Does God Expect Too Much From Us?

 

If Christ founded the church. - Mat 16:18

If Christ Loved the church - Eph 5:25a

If Christ gave Himself for the church - Eph 5:25b

Is God expecting too much from the members of the church to:

 

1. Attend the Services - Heb 10:25

     A. Sunday School
     B. Morning Worship
     C. Evening Worship
     D. Prayer Meeting
     E. Revival

 

2. Read the Word of God - 2 Tim 2:15
     A. Food for the Soul - Jer 15:16
     B. Light for the Path - Psa 119:105
     C. Comfort to Cheer Us - Psa 23:1-3

3. Talk to God in Prayer - 1 Thess 5:17

4. Support God's Work - Pro 3:9-10
     A. O.T. Commands it  - Deu 8:18
     B. N.T. Commends it  - 1 Cor 16:2
     C. God Compensates for it  - Luk 6:38

5. Win Others to Christ - Mat 4:19
     A. Andrew and his brother - Joh 1:41-42
     B. Paul and Silas in Jail - Act 16:25-31

6. Walk Circumspectly - Eph 5:15; Col 4:5

      

 







Jesus Was A Preacher
                                              Luke 4:18-19

These verses reveal two things about the preaching of Jesus.
The Content Of His Message - V 18-19.
1) His Message Was A Message Of Gladness. V.18a - "The Gospel"
2) His Message Was A Message Of Goodness. V.18b - "Deliverance"
3) His Message Was A Message Of Grace.  V 19 - "The Acceptable Year Of The Lord"

The Congregation Of His Ministry - V 18-19.
1) His Ministry Was To The BrokenHearted - V-18a.
2) His Ministry Was To The Blind - V-18b.
3) His Ministry Was To The Bruised V-18c

Let us look at seven things about our Saviour as a preacher.

1. He Was A Powerful Preacher.  Luke 4:18 Mat 7:28-29 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
           His Doctrine Was Perfect.
           His Delivery Was Powerful.

2. He Was A Precise Preacher.  Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
           His Start In The Ministry.
           His Subject In The Message. 

3. He Was A Perceptive Preacher.  Mat 9:14-15 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not?  And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
           The Ignorance In Their Question.
           The Insight In His Answer.

4. He Was A Parabolic Preacher.  Mat 13:3 And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;   Mat 13:10-11 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
           To Some, The Truth Is Revealed.
           To Other, The Truth Is Repressed.

5. He Was A Prepared Preacher.  Joh 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
           He Was Not A Self Promoter.
           He Was Sovereign Prepared.

6. He Was A Precious Preacher. Joh 7:46 The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.
           He Was A Costly Or A Valuable Preacher.
           He Was A Cherished Or A Valued Preacher.

7. He Was A Poor Preacher. Mat 8:20 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
           He Did Not Preach To Receive Riches.
           He Did Preach To Reveal Riches.

Do Right Anyway

Forget all other options and do the right thing anyway.
Forget getting even and do the right thing anyway.
Forget how the weather is and do the right thing anyway.
Forget that no one will ever know and do the right thing anyway.
Forget that you deserve it and do the right thing anyway.
Forget their hurt feelings and do the right thing anyway.
Forget their wrongs and do the right thing anyway.
Forget what they do or don't do and you do the right thing anyway.
Forget what you did or didn't do and now do the right thing anyway.
Forget your challenges, pressures, and obstacles and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your conditioning, training, and upbringing and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your conflicts and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your desire for sympathy and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your desire to get rescued and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your discomforts and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your excuses and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your prejudice, hate, and injustice and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your habit of emotional blackmail and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your hate and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your hurt feelings and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your identification with the problem and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your joy in demanding and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your loss of fame or fortune and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your loss of friends and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your loss of popularity or friends and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your lust for drama and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your lust for money and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your lust for pride and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your need for success and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your need to please people and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your rationalizations and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your reasons to act lazily and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your revenge and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your sense of self as the problem and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your suffering, hurt, pain, abuse and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your trials, tribulations, and hardships and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your wanting power over others and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your wanting to manipulate others and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your wants and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your whining, blaming, and damning and do the right thing anyway.
Forget your wrongs and do the right thing anyway.

Church Growth

Not sure if you can use this but I found it interesting because, I Want To See My Church Grow. I do believe there are some things I can learn from a study like this.

