Coffee Isn't Enough

There are many factors that attribute to church growth.  I believe RELATIONSHIPS are probably one of the most foundational reasons we've experienced growth.  

There must be intentionality to what we do as a church each week, if we hope to see people coming back each week.  Relationships have to start in the parking lot, lead to the lobby, connections café and the Worship Center. Our members should be shaking hands, hugging and just talking with people.

Coffee and doughnuts aren't enough to retain new members.  Churches are constantly looking for ways to “close the backdoor” and create an atmosphere where families, singles, etc., will want to come back! 

We use connection cards to gather pertinent information of each person.  Our goal is to do intentional follow-up with each person/family by Monday of each week.  We’re bombarding people will emails, text messages, phone calls, etc.  But honestly…when it really comes down to it, the top reason people come and stay is because of FRIENDSHIPS!

Friends Invite Friends

Regardless of what happens at the church with staff changes or whatever, people keep coming back because of the relationships they have with each other.

This is where we are constantly being challenged!  With growth, it remains an increased challenge to make sure people get CONNECTED to other people, whether that’s through small groups, volunteerism, Bible studies or whatever.

Starting Point Lunch

Every quarter, we have a starting point luncheon immediately after our morning service for new or unconnected people.  We have a catered meal, and Beverly and I are able to share for a few minutes about the church’s history and future.  We give people an opportunity to tell what brought them to BFWC and what made them stay. 

It’s very INSPIRING to watch people declare what makes them want to belong to BFWC.  We hear words like “friendly” and “real” and “I feel like family here.”

Approachable

It’s important for us to be available in the lobby after each service.  It does make us vulnerable – because you never know what someone will say to you or if they might cling to you.  But it’s POWERFUL to be there to make that CONNECTION!  

Jesus was approachable!  At the end of the day…we’re all doing what we’re doing because we’re trying to CONNECT people to CHRIST!

C.L.I.M.B.

Our sincere desire is to bring people into the LIFE of our covenant family as fast as possible.  We invite everyone to “take the climb” with us!  CONNECT, LEARN, INVEST, MINISTER, BEGIN!  We are always pushing people to get PLUGGED IN as soon as possible.

Our Climb Classes are designed to answer questions about WHO we are as a congregation, WHERE we’re going and WHY we do WHAT we do.  We believe that if we will sustain the right CLIMATE long enough, we’ll produce a CULTURE of believers, servant leaders, disciplemakers, etc., who are excited about JESUS and His mission!

Belong and Believe

When you love people, you have to love them where they are and allow the Holy Spirit to do the drawing, cleaning and shaping.  If we will provide a place of LOVE – people will fall into that love! And guess what?  They’ll be “Red, Yellow, Black & White…Precious in His sight!”

In the culture of LOVE - racial boundaries are destroyed, rich and poor get a long...simply because they see themselves working for the same goal - LOVING PEOPLE!  

We've witnessed incredible diversity within our covenant family...it's pretty unique!  Honestly, you don't see this everywhere.  However...that's what LOVE does!  It DRAWS people. It's INCLUSIVE not EXCLUSIVE!

In the culture of BELONGING before BELIEVING, I've discovered that sometimes people will want to belong to what we're doing before they ever believe in Christ.  We have learned to make room for those who are newly discovering a relationship with Jesus and are skeptical of churches and Christians.  Over time, they'll eventually place their faith in Christ and discover a NEW LIFE in Christ for themselves.  When that happens...all you can do is SMILE!

The future is BRIGHTER because of the LOVE of Jesus in our lives!  Share Him with someone today and allow the Holy Spirit to position you in the RIGHT PLACE with the RIGHT PEOPLE at the RIGHT TIME!

The Kind of Church I Long For!

I love the CHURCH that Jesus died for!  The church is more than a gathering place for Christians on Sunday's...it's the BRIDE of CHRIST and it's full of people who are committed to COVENANT relationship! 

What is the church to you?  
What should it be?  

Here's some thoughts...

The church should be a place that is full of LIFE, ENERGY and EXCITEMENT!

The church should be a place of EXCELLENCE.  Not perfection - that's impossible.  Excellence...by doing the best you can with what you have at any given moment.

