What is the greatest need in the Church Today?

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INTRODUCTION

First of all, I am very humble by the fact that Darrell ask me to lead this morning devotional!

Second, it is confirmation; in the sense of the timing of the call, you see Sunday I made it public at my church that God has called me into the ministry, then on Monday Darrell ask me to speak. Then he said: “I have been meaning to call but the timing hasn’t been right.” WOW!! God is always on time! Amen!! I still do not know at this time, in which capacity; whether as pastor, co-pastor, or just keep on leading our youth. What I do know is this, that I have surrender to whatever God has for me! AMEN I’m going to trust in GOD providential sovereignty to guide me.“Where He leads, I will follow!”

Before I begin with this morning devotion, let me tell you a little about myself and how I came to know about, what I call, the “Mens’ Breakfast Club”.

First, I am Jason Shirrell; older brother. My name is Jerry Kevin Shirrell; I am Truck Driver by trade, 47 years old physically; nearly 4 years old spiritually, married to Alisa, with two adult children: Kristin and Blake.

Second, It was about 6 months ago, I felt lead to write a ,“Men’s Prayer List”. It is a daily list of things that pertained to the spiritually, rather than the our physical needs. Calling men to humble themself, confess their sins, and seek sanctification. And out of that, they would lead their families Biblically, and then our church!

Men, For so long we have set back and gave our leadership over to the women; do not misunderstand me, thank God, they have step up! We have become dormant and lazy. But our role is to lead our families and then the church. We will be held accountable for how we have lead both of them. My prayer is that we would lead our Families and Church with a humble servants’ heart as our LORD JESUS did. In Matthew 20:28 reads

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

I said that, to say this, that God providentially lead me to write, then lead me to see the results of my prayer played out in this group of men.

Third, Jason invited me to this, “Men’s Breakfast”, to try get 50 men to attend, and if I am correct in saying: to for- fill Darrell dream of having 50 in attendance. I came to help reach that number and to be an encouragement. Boy, I got more that!! Lord, what a blessing it has been; seeing the love that you have for each other, the sense of community. The way you pray for each other, and lifted each other up! “Thank You”. I hope and pray some day that the men in our church can experience this kind of brotherly love! “THANK YOU AGAIN”!!!

So how many pastor, music minister, youth minister, deacons, and Sunday School teacher we have here today?

How many of you have lost family member?

The Devotional; aka sermon, will broke down into two parts:

What is the greatest need in our Churches today?

In application: How we can make sure, that we do not mislead people?

PERSPECTIVE

I have seen so many people come to Christ over the years but bare no fruits. WHY?

I will by no means be preaching down to you; like I have got it all figured out, but up. The truth of the matter is: if my wife and both my children die right now; I know they would go to hell and I’m responsible. The seeds I’ve sown in the early years of my marriage, I’m reaping now!! I plead with the LORD each and every morning for their souls; only to see them reject the LORD. DON’T get me wrong. I will never stop praying for them, until I take my last breath!!!

PURPOSE

This is not a sermon to you, but a call to understand the new birth (regeneration) and out of understanding transform the way we pray and ask God to do a work in us, our family and then our churches!!

WHAT IS THE GREATEST NEED IN OUR CHURCH?

Men, what do you think are some of the greatest need in our Church’s today?

lost to be saved

absentee farther

drug addiction

pornography

lack of leadership

Though these are very serious problem and the church needs to very active in addressing them. Most of the problems are just mere symptoms of the problem:SIN!! The greatest need is for mankind (church) to be born-again, or better said: to be born from above or( REGENERATION); a work that only God can do!

The scripture text I am using this morning come out of the gospel of John. The discourse between Jesus and Nicodemus.

I’m Beginning in John 2:23-3:5(NASB95)

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing.

24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men,

25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

John 3: 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;

2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

I have started in John 2:23 to a points to the first half of my message.

God knows our heart.

The most of us have grown up, or at lest attended churches that have for two decades or more, preached: “Come up to the alter and ask Jesus into your heart ”,and sometimes read them Lord’s prayer , “You are saved now”! “Come and join our church.” Then After they fall away; and sometimes never to return, and if they do, we tell then, “You need to rededicate you life back to Lord”. Men the reality is they are lost, you can not rededicate to something you have never had in the first place! How do I Know this to be true. Statistics say most high school kids go off to college and never return to church. And they are no different in the divorce rate in the church verse the world. We can go on and on with the statistics. The bottom line is, if God lives in your hearth; You will be change. The biggest reason the Bible speaks of it!!

Matthew 7:21–23 (NASB95)

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ Then guys the most scariest word you will ever hear!!

23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

Then read in just a few verse before Matt. 7:13-14.

