Automatic Transcript Generated:
Speaker 1
So Don is asking, I love the church I go to, but why don’t I feel a part of it? Hey, Don, this is a really good question because I think it affects so many Christians and former Christians, people who were in the church and then sadly ended up leaving because they never felt a part of it, I think is at the core of probably the greatest crisis for the Christian church in general. And let’s talk about that. Why are people leaving? Why don’t they feel part of the church?
Speaker 1
And this isn’t something that’s just your church. It’s really a pandemic across all of Christianity and it’s even prophesied in the Bible itself. We see this in Revelation, chapter three, starting at verse 14. And it says, and to the angel of the Church of the Laodiceans, write these things say the Amen, the faithful and true witness the beginning of creation of God. I know your works and that you are neither hot sorry.
Speaker 1
Neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold or hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth because you say, I am rich, have become wealthy and have need of nothing, and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from a gold refined in the fire that you may be rich and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed. And anoint your eyes with the eyes have that you may see.
Speaker 1
A little bit of background. There’s seven churches and all spoken about in Revelation between chapters two and three. Seven is the number of completeness. So this is God’s last church, the final church, and it’s not so much a physical church we’re talking about in terms of time period. So this is Christianity before Jesus comes.
Speaker 1
And I believe this is us. This is our faith in this time right now. And we are lukewarm in general. We’re not totally on fire for Jesus. We’re also not cold.
Speaker 1
We just go to church, we just do a thing. We have a form of Godliness, but we deny the power thereof.
Speaker 1
And it’s almost the worst form of Christianity because we’re just religious enough that people think we’re Godly, that we’re good, and that they’re going to get something out of church. But then when they show up, we’re completely lacking what should really be there. And what is that? What is God’s vision for the church? What should we really be like?
Speaker 1
Remember that in verse 18 we just read, god said buy me gold refined in the fire. What’s this gold? What is he wanting us to have purified in our church? What does it mean to really be on fire for Jesus? Right.
Speaker 1
We come to Ephesians three, starting at verse 14. And this is what Paul writes. He says, for this reason, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named. And he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might throughout sorry through his spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith that you being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. You just see here again and again, emphasis on heart and love again, love, again.
Speaker 1
This is what we really should be all about, christ in us. Christ is, god is love and we should be in his image and we should be just talking about love till we’re almost sick of it. And that’s what we try to do here in Bible ask. Because we realize love is really the answer to almost everything. It explains everything.
Speaker 1
Everything points there and ends there. And unfortunately, so many of our churches are devoid of it. And what makes love difficult is because it’s not just head knowledge, it’s something that actually has to be practiced and expressed and carried out. It’s a way of living. And it can be difficult because it’s so contrary to the way of the world.
Speaker 1
So many of us are struggling, we’re hurting, we’re short on cash, we’re short on time, we’re short on emotional support. And to show up and to give can be really difficult. And everybody’s just caught in their own world. And unfortunately, some people also show up to church thinking it’s a place where they could get positions and power and authority. You just end up with this mixture that doesn’t end up with us coming together, fellowshipping, supporting one another, loving one another, and practicing what it would be like to be in heaven.
Speaker 1
So what can you do about it though, to feel more a part of it? It starts with shifting your mind and not waiting for the church to make you feel a part of it, but rather you realizing you can make yourself a part of the church. And you could do this by being active, be involved, find ways that whatever it takes, host a Bible study at your house if you’re in a position to be able to do that. Start a homeless ministry if you feel called to it. Host a food ministry, provided we call it potlucks.
Speaker 1
I don’t know what your church will call it where everybody brings food and then you eat together after church, you can facilitate it. And usually pastors and people working the church are just yearning for people to step up and take action and help out. And if you don’t see something, take the initiative and you’re going to now feel like you have purpose, you’re having influence in a positive way that God wanted you to have. And this is really, I think also that the core of the problem with church today is most people think church is you show up, you warm up the pew, you get preached to, and then you go home, you’ve done your duty. And that’s not true.
Speaker 1
First Peter two Nine, it says, but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people that you, all of you, may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. It’s not one or two people in the church are the pastors and the speakers and the priests. It’s all of us. We together are the priests. We are all supposed to carry out different roles in ministry in different ways according to the talents and abilities and calling that God has given us.
Speaker 1
And this is at the core of what it means to be in the body of Christ. And this is when it gets exciting to be in the body of Christ and when we feel like we’re a part of it. Romans twelve, starting at verse four, it says for as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another, having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith or ministry, let us use it in our ministering. He who teaches in teaching.
Speaker 1
He who exhorts in exhortation. He who gives with liberality. He who leads with diligence. He who shows mercy with cheerfulness. There’s just so many little ways and big ways that we can contribute to our church.
Speaker 1
And when we do this and we just start looking for opportunities to change our church, now we feel part of it and we’re not waiting for the church or somebody else to take action to it. We’re taking ownership and we’ll be letting God shine through us. And that’s when I think really church gets exciting. So I hope this is really helpful to you, Don. Thank you so much for asking.
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In His Service
BibleAsk Team