The church should be a meeting place for the HURTING and the HEALED!  A place to laugh, cry, struggle, win and thrive.  NOT a place for hatred, anger, bitterness, gossip, backbiting, etc.  If church is just a place for plastic faces - or worse - that's not the church I want to be a part of.

The church should be filled with Christians and Non-Christians every week!  We should have lost people checking out our claims...those who are furthest from Him are the most exciting when they allow Christ into their lives!

The church should be about love, grace, mercy, hope and more!  When the church is a place of criticism, negativity or judgment by the people themselves then it ceases to be the church Jesus birthed.  The ONLY people He judged were the religious.  On the other hand, He had dinner with sinners...and He redeemed their lives!

I believe lost people matter to God and should matter to the church!  That's why it's essential that they be INVITED and made to feel welcome when they get there!  In fact, we should plan our Sunday experiences with THEM in mind!  Maybe it's just my opinion, but perhaps most of our Sunday experiences are planned for those who are already CONVINCED.

The church should be a place where the WORD of God is taught with such CLARITY that it's easily applied to our lives when we leave.

The church should be viewed as so valuable that we don't want to miss it...at all!  Not in some twisted "cultic" way - but rather in what we get from it and what we give to it...knowing both matter deeply.

The church should be a place where people WORK TOGETHER.

I believe that some people take the church for granted.  It's not a place just to attend...it's a place to BECOME.  Perhaps there's too much anonymity allowed when we really don't have to answer to anyone for no longer showing up.

I think people should say goodbye if they're leaving or going to attend somewhere else.  it's just right and it's a matter of personal integrity and courtesy.  In my opinion, to just walk away is wrong.

I think EVERY Christ follower should be in a church - period.  Not just attending - INVOLVED.  Anything less is short changing; the person, the church and God.

I love the church.  Not the stuff...but the people and the God that shows up.  I love the stories of the lives there.  I love watching people struggle through to a NEW LIFE.  I love knowing that no matter how messed up some people are - they are there...TRYING!

It's refreshing to be in covenant relationship with people who are HONEST about where they are in life.  Those that show up each week - trying to go free...trying to find life...trying to make it another day/week...I love those that know they are MESSED UP and yet are GETTING UP every Sunday to fight another day for an inch of "more of God" in their LIFE, HOME, MARRIAGE, and WORLD!

Give me a church full of REAL PEOPLE that know they need God and I'll feel like I'm in my element...SHARING GRACE with those that need it and those that I know will SHARE IT when they FIND IT!

...that's the kind of church I long for!

You Can't Make Me Go To Church!

"You can't make me go to church...so don't even try!" I've never actually had anyone tell me that...but I'm pretty sure they were thinking it.

It's been said that the top three reasons people don't go to church are:  It's boring...it's irrelevant and all they want is your money.  For the most part, the people I've just described are people who don't go to church...those that have never been or that don't see church as a part of their life.

But what about the people that either go (somewhat) or used to go and for whatever reason don't now - yet they know they need to?

Why do "church" people NOT go to church?

1. Lazy.  Once you get out of the habit of going it's tough to get back in the habit.  Especially when you work a lot and feel like Sunday is your "only day of"...or something like that.  It's easy to justify not going by saying, "I don't get anything out of going there.  Besides, I hook up with my family at Cracker Barrel after they get out of church (and I get out of bed.)"  It's easy to convince yourself that "family time" is an equal replacement for going to church.

2. Too much effort.  I meet people all the time who are sporadic in going to church.  They miss going, for however long, then when the bottom falls out in their life they are "getting back in church."  Sadly, because they do not make church attendance a lifestyle - they go right back to not going again.  They could best be described as people who go to the gym about once every 4-6 weeks and really work out hard - trying to catch up - but because they are now "sore" they decide not to go back because it's just "too much work." (Until the next time they get in a bind and need the church again.)

3. Forget what church is meant to be.  They see church as an "event"...something to attend on Sunday...as opposed to the group of people that make that church home.  Going to church should be more than event in our life...it should be a living organism NOT an organization.  Church should be about the people there and the God that shows up to meet with them every time they gather.  It should be a LIFESTYLE...where you plan everything else around it...not before it! 

