Advance: Me Church

If your meeting with us at this point, we can change it.

What don't you think happened? You know how it kind of pushes you to look beyond what you know, try to find other ways to mister mister.

So, of course as we have been talking about a shake-up click and clean if you feel the need to be anointed by sanitizer, there is some at the front Bobby on the table is a whole big thing of it. So, you know, let it flow down like they did over the kittens.

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what to feed into the fear but the crisis and there may be opportunities that you're going to a percentage into the circumstances situation may be neighbors are

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Let it be a moment.

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what's going on we can continue to do. John Wesley said it Beth. I think he said you put all the good in all the ways. You can at all the times. You can't people.

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continue to even if you don't want to have social contact to get through clothes make the phone call check on somebody make sure they're doing okay if they're being a little frazzled settling down encourage him with the word from God. It says be strong and courageous. We have nothing to fear. So that being said that's my encouragement in these next in these next weeks. We don't know all that's going to happen, but I want to encourage you to not give in to this area, but be smart right now. We just show you just quick video here before I get started with my message today.

starting next week

Show me church as were talking about membership. We have to begin thinking about what is the purpose of the church? What is the purpose of membership and why is it important? We know that the church who is the church is not a building, right? The church is us? And we have mainly been learning about our responsibilities as members of the church. Now why is this important is important because we live in a time where people don't understand the purpose for becoming a church member. For both their own spiritual well-being and also the the well-being of the church many have left the church. You just think that they can go without and just have their own relationship with God, but that would be a non biblical concept of a follower of Christ. Because the church was meant to come together so that we can be a body working together because when we have separated Parts weather be a thumb or a hand and arm or foot and they're out there doing some other thing just by themselves. They're not functioning the way God intended his church and his people to function and there's missing pieces. I may just try to visualize for one moment. Like we talked about the The Munsters that had the little hand in the Box a hand separated from everything else. Right and that's kind of what the people who are away from the church body thinks that I can just serve God the way that I want to are there just like that hand in a box not really accomplishing a whole lot and certainly not functioning the way that God wanted them to function. So what is the purpose of the church? We are to be number one functioning church members. That means that there are no Spectators where all members of the body of Christ and all members are needed for the body of Christ a function properly. The last week we learned about the importance of church unity and what we need to do to be sure that we do not become someone who causes division in the church, and we also learn how toxic gossip can be it was listed as one of the several things that we would consider to be very bad and it can be destructive in the advance of the kingdom of God. We read in Romans 1:29. I want to just take a knee thinking about this list as I say it their lives became full of every kind of wickedness sin greed hate Envy murder quarreling deception malicious behavior and gossip not quite a list gossip is put in there with a list of murder deception. malicious behavior That's how important this is to talk about. That's why it's important for the church. Do you think Paul at this point was being very direct about what he expected of this church. He saw how important this particular topic was and he also saw how destructive it could be. We read about a lot of the destruction and division was happening in the church in Corinth if you read through first and second Corinthians, Support wanted to hit this head-on and he did. No expectation as bodies of Christ as people in the body of Christ and the expectation of really Christ for us is when you have something against somebody that you would follow the the principle of Matthew 8 King where you go to that person privately and then if you'd they don't listen then you take others to confirm what is being said and then if they still don't listen you bring it before the church and after all of that they still don't listen to Bible says to treat them as a pagan or tax collector. How many of us don't like Tax Collectors, especially in the next several days? I want to treat them as pagans or collector.

So there's this expectation that we have as members of the body to continue doing the things that keep the unity. Paul knew how important it was to keep unity in the church and he's willing to fight for it and Jesus Christ said a Matthew 18 if you have a problem go to that person individually first.

Now today we're going to talk about me church, and we're going to talk about her preferences and desires. Nothing about kids now kids as they sometimes do they fight and they argue because they want something done their way. They want to away and they want it now. I may have you seen that and I've noticed that you've seen it in kids right. Now. If you had siblings the same way growing up. Yes, I'm pretty hard had siblings that only one that is their way. You can never work it out. It was their way or they're taking their ball and going home, right? Now there's something in us that wants to have things done our way the way that we think it should be done. But fortunately what's great about this is that we when we all grow up, And what did help with want me to come adults? That all goes away right away. We never have that happen in our lives anymore because we're growing and we're mature now.

When we say the prayer to become a Christian, you know, which assault wipes clean and we never are like that ever again.

The selfishness just washes away. Never to return. Amen.

We all know the in reality. We are all human. We're part of humanity and Christians can sometimes act just like the demanding children when they don't get their way. You may notice that sometimes in your marriage right happens from time to time. Temper tantrums may not include church members on the floor Kicking and Screaming, hopefully not. This is Facebook live people. You're going to be live and people going to see in that. But sometimes it becomes dangerously close to send it.

Now will there be moments that we will have to put our preferences aside for the sake of the kingdom of God? It doesn't mean that our preferences change. We can still prefer things a certain way. We just don't hold onto them at just for the gospel. Record preferences can change the gospel doesn't change. Show me properties can be all over the place and we can all have our own preferences and there's nothing wrong with that. But they're not the gospel.

