How to Be a Healthy Church Member

Introduction

https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/9861675-181/oregon-man-reunited-with-23000 - Why do you have $23,000 in a box in your house? Ever heard of a bank? How do you throw away $23,000?

You take care of what’s valuable, and I can’t think of anything more valuable on this earth than the church. The church is so valuable that Jesus died for His church. The church is valuable to God, and the church is valuable to you as well. You would not be a follower of Jesus without the church, and you would not be growing as a Christian without the church.

If the church is valuable, then we should take care of the church. We take care of the church by taking care of ourselves - our own walk with the Lord. We take care of the church by being healthy church members.

Member = someone who has partnered with our church for ministry, agreed to live in a covenant relationship with us, and hold to what we believe.

Healthy church members create healthy churches. Unhealthy church members create unhealthy churches. Lots of unhealthy churches - take a drive around our community - many churches on the verge of closing their doors. And, potential for us to become an unhealthy church if we lose our focus as a corporate body and as individual believers.

is diagnostic. On one hand, a summary of what was taking place in the early church as it was starting out. On other hand, shows us what a healthy church should look like and what a healthy church member should look like. How do we become healthy church members? 3 ways

1. Ask God for a renewed passion for His Word.

What is a church? Ekklessia - Not a building. Not even ALL the people in this building. “The church is the body of people called by God’s grace through faith in Christ to glorify Him together by serving Him in this world.” (Mark Dever)

Church is GLOBAL - all believers of all time from all over the world. Church is LOCAL - individual congregations made up of believers who commit to that local church for ministry.

- Spirit of God comes and gives birth to the church - body of believers who claim Christ. = the regular practice of the early church.

DEVOTED () - We’re all devoted to something. What you are devoted to gets your best you. (Job, marriage, kids, etc.) Are you devoted to God and His church? Devoted to the mission of the church? Devoted to the work of the Spirit in this body? OR, is this just a weekly ritual for you? Because you grew up in a family that went to church, and it’s just the right thing for you to do each week. Does God and His church get the best you?

Devoted to the Apostle’s teaching. Understand why: Displays of power. Tongues of fire. You’ll listen to someone who has a tongue of fire on their head. Signs and wonders. God used these powerful signs to prove to the crowds that the Apostles’ message about Jesus was true. These early believers had to know more about Jesus, and what better source of knowledge than the Apostles! They had been with Jesus. They were able to show how Scripture pointed to Jesus. They were able to teach what Jesus taught them. ()

Can you imagine what it was like to sit and hear Peter tell the story of the storm on the Sea of Galilee and how he walked on water with Jesus? Or, to hear John tell the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead? Or, to hear Nathaniel talk about the time Jesus healed Blind Bartimaeus. Or, to hear Andrew talk about how shocked the crowd was when Jesus told Zaccheus to come out of a tree so he could have dinner with him!

Truth: you have their story. You have the teaching of the Apostles. John and Matthew. Mark, a student of Peter. Luke probably interviewed every one of them. You have letters written by Peter, John, and Paul. You have the teachings of the Apostles that are inspired by God and lead us to truth.

Want to be a healthy church member? Ask God for a renewed passion for His Word - to help you be devoted to learning the truth — both daily and corporately. How can practice devotion to the Word on Sunday morning?

Pray - for yourself, your pastor, your church. Pray on Sat. night before bed. On Sun. morning when you get up.

Go to bed early, get up early, get to worship early. Set aside this time as sacred. You’re meeting with God and His people. You’re going to hear from God. Be ready. Running late and you arrive anxious.

Limit distractions. Use a bound copy of the Bible. If digital, disable all notifications. Go airplane mode.

Sit where you can focus. Maybe up close. Maybe away from someone you know will talk to you.

Take notes. You remember what you write. Don’t write everything. This isn’t a lecture. Write insights.

Discuss the sermon. (Not the preacher.) Why LCG is so important!

Live the Word.

Being devoted takes discipline! Don’t waste Sunday a.m. or any time in the Word!

