This week (thanks to a good friend's suggestion) we are going to listen to sermons about the local church? Why church? How church? When church? Where church? Everything and anything about what a Bible-believing, Bible-living, Bible-preaching church should be about...
I thought this following blog would be a good, positive, encouraging start and a challenge to us all, that instead of writing what we don't like, to spend a moment being thankful for what we do love!
Why I love my church.
Last night was the first part of our three-part Annual Meeting at Grace Fellowship Church. It was such a great night reflecting on what the Lord has done in the last year. It reminded me of a sermon I preached back on April 17, 2005, at our church's 5th anniversary (we just passed our 7th).
1. I love the way we try to focus on God before anything else – like worship, music, programs, buildings, etc.
2. I love the simplicity of our worship. There is no great production, no bells and smells, just corporately joining together and doing those things we know please God – hopefully in spirit and in truth.
3. I love the accountability of a local church. People miss you when you are gone – you can never just slip away. We need this kind of relational layering in our life.
4. I love the safety net of being a part of a local church. I know that if some tragedy fell across our path, my church family would be there for me in a heartbeat. That gives strength and courage in the tasks I am called to every day.
5. I love the way we sing. This is probably too personal, but I cannot stand being around indifferent singing. I love to look out and see people singing their fool faces off, because they are seeking to worship God with all of who they are. I love that we think about the songs we sing and try to really mean the words and “teach and admonish each other” through them. I love that we have good songs to sing that reinforce the Truth we learn from His Word.
6. I love the way our church loves the Word. What an amazing group of people! They are not content unless fed! Like a bunch of hungry vultures swooping around and around waiting for a sermon they can dive into and feed off of. I love that expectation from you for me to show up with a great sermon, even though it so rarely if ever happens, but that desire you have to be moved and to meet with your God is such a motivation and encouragement to me.
7. I love having people to pray with. Prayer is so vital, so central to being a Christian and having faithful partners to kneel before the throne of God with is a joy I never take for granted. Few things encourage me more than prayer meeting.
8. I love the way church gives opportunities to people to grow, fail, succeed, fail, attempt new things, fail, take great personal risk, fail, etc. Where else on earth are you surrounded by a group of loving friends who long for what is best for you and are willing to tolerate all your bumps along the way because they see that it is the working out of your salvation in Christ?
9. I love how our church tries to deal with all the timber in the world... all the logs in our own eyes. O, I know we are not perfect at this, but I see people all the time being honest with themselves, confessing their sins to one another, trying to eradicate (by the grace of God) those redwoods that stick out of our eyes.
10. I love how people in our church choose to have relationships with one another simply because we are in this church.
11. I love how friendly our church can be on our best days. We are not perfect at this, but I love those Sundays when new folks come and 10 or 42 of you find them out, welcome them, spontaneously invite them back to your home for lunch, find some way to help them or just walk over and shake their hand.
12. I love the way the men of our church are trying to be servant leaders... being the first to set up or take down chairs without complaint, volunteering for jobs that aren’t very nice, taking leadership positions, leading out in prayer, etc.
13. I love the way the woman of our church are more concerned about sharpening each other in the things of the Lord than they are with discussing the latest hair styles or episode of Oprah.
14. I love the youth in our church! What an incredible bunch of teenagers! Where else do you see a bunch of kids sitting up front, taking notes, asking questions, contributing to discussions, choosing to be friends with each other, avoiding all cliques and backbiting and silly teenager stuff? And I love that they are trying to live that way at school too, not just here on Sundays!
15. I love the Middlers! What a fun group of kids, who love the Truth, love each other, love the games Josh can make up on Wednesday nights, love to talk about what the Lord is teaching them.
16. I love the Juniors! I mean, who couldn’t?
17. I love the gym and the fact that we can set up chairs different ways to help guard us from falling into unhealthy routines that deaden our worship. I love the fact there are windows in our gym and that we can see some nature while we worship the Creator of that nature. I love the fact that it is a gym and that we are constantly forced to consider that worship is a matter of the location of the heart, not the location of the body.