Many smaller churches reflect a rural mindset, marked by crisis and hardship. A few show growth and vitality. What makes the difference? A recent survey of 109 growing smaller churches in the middle United States shows 15 common characteristics. The growing churches exhibited a majority of these traits:

1.     The pastor and members were involved in community activities.

2.     They were located in towns of 2,500 people or more.

3.     They were fewer than ten miles from a Wal-Mart.

4.     The population was in transition.

5.     They were pastored by younger pastors, (40 and under).

6.     The church was "very friendly," not just friendly.

7.     The church was open to new methods.

8.     Evangelism was a number one priority.

9.     The atmosphere of the church was open and safe for newcomers.

10.   The church had multiple children's ministries.

11.    Mentoring activities were available for newcomers.

12.   A high percentage of members were involved in ministry.

13.    Evangelism was the strongest skill of the pastor.

14.   Guests were welcomed and treated as though they were members.

15.    The church had written plans and goals.

4 STUPID THINGS CHRISTIANS DO!

Genesis 16:1-6

Morality is in trouble!  I see a lot of Christian’s whose behavior is no different than those who don't know God.  They make the same poor choices and mess up their lives and the lives of those around them.  (vs 1a)  Abraham shows us 4 stupid things he does to mess up his life.
- We do the same things:

1. They Let Fleshly Desire Overrule Good Sense.v. 1-2
A. What Sarai proposed was that Abram take a second wife. -Hagar.
B. The things Abram and Sarai were plotting here would not surprise anyone in their part of the world. -Yet Abram and Sarai were abandoning their faith in God's promise, which had only recently been reaffirmed to Abram in chapter 15 by a covenant.  They were resorting to the flesh rather than faith.  Any time we give up on a promise of God and resort to our own means, we are doing exactly what they did, letting fleshly desire overrule good sense.
C. When people think they are desperate, it's amazing what they are willing to do.  Wives have affairs b/c they think the husband doesn’t love them.  Men grow tired searching for a believing mate, give in and marry a non-Christian or a woman with dubious "faith" that really isn't faith at all.  Christian teenagers, upset by the inconsistencies in his parents, rebels and starts taking drugs and sleeping around.
D. It sounds so true, so convincing, when you feel desperate.  Those people down at the church, trying to remind you of your commitment to Christ, seem so backward, so out-of-touch.

2. They Listen to Those Who Are Unfamiliar with the Word of God.vs. 2-4
"And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai."  "So what's so wrong with a man listening to his wife?" - Nothing, unless his wife doesn’t' understand the will of God.
God had appeared to Abram, not Sarai, when they left Ur. He had appeared to Abram again, and not Sarai, when they left Haran. - When we need help in making decisions, we need to seek out mature believers who know God's word.  People are stepping outside of God's will, to seek advice from either weak believers or those who don't know God's word at all.  We’d rather get counsel from non Christians if we’re out of God’s will. Psa 1:1, "Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly."

3. They Blame Others For Things They Bring Upon Themselves.
Surely when the troubles started on account of these things, Abram and Sarai recognized their fault and owned up to all this, right? Wrong!  v. 4b
A. This wasn’t supposed to happen this way.
B. So Sarai was humbled by her attempt to make things happen and she went to Abram and apologized for her bad suggestion, right? Wrong.  The third stupid thing that believers do to mess up their lives is a very common occurrence.  The perpetrator will not accept responsibility.
C. What does it mean when people refuse to accept responsibility for their own mistakes? - It means they are destined to repeat them.

4. They Shirk Responsibility For The Sake Of Keeping the Peace.

It was about time for Abram to take charge.
A. Here’s what he should have said:
B. He said, "Do whatever you think is right, dear." He didn’t want to rock the boat!
C. Husbands are supposed to be the heads of their homes.

The unrest that we are seeing in the Middle East today is the fruit of what went on in the tent of Abram and Sarai so many years ago when they decided to resort to the flesh rather than trust God's promises

No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus

Charles Weigle’s song, “No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus,” was the product of one of the darkest periods of his life. Weigle spent most of his life as an itinerant evangelist and gospel songwriter. One day after returning home from an evangelistic crusade, he found a note left by his wife of many years. The note said she had had enough of an evangelist’s life. She was leaving him.

Weigle later said that he became so despondent during the next several years that there were even times when he contemplated suicide. There was the terrible despair that no one really cared for him anymore. Gradually his spiritual faith was restored, and he once again became active in the Christian ministry. Soon he felt compelled to write a song that would be a summary of his past tragic experience. From a heart that had been broken came these choice words that God gave to Charles Weigle:

I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus since I found in Him a friend so strong and true; I would tell you how He chang’d my life completely—He did something that no other friend could do.

All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me; all my heart was full of misery and woe; Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me, and He led me in the way I ought to go.

Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance, more and more I understand His words of love; but I’ll never know just why He came to save me, till some day I see His blessed face above.

             Chorus: No one ever cared for me like Jesus; there’s no other friend so kind
             as He; no one else could take the sin and darkness from me—O how much
             He cared for me!