The only thing about this me first thing and you know, a lot of times this generation in front of us here is called the me first generation. But I want you to see that it's not just this generation and it didn't start just in this generation. It has always been there. You say when Jesus walked along with his disciples. He really sometimes seemed to confuse them. They had no idea what he was trying to say to them. And at one time the closest followers of Jesus they begin to fight about who was the greatest. They were having a me first fight before we knew what I mean. First generation was

Jesus stopped and he called them together. He said if anyone wants to be first. He must be the last of all and the servant of all. ouch I would have loved to have seen the faces on the disciple when he said that to them. Didn't compute then make sense to them that seems like a paradox. It's not see more on. How can you be first to be last and last and first make sense? But he really showed up that me. But when you think about it, though. The text is also for you and me. As a church member our motivation should not be to get our preferences at the top of the list. We are supposed to be last not first. We're supposed to seek to be a servant rather than be served. Now, let's look a little bit deeper and what it means to be a servant or think of servanthood in the word servant the word survey is found 57 times in the Old Testament. Sometimes it refers to somebody who has an official role in the household of servants and many times. It also refers to the role that we are to assume as Christians. Deckers 58 times in the New Testament

now here we see Jesus said that we need to serve that the last among you is actually going to be first in the kingdom of God and then an amazing when we think about the kingdom of God how the kingdom of God is different from anything Humanity nose, right? We think we know who should be first and last and we have the pecking order. We think we know what the kingdom to look like. What government should look like what nations has look like but Jesus come to says that's not how it is at all. My kingdom is going to be different and when you become a part of his kingdom things change and it's not just going with the flow of all Humanity things change things different the Apostle Paul says in Ephesians 3:7 by God's grace and mighty power. I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading the good news. Just another way that we spreading. The good news of Christ is part of our service part of our spirit hood and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ will become first in his kingdom. Do they not may not be considered that great today? They may be seen as laugh by others. But Christ puts him up in front. Is he will never find joy in church membership when we are constantly looking for things to be our way. But and this is a bit of a paradox. We will find the greatest joy when we will choose to be last. Will find the greatest joy and our faith in their membership when we choose to put ourselves last that's what Jesus meant when he said that the last will be first true Joy means giving up our rights and preferences and serving someone else how many of found true Joy when you just decided you're going to serve somebody when you decide to give time to organization or volunteer to help somebody out to fix somebody's vehicle writer the clean up a yard or to do some painting. There's something within us to says this feels good. I really should be doing more of this and it's the same. It doesn't change when we come into the church. It doesn't change when we walk into these doors when we serve when we give ourselves. We feel the joy of what it means to be a member. We don't feel like just somebody who's attending we feel a part of what God is doing cuz we're giving of ourselves.

Now there's a study that was done by Crossway. They surveyed churches that were inwardly focused that were largely self-serving churches. Now they found some dominant behavior problems in each of these churches and I would say that if not directly seen much of this here at HCC, but they're always areas that could be improved and they're can also serve as a warning or reminder. The first thing that we see that has been happening throughout these churches that tend to be in really focus is something that we maybe I'll hurt him at one point or another but it's the worst of War. The title seems kind of even weird. Why would we say where's the wars?

One or more of the factions of the church want the music the way that they like it and any deviation is met with anger. Or there might even be churches. By the way. This is something going on for like hundreds of years. Even we're used to be just a piano or just an organ with allowed or just certain types of songs.

What church has a tenant to be inwardly focused or focused on that? Internally fighting over what kind of worship did they do? Number two was the prolongz minutiae meaning. where to spend a lot of time in meetings mostly about Minor items not often about the Great Commission or the great commandment not much discussion going there and I would say that the majority of our meetings as a board at some point or another there's discussion about the Great Commission or what God is calling us to

number three is a facility Focus for the church facilities develop iconic status. One of the highest priorities of the church is a protection or preservation of rooms furniture or other visible part of the building and grounds. The focus is only on that. That's it.

Have you talked about a few weeks ago there needs to be a balance there. So can only be that number for program driven churches at 10 to be in really focus were program driven every church has programs whether they admit it or not. The problem is not with the program the problem develops when the program becomes a means to an end rather than a means to Greater Ministry. Just about keeping the ministry going or keeping the program going.

Number five with an inward Lee Focus budget large portion of budget is used to meet the needs of mainly in the church. Not beyond the walls. Number 6 attitudes of entitlement. This could be a catch-all phrase. The overarching attitude is one of demanding and having a sense of deserving.

Number 7 is a concern about a greater concern about change than the gospel number 7 greater concern about change than the gospel. Almost any noticeable change in the church evoked anger of many, but those same passions are not evident about participating in the work of the Gospel. to change lives anger and hostility members are consistently angry towards the church staff and other members, which thank the Lord is here. A number 9 is Evangelistic apathy where very few members share their faith on a regular basis.

These were churches that they had been researching that have been in really focus that they saw these persons were not growing they were dying. They were on their way out.