4. "I got hurt."  I understand this one myself...but the truth is, you can't allow a past hurt or breech of trust or...whatever it might be...to stop you from pursuing God's plan for your life...AND His plan includes you being a part of a local church.

5. "I watch TV for my church."  I like Christian programing...but honestly, the TV pastor don't know me at all.  He has never reached through the television and gave me a hug, high five, handshake...and nothing personal...he just can't be there when I need him to be - for he is not my pastor.  

6. "They talk about money too much."  Perhaps that's true in some places...but it's also true, if those that call a local church their "home" would tithe and give like they're supposed to - that kind of talk would disappear.  For churches to function properly...it takes finances...just like anything else in this life.  Are you a "tither" or a "tipper?"

7. "There are too many hypocrites in the church."  If that's the case, then you should quit your job because there are too many in the workplace that are not carrying their share of the load.  Also, you should quit shopping at the grocery store because there are bad cooks who are shopping there also.  And you should tell your kids to quit school because there are some kids there who are nothing more than juvenile delinquents.

• The wife can always excuse herself from attending because her husband won't go.
• The husband can decline because his wife won't attend.
• If they happen to be together they can blame the children..."they just won't get up and go to church."
• If they are all present and can't blame one another, they'll reach an agreement that they don't want to leave their dog alone.

Here's some real LAME excuses "Church people" use and make it sound good by adding "God Knows My Heart!"

• "I didn't come to church because I was too tired.  So, I watched the LIVE stream.  Besides, I don't like all that 'handshaking' they make you do anyway.  I surely don't want to get the flu with all those germs that are going around...God knows my heart!"
• "I had to miss church because the kids wanted to sleep in...God knows my heart!"
• "I can't come on Wednesday nights because the kids need to get to bed early.  But...SHHHH...don't tell anyone that I took them to 'Disney on Ice' and we got home at 10:30 pm on a school night or we went to the basketball game...God knows my heart!"
• "I just had this feeling I shouldn't be there...God knows my heart!"
• "I've worked all week so I'm too tired to go...God knows my heart!"
• "There are no people my age so I'm not going...God knows my heart!"
• "We used to be faithful to every service, but now that we're so mature in the Lord we don't need to go so much...God knows my heart!"
• "Every time I go, they ask me to volunteer for something.  Don't they know that I just want to go to church and be fed?...God knows my heart!"
• "The parking lot is too congested.  If they would expand the parking and could guarantee that I don't have to park in the grass, then I'd probably be more inclined to go...unless it's raining, snowing, cold, etc...besides, God knows my heart!"
• "I saw someone there from my past that I don't get along with...God knows my heart!"
• "I would go but my EX goes there...God knows my heart!"
• "I need to catch up on Facebook...after all, Facebook is the 'real world' to me and I have lots of REAL friends who REALLY care about me and all my private business I post on there.  They need me tonight, so church will have to wait while I minister on Facebook...God knows my heart!"
• "Why go to church when I can get what 'I really need' by having my own self sanctioned prayer meeting in my home that includes popcorn prophecy, ecclesiastical ecstasy and real freedom to say and do what makes me feel good?...God knows my heart!"
• "Little Johnny don't like the youth group there...so we're going to let him call the shots about our church attendance, because after all, Little Johnny knows whats best for our families spiritual life and...God knows my heart!"
• "I have to exercise every night of the week...so can't be there...besides, if I don't exercise tonight I won't be able to eat at the big party or weekend get-a-way we have planned again on Sunday (during church time.)...God knows my heart!"
• "I meet God in my man cave.  It's just Him and me.  I don't have to go to church to be a Christian.  Who needs all that fellowship anyway??? Apostle Paul wasn't talking to someone like me...he was referring to all those other Christians...and God knows my heart!"
• "Little Susie has a sniffle...so, the whole family is going to stay home and blow her nose for her and...God knows my heart!"
• "I can't handle crowds, so I'm going to the ball game instead...God knows my heart!"
• "Things aren't like they used to be.  The music isn't my choice, they don't sing the songs I like, and to be honest, some of the people just get on my nerves...God knows my heart!"
• "I would go to church more if the church would pay my utility bills, help out with funeral expenses, keep groceries in my pantry, do more for my kids and take better care of me...God knows my heart!"

