouraging to your members.

But you can't share personal prayer requests in a crowd.

Small affinity groups, on the other hand, are perfect for creating a sense of intimacy and close fellowship. It's there that everybody knows your name. When you're absent, people notice. You're missed if you don't show up.

Because Saddleback existed for 15 years without owning a building we've had a heavy reliance on small groups for our adult education and fellowship. Using homes allowed us to expand numerically and geographically without investing any money in buildings. Even though we now own a 120-acre campus, we will continue to use homes for our small group meetings.

In addition to being biblical, there are four benefits of using homes: they are infinitely expandable (homes are everywhere); they are unlimited geographically (you can minister to a wider area); it's good stewardship, releasing more money for ministry (you use buildings that other people pay for!); and it facilitates closer relationships (people are more relaxed in a home setting).

• Small groups work!

The larger your church grows, the more important small groups become for handling the pastoral care functions. They provide the personal touch that everyone needs, especially in a crisis. At Saddleback we say the whole church is like a cruise ship and the small groups are the lifeboats.

I don't have the space to give a detailed explanation of our small group strategy and structure. Let me just say this: Small groups are the most effective way of closing the back door of your church. We never worry about losing people who are connected to a small group. We know they've built relationships which truly make them a part of the body.

*

My presence shall go with thee. (Exodus 33:14a, AV)

Even as Israel was given this precious promise to encourage and strengthen them on the dreary journey to Canaan, so the true child of God today may experience the fellowship of the Saviour sa he walkes in the spiritual desert of this world. As "temples of the Holy Spirit," we are assuerd of the Divine Presence in an even more intimate way that was possible for God's chosen people of old.

Not as One to dwell apart

In the spareroom of my heart,

But as One to whom my prayer

May confide the smallest care.

Thus I pray, –

"Lord, be Thou my Guest today!" – Anon.

Remember, you can't expect to feel God's presence if you are too busy to commune with Him.

One of the reasons for Saddleback Church’s growth is that we’ve maintained a harmonious atmosphere. When a church loves, it attracts people like a magnet. When a church really offers love to each other and those who are welcomed into it, you’ll have to lock the doors to keep people out!

In the second half of Romans 14, Paul says building each other up is the secret to building a loving church. He says it’s not enough to just accept –- or tolerate -– the people you don’t get along with in the church. Instead, he says we need to actively build each other up.

Romans 14:19 says, “So then, we must pursue what promotes peace and what builds up one another.” Paul says you should concentrate on two things: (1) that which makes for harmony, and (2) that which helps the church grow. So we must always aim at those things that bring peace and health, that strengthen one another.

According to Paul, there were three issues causing conflict in the Roman church: diet, days and drink. But the principle Paul establishes in Romans 14 transcends those three examples. Paul gives five ways that we are to build others up:

• By committing ourselves to building each other up.

We all need to learn from Paul’s instructions in Romans 14. The strong believer needs to grow in love, and the weak believer needs to grow in knowledge. Now, when Paul talks about a weak believer, he’s talking about a legalistic Christian who, rather than seeing the relationship with Christ as the key element, sees the rules, regulations and rituals as the key to a Christian life. Legalistic Christians need to grow in knowledge of God’s grace. On the other hand, Christians who say, “I’m not hung up on rules and regulations” need to grow in their love, possibly limiting some of the things they do for the benefit of those who might be offended.

Paul instructs us to make “building up” of others our goal. Life is tough, and there are enough discouraging people in the world. We need a whole band –- an army -- of encouragers. Can you imagine if a small core of leaders in your church committed to building up everyone they came in contact with? What if just five people in your church began writing letters –- one note a week -– saying, “I appreciate you,” and they sent them to others in your congregation. What kind of impact would that have on the morale of your church?

• By recognizing the value of every person.

“Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died” (Romans 14:15b).

When you start to get upset with someone in your area of ministry or in the church, just remember: Christ died for that person. They may be obnoxious; they may be immature; they may be disagreeable, but Christ died for them. That shows how valuable and important they are to God. What right do I have to hurt people for whom Christ died?

• By keeping our focus on what’s really important.

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and is approved of men” (Rom. 14:17-18).

