How Can I Help the Church?
Lansden Gospel Meeting Fall 2025 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
Greeting:
Greeting:
Good evening everyone
Good to be back with you all tonight
After that great lunch I was afraid I would get home fall asleep and not make it back…
But we made it!
I am looking forward to the rest of the week Lord willing
I know its gonna fly by...
Lesson Text:
Lesson Text:
Colossians 3:12-17
Opening:
Opening:
This week we are continuing on with our theme of “The church and The Need to Evangelize”
We began our series of lessons this morning by first looking internally at the church…
We looked at a lesson titled… “The church Who Are We?”
We established the idea this morning that before we start evangelizing or worrying about things externally, we first have to start internally with us…
The church…
We need to know our identity as the church and who we are so that we can go out and evangelize and bring others to the church…
Tonight our goal is to continue to look internally at the church and then in the following lessons Lord willing we will look at the need to evangelize…
We have one of the greatest blessings here tonight.
One of the best things we have on the planet we are enjoying right now as we sit here.
The church.
As we looked at this morning its truly a blessing…
We are blessed with the church and all the good things that come from it.
Do we appreciate it? Do we help it?
Do we try our best to strengthen it?
Maybe sometimes it’s easy for us to feel like just a number.
Maybe we feel useless, maybe we feel like we aren’t making a difference.
Sometimes we may even ask, “What is there for us to do?”
Tonight I wanna look at an important question for us as Christian’s.
“What can I do to help the church?”
I think it’s important that we all understand and appreciate the fact we are all a part of this church.
We all are valuable and have a way to help the church.
We all play a role in growing, strengthening, and sustaining His church…
So, what can we do to help the church?
Tonight I wanna look at 3 different ways I think every single person here can be of help to the church.
Lesson:
Lesson:
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Paul in our text is speaking about living our life and not just any life but a resurrected life.
A new, changed life we should live as Christian’s.
If we have been raised a new as a Christian, living this resurrected life then there are certain things we have to avoid.
But there also positive things we must do as Christian’s as well.
And he sums it up well by saying whatever we do, we must do for the Lord.
Now, this passage is speaking mostly in individual terms as Christian’s
But if we ask the question of our lesson title tonight we can find a similar answer.
If we search the scripture on what we can do to help the church we aren’t gonna find a magic answer.
There is no magic formula.
But there is basic instructions for us just like we read here.
There are practices we can implement on a personal level to help the church.
Things we can do each and every day to help out Christ’s church.
Which leads us right into our first point.
Our first point tonight, we can help the church by practice.
Practicing Christianity in our personal life.
Whether or not we think it helps any, it does help the church.
We established this morning the fact that its us, Christians who make up the church, its not the building but its us.
So what we do in our personal life as the church, it matters…
So a few things we can do on a personal level…
We can pray regularly as Christian’s
pray without ceasing,
We’re told as Christian’s to pray without ceasing.
I want to ask a question….Can you ever pray too much?
Could we ever say that praying to too much is a bad thing?
We should make it a point to regularly pray for the church.
Paul in many of his epistles as you read through whether its the Corinthians or Thessalonians you will see repeated his prayers he has for them and remembering them always in his prayers he says…
We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
The church family should be in our prayers on a regular basis!
And this is something literally every single person can do!!
Much like this morning where we spoke of the gospel, I think we severely underestimate or under value the power of prayer in our lives…
We also need to remember to pray thankfully for the church.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
The church is a huge blessing in our lives and something we should be thankful for!
Are we thankful for his church tonight?
Are we thankful for the sacrifices that took place to establish this church?
Another part of practicing Christianity personally, is remaining pure.
As a part of the church we should want to remain pure in our ways as Christian’s.
In our speech.
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
As part of Christs church we should have nothing but edifying speech.
This goes for both within and outside these walls.
As a church we shouldn’t be speaking ill of other members.
And outside we shouldn’t be speaking in a way that brings shame on the church.
The same goes not only for our speech, but our actions as well.
For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.
We should behave in a way that’s edifying for the church as well.
Not bringing shame and reproach on the church.
Not acting in a way that’s decisive or destructive to church unity.
We touched on this this morning but if our goal is to evangelize and bring others to Christ, but we are out here living in a way speaking in a way behaving in a way that’s not how a Christian should be are they going to listen?
Are they going to want to come?
Another way we can help the church in our personal walk is, studying Gods word.
But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
If we want to help the church shouldn’t we know what the church stands on?
Scripture, the inspired word of God, is what we base everything we do upon.
So as Christian’s shouldn’t we know it? Read it and study it?
If we don't know what we believe or what we are supposed to be doing how can we ever go instruct anyone else?
And finally, one last thing I think we can do on a personal level is visitation or encouragement.
How many of us have been sick or down and out and had someone text them or check on them?
How’d it make you feel?
I think this is one of the best ways we can help the church is by letting the church know we care about each other.
We should want to visit and check in on the sick, afflicted, needy, widows, etc.
This will only strengthen church unity more and more!
Again, before looking externally we must be strong internally.
Along with practicing Christianity personally, through our prayer, conduct, Bible study, and encouragement, let’s move on to our second main point tonight…
The second big thing we can do to help the church is participate.
It wouldn’t make much sense to be apart of a group, a club, a team, etc. and never participate.
If I joined the football team but never came to practice or showed up for any games what’s the point in joining to begin with?
We understand that makes no sense…
That would be silly…
Yet, why do so many Christian’s look at the church that way?
We become a Chrisitan maybe but we never come back, we never stay involved, we never volunteer…
We need to make sure if we want to help the church that we participate in the church.
A few ways we can do that.
And those certainly are all the ways but a few of the maybe most common…
First, we can attend services.
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
We referenced this in our sermon this morning didnt we?
Notice the wording here. ALL.
Not some of them, all of them that believed and all things in common.
They were together, they were in the temples, they were fellowshipping with one another…
They were involved…
That’s how we help the church
We come, we show up we participate.
How involved are we?
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
We can see here both the command to come and participate but also the why.
We see that we help the church by encouraging one another.
Stirring up one another.
It hurts the church when we aren’t here.
Tonight you being here is a huge encouragement to me, as it should be for you!
And for all of us together!
Participation begins with simply showing up.
But once we are here we need to participate in worship.
If we wanna help the church we need to be ready, happy, and willing to participate.
Through singing.
Through prayer…
Through Bible class and worship listening to the lessons…
Men, we should be involved in leading parts of the services.
This is a biggie for most, and serves as our themed or the week…
But one of the biggest ways we can participate to help the church grow…
Evangelism.
If we really wanna help the church shouldn’t we all be willing to grow the church?
To spread the message of the gospel to others?
We have to be willing to participate as a Christian.
Being a Christian isn’t something you can be by never doing anything.
We wont get into that too much tonight as our lessons to come are going to focus solely on evangelism…
And finally tonight, the last big thing we can add to our practice, and participation, is perseverance.
As Christian’s if we want to help the church and keeps Gods people strong we have to persevere.
And sometimes we need help…
Fellowship and friendship among the church is crucial.
If we want to help make sure we are faithful and persevere by living a Christian life, wouldn’t it make sense to surround ourselves with like minded people?
Just like we are doing tonight and this week…
Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
If we want to preserve and help keep the church strong, we need strong Godly friendships.
Surrounding ourselves with good company, like minded Christians is only going to help us grow stronger!
Another thing we can do to persevere is to talk about Gods word…
As Christian’s Gods word should be a staple in our lives and minds and hearts…
We should emerge ourselves in Gods word.
Again we can go back to Acts and look at the first century church and what they did.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Continue steadfastly in studying Gods word surrounded with other Christians…
The church here combined almost everything we’ve talked about.
Fellowship, participation, studying, prayer.
That’s what will help the church.
Thats what will grow us stronger so that we can go out and evangelize and bring other to Jesus…
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Tonight I think it’s important we understand the value in the church.
I think it’s important we know how blessed we are with the church.
But also important we know we need to be willing to contribute and to help the church…
Yet sometimes maybe we have felt like we aren’t much help.
Maybe tonight you feel like you’re just a number on a board
Know you’re not.
Know that every single one of us has a vital role to play in the church.
We talked in css this morning how so many people think its just the preachers job…
Or maybe individuals feel like they are no use to the church if they don't teach or preach…
But tonight I want us to know we all are able to help the church in some way…
Most all of the points we looked at tonight we can all do…
We can all contribute as Christians…
We are all valued as Christian’s.
Tonight though are you a part of the church?
Are you a part of Gods family?
The Bible tells us plainly what to do in order to be a part of that family
Hear believe repent confess and be baptized and God will add us into that family, into His church.
If we are a Christian tonight though are we helping the church?
Are we contributing to the church?
Or maybe are we hurting the church?
Are we living our life in a way that’s sinful?
Let’s make our life right while we can and repent and come back home.
That’s possibly the most beautiful thing about the church is that just like God, we will be here to welcome you and love you and forgive you.