Church is God's idea.  He created it to be a place where He meets with people - just like you and me!  He does incredible things in His church!  The local church is God's hope for the world.  It's the hospital - it's the beacon in the dark - it's the place where love should be shared - it's the place where we find grace, hope and love - WHATEVER each of us need to face this world and WIN!

There are NO PERFECT CHURCHES!  But, there are churches that are REAL...where God is able to meet with the people there and do incredible things in their lives!

At the end of the day...God really does KNOW OUR HEART!

To Attend or Not Attend...That is the Question

There is a tendency to approach church like a first time credit card user at the local mall. A consumer mindset seems to be prevalent with today's church goers.

Obviously, we're always going to have an opinion of our experiences...including church.  Evaluating what we "took away" from that experience can be healthy.  However, how far should we take that?

I'm not necessarily speaking of those who do not attend church routinely...but rather those who have been in church for awhile and have begun to "pick a part" their church experience on any given service, evaluating everything the church "did or didn't" do correctly.   

For example, "over evaluating" how long it took to get the kids checked in, how loud the music was or the songs selected, the efficiency of the ushers, the message content, the bulletins, and so forth...even to where we leave having not really even thought about what going to church is really about.

If we're not careful, we can put any church experience under a grading system and end up "failing."  Again, evaluation is a good thing but when we take it to the degree that our attitude is so negatively affected - it can put a block in the way of church being anything but something we do or don't like, rather than a place to WORSHIP God and learn His Word.

Here's the skinny...

1. We can call a church "our church" and yet not go there because of ???  Everyone has a "because" in them that seems to prevent them from going to church.  When we yield to the "because" we tend to get out of the habit of attending church on a regular basis...and yet, still call a particular church "home."
2. We can have such a high grading standard, that in our search for a church, "no church" feels right or fits what we're looking for.  Ultimately, it's probably something so trivial that it's not worth keeping us out of church and we can fail to consider that it might be just the place that God wants us to be.
3. We can give up looking due to weariness.  Eventually we just quit trying because after all we can say, "I've tried" and then we either name a few churches or give the number of churches or how long we have been looking as the proof for our non-attendance.  This excuse seems to offer the best feeling of "justification" for not going anywhere.
4. We can even compare every church experience to some past church experience and say, "It's just not like..." or "It's not the same as it used to be."

If you're like me...you'll agree that there are NO PERFECT CHURCHES!

Perhaps we need to REFOCUS on what church is really about and not get hung up on the side items.  I try to encourage new families in our church to find an area that needs help and jump in rather than seeing something that isn't what it should be and then complaining about it.

Honestly, the Bible says we don't pick our church.  God picks the place HE wants us to belong to.

• 1 Corinthians 12:18 "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him."

So, we don't even get to choose where we do or don't go...God does.  

If you're one of those Christ followers that has gotten to where going to church on any given Sunday or Wednesday is OPTIONAL...what's up?  Is it you or is it something else?  Can we really afford not to go?  Has the church become so irrelevant to our faith - that it doesn't matter?

Take a closer look at your heart...evaluate where you're at in your spiritual walk with God...allow the Holy Spirit room to speak clearly.  I'm sure you'll come to the conclusion that going to church isn't a CHORE and it certainly isn't a BORE. 

Jesus loves the church...He loves you!

The Church Owes Me

Does the church owe me?  
Am I entitled to receive certain benefits if I'm a member?  
Shouldn't the church help me when they know I'm in need? 
Don't I deserve preferential treatment?


So, the church owes you...huh?  In truth, the church does owe us something.  Paul tells us in Hebrews 10:24-25 to consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as we see the Day approaching.


In reality, we owe our Heavenly Father a debt we are unable to repay.  Instead, He commands that we should be a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1-2)  He goes further to instruct us to love one another even as He first loved us. (1 John 4:7-19)


There are certain responsibilities we take on when we join ourselves with a local church.  The duties are a two-way street in which we support and exhort one another.  In order to carry out our duties as God has commanded we must do the following.


1. We must LOVE one another.  This comes from putting the needs of others above our own selves. (Philippians 2:3-4)


2. We must CONSIDER one another. As we get to know one another, we become aware of the needs, cares, burdens and all of the things that comprise of life with one another.


