I am so fortunate because I get to do for living what I love doing! I am a vocational pastor by calling, so what I am about to share will probably come across to you as bias and it may be, because I believe in the local church. After all Christ died for the church, which is made up of people who have given their life to Christ.
This week, I will conclude the series we have been in for the past eight weeks with a sermon I’ve entitled, “Keeping First Things First”. (Thanks for the idea, Ariel!)
So, what are God’s “first things”? I have discovered that there are four MAIN things that are God’s “first things”: Jesus Christ, the Bible, the lost (the last and the least) and of course, the church.
Given that I don’t have much space to elaborate on all four things, I will focus on the church.
In today’s culture, it seems that this one is the one that is most neglected, most avoided and most often considered an option. I pray that as you read this your mind will be open and your heart changed!
One of the areas where we demonstrate our commitment to God is through the local church and our active participation there. As Christ left this earth, He left behind three primary institutions to guide all of mankind into a relationship with the Father: His Word (John1:1), His Spirit (John 14:15-17), and His Church (Matthew 16:18).
Throughout the mission trips of Paul and the other apostles recorded throughout the book of Acts, we see them establishing the local church as the structured place for the Christians to gather, proclaim the Word, and develop relationships for support and accountability: (Acts 14:23) “And when they (Paul and Barnabas) had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
As we see consistently throughout the New Testament, the church became the basic unit of all Christianity (Matthew 16:18; Acts 8:1-3; Acts 9:31; Acts 11:22).
We also see an admonition by the writer of Hebrews that we should never stop meeting together as believers”. This was the place, the mechanism, for God’s people to constantly and consistently come together to encourage one another: (Hebrews 10:25) “24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
The practical question, however, is what should we do with respect to the church as busy individuals with far too many priorities in our respective lives? First, Hebrews 10:25 establishes the requirement of ALL believers to participate regularly in a local church. I find no basis for “Easter and Christmas only Christians”. I also find no basis for substituting one’s individual worship for “wherever you find God.” The church is a gathering place for: teaching; proclaiming the Word; publicly declaring God’s praise; mutual accountability; and corporate worship.
Based on this and many other references throughout the New Testament, I see our relationship with God being demonstrated through active participation in His church. This could be in the form of teaching and preaching, missions work, leadership, serving as a deacon, as a prayer warrior, caring for our elderly and home bound, maintenance of our church grounds and facility, shepherding a LIFE Group & more.
On the other spectrum, church work alone can become nothing but another set of overwhelming and endless activities and busyness! We can easily loose sight of our relationship with the Father as we zealously pursue them, just like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, trying to “earn” His favor! This focus brought a startling strong rebuke from Christ: (Matthew 23:5) “The scribes and the Pharisees … They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long …”
Our church work can literally consume all the time we have for intimacy with God. Just as Martha did in her time with Jesus, we too have to exercise caution not to lose sight of the Savior (Luke 10:38-42). Church activities cannot replace a relationship with Christ, but they can displace it!
On that note, see you Sunday as we gather as a church!
This week, I will conclude the series we have been in for the past eight weeks with a sermon I’ve entitled, “Keeping First Things First”. (Thanks for the idea, Ariel!)
So, what are God’s “first things”? I have discovered that there are four MAIN things that are God’s “first things”: Jesus Christ, the Bible, the lost (the last and the least) and of course, the church.
Given that I don’t have much space to elaborate on all four things, I will focus on the church.
In today’s culture, it seems that this one is the one that is most neglected, most avoided and most often considered an option. I pray that as you read this your mind will be open and your heart changed!
One of the areas where we demonstrate our commitment to God is through the local church and our active participation there. As Christ left this earth, He left behind three primary institutions to guide all of mankind into a relationship with the Father: His Word (John1:1), His Spirit (John 14:15-17), and His Church (Matthew 16:18).
Throughout the mission trips of Paul and the other apostles recorded throughout the book of Acts, we see them establishing the local church as the structured place for the Christians to gather, proclaim the Word, and develop relationships for support and accountability: (Acts 14:23) “And when they (Paul and Barnabas) had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
As we see consistently throughout the New Testament, the church became the basic unit of all Christianity (Matthew 16:18; Acts 8:1-3; Acts 9:31; Acts 11:22).
We also see an admonition by the writer of Hebrews that we should never stop meeting together as believers”. This was the place, the mechanism, for God’s people to constantly and consistently come together to encourage one another: (Hebrews 10:25) “24And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
The practical question, however, is what should we do with respect to the church as busy individuals with far too many priorities in our respective lives? First, Hebrews 10:25 establishes the requirement of ALL believers to participate regularly in a local church. I find no basis for “Easter and Christmas only Christians”. I also find no basis for substituting one’s individual worship for “wherever you find God.” The church is a gathering place for: teaching; proclaiming the Word; publicly declaring God’s praise; mutual accountability; and corporate worship.
Based on this and many other references throughout the New Testament, I see our relationship with God being demonstrated through active participation in His church. This could be in the form of teaching and preaching, missions work, leadership, serving as a deacon, as a prayer warrior, caring for our elderly and home bound, maintenance of our church grounds and facility, shepherding a LIFE Group & more.
On the other spectrum, church work alone can become nothing but another set of overwhelming and endless activities and busyness! We can easily loose sight of our relationship with the Father as we zealously pursue them, just like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, trying to “earn” His favor! This focus brought a startling strong rebuke from Christ: (Matthew 23:5) “The scribes and the Pharisees … They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long …”
Our church work can literally consume all the time we have for intimacy with God. Just as Martha did in her time with Jesus, we too have to exercise caution not to lose sight of the Savior (Luke 10:38-42). Church activities cannot replace a relationship with Christ, but they can displace it!
On that note, see you Sunday as we gather as a church!
Some excerpts from Balancing Your Family, Faith & Work by Pat Gelsinger
- How would you define the church to someone and what would you say to someone who is not involved in a church to help them consider being involved?
- God is faithfully committed to the local church, are you? If no, why not?
- Most people go to a church subconsciously asking, “What can this church offer me?” Is this something you’ve asked before? Why?
- How would the church be different if Christians went to church asking, “What can I offer this church instead of asking what can this church offer me?
- How would you define your commitment to the church? How would you describe your attendance to your church?
- What has God brought to your attention during this study and what needs to change? Make it a matter of prayer, confession and commitment.
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