Ill. - Uncertainty of Chik-Fil-A mac and cheese - no uncertainty with the Word. You will feast.

2. Ask God for a renewed passion for His people.

Fellowship. (Koinonia - first time used in NT and only time in Luke-Acts.) To share. Sharing is costly. It costs you something to belong to a local church. Expectation is that you give your life away for the sake of others. () If you don’t want to look out for interest of others, you are not going to enjoy the church - because it’s not about you.

In fellowship - we take Lord’s Supper - a reminder that it cost Jesus to be in fellowship with us - Jesus gladly asorbed the cost so He could share with you His life, His death, and His resurrection.

Cost:

Your need to be right all the time.

Your need to get your way.

Your need to have preferences met.

Your need to always be the one ministered to.

Your need for life to be about you.

Your need to hold on to everything you have - open handed life.

In fellowship - we have all things in common (). Doesn’t mean that we sell all our property but we live with open hands. How can I share what I have to bless someone else? :

English Standard Version Chapter 6

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

English Standard Version Chapter 6

9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith

Healthy church member? Ask God to give you a renewed passion for His people. Reality: You’re pretty passionate about you. Are you passionate about others? Two helpful ways to live in fellowship:

Accept people for who they are and where they are. Not everyone is like you. They never will be. Not everyone is at the same place in their walk with the Lord. But made in image of God and loved by God. People are messy. So are you. Show grace.

Do for a few what you wish you could do for all. God has put you in this fellowship not primarily for you but for someone else. Gospel always on the MOVE. Which means you need to KNOW a few. Get in a LCG. You’ll soon discover needs. I can’t invest in everyone, but I can a few. I can’t give to everyone, but I can a few.

3. Ask God to give you a renewed passion for His glory.

They gathered daily in the temple - -Likely gathered in Solomon’s Colonnade - open space where many could gather. Public gathering - People could hear them talking about Jesus. They shared their new faith publically. From birth of church, they took faith public. Why? Good news needed to be heard.

They gathered daily in homes - Could not get enough of God and each other. God is worthy of daily surrender and daily worship. Regular fellowship stokes the fires for the glory of God. We may not meet daily, but how do we renew our passion for God’s glory? Glory = weight/significance. How do we give God the weight/significance He is due in our lives?

Put the things of God before your face. (Praising God) Spiritual disciplines, Scripture, good Christian books, etc. The more you are immersed in the things of God, the more you will desire His glory. What is constantly in your face? Is what you are putting before your face giving you a greater desire for God or is it diminishing your desire for God? (Putting sin before your face? Porn? Alcohol? Success? Etc.)

Put the actions of faith to your feet. (Having favor) It’s attractive when you live out what you believe. Who doesn’t want to be around people who live out Fruit of Spirit? Who doesn’t want to be around people who treat them like Jesus? On flip side, no one wants to be around hypocrites. Early church grew because believers filled with Spirit spoke Gospel and showed the Gospel. (Added to their number daily… Acts 2:47)

Put the people of God at your shoulders. (Day by day) How is your faith different when you have Christ-centered believers by your side? How is your life different when you have Christians encouraging you and living out faith with you? How can we meet day to day? Who can you text this week to tell them you’re praying? Who can you right a note to letting them know you see growth in their lives?

Early church seems so healthy. But, it often wasn’t healthy but sick and messy. Not attractive to all. (Persecution ch. 4) Slow to go. (Don’t move until Stephen’s persecution ch. 7) Fight and fuss (Ch. 6) Deceive (Ananias and Saphira) Hold people to unrealistic expectations (circumcision )

Yet, they were God’s church - He never stopped working. Some of you hesitant to be a part of the church because it seems so messy. We are - we’re so messy - but we know the One who is working right now to clean us up. The One who took our sin on Himself, died in our place, and rose again. Do you know the One who desires to make clean you, make you new, and make you healthy?

Believer’s, we’re messy. BUT, not an excuse to not go to war with our sin. Not an excuse to not honor your Lord and bless your church. Honor God and bless your church by becoming healthy. Healthy Christians make healthy churches. Are you healthy?