3. We must STIR UP love and good works.  We are to motivate one another with such force that we provoke action from one another.  We are no longer just concerned about our own soul, we are concerned about the lives of our brothers and sisters.

• How does this happen? There is no perfect formula...first, when we love others they are encouraged to also love based on our example.  Acts of kindness such as sending cards and making phone calls, going by the hospital to visit the sick, preparing meals for others, and giving a person a hug all send a clear message.  So do other acts such as calling when someone is missed at services and making a visit to express a concern about behavior that appears inappropriate.
• When we first meet another person we are not apt to readily receive a rebuke or admonition from them.  However, when an old friend or someone who has shown much concern for us in the past makes such a comment we are far more apt to receive and consider the admonition.  

4. We must remain INTERESTED.  It is difficult to imagine causing another person to be excited when we personally are uninvolved and disinterested.  We are able to excite other people about things in which we are heavily invested and to which we give a large share of our interest and attention.  A person who grudgingly makes most of the services is not likely to be able to excite someone else about the work of the church.

• When you become excited to love you will seek out good works.  No longer will you give your time grudgingly and wait till someone insists that you do something.  Instead, the intent of your heart is to see what you can do to serve God.  You will love the flock of which you are a part of and seek to help those in need.  You will rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

WHAT EXCITES YOU?

• There's lots of marketing that takes places in churches today.  Some churches want you to join them for the FUN and EXCITEMENT of their programs, their singing groups, and other forms of entertainment.  In those cases, the emphasis is on what they can do for the individual to make them happy. 

There is only one thing that SHOULD and MUST be the primary source of excitement in your life.  That is simply this...THAT GOD SO LOVES YOU THAT HE SENT HIS SON TO DIE FOR YOU.  That love completely overwhelms any emotion and pleasure that might be drawn from worldly things.  Also, the resulting love and its fulfillment is ETERNAL whereas the things of this world are short lived, fleeting and ultimately unfulfilling. 

When each person in the church is STIRRED up by their love for Jesus that love becomes contagious!  The excitement is obvious and infectious. One person's excitement leads another to grow stronger in their love of God and commitment to good works.  Those works in turn stimulate another brother and sister.  Ultimately, one of those brethren end up REAWAKENING the love of the first person who has subsequently grown weaker.  I believe that is a primary factor in God's plan for us to ASSEMBLE ourselves together in a local congregation. 

Stop Whining and Start Serving!  

It's amazing how people think today.  We hear all kinds of things from people today regarding how the church has let them down.

• The church hurt my feelings.  
• The church didn't help me when I was in need.
• The church forgot about me.
• The church ran me off.
• The church helped everyone else but they didn't help me.
• The church is full of hypocrites.

These comments used to really trouble me UNTIL...I wised up.  Before then, I found myself going around that mountain with the same people for 40 years and realized that the people who constantly complain about the church are the people who...

• Are Unfaithful...
• Are Unfruitful...
• Never serve...
• Never volunteer...
• Never give...
• Never attend...
• Always have their hand out...
• Wear their feelings on their sleeve...
• Expect you to be a mind reader...
• Are looking to be offended...
• Caused a mess in the last church they came from and want to do the same thing here...
• Love to wallow in self-pity...
• Come to a pitch-in and won't bring nothin'...
• Steal what the church is giving away...
• Carry an entitlement spirit...
• Won't receive the Word of God...
• Won't receive correction...
• Only want relief rather than restoration...
• Badmouth everything the church does...

Friends, If I gave up every time my feelings got hurt or I didn't like what was happening, I'd be the most cantankerous person you've ever met.  The truth is...the reason some people are unhappy is because they choose to be.  They are the same people who are down in the mouth about everything.  They are happiest when they're complaining, fault-finding and bumpin' their gums.

It's time to GET SOME JESUS JOY and quit complaining about everyone else.  WE MUST LOOK IN THE MIRROR and examine our own heart.

• The church is still GREAT! 
• The church is making a huge IMPACT in the community! 
• The church is full of people who are living REAL LIFE and holding one another accountable!
• The church is WHAT YOU MAKE IT!

Ask not what your church can do for you...ask "what can I do for my church?"

Yes...the church owes me.  And I also owe it!  But most of all, we owe all of our love and commitment to our Heavenly Father.