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

2. I have been on both side of the fence. I was lost for 32 year, and I thank God for saving my soul on 04/13/2015 @ 5:47pm. “AMEN !!”

The whole argument I’m going to make is: faith proceeds (or follows) the new birth, before one could come to salvation, he must be awaken from his deadness. The era of easy believeiesm is leading a whole generation straight to hell. This new birth is nothing new, it was prophesied way back in the old testament by the prophet Ezekiel, in verse 36:25–27 (NASB95)

25 “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

The key word in that whole passage is I will (GOD). God is the Author of salvation, from beginning to end. GOD

Now do not take my word for it, let’s look at what Jesus says about it.

In John 3:1 Nicodemus was Pharisees, who belong to small sect called the Sanhedrin. They where some of most educated men in their time, they could quote by memory the first five books of the bible(Torah). I said that, to say this, Jesus wasn’t just taking to some ordinary man. Nicodemus knew his bible! Nicodemus knew that Jesus was sent by God because: no one could heal the blind, cause the lame to walk , and cast out demons; for that was the work only God could do. But Jesus wasting no time, went right to heart of the matter! Nicodemus only had an outward appearance of salvation. John 3:3 reads as so

3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” The words repeated “Truly, truly; take notice, then the word unless; indicating a must, or before something can. Then Jesus says in verse 5: cannot enter. Then according to the word of God, we just read, you cannot see or enter unless, “You are born again!!”

Then we read of this work, that only God, can do also in Ephesians 2:1–10

1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins (The state man is in!)

2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, (again speaks of our nature) even as the rest.

4 But God,(Thank GOD for the but, in the bible) being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were dead (while we where in our spiritually deadness) in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; (Gift is something you receive, not work for.)

9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

The in 1 Peter 1:3

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused(HE DOES) us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Then in closing in this first point, we must never preach a Gospel without repentance. The fact is God must first awaken us to our sinfulness, then follows faith; which is made up of two parts:(repentance and belief), which can never be separated!! AMEN!!

We must also remember, we are the offender, and must come with repented heart, asking God to receive us as a lost children, that are in desperate need of a savior and that we are saved by Grace alone, thought Faith alone, in Christ alone, for the Glory of God alone. We bring nothing to our salvation but our sin. Christ paid our debt in full. 2 Corinthians 5:21

21 He(GOD) made Him(Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him(Jesus). AMEM

You might ask, what about Romans 10:13

13 for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” and John 3:16 (NASB95)

16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

I absolutely believe ever word of, I believe that the word of God does not err. I think I’ve proven by scripture that God has to regenerate mans heart before YOU will ever freely come to faith. You truly only do what, or choose what, your hearts desire!! God changes your heart(DESIRES)!! AMEN

I am going to use a little story; I made up, to drive home the point: “faith without true repentance” .

Once upon time there was little boy name Johnnie, who loved chocolate chip cookies. One Sunday afternoon Johnnie mom was fixing supper; when she pull out of the oven a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies, as She notice Johnnie licking his lips. She said “Johnnie do not eat any of them cookies before supper.” The phone rang, Johnnie mom went into the next room to answer the phone, Johnnie couldn’t take it any longer, he had to grab a cookie and about the same time Johnnie mom return, catching Johnnie red-handed with the cookie in his mouth. O mom, Johnnie reply, I couldn’t help it, they are so good, please forgive me. Ok! (mom)replied. Good, Johnnie thought to himself, “I’m not in trouble.” See like Johnnie, Sometimes we only want escape the punishment and have the guilt of our sins to be taken away and never come to real repentance. True repentance turns away from sin and clings to Christ as our only Hope. So we must ask ourself: “Is Christ an addition to my life, or is my life in submission too Christ?” This bring me to my finally short point of application

WHAT CAN WE DO TO ENSURE THAT WE DO NOT MISLEAD PEOPLE?

I will answer the question with scripture:2 Timothy 3:16–4:5 (NASB95)

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

Chapter 4 verse

1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:

2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires,

4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

5 But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

Like Paul to the church at Corinth to Ya’ll guys in 1 Corinthians 2:1–2

1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.

2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.

Men we have in our hand the greatest weapon in the world!! Gods Word( BIBLE)

Preacher: preach it!

Teacher: teach it!

parents : proclaim it!

God’s word proclaimed with the power of the Holy Spirit will change hearts' of the hardest men! The greatest need for mankind (CHURCH), for God to do a work, that He can only do, change who we are at the very core his (Heart) and by what means does it, by the preaching of His Word (BIBLE) accompany with the power of the HOLY SPIRIT taking it from the ears, to mind, and then to the core of man; his Heart. AMEN AMEN

I love you Guys, it has been truly an honor to speak to you today!! GOD BLESS EACH ONE OF YOU ALL!!