These are things that we need to be concerned about and thinking through to be sure that we don't fit those categories. And we continue to pray for God's Direction in every step of the way that we move. Believing that God is in control even overthrown a virus. He's on the throne. We need to create the atmosphere to allow him to work and move. To bring change in the areas that we need to change their brain growth in areas that we need to grow to give opportunities to reach outside of these walls so that we can continue to reach people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They see you get the picture here of these 9 things and you can kind of see how it would happen. Churches that begin to turn inward and start to grow stale and start to stop growing. You can see how these things would impact that destroy a church is trying to do something. The focus of the churches were I me and myself me church. I want the seating that has a warm. Warm chairs with butt warmers on the bottom of each are right, then we can buy some portable ones with just hand them out of your walk and you can sit down on it.

I can never promise of the messages we 5 minutes. can never I can't promise that.

But what we've been learning about biblical church membership. is that Really being a church member. pretty simple about serving it's about giving is about putting others first.

And of course our ultimate example of this. It's putting on the mind of Christ flippy in Chapter 2 verses 5 through 11. Let's read it together and be on the screen behind me as well. So you must have the same attitude that Jesus Christ had I got who you speaking to hear the church specifically the Tristan Phillipi, but it also applies to us know he was God. He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to instead he gave up his Divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being when he appeared in human form. He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on the cross. Therefore God elevated him to the place of the highest honor and gave him the name above all other names and at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the father.

Make your attitude like that of Christ Jesus. That is a tough assignment, isn't it? I don't think any of us can completely and wholly do that. Can we not without his help and that without the Holy Spirit working in US?

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He did not consider equality with God as something to be used to his Advantage could he have come to this earth placed himself on a on a throne and a kingdom. And decide he was going to take over the entire world from that kingdom. Yes. He could have done that. But the Bible says that he emptied himself and he took the form of a Slave. He humbled himself and became obedient even to the point of death.

death on a cross keep in mind that Philippians 2 is not only a description of The Obedience of Christ. It's an example for us to follow at his believers. We are to be servants. We are to be obedient. We are to put others first we had to do whatever it takes to keep Unity. These are the things that keep coming up that we could keep talking about. This is why it's important to understand what it means to be a member of a church to be a part of a body. So if we approach membership from the from the perspective of entitlement, we have it upside down. We can't. Kingdom has flipped upside down all over the place. Every time you read Jesus says something along the lines of you have seen seen it this way, but in my kingdom, it's this way. Have read this but I'm going to tell you this.

You always ask first what you can do for your church, then you'll discover the joy of being last.

Getting ready to close up this morning when they keep the message a little bit shorter. but you see on the back of your worship God if you did receive one coming in.

the third pledge

Now one of the things we know is that it's a lot easier to sign this.

Then to do it. to put into practice I want to give you fair warning this morning that it won't be long after you sign this. They will come across the fellow church member will have an attitude that is not quite that of Christ. Amen. You know, it's going to happen.

And they'll have a list of what they think is wrong with a church or what the church should be doing and how they should be doing it. It'll be tempting to really give it to them. To tell them to let go of their lousy attitude.

Why would a gentle rebuke maybe an order you need to remember something about your commitment? that church member is one of the people that you pledged to surf.

Now these commitments are not easy. In fact without God's power. They may seem impossible for you.

So if we take our part in the in the kingdom of God and we take our part in the body of Christ, seriously. We pray for his strength and his wisdom to help us to do these things. We pray for the holy spirit that quick enough in those moments when we're tempted to say something or do something. That would cause problems or division.

And when you think you have had it with making sacrifice for others. Remember the example of Christ on the cross? For you and for me.

As you're overwhelmed by Jesus's undeserved love for you that caused him to sacrifice his life. including his preferences Remember what Jesus said in the Garden of Gethsemane? father Please take this cup from me. That was his preference. Please take this cup from me. but nevertheless your will be done. He had his preference. But you also said God father. I want to be in alignment with your will take the cut for me, please.

But nevertheless your will be done.

I will keep things in perspective. After we do the same for others and help us to do the same for others. Or my preference is this but at the same time Lord your will be done. Because I want to see you glorified. I want to see people coming to know you. I want to see you before fighting with it up so that you would draw all men to yourself. Just look at the third pledge. Me Church know his church. I will not let my church be about my preferences and desires that is self-serving. I'm a member in this church to serve others and to serve Christ. My savior went to a cross for me. I can deal with any inconveniences and matters that are not just my preferences or Style.

This is not something you turn in tried to make clear. That doesn't make you a member by signing this. There's a membership class and things we would want you to go through to become an official member. But it's important for us to know why do we need together? What should we be doing when we meet together?

As a member of the body of Christ while you're an official member of this church or not. You're still a member of the body of Christ.

And so this is a commitment between you and God.

Maybe a reminder of what it means.

Be a follower of Christ in a member of his body.

Girl Stan this morning as we pray a blessing over you from Isaiah chapter 41 10 and also Numbers Chapter 6 verses 24 through 26. This is a blessing to those who are with us and those who may be listening online or watching the streaming video. Until we meet again. fear not for I Am With You be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Now may the Lord bless you and protect you may the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you and may the Lord show you his favor and give you his. Peace. Amen, God bless you. Have a great week continue to care for one another.