Sermon Tone Analysis

Intro

Crossing the road in Israel.

We have to stick together!

Generations

The church in America is an odd and different season for a couple of reasons:

First-time in American history where Christianity is growing and church attendance is declining.

1.4

Surprising Pew Research Center

only 28% are unbelievers

That’s a bit of the feeling you get in the text today. .

It’s important for the church to be together!

Nearly half say they practice their faith in other ways.

They don’t feel the need to be part of a church

The story of the Kingdom is the story of God’s people; living, loving, serving, growing and building the Kingdom together.

Is this a contradiction?

It’s not that most of the folks we meet are un-churched, but rather, de-churched.

Text

The closer our lives are aligned with the Kingdom, the more we will treasure God’s people.

Paul sometimes gets a bad wrap for being gruff but that’s simply not true.

Here you see just how tender Paul can be and how much he loves God’s people!

The greatest Christians that I have ever known weren’t the people with the most degrees or who had the largest ministries, or even the most Scripture memorized.

The greatest Christians that I have ever met, have been the people who love and treasure God’s people the most.

Haddon Robinson

And simple folks who consistently love—the elderly person who continues to...

Love is the necessary engine that drives the church.

Think about it in concentric circles.

It starts with God’s love

This is love...

It builds and drives the church

A new commandment I give you... ().

This love always moves outward.

As I have love you, love each other.

By this all men will know that you are my disciples ().

Do you love?

Or do we simply go to church because we think it’s right?

Do we tolerate God’s people?

If we struggle to love those around us the best possible thing we can do is to pray for them—not for them to change into something more appealing to you, but that God would be glorified in their lives and that he might guide each step they make.

I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.

His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner.

Bonhoeffer wrote: I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter how much trouble he causes me.

His face, that hitherto may have been strange and intolerable to me, is transformed in intercession into the countenance of a brother for whom Christ died, the face of a forgiven sinner.

We’ll know we are growing as disciples when we grow in love for God’s people.

It may seem odd to preach about the importance of going to church to folks at church, but this is about a priority.

Remember, the church is NEVER about a program, it is about people.

Love God - love others

Satan doesn’t want this for you.

He doesn’t want you to love or to be the recipient of this love.

Frankly, Satan want’s you out of church!

He wants you away from God’s people.

Why?

From a big perspective

God has gifted you in certain ways that are to be utilized in the church

Encouragement that should be given will be lacking.

Imagine a person hurting…you may be the way God has planned...

We are called to partner with God in helping believers grow

From a personal perspective

If Satan convinces us that its really

Personal

No communion

No encouragement from other believers

No realignment

No sitting under the teaching of God’s Word

We miss the blessing of participating in corporate worship

We miss the blessing in participating in the growth of others

No call to repentance

From a pragmatic perspective

No discipleship efforts

No corporate worship

We live in an odd time.

People come to Christ everyday and yet involvement in the local church is waning.

No fellowship with other believers

If a church of 200 decide to be involved twice a month:

No engagement of gifts

Half of the people who should be involved are missing which means half of the ministry that could happen cannot.

Half of the folks who help support the work of the ministry are missing and the church’s finances are wrecked.

Satan desires for us to be apart.

Someone may argue that this kinda sounds legalistic.

Not at all!

Salvation isn’t tied to church attendance and of course there are exceptions!

Of course there are times when we won’t be with the church.This is about a priority that should be in the life of the believer.

No church discipline

Consider this:

There is no NT example of believers apart from a local church.

And, there is no positive example of casual association in the NT!

No sitting under someone else teaching God’s word

To say, I’m a Christian but not committed to a local church, is like saying I’m a BoyScout but I’m not with a troop.

Our connection to the church eternal is found in the church local.

One cannot expect to be part of the universal church without being part of a local church.

You can’t be part of BSA without being a part of a local troop.

Satan doesn’t want us with God’s people.

He is like a lion that prowls around looking for Christians to destroy.

The story of the Kingdom is the story of God’s people; living, loving, serving, growing and building the Kingdom together.

When we realign our story to God’s, our hope, joy, and crown are found in others.

What in the world is Paul talking about here?

1 Thess 3:19-20

Isn’t our hope and joy found in Christ alone?

bema seat

Paul is talking about that day when you and I stand before Jesus.

Not salvific

Paul is saying; at the Bema seat, he’ll be able to look at God’s people, that Paul has invested in, and say, “Look!

There’s the fruit of my labors!”