The Gospel that I read tells me to GROW UP and BECOME like Christ.  Friends, lets hold one another accountable and STAND on the Word of God.  Everyone reading this...INCLUDING ME...can do better than what we're doing right now.  


Let's keep our hands lifted UP!

There Is No Power In Neutral

A church in neutral is as useless and powerless as a car without an engine.  The place of neutral is a dangerous place to be. 


One of our deacons, Fred Kelso, has a funeral escorting business that requires him to drive an awesome Harley Davidson motorcycle!  This past Sunday, I interviewed him on the dangers of his job.


He said, when he comes to an intersection he keeps his motorcycle in first gear.  He has to be able to move quickly.  If he were to keep the motorcycle in neutral, he'd be powerless in the event of an emergency.

• The place of neutral is a place where you're neither for or against.
• The place of neutral is a place where you're half-way between worshiping in Spirit & truth and selfish living.
• The place of neutral is a place where you're stuck half-way between humility & pride.
• The place of neutral is a place where you're stuck half-way between faithfulness & unfaithfulness. 

Satan doesn't mind you going to church or working for the Lord...just as long as he can rock you asleep in INDIFFERENCE.  (The place where you're not fully decided)  It's not the devil that defeats the church...it's the slumber of indifference, indecision and neutrality.

The longer we remain INDIFFERENT...the more we remain IMPOTENT! (powerless)

• As your pastor, I refuse to sit by and watch you or your family settle for the spirit of impotence!
• I'm going to keep PROVOKING you to good works!
• I'm going to keep PREACHING the truth in boldness!
• I'm going to keep getting in your face and DECLARING a higher level of living!
• If I hold my mouth for fear of offending you...then I'm not worthy to be called your pastor!
• If I lose my desire to see souls saved...then take me out back and shoot me!
• If our church becomes SELFISH and CONCERNED only with having CUTE SERVICES on Sunday that cater to the flesh and never require FAITHFULNESS, FRUITFULNESS or SOLD OUT LIVING...then we need to go out of business!

We cannot afford to stay in NEUTRAL!

How do we get in gear?

#1 Start praying for BOLDNESS instead of safety! (Acts 4:29-31)

• When we are faced with criticism, danger and persecution we must HIT OUR KNEES in prayer!
• We are not called to hide in a cave and wait for the rapture of the church.
• We are called to be on the front lines, waging war!

#2 Remember where we CAME from! (Matthew 9:10-13)

• Jesus didn't come to keep us comfy, cute and callous!  He came to call THE OUTSIDERS...not the INSIDERS!  More and more, we must remember where we came from so we don't lose our perspective of why the church exists!
• WE DO NOT EXIST...
• So Sister Hoopendiddle can sing her "special" every week.
• So Hurricane Henry can bully the pastor and congregation with his financial influence.
• So Sister Bucketmouth can get offended because no one called to check on her.
• So we can have another "penny march" 
• Who came up with that and where is the faith in that?  God doesn't fund His church through spaghetti suppers, fish fry's and pancake feeds!  He funds it through obedient TITHERS and GIVERS!
• We EXIST to be FISHERS OF MEN...not keepers of the aquarium!
• Friend, if you're saved...then understand something...CHURCH IS NO LONGER ABOUT YOU!  We're not here to burp you, pamper you or pacify you!  We are here to WORSHIP the one who called us out of darkness, be DISCIPLED and REACH someone else with the same message!  If church becomes about YOUR LIKES and DISLIKES then you're here for the wrong reason.
• I don't know about you...but I think the church should be willing to do anything, SHORT OF SIN, to save people!

#3 Allow God to do a work IN us so He can do a work THROUGH us! (Hebrews 12:1-2)

• Most every saved person I know has asked the Lord to use them.  But the real question is are we willing to let God BREAK us so He can BUILD us?
• God has to work with our weaknesses, faults and failures.
• He's not looking for a group of copy-cat, mindless zombies who are trying to keep legalistic rules that were passed down to us by someone who is more interested in appearance than purity.
• He's simply looking for surrendered hearts who realize what it means to be a "work in progress."