Paul is saying that food and drink are not the burning issues of life. By focusing on the things that are eternally important, we can then put up with a lot of quirks, faults and faux pas. Paul is making the plea: Don’t be sidetracked over minor issues.

When the world looks at a Christian, they ought to be able to see righteousness, peace and joy flowing from the Holy Spirit out of that Christian. As the great preacher Vance Havner once said, “You can be straight as a gun barrel doctrinally, but be empty spiritually.” You can avoid that by focusing on what’s really important.

• By limiting our liberty out of love for each other

“Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It’s better not to eat meat, drink wine, or do anything else that will cause your brother to fall” (Rom. 14:20-21). When my liberty limits the work of God, then I’ve got a problem. I have to be sensitive to how my liberty potentially causes a weaker brother to stumble.

When God called me into the ministry, I had really long hair. But then I was asked to go to Bakersfield –- a rather conservative area of California –- to do a citywide crusade. When I sent them a picture, the steering committee wanted to cancel the crusade. They were concerned that my hair would encourage the young people to grow their own hair long, in direct contradiction to what the adults had been teaching.

What did I do? It didn’t take me but a moment to decide. I cut my hair. Even though I had every right to wear my hair any length, I limited my liberty in order to minister to others. I wasn’t limiting myself out of legalism. I limited myself because I wanted to minister to people who may not be mature enough to accept a different form of dress. Other people’s souls are far more important than my liberty.

• By not forcing my opinion on others.

As long as I am the senior pastor of Saddleback, we will not make disputable issues a test of fellowship. We will not say, regarding disputable matters, “Believe as I believe, think as I think, do as I do -– be like me! Only then can I fellowship with you.”

Romans 14:22 says: “So whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves.” Paul says, on these disputable matters, keep them between you and the Lord. You can practice your freedom without parading it.

While you need to look out for people who might be offended by a legitimate “stumbling block” issue, some legalists will be upset no matter what you do. You’ll never be able to please them. In that event, Paul says, “As far as it depends on you, if it is possible, live at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18). What you need to do is allow the Holy Spirit to help you determine when you’re dealing with a legitimate stumbling block and when you’re dealing with another believer who is simply unpleasable.

The result of building each other up is a spirit of unity that glorifies God: “So with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God is glorified because unity brings glory to God. When Christians are divided, it’s a bad testimony to the world. When Christians are united, it’s a beautiful testimony.

Romans 15:13 says a unified church is marked by joy, peace, hope and power: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

That’s the kind of church I want to be a part of. Saddleback is not a perfect church, but it is a healthy church –- and it’s growing in joy, peace, hope and power.

For Me and thee. — Matthew 17:27.

The Lord’s partnership with us is very finely expressed in this little text of four syllables. Peter is going through the most disagreeable of our financial problems, worrying about taxes, perhaps the least agreeable of all pecuniary obligations. But the Master takes the burden upon Himself in considerate and thoughtful partnership. We see here, not only our Lord’s provision but His prevision. He knew all the time where the money was coming from. The right individual lost that piece of gold at the right moment dropping it perhaps from a little boat into the sea, just as a fish was passing by, who caught by the shining gold, opened its mouth. While we are fretting and wondering our thoughtful Father and Master has all the circumstances connected with our deliverance arranged and must often smile at our perplexity and unbelief.

In some way or other the Lord will provide,

It may not be my way, it may not be thy way,

And yet in His own way, the Lord will provide.

Despond then no longer, the Lord will provide;

And this be the token–no word He has spoken

Was ever yet broken ; the Lord will provide.

Lo, I am with you all the days. — Matt. 28:20. (R. V. margin).

“All the days” in winter days, when joys are fled; in sunless days, when the clouds return again and again after rain; in days of sickness and pain; in days of temptation and perplexity, as much .as in days when the heart is as full of joy as the woodlands in spring are full of song. That day never comes when the Lord Jesus is not at the side of His saints. Lover and friend may stand afar, but He walks with them through the fires; He fords with them the rivers; He stands by them when face to face with the lion. We can never be alone. — F. B. Meyer.

Days of darkness still come o’er me;

Sorrow’s paths I often tread;

But the Saviour still is with me,

By His hand I’m safely led.