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Sermon Reources available here...

                      

The Newark Naz Family: A Portrait of Belonging Let me share some letters with you. The following letters were submitted by children to various pastors: Dear Pastor, I know God loves everybody but he never met my sister (Arnold, age eight, Nashville).... Dear Pastor, I liked your sermon on Sunday. Especially when it was finished (Ralph, age eleven, Akron).... Dear Pastor, Please pray for our Little League team. We need God’s help or a new pitcher (Alex, age ten, Raleigh).... Dear Pastor, My father says I should learn the Ten Commandments, but I don’t think I want to because we have enough rules already in my house (Josh, age ten, South Pasadena).... Dear Pastor, Who does God pray to? Is there a God for God? (Chris, age ten, Titusville).... Dear Pastor, I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my brother won’t be there (Stephen, age eight, Chicago).... Dear Pastor, I think a lot more people would come to your church if you moved it to Disneyland (Loreen, age nine, Tacoma).... Dear Pastor, My mother is very religious. She goes to play bingo at church every week, even if she has a cold (Annette, age nine, Albany). Pulpit Helps, Feb. 2000, p. 19

Only in the church family.

“You are called to do more than just believe. You were called to belong. Even in the perfect sinless environment of Eden, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill God’s purposes by ourselves.” Those are the opening words from chapter seventeen in the book Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

There is nothing in the Bible that reflects a Christ follower who does life on their own. While your relationship with Christ is personal, God never intended it to be private. Following Christ includes belonging, not just believing.

Holly L. our director of Ministry Development shared these words with me this week:

“Acknowledging a new member is almost as significant as rejoicing over someone’s salvation. They are both celebrations tied to someone joining Christ; a new believer is connecting with Christ’s invisible body – a new member is joining His visible one.”

The church is God’s agenda for the world. He created it and He gave us our mission to accomplish. The church in the Bible is referred to as the Bride of Christ or the Body of Christ. Can you imagine someone saying to God, “Look, I love you and everything but I don’t like your wife or I don’t like your body.” That is exactly what we do when we dismiss the church as not being important enough to be a part of or belong to. Did you know that we are commanded in the Bible to love the church as much as Christ does?

I am afraid that there are many people in today’s society who use the church but don’t love it. The church is not perfect and it is not for perfect people. Anyone looking for perfection should keep on moving in your search for the perfect church!

C.S. Lewis noted that the word membership is of Christian origin, but the world has emptied it of its original meaning. Membership in the retail world has come to mean discounts and early sales with little or no commitment required. In the Bible the idea of membership is often portrayed as joining a family.

“You are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” Ephesians 2:19b

“God’s family is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” I Timothy 3:15b

We all know that being part of a family comes with responsibility and the need to stay connected.

According to Psychology Today, 90 percent of those who go for counseling don’t really want answers, they just want someone to hear them out and listen. People of our society hunger for relationships that will provide concern and understanding. As Dr. R. B. Robins told a large group of physicians, “The psychiatrist’s couch cannot take the place of the church in solving the problems of a frustrated society.” “How to Select a Supporting Cast,” John Maxwell, Sept. 1995, Injoy Life Club; The Twenty-Third Psalm, Charles Allen, 1961, p. 30

If we are willing to be the body or the family of God there is no limit to what we can do as we pursue Him and His will. This morning we are celebrating with those who are becoming members of this church. They have all completed the 101 Membership course and have signed their membership covenants. Lets try to understand for a few moments exactly what that means to them and to us.

1. A Church Family identifies you as a genuine Christ follower.

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35

There is no way you can claim to be a Christ follower if you are not connected to a specific group of disciples. A church family will come together from different cultural backgrounds, race and social status and will be an incredible testimony to the world and neighborhood. You are not a part of the family of God on your own. To be a part of the functioning body you have to be connected. Together, not separated we are part of His body.

2. A Church Family moves you away from self-centeredness and isolation.

Many people who know John 3:16 aren’t very familiar with I John 3:16.

“Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” I John 3:16

The church becomes a classroom for learning how to get along with God’s family. The church provides the opportunity that we need to practice unselfishness and love for others. It is in the church that we learn to care to for others and share life with them. The Bible clearly teaches that we are to be connected and dependent on each other.

When we allow ourselves to move into the life of the church it gives us the opportunity to do life together. A few months ago we spent a great deal of time on Sundays talking about small groups or life groups. Let me remind you that you will not grow spiritually like you need to if you are not participating in a small group. If for some reason you are not or have not yet been connected to a group call Holly or the church office or send us a note on the connection card.

You desperately need to be involved with a group of Christ followers outside of this service.

I remember pastoring a lady who always wanted to talk about how great some preacher was on television. She just couldn’t get enough of this person. In fact, her commitment to this person left her feeling that she didn’t need to participate much in the local church. You will never know how hard it was to resist the temptation that swept over me when she landed in the hospital. Being the shallow Christ follower that she was she was also a demanding person. You will never know how close I came to giving her the phone number of her TV pastor when wanted visits in the hospital.

If you isolate yourself from others you will more than likely be isolated when you need someone in the future. God expects us to give our live for each other. We are to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

3. A Church Family helps you develop spiritual muscle.

You will never grow to maturity by just attending Sunday morning worship services and being a passive spectator. Only participation in the full life of a local church builds spiritual muscle.

“As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” Eph. 4:16b

Did you know that over fifty times the New Testament uses the phrase “one another” or “each other?” We are commanded to:

        Love each other.
        Pray for each other.
        Encourage each other.
        Admonish one another.
        Greet each other.
        Serve each other.
        Teach each other.
        Accept each other.
        Honor each other.
        Bear each other.
        Forgive each other.
        Submit to each other.
        Be devoted to each other.

Isolationism and separation from others is absolutely not biblical.

Anne Ortland in her book, Up with Worship writes, “When I was little we used to play church. We’d get chairs into rows, fight over who’d be preacher, vigorously lead the hymn singing and generally have a great carnal time.

The aggressive kids naturally wanted to be up front, directing or preaching. The quieter ones were content to sit and be entertained by the up-fronters.

Occasionally we’d get mesmerized by a true sensationalistic crowd-swayer—like the girl who said, “Boo! I’m the Holy Ghost!” But in general, if the upfronters were pretty good, they could hold their audience quite a while. If they weren’t so good, eventually the kids would drift off to play something else—like jump rope or jacks.

Now that generation has grown up, but most of them haven’t changed too much. Every Sunday they still play church. They line up in rows for the entertainment. If it’s pretty good, their church may grow. If it’s too hot, eventually they’ll drift off to play something else—like yachting or wife swapping.”

The point is if you don’t develop spiritual muscle you will likely end up just playing church and playing Christ follower.

4. The Church Family needs you.

There is a unique role for each one of us to play in God’s family. All of us are called to some kind of ministry.

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.” I Cor. 12:7

It is within the context of the local church that God designs for us to discover, develop and deploy our spiritual gifts.

I cannot emphasize what I am about to say strongly enough. We are experiencing the move of God within this church body. We might as well own it and admit it. It has nothing to do with us as a people it is God’s working that we are getting a chance to be a part of.

When growth happens the challenges come when you try to change the structure of the church to accommodate the people who are choosing this church as their Sunday morning destination. We have made a commitment to reach out to unchurched people. There are many in this room today who don’t know much about God or the church. There are families that have started coming here whose children need to hear the Message. There are teenagers who need to hear the Message. There are young adults and middle-aged people who need to hear the Message. There are senior adults who come here that need to be led and encouraged.

A pastoral plea. Vision, workers, we are all called. The church provides the structures etc. . .

Since I have been here there has been more than one occasion when I have suggested to someone that they need to find another church because they came here but never quite understood the need to make church about reaching lost or unchurched people.

When Vince Lombardi took over the Green Bay Packers in 1959, they were at the bottom. They had won only one of twelve games during the 1958 season. As the players arrived for camp in June 1959, Lombardi greeted them with this speech: "Gentlemen, we are going to have a football team and we are going to win games. You are going to learn to block, run, and tackle. You are going to outplay all the teams that come up against you. And, most of all, you are to have confidence in me and enthusiasm for my system. Hereafter, I want you to think of only three things, because only three things matter: your family, God, and the Green Bay Packers!"

I am not Vince Lombardi, but I think for members of this church we are just as passionate about God, our families and the ministry of this church. (in that order)

5. The Church Family empowers you to share in Christ’s mission for the world.

“He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join Him in the work He does, the good work He has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” Eph. 2:10

What an incredible privilege it is to join together with other believers in doing the work of the church.

Last night E-3

Use the circle on front of bulletin.

Review of the five membership commitments:

I will protect the unity of my church.
I will share the responsibility of my church.
I will serve the ministry of my church.
I will support the testimony of my church.
I will commit to moving from the congregation into the committed and the core.

Insert Ministry diamond as I begin to talk about this.

The difference between being a church attender and a church member is commitment.

Attenders are often spectators from the sidelines; members get involved in the ministry.
Attenders are often consumers; members are contributors.
Attenders want the benefits of a church without sharing the responsibility. (Sort of like living together without committing to a marriage.)

During the course of his sermon, an evangelist wanted to emphasize the brevity of life. He took a long pause, then said, “Every member of this church is going to die.” To his ultimate surprise, a man in the back row responded to this statement with a big smile. The evangelist was taken aback so he repeated the phrase with greater volume. This time he noticed the man cross his arms and look even happier than before. This rattled the preacher so much that he literally shouted the words a third time, “Every member of this church is going to die.” In the midst of a loud but somber cry of “Amen” from the congregation, that guy in the back seat just kept beaming from ear to ear. Immediately after the service, the evangelist tracked down the man and asked, “Why did you smile so big when I said ‘Every member of this church is going to die?’” The man erupted with a huge smile and said, “Because I’m not a member of this church.” Ibid., Sept. 25, 1998

Well the good news is today is a special day for some people in this church because they are committing to this family of believers. Even though you are about to become a member you are don’t have to fear death. You are ready to go. ?

Ritual of church membership.

Welcome to the family! Take a look at the family picture! (Digital picture taken of congregation during skit in the early part of the service.)

2004/05/16