I Will_07

I Will - Thom Rainer

I will move from “I am” to “I will”

I Will move from “I am” to “I will”

I Will Worship with Others

I Will Grow Together with Others

I Will Serve

I Will Go

I Will Give Generously

I Will Not Be a Church Drop Out

People leave churches for all kinds of reasons. People drop-out of ministry and give-up all the time.

Biblically speaking church members will feel as if they are pulled in opposite directions - one way in works/legalism and the other way in grace/laziness

We need to take this idea of works and really examine what God’s word says about it so that we can apply it effectively in our church service so that we do not become Church Drop-outs.

I will move from “I am” to “I will”

I was hungry, and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger.

I was imprisoned, and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release.

I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

Illustrations for Biblical Preaching Faith, Works and

Martin Luther, who had made himself the apostle and champion of faith alone, wrote the following: “Faith is a living, busy, active, powerful thing; it is impossible for it not to do us good continually. It never asks whether good works are to be done, but has done them before there is time to ask the question, and it is always doing them.”

I was sick, and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless, and you preached to me the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely, and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seem so holy, so close to God, but I’m still very hungry, and lonely, and cold.

Thom Rainer talks about how drop-outs can happen for all kinds of reasons. He said, “Someone hurts their feelings. They have no opportunities to serve. Or they are serving in so many places, that they are getting worn out and resentful of others who aren’t serving… a common thread runs through most of these stories… burnout can occur when a church member is doing too much, or too little. Or it can take place when a church member is doing things for which he or she has no passion.”

Let’s examine the text…

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Green, M. P. (Ed.). (1989). Illustrations for Biblical Preaching: Over 1500 sermon illustrations arranged by topic and indexed exhaustively (Revised edition of: The expositor’s illustration file). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

We are Saved by Grace -

Through Faith

Its not our doing

Its God’s gift

Why? So that no one can boast.

His Workmanship -

We are a created masterpiece and we have a purpose

GOOD WORKS

That God prepare beforehand

SO walk in them!

I Will not be a Church Drop out is all about not letting our own ideas and reasons keeps us from fulfilling our purpose within the Church in which God has placed us

We are the Body of Christ - Just as Paul illustrated in

1 Corinthians 12:27 ESV

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

ILL: Broke Ankle and Cast - Atrophy

Yes we are saved by Grace through Faith in Jesus… It is a free gift that can only come from God but Salvation without service is like a Surgeon without his scalpel.

Let me give you the words of Thom Rainer again… “please allow me to be blunt here. If you are not serving your church, you are not a legitimate church member.”

He goes on to tell a story of a church member who was about to bail because she was upset and felt like no one wanted her around because none of the longer-term members were not asking her to serve.

She found victory over this through the power of the Holy Spirit and a willingness to listen to wisdom. Her final email to Dr. Rainer was

“I was about to become a church drop-out. But my reasons were rooted in my pride because one was asking me to serve. I learned that I can pray without being asked, and I can serve without being asked. I’m glad I decided to put my foolish pride aside, and seek to serve in ways I knew I could.”

Listen church, We can serve for all the wrong reasons… and get burnt out. And we cannot serve for all the so-called right reasons and never live up to the great work that God has called us to.

Being in a church means being a vital part of that local body. It means that "we should walk in” in the good works God has called us to.

Look the bottom line is this. We are people of the Bible or we are not! The text is clear.

Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Let us walk then and commit to this I WILL NOT BE A CHURCH DROP-OUT