The Great Potential in Our Church

There were different sects in the church that followed different somewhat charismatic teachers and preachers. Paul reminded them that they needed to be perfectly joined together and dwelling in peace, not always upset and apart from the church.

With all of our hearts, we should seek to do away with lines of division – vehicles of division in the church.

They were a church that were allured by worldly wisdom

· 1:18 to the end of chapter 2 deal with worldly wisdom and godly wisdom, how that God’s wisdom is above all in this world and that man’s wisdom will be done away with.

They were a church that was carnal and petty In chapter 3

· In chapter 4, we see the Bible dealing with judging others, and that true judgment is of the Lord.

· Chapter five deals with the terrible sin of immorality.

· Chapter six deals with Christians who sue Christians, and forbids us going to law against one another in front of lost people.

Throughout the rest of the Epistle he deals with several other things This simply shows

There was actually a lot of rebuke, but all of it was peppered with encouragement as well.

I. Their Great Potential v.9

1 Corinthians 16:9a (AV)

For a great door and effectual is opened unto me...

What was the great door and effectual was the church at Corinth.

This same church that had problems in the past. That same church that did not have all power in itself. The great thing about this church was they were at a point where God could get glory from them.

In our church there is that same great potential. But it cannot be taken lightly. Far to often people either ignore the potential of

Isn’t it wonderful to consider the opportunities that church affords us? May we not take the potential lightly.

Church gives us:

· A place to belong

· A place to worship

· A place to receive instruction

1 Timothy 3:15 AV

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

· A place of fellowship

· A place to break bread

· A place where there not only something for me, but something for everyone in my family and everyone in your family - classes and teaching designed for each age group on their level.

· A place to receive the Gospel

· A place to learn how to share my faith with others

· A place to be inspired to be what I should be.

1 Timothy 1:18 AV

This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;

· A place where I learn to minister to others

2 Corinthians 8:4 AV

Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

Oh, it is true that in any church these things can be so. Don’t take it lightly, and certainly don’t try to live without it.

II. The Many Adversaries v.9

1 Corinthians 16:9b (AV)

...and there are many adversaries.

Satan throws many an obstacle in the path of a church. Satan at times attack churches directly, but he is smart wickedly wise in coming up with devices to attack churches indirectly. Can you guess what the one and most effective indirect obstacle or attack that Satan uses - it is to get you out of it or cause you to become adversary to it.

You see, while Christ built His church upon Himself. He does not have a church without people, and if He only has carnal wordly people in the church, then that is an ineffective church.

The many adversaries for the church are quite simple.

A. The adversary of division

The Corinthians knew this one well. Satan constantly sought and still seeks to put division in the hearts of men to discourage them from truth and from unity with their brethren.

He seeks to make it easy for them to get offended to find something to be critical of. That is one of his chief ways he sends and adversary into your life.

B. The adversary of corruption

Too many underestimate Satan’s ability to corrupt us. To corrupt our thinking. To lower our inhibitions, to sear our consciences.

He is constantly sending barrages at your life, your children, in your eyes and your ears to lessen your resolve for holiness and righteousness and to accept sin.

John 10:10 AV

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

D. The adversary of excuses

One of the great deceits of Satan is this - God understands you are a sinner.

While it is true that God knows our sin, and if we are saved that God has forgiven all our sin. It does not mean that he pads us on the head and says, it is okay, not a big deal. God hates sin, Proverbs 6:16-18 teach us that.

For believers our biggest problem is not sins of commission, but sin of omission. God has something he wants us to do and Satan says, your busy, your life is hard, God doesn’t expect anything out of you more than you already doing.

I guarantee this, everyone of you can do more for God. You say, there is no way, I say, you definitely can. Here is how you do it.

You do what God wants you to do next. Trust Him in it, allow Him to teach you and enable you to be used, and then accomplish it.