#4 Be willing to CHALLENGE believers! (Luke 9:57-62)

• We cannot be afraid to ASK people to do what they should already be doing!
• We must ask people to step up to the plate and...
• Pray fervently
• Serve selflessly
• Give generously
• Love extravagantly 
• If we don't ask our people to STEP UP we are actually INSULTING THEM and DISCOUNTING the redemptive potential God has placed in them.
• It is our JOB to call the BEST out of people!

#5 Remember Jesus' PROMISE! (Matthew 16:13-18)

• The church doesn't belong to me.  It's HIS!  He said, "I will build my church!"
• It's my job to follow Jesus and trust the work He is already doing in the life of the church.
• He said, "the powers of Hell would not be able to stop it!"
• We are an unstoppable people!
• Why should we be afraid?

The Strength of the Local Church (Part 1)

The local church is still where it's at.  I'm passionate about the mission of the local church and it's diversity in ministry.  We are indeed called to make "full use" of our ministry...but where does that ministry receive validation? You guessed it...under the covering of the local church.

• The local church is still being built by Jesus.
• The local church is still reaching out to the broken, forgotten and the poor.
• The local church is still making a difference that's going to be seen for eternity.
• The local church is still God's plan for reaching the world.
• The local church is still necessary for believers.

If the local church is not necessary then why did Jesus say He would BUILD it, DIE for it and will one day REDEEM it?  Jesus spent a considerable amount of time talking about the church.  Apostle Paul spent a considerable amount of time establishing local churches and the protocol of leadership training, development and missional operations that take place within it and through it.


More and more there is a renegade attempt to establish a credible ministry that resembles a church-like structure...minus the covering, accountability and validity offered by the Biblical pattern offered in the New Testament.  (More on this subject next time)


It has become increasingly popular to bash the church for all of it's mistakes or oversights.  I've been in the ministry for 25 years and have seen people who have been active in their local church through attendance, service, giving, etc., for years...then ALL OF THE SUDDEN...drop off like flies.  


I don't want to diminish anyone's authentic hurt...but its a sad commentary when people bail out because...

• Someone didn't call them when they were out for two weeks.
• Someone said something hurtful to or about them.
• They didn't like what the preacher said.
• They didn't like what the youth group was doing.
• They didn't like the songs that were being sung.
• They didn't like the order of service.

The list goes on and on...but you get the drift.  When anyone allows one thing in the church to UNDO the decades of ministry and impact that have taken place through the body of believers in the local church...that's ludicrous. 

I agree, the local church isn't perfect.  If you stay in a church long enough you are bound to see hypocrisy.  Someone will say something to you or about you that will hurt you.  Decisions will be made that you do not like.  There are going to be sermons that make you mad.

Friend, the enemy loves to play this card on you.  He's trying his best to convince you to just walk away...with your hurt feelings.  He knows that the first step away from God is usually getting people to step away from the LOCAL CHURCH.

Consider this:  If you are a transplant that has recently come to a local church from a previous one...what made you leave the previous one?  I'm sure there's a list in your mind...but before we point fingers at the church, we might want to point one at ourselves and ask... 

• Am I repeating unhealthy patterns that are causing me to constantly be offended or off track?
• Do I wear my feelings on my sleeve?
• Am I highly opinionated and overly critical?
• Do I receive instruction and correction with a "thank you for looking out for me" or do I view it as a challenge?
• Do I pout and lay out?

There are times when the Lord may lead you to another local church.  However, if it's to be done biblically, it will be done with a blessing, unanimity and seamlessness.  God is not the author of confusion and His nature is not seen in laying out, pouting, withdraw or negativity.  If these things are taking place...you're probably in the right church but you just don't want to line up.  Therefore it's easy to seek refuge in a "new" place where they don't know you or your patterned history.

No, the church is NOT perfect...but neither are you or me.  So, when we're tempted to walk away because of the one thing that seems to hurt us or trip us up we should simply ask, "is this constant with this churches character?"

Stay in church long enough and you will have a bad experience...but let that PUSH you closer to Jesus as you recognize that HE uses imperfect people in His plan, which means sometimes they will get it wrong, and then ask the Lord to teach both them and yourself how to best deal with the situation...because, the LOCAL CHURCH is still His bride.

I love the local church.  She is still the BEST THING GOING!