A PROFILE OF A HEALTHY CHURCH JAN 7, 2024 I have a long and extensive experience with church From birth, I have been in a local church, with the exception of a season when I was 14 or so and my parents just stopped going for a while But the minute I got my Driver’s License, I was out the door on Sunday morning and 1 or 2 times a week for youth group or hanging out with expressly Christian friends I was hungry for fellowship, but I also wanted to understand the Bible, and hadn’t really been able to up to that point Something that I couldn’t articulate was driving me forward My experience in church began in the United Methodist Church as a child, singing and playing in the handbell choir That denomination now has become something other than Christian, and they do not honor the Word of God at all It was the church that my mom’s parents had long-attended, and so it became the place I grew up until I was 8, and then we moved Later on, after we moved, we ended up in a Southern Baptist church, shouting “Hallelujah!” and raising our hands in praise It was familiar to my dad’s upbringing, but mom took some convincing But that church taught the Word, even if it was a little legalistic I’ve visited many churches from one end of the spectrum to the other From the turn-or-burn, same-salvation-message-every-week churches to shivering with the frozen-chosen I’ve been to powerful worship services where the Spirit of God was palpable and touched my heart deeply and was working in the lives of people And I’ve been in crusades and services where I got up and walked out in disgust at the dishonoring of our Lord There’s not much in the Church world that I haven’t seen or been exposed to But there is a great deal in the Church world that doesn’t have anything to do with Jesus, His finished work on the cross, or His ongoing work in the world And in all of that, I want you to know right out of the gate that my goal for you this morning is to get you to fully commit yourselves to Emmaus Road Church, if you haven’t already, and to consistently serve one another in that context Many in the Church are frozen by fear, but I want to encourage you not to let timidity get in your way And just for the sake of delineating that, timidity is the worry that any given action, speech, etc. will offend someone or cause everything to fall apart It is impossible to develop a vibrant community of faith while simultaneously living in constant fear of offending someone So instead, we are called to develop people practically, theologically, and in love, and to make mature disciples of Christ Jesus Anytime we have a conversation about “Church,” we need to make sure that we’re delineating between THE CHURCH Universal vs. the Church local THE Church (Catholic, which is a word that means “universal”) is comprised of all Christians in all eras in all places The Roman Catholic Church is a different animal, though it claims to be the one true Church of Jesus Christ Obviously, that claim is false, for the RCC embraces and enforces doctrines and dogma that are contrary to God’s revealed Word But the local church, rightly dividing the Word, and leading people in true righteousness, is an expression of THE Church universal, and that’s precisely what Emmaus Road Church is And in our community of Stanwood and Camano Island, there are several good, godly, Biblical local churches And some that are highly questionable, at best This morning, we’re focusing on the local church and the role to which it is called And you need to know that it is something that is highly valued and important in God’s economy But before we go any further, we need to answer the question, “Why is it important for individuals and families to be committed to the local church?” WHY LOCAL CHURCH? I love the explanation that a well-known pastor gave not too long ago as to why the local Church is so important in God’s economy Someone had posed the question, “Isn’t it enough that an individual comes to faith and now has a personal relationship to God?” The answer to that is simple - you cannot see God, and as humans who rely on our 5 senses, it is a challenge to have a relationship with someone you cannot see But the expression of the Church Universal in and through the local church body puts skin on that which otherwise can’t be seen It’s like that superhero show “The Invisible Man” When someone wanted to make the Invisible Man visible, they would pour paint on him or throw dust at him In that context, you could see his shape and track his movements That’s what the local church is and does - it’s a manifestation of the whole that is visible to those in a given location The local church is God with skin on, and you and I are that skin WHY LOCAL CHURCH MEMBERSHIP? Someone will inevitably ask, “Is it Biblical?” and I believe that the answer is YES There can be no accountability without it Without some formalized version of membership in a local church, there’s no way to hold anyone accountable And when I speak of accountability, I don’t mean it only in the negative sense when correction or rebuke are needed I mean it in the positive way as well, when we ought to celebrate the good that someone has done or give praise for someone’s service to the Body If there is no formal membership, it is difficult to hold anyone accountable It’s like herding cats And, in all candor, many churches operate that way And when someone is overlooked, or there is an offense, out the door that person goes to another local church Or sometimes they quit church altogether But the truth is, if we let offenses drive us out of the church, especially when we don’t take the time to deal with the situation, we’re no better than the pagan culture around us with their “cancel culture” So we see that local church membership is Biblical, which leads us to the second question: “Is it Necessary?” Well, if it is Biblical (having been established in the pages of Scripture), and the Scriptures admonish the reader to be engaged with and in the local church (which they do), then the answer to whether local church membership is necessary is a solid “YES” Now some will dig their heels in and say that’s not “Biblical” (though they will generally concede that it is necessary) But you definitely CANNOT say “Membership is necessary but not Biblical” - THAT