18. I love the families in our church and that they are trying to live godly in this present age. I love that they are trying to love their kids and that they value children and are doing all they can to train their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
(more to come...)
I thought this following blog would be a good, positive, encouraging start and a challenge to us all, that instead of writing what we don't like, to spend a moment being thankful for what we do love!
Why I love my church.
Last night was the first part of our three-part Annual Meeting at Grace Fellowship Church. It was such a great night reflecting on what the Lord has done in the last year. It reminded me of a sermon I preached back on April 17, 2005, at our church's 5th anniversary (we just passed our 7th).
1. I love the way we try to focus on God before anything else – like worship, music, programs, buildings, etc.
2. I love the simplicity of our worship. There is no great production, no bells and smells, just corporately joining together and doing those things we know please God – hopefully in spirit and in truth.
3. I love the accountability of a local church. People miss you when you are gone – you can never just slip away. We need this kind of relational layering in our life.
4. I love the safety net of being a part of a local church. I know that if some tragedy fell across our path, my church family would be there for me in a heartbeat. That gives strength and courage in the tasks I am called to every day.
5. I love the way we sing. This is probably too personal, but I cannot stand being around indifferent singing. I love to look out and see people singing their fool faces off, because they are seeking to worship God with all of who they are. I love that we think about the songs we sing and try to really mean the words and “teach and admonish each other” through them. I love that we have good songs to sing that reinforce the Truth we learn from His Word.
6. I love the way our church loves the Word. What an amazing group of people! They are not content unless fed! Like a bunch of hungry vultures swooping around and around waiting for a sermon they can dive into and feed off of. I love that expectation from you for me to show up with a great sermon, even though it so rarely if ever happens, but that desire you have to be moved and to meet with your God is such a motivation and encouragement to me.
7. I love having people to pray with. Prayer is so vital, so central to being a Christian and having faithful partners to kneel before the throne of God with is a joy I never take for granted. Few things encourage me more than prayer meeting.
8. I love the way church gives opportunities to people to grow, fail, succeed, fail, attempt new things, fail, take great personal risk, fail, etc. Where else on earth are you surrounded by a group of loving friends who long for what is best for you and are willing to tolerate all your bumps along the way because they see that it is the working out of your salvation in Christ?
9. I love how our church tries to deal with all the timber in the world... all the logs in our own eyes. O, I know we are not perfect at this, but I see people all the time being honest with themselves, confessing their sins to one another, trying to eradicate (by the grace of God) those redwoods that stick out of our eyes.
10. I love how people in our church choose to have relationships with one another simply because we are in this church.
11. I love how friendly our church can be on our best days. We are not perfect at this, but I love those Sundays when new folks come and 10 or 42 of you find them out, welcome them, spontaneously invite them back to your home for lunch, find some way to help them or just walk over and shake their hand.
12. I love the way the men of our church are trying to be servant leaders... being the first to set up or take down chairs without complaint, volunteering for jobs that aren’t very nice, taking leadership positions, leading out in prayer, etc.
13. I love the way the woman of our church are more concerned about sharpening each other in the things of the Lord than they are with discussing the latest hair styles or episode of Oprah.
14. I love the youth in our church! What an incredible bunch of teenagers! Where else do you see a bunch of kids sitting up front, taking notes, asking questions, contributing to discussions, choosing to be friends with each other, avoiding all cliques and backbiting and silly teenager stuff? And I love that they are trying to live that way at school too, not just here on Sundays!
15. I love the Middlers! What a fun group of kids, who love the Truth, love each other, love the games Josh can make up on Wednesday nights, love to talk about what the Lord is teaching them.
16. I love the Juniors! I mean, who couldn’t?
17. I love the gym and the fact that we can set up chairs different ways to help guard us from falling into unhealthy routines that deaden our worship. I love the fact there are windows in our gym and that we can see some nature while we worship the Creator of that nature. I love the fact that it is a gym and that we are constantly forced to consider that worship is a matter of the location of the heart, not the location of the body.
18. I love the families in our church and that they are trying to live godly in this present age. I love that they are trying to love their kids and that they value children and are doing all they can to train their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
(more to come...)
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