If need be, cut something out that is not important. Let me tell, you we all have and do things in our lives that are not as important as God and His church

Romans 6:1–2 AV

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

E. The adversary of pride

Pride hurts churches in two encompassing ways. It hurts it when someone is so proud that they won’t serve unless they are 1st or the best or perfect or recognized for it.

It hurts the church when no one will serve because they are ashamed to be used in anyway, they don’t want people to know how inept or unprepared they are to do anything.

E. The adversary of misplaced priorities

F. That adversary of over-commitment

I have never met the person who has over-committed to God.

I’ve seen people whose lives that were over-committed to other things but never have seen someone that was over committed to God.

If Satan can keep you from church, he keeps you from living up to your full potential.

V. The Potential when we refuse to Quit

1 Corinthians 16:13 AV

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

There was an old John Wayne movie called True Grit. In this novel and in the movie, Rooster Cogburn is employed by Mattie and along with a Texas Ranger, go after a man who killed Mattie’s father, and a senator from Texas. They learn along the way that though they were all very different, Mattie a Bible thumper of sorts, Rooster was a drunkard gunslinging Marshall, and La Bouef the Texas Ranger, they learned that they all had True Grit.

Grit means courage, nerve, firmness of character; indomitable spirit;

This is what the statement “quit you like men, be strong” means.

We need to get some grit, to quit you like men and be strong when it comes to our faithfulness to our God, our family and our church. Lets put it back into the proper perspective it supposed to be and serve our God without flinching, to make decisions from the Word of God and stick with it.

Serve with love, as verse 14 teaches us, but do it with a refusal to quit.

Proverbs 24:10 AV

If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.

VI. The Potential to Serve v.15

Learn from servants of God, attach yourselves to them, get to know them, and then do likewise.

Don’t automatically find the person who is sorry, who is discontented, who is not happy and it is not doing anything for God, because you can be assured, that you will not either.

Find and watch and follow those that are winning souls, that are caring for other Christian’s needs, who are contended with their life while busy in the Lord’s service, those are the folks we want to follow.

This will help you to live up to your potential.

VII. The Potential for Synergy v.16

1 Corinthians 16:16 AV

That ye submit yourselves unto such, and to every one that helpeth with us, and laboureth.

What were they supposed to submit to, to serving. Every true act of service to God is an act of submission.

There is a great blessing and surge in a church when we are help each other and labor together. When each of us do our part. When all of us seek to bear our portion of the burden.

VIII. The Potential to be an Encouragement vv.17-18

I think the one underestimated, devalued, not appreciated potential that church gives us is a genuine way for us to be an encouragement to others as we serve at the church selflessly.

Hebrews 10:25 AV

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

IX. True Potential in our church is commensurate with our belief in the Lords imminent return

Look at 1 Co 16:22

1 Corinthians 16:22 AV

If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.

We will never live up to our potential as a church until we realize how imminent the return of the Lord truly is.

It is interesting at the end of this passage – that it says Anathema Maranatha.

Anathema means – cursed.

Maranatha means, “Come Quickly Lord Jesus” –

If we refuse to love the Lord God, we are cursed – if we look for he Lord’s coming and we can be in the grace of God.

Now I preach a message like this about once a year. I don’t pressure people week in and week out about surrendering to serve God, joining our church, or anything like that. I love how God speaks to hearts and helps people to grow. But sometimes, we all need a wake up call.

If there is anything the last two years have taught us is that we the time is short, the Lord’s return is at hand. We need to be ready.

No matter what, I don’t want to miss out on helping my church living up to its true potential, and my personal potential for God.

I don’t want to allow any of the adversaries of division, corruption, pride, excuses, or anything else keep from joining a local church or serving in a local church.

We have two ways that this life can go – the way of cursing and the way of blessing. You get to choose.

Believers, even though you may be saved, you choose to live your life in the way of blessing to or cursing remember, this book was written to a church, it was written to believers. But how we live our lives matter.

If we have not trusted in Christ, we have already chosen cursing – but we can change that this morning.

THE GREAT POTENTIAL IN OUR CHURCH

1 Corinthians 16:5-18

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