doesn’t work! So then, given that the local church is a visible expression of Jesus’ Body and Bride on earth, membership is of great importance Therefore, let’s explore what is it that members of Christ’s Church are called to LOCAL CHURCH MEMBERS SERVE A particular credit card company made it’s catchphrase, “Membership has its privileges” It would be a colossal mistake to adopt that thinking and that theology in the local church In the local expression of Christ’s Church, it is true that we do have privileges, but these extend directly from Jesus to us and involve things like the Spirit who dwells in us as a deposit on our inheritance, or having a prayer hotline directly to Jesus 24 hours, day or night, and the fellowship of the Saints And we haven’t even scratched the surface on His generosity It's interesting to me that there are so many books on leadership in the Christian bubble, but almost none on servanthood But membership in the local church IS about serving others We need to remember that God didn’t save you or me to sit and soak and never lift a finger He saved us to become holy as He is holy, and one of THE most effective ways to do that is to serve others, not yourself So we need to ask the question, “What did Jesus have to say about serving others?” Immediately, this passage comes to my mind Matthew 20:25–28 [25] But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [26] It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [27] and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, [28] even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus’ Kingdom is inverted from the Kingdoms of this world He does not value wealth, status, or knowledge for its own sake He values service and sacrifice and dying to yourself so that you might truly live Let’s see what else the Scriptures have to say about serving: 1 Peter 4:7–11 [7] The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. [8] Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. [9] Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. [10] As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: [11] whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 5:13–15 [13] For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. [14] For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” [15] But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. Did you catch that? – freedom TO…serve!! 2 Timothy 2:1–7 [1] You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, [2] and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. [3] Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. [4] No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him. [5] An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. [6] It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops. [7] Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. So whatever we receive, we are to pass it on to others So the Pastors and Elders at Emmaus strive to do that, and model that for you And then the reasonable expectation is that we expect you to model it for the new people coming into the church or coming to Christ for the first time Do you remember what else Jesus said about service? Mark 10:43 – whoever wants to be great must serve… Each one of you are gifted to serve one another in some capacity, and God expects you to serve Galatians 5:13-15 tells us that God has given each one of us freedom TO serve others in the Body (not to serve ourselves) Philippians 2:1-11 - Paul reminds us to have the attitude of Christ as we serve others Jesus became a servant even though He’s the King And when it comes to your motive in serving, please don’t serve in order to get something in return Instead, serve others because you know that you’ve received the Spirit from Jesus and that you have EVERY GOOD THING in Christ Jesus as a result MEMBERS SERVE MEMBERS GIVE The Bible directly mentions money over 800 times and makes over 2,000 references to finances or money or wealth And the Bible also warns us against the love of money and all that is in this world He does this because He knows our fleshy inclination to put our hope and security in wealth rather than the Kingdom that is coming Why is wealth such an important topic to God? The answer is simple It is because money (and especially the love of money) are areas of our lives that can completely sideline our walk with Jesus But at the same time, God has given us money and wealth, but we need to ask, “For what purpose?” To build up our personal empires? To live our best life now? (and if you caught that reference, then you know what my answer to the question already is) God gave us money to use as a tool, to learn to manage it, and not let it gain control over us Money is a medium of exchange! How we steward money reflects our true values! Look at where your money goes - your spending and giving, and you will see what your priorities really are I find that ALL people are generous with their money and resources That is to say, people are either generous towards the Lord and others OR they’re generous towards themselves Money speaks to us about our insecurities! Money/wealth is also something that can be easily worshiped It can become an idol that ensnares us and keeps us from walking in God’s will The prevailing message of the Bible concerning money is that God wants us to be generous! This is because generosity relegates money to its proper place Generosity removes money and wealth from its throne and power over our hearts Jesus would even go so far as to say ''You can't worship money and God” at the same time So to avoid that conflict, He instead calls us as His children to be generous! God is generous - Just think of His generosity to you throughout your life Instead of a monochromatic world, He’s given us every color of the rainbow Instead of nutrients coming through some tube in a tasteless paste or fluid, we have hundreds of flavors and savory foods and textures as we eat, by which receive nourishment Think of all the variations of trees, plants, vegetables, flowers, and grasses that we see and touch and smell in nature Take a moment to visualize the incredible variety of animals, birds, and fish in the world Consider the changing of the seasons and the vibrant colors, the creativity of sunsets, the beauty of the ocean, the majