10 –Old people should not retire; young folks need you! – Remember Moses led the people of Israel at the age of 80; Caleb was still vigorous at 85 (Joshua 14.10) and remember Paul’s words to the Titus (Titus 2.1-10).
9 – Sophisticated education is not needed to follow Jesus (Acts 4.13).
8 – Bald men, well at least one, have power (2 Kings 2.23-25)
7 – You can read the Bible every day.
6 – Everyone has a gift to use; given to them by God. (Romans 12.3-8; Ephesians 4.11-16; 1 Peter 4.10-11; Matthew 25.14-30)
5 – The Bible even has a book about sex. Apparently there is something God wants us to know. (Song of Solomon)
4 – It allows me to eat bacon. (Acts 10.15)
3 – The Bible proves itself. (Science does not prove the Bible, the Bible proves science.) – The more people search, study and investigate nature, they find themselves staring at a Creator.
2 – Hell is optional. – You do not have to go; there is a better place called heaven and the Bible tells you how to get there.
A few years ago I ran across a small article on the California Redwood trees that intrigued me. Here is one statement form the article:
“The huge redwood trees in California are considered the largest things on earth and the tallest trees in the world. Some of them are three hundred feet high and over 2,500 years old. One would think that trees so large would have a tremendous root system reaching down hundreds of feet into the earth. The redwoods actually have a very shallow system of roots, but they all intertwine. They are locked to each other. When the storms come or the winds blow, the redwoods stand. They are locked to each other, and they don’t stand alone, for all the trees support and protect each other.”
The church is like the redwood trees; or maybe, better still, the redwood trees are like the church. When the storms of life rage against us, we reach out to one another to help bear the burden of the storm. Like the intertwined roots of a redwood tree, our lives are connected by the Savior, Jesus Christ.
As Christians, we want to follow the pattern of the early church because they were the starting point to where we are as a family. When they met on the first Pentecost after the resurrection of Jesus, they bonded instantly. They saw a need to assist one another as well as continuing in the apostles teaching (Acts 2:42-47).
The early church grew because of the continuation of the early church in the things the apostles taught them and I believe one of those things was the unity of the church. Jesus prayed for unity, because He wants everyone united, but also, because the bond of Christians is what helps us to achieve the peace that passes understanding.
Let us unite together to begin to change the world!
The spiritual life of a Christian is never stagnant; if it is not growing, then it is decreasing. There is no middle ground where a Christian’s spiritual life can remain at one point, there must be movement. This movement is determined by our actions. Peter writes of the spiritual maturing process…
“For this very reason, “make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1.5-8; ESV)
As a member of the body of Christ, when we are growing spiritually it will naturally affect others. When we grow we begin sharing the burdens of others (Galatians 6.1; Romans 15.1), we edify one another (Hebrews 3.13), we teach others (Titus 2) and we begin sharing the word with others because we cannot help but speak of Jesus (Acts 4.12).
Because our spiritual growth affects others, here is a list below of “Four Marks of a Maturing Congregation” for your consideration.
What would you add to the list?
Four Marks of a Maturing Congregation:
Fellowship – Members know each other outside of Sundays and Wednesday.
Assistance – Because the members are bearing one another’s burdens, have knowledge of each other, and progress towards the same goal, assistance is given without a shocking announcement to the congregation. (Galatians 6.1; Romans 15.1)
Attendance – The numbers game is a difficult one to play with attendance, but a maturing congregation will have high attendance based on membership because people are coming (1) to worship and study God’s word, (2) to edify the brothers and sisters and (3) to continue on their spiritual process of growing closer to God. (Note: Hebrews 10.24-25 – Remember verse 24 is the beginning and reason for verse 25)
Finances – The church in Macedonia gave “beyond their means of their own accord” (2 Corinthians 8.3). The church in Macedonia knew how much they could give and they gave beyond it. I believe this is a sign of maturity because the Macedonians knew there was a greater purpose to finances than physical stuff.
I hope every member considers one another this morning. There will be someone at services who has had a horrible week and will not tell anyone. They will put on a face of joy, but deep down their heart breaks. I wonder if they will ask their spiritual family to pray for them. (Hebrews 3:13)
I hope someone gets a fresh start this morning. Someone needs a fresh start and Christ provides that in baptism. His blood cleanses each one from sin and allows them to begin as a new person in Christ. (Romans 6)
I hope each member welcomes visitors into our assemblies. It is hard enough visiting, but it can be made harder when no one speaks to you. May our brethren stretch forth their hands to welcome those who visit.
I hope each member understands the brief sermon is presented after countless hours of thoughts, prayers and study. Even though it is over in 30 minutes, the knowledge it contains will reach to eternity.
I hope every minister knows they are loved. Whether it be the outpouring from the brethren or the encouraging words of a visitor, I hope each minister knows God cares for them and will always watch over them.
I hope to see my brethren in services, but if not, I hope they reach out to the ones who are absent; a card, note or call is an uplifting message to those who cannot make it to services.
A habit is defined as “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.” (1) Each of us have habits which developed over time; many from childhood. Studies have shown it takes 66 days to form a habit (2) and 21 days to break a habit (3). I am sure those numbers depend on the habit and the length it has been a habit, but forming a habit takes time.
To some, habits are bad and to others, habits are good. Personally, I believe it depends on the habit. Growing up I heard preachers talk about having a habit of Bible reading. This, of course, being a good habit would take time to develop but the benefits would be worth the cost.
How can you create a habit of church? Whether it is attending services, reading your Bible, or simply being an encouragement to others, how can you create a habit of church?
Start with your calendar – Creating a habit of church will start with your use of time. As Christians, we are to make the best use of our time (Ephesians 5.15-16). Make an appointment on your calendar to attend services, read your Bible, etc. Be sure to write it down on your calendar. Don’t assume it will happen; make it happen. We write down other appointments, why not make an appointment with “church things”?
Plan your Bible reading – Do not just plan to read your Bible but plan your reading. You can download a Bible reading schedule online or ask us to help you find the best reading plan for your needs. Start planning and reading today.
If acted upon, these two suggestions, done over the next several weeks will allow you to begin creating a habit of church. Remember, it will still come down to your continued actions, but I know that you can do it.
