But The Greatest Of These Is Love

Lesson #9

ENCOURAGER MEMBERS

Part 1

Intro

1. People are hungry for acceptance---lost people.

            The church has a responsibility to reach out to lost people, to be that “light

                        that shineth in a dark place.”

2. How do we do that as a church? What are we to do that signals to lost people that our

            church is different from those playing church? Let’s make a list:

            #1. Soul Winning

                        Consider all the outlets for soul winning that our church has: we have

                        soul winning for junior ages, teenagers, and adults. We have soul

                        winning in English church and in Spanish church. We have soul winning

                        at the Rescue Mission and soul winning at the nursing homes.

            #2. Being The Right Kind of Church

                        When visitors come to our church, what do they think and feel? At they

                        made to feel welcome? Do you personally go out of your way to speak

                        to first-time visitors? When people in the community speak of First

                        Church, Raleigh, what do they say? Even our church has a testimony,

                        “a light” that draws people to us (or turns them away).

3. Someone once said that people are not persuaded, but they are attracted.

            Yet, we can think of people in the book of Acts who were persuaded, who heard

            the Gospel and chose Christ.

            While we must present the Gospel to Christ, we must do so in ways that please

            Him...in ways that are Christ-like.

4. A soul winning church IS a caring church.

            Obviously, when you take time to go out and witness to people, you are saying

            by your actions that you love people. You are declaring yourself as a person who

            wants to stop people from going to Hell.

            Such a church is a loving church. And I believe our church shows that kind of

            love for God and for people.

5. Consider these words to a song about the local body of Christ:

If this is not a place where tears are understood,

then Where shall I go to cry?

And if this is not a place where my spirit can take wings,

Then where shall I go to fly?

I don’t need another place for tryin’ to impress you

With just how good and virtuous I am, no, no, no.

I don’t need another place for always being on top of things.

Everybody knows it’s a sham, it’s a sham.

I don’t need another place for always wearing smiles

Even when it’s not the way I feel.

I don’t need another place to mouth the same-old platitudes.

Everybody knows that’s not real.

So if this is not a place were my questions can be asked

Then where shall I go to seek?

And if this is not a place where my heart’s cry can be heard,

Then where shall I go to speak?

And if this is not a place where tears are understood,

Where shall I go, oh, where shall I go to cry?

6. If we cannot be who we really are at our church, then where can we go?

            We should be able to EXPECT to come to our church and be able to be

            encouraged...to be able to find encouragement.

            John 13:35:

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,

if ye have love one to another.

7. When you come to our church do our S.S. lessons beat you up or lift you up?

            When you come to worship, are you lifted up or beaten down?

            Church is to be a place where hurting people can find nourishment for their

            souls?

            Our command is to daily encourage one another.

                        This is not optional, but a requirement for the New Testament church.

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I. GOD’S BLUEPRINT FOR THE CHURCH

                        1. Too many churches have an invisible line drawn between the pulpit

                                    and the pew.

                        2. It’s as if we are saying that everything that happens on the pulpit side

                                    of the line is important, and everything that happens on the pew

                                    side is unimportant. The real action is behind the pulpit.

                        3. Often this is determined by the pastor’s chosen way to lead his

                                    people.

                                    a) We understand that the real difference between a pastor and the

                                                people who sit in the pews is in function and gifts.

                                    b) While the pastor is the under-Shepherd, he is also still a sheep.

                        4. Read Romans 12:3-9.

                                    a) The so-called “Invisible Church” does not provide a very good

                                                place for encouragement.

                                    b) The same could be said for the “Electronic Church.”

                        5. Illustration: A little boy was afraid at night and when his father told him

                                                God was with him, he replied, “Yeah, I know, but I need

                                                someone with skin on.”

                                    a) We all need encouragement by people we can hear and see.

                                    b) We need to be connected with real people who can understand us                                                   and love us, and minister to us as we minister to them.

                        1. The size of the church was a problem in Paul’s day, too.

                                    a) Read I Corinthians 12:12-14.

                                    b) It is God’s will that His church GROW.

                        2. Some churches today have hundreds and even thousands of members.

                                    One pastor cannot meet the needs of all the people. Nor is there a

                                    staff big enough to provide the ministry of encouragement to

                                    such a massive number of people.

                        3. Each member must become an encourager; this is the only way the

                                    ministry of encouragement will work.

                                    Every time someone says, “It’s not my job to encourage,”

                                    someone in the church is going without encouragement.

                        4. Consider...

You know something---

we’re all just people who need each other.

We’re all learning

and we’ve got a long journey ahead of us.

We’ve got to go together

and if it takes us until Jesus comes

we better stay together

we better help each other.

And I dare say

that by the time we get there

all the sandwiches will be gone

and all the chocolate will be gone

and all the water will be gone

and all the backpacks will be empty.

But no matter how long it takes us

we’ve got to go together.

Because that’s how it is

in the body of Christ.

It’s all of us

in love

in care

in support

in mutuality

we really do need each other.

                        1. There is a oneness within the church that we share with each other:

We believe in Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit indwells each of us.

We are one in Christ.

We are on the same team.

Good team members encourage one another.

                        2. I’ve never been to a basketball game where the opponents encouraged

                                    one another---not even in a Christian school. (Except after the game

                                    in a few isolated cases!)

                                    All of us need encouragement at some time or another.

                                    God has only one family and we all belong in that family.

                        3. Illustration:  Several years ago a young man was expelled from our

                                                church school and he had some hard feelings against RCA,

                                                the faculty, the administration, his own parents, and, really,

                                                with the Lord.

                                                After a year or so I saw him in a store and we began to talk

                                                about a number of things. Later, he wrote me a letter in an

                                                effort to “reconnect” a relationship that was damaged by

                                                teenage rebellion. A few weeks later he stopped by my office

                                                and said, “Hey, how about lunch together?”

                                                We sat and talked for nearly two hours about the Lord,

                                                college, God’s will, parents, authority, submission,

                                                and even teenage rebellion.

                                                It was a time of encouragement--for both of us.

                                                Everyone needs encouraging---everyone.

*******

CONCLUSION:

1. The church is not a cold, brick building; we are the church---people are the work of             God.

2. Our church is visible, real people. Our church is a growing church, and thank the Lord

            for that. And our church is sweetly unified as a local body of believers.

3. Is there someone you can go to and encourage this week? Look for someone in the        church--- it may be a layman or it may be someone in lifetime ministry. It may be a             deacon or it may be a nursery worker.

Let’s work on encouraging one another this week.