Foundations: Why The Church Exists (Part 4)

Six responsibilities we all have towards our church (2).

Faithfulness, Finances, Witnessing, Praying

3.3.2024

Why Church?

Matthew 16:18-19 (NKJV)

And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

The two institutions that God has given His approval to in the world:

1) Marriage

2) The Church

What is the Role of a Pastor in a Local Church?

A healthy church

Healthy churches maintain a healthy balance of preaching the Word, allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest Himself with spiritual gifts and with the tangible presence of God. They create an environment for relationships, and then together reach out to the community.

A healthy believer puts:

The Word first

The Spirit second

Experience last

My most important role as a pastor is to minister the Word of God to you week after week in a way that you can practically apply it to your personal life.

Six responsibilities we all have towards our church.

Some Questions:

What do you plan to get out of attending a local church?

What is the major reason you attend a church?

Do you know what your responsibilities before God are in being involved in a church?

Six responsibilities we all have towards our church.

1. Attend the services and get involved!

2. Yield yourself to the Word spoken by your pastor. Willingly submit yourself to his care.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 (NKJV)

And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

Luke 16:12 (NKJV)

And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?

You cannot force spiritual things. Make yourself available, and God will meet you.

Psalms 75:6-7 (NKJV)

For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. 7 But God is the Judge:He puts down one, and exalts another.

You sense a ministry call. Be faithful where you are. When it is time, God will promote you.

3. Prove your character as a person who is faithful to God.

Faithful:

True or constant in affection or allegiance; loyal; firm in adherence to promises, oaths, or undertakings; firm and thorough in observance of duty.

The world looks for qualifications. God looks first of all for character.

You can learn qualifications. But you have to develop character on your own!

Luke 16:10 (NLT)

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.

Proverbs 28:20 (NKJV)

A faithful man will abound with blessings,

But he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

Matthew 20:16 (NKJV) The Parable of the Vineyard workers

So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.

When you get to heaven, you will be rewarded for faithfulness alone, not skill or even amount of work you do.

Matthew 25:23 (NKJV) Parable of the Talents

His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

You NEVER rise above your character!

Stephen and Phillip developed faithfulness by helping feed the crowds in the early church, and God promoted them to other ministries.

Acts 6:1-5 (NLT)

But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program. And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility. Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.” Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith).

For me to fulfill the call by God to ministry, I had to show myself faithful first:

Sunday School

Devotions

Personal study

Promptness

Respect

Submission to another ministry

Start where you are with the opportunities you have.

 

If you are a Victory Serve Team member here at Victory, be the best! Give God your best. Have an attitude of excellence.

Excellence is not perfection.

Excellence is doing the best you can with what you have.

 

Even in Victory Serve Team positions, we should give our best, just as though we were being paid! In fact we are!

 

Colossians 3:22-25 (NLT)

Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord. 23 Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

25 But if you do what is wrong, you will be paid back for the wrong you have done. For God has no favorites.

Six responsibilities we all have towards our church:

1. Attend the services and get involved!

2. Yield yourself to the Word spoken by your pastor. Willingly submit yourself to his care.

3. Prove your character as a person faithful to God.

4. Partner with your church financially!

Three ways we give:

Tithe, Offerings, Alms

The seedbed for your spiritual life is your local church. It provides inspiration, motivation, and direction for your spiritual life.

Spiritual growth happens in the relationship with the local church.

The tithe belongs in the local church.

Do you support the local church you attend with your finances?

Do you eat at a restaurant without paying?

Do you eat at one restaurant and pay at another?

Are you a spiritual moocher?

A good indicator of where my heart is will be what I do with my money!

Ecclesiastes 10:19 (NKJV)

A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes merry; but money answers everything.

If I spend more weekly on eating out than what I give my church, my priorities are out of line!

Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Quote from Tim Keller – God’s Wisdom For Navigating Life

— God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Timothy Keller, Kathy Keller

https://a.co/4CBJWJa

What your heart most loves and adores, what it most rests in, is where you most effortlessly, joyfully, almost addictively spend your money. Some people put their money most effortlessly into savings, in order to feel safe. Others put it most readily into clothing or things that make them appear attractive and sophisticated, in order to get people’s approval and admiration. Others put it into homes and membership in clubs, in order to get status and power. “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6: 21). What will help break the hold that money has on our hearts? Radical generosity to God and the poor is a critical starting place. For idolatrous hearts it will be painful, but “one who cannot cast away a treasure at need is in fetters [chains].” How have you seen the truth of Jesus’ saying “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” worked out in your life or others’ lives?”

Notice how Israel presented the tithe:

Deuteronomy 26:1-10 (NLT)

When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you as a special possession and you have conquered it and settled there, 2 put some of the first produce from each crop you harvest into a basket and bring it to the designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored. 3 Go to the priest in charge at that time and say to him, ‘With this gift I acknowledge to the LORD your God that I have entered the land he swore to our ancestors he would give us.’ 4 The priest will then take the basket from your hand and set it before the altar of the LORD your God.5 You must then say in the presence of the LORD your God, ‘My ancestor Jacob was a wandering Aramean who went to live as a foreigner in Egypt. His family arrived few in number, but in Egypt they became a large and mighty nation. 6 When the Egyptians oppressed and humiliated us by making us their slaves, 7 we cried out to the LORD, the God of our ancestors. He heard our cries and saw our hardship, toil, and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and powerful arm, with overwhelming terror, and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land flowing with milk and honey! 10 And now, O LORD, I have brought you the first portion of the harvest you have given me from the ground.’ Then place the produce before the LORD your God, and bow to the ground in worship before him.

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT)

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 10 Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Proverbs 11:24-25 (NLT)

Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. 25 The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Offerings are freewill from the heart to where the Lord directs.

2 Corinthians 9:6-10 (NLT)

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.

Six responsibilities we all have towards our church:

1. Attend the services and get involved!
2. Yield yourself to the Word spoken by your pastor. Willingly submit yourself to his care.
3. Prove your character as a person faithful to God.
4. Partner with your church financially!

5. Invite people who don’t know the Lord to come to church with you!

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (NLT)

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Accept the responsibility to invite your friends here…

I want to say and do things in such a way at Victory that when people come with you who don’t know the Lord, they will understand exactly what we are doing and why…

We all have the responsibility to be a witness for Jesus, and to make disciples. Make it your goal to bring just 2 people per month to church with you.

What would happen if we all did that?

What keeps you from bringing people with you to services?

Four tips to help with effective personal witnessing:

1. Accept the personal Responsibility.

Paul: one plants, the other waters, God gives increase…

2. Build a personal Relationship.

3. Share your personal Story.

1 John 1:3 (NLT)

We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

Your passion in sharing Jesus with others comes from your personal experience with Him!

Write a paragraph that includes what Jesus has done in your life in a short, clear way. Rehearse it in your mind and be ready when the opportunity arises to share with someone!

4. Give a personal Invitation.

Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.

Here is a sample prayer for salvation:

God, I repent of my sins. Today I change my heart and mind about how I have been living my life. I ask you to forgive me for every sin that I have committed from the time I was born until today. I believe that Jesus Christ is the virgin-born Son of God, that He died in my place to pay for my personal sins, and that He rose from the dead to make me right with You. Jesus, I give myself wholeheartedly to You for the rest of my life. Change my interests and desires. Thank you Father for saving me from my sin, in Jesus’ name.

Six responsibilities we all have towards our church:

1. Attend the services and get involved!

2. Yield yourself to the Word spoken by your pastor. Willingly submit yourself to his care.

3. Prove your character as a person faithful to God.

4. Partner with your church financially!

5. Invite people that don’t know the Lord to come to church with you!

6. Pray for your local church leaders and members

Join us in our Small Groups!

Ephesians 6:18-19 (HBSC)

Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert in this with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.

2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 (HBSC)

Finally, brothers, pray for us that the Lord’s message may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you, 2 and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not all have faith.

Action Points:

1. Attend the services and join our team. Attend Victory Pathway the 1st Sunday of any month.
2. Get involved with friendships within our church.
3. Yield yourself to the Word spoken by your pastor. Willingly submit yourself to his care.
4. Prove your character as a person faithful to God.
5. Support the mission of the church with your finances.
6. Invite people who don’t know the Lord to come to church with you! (Make a goal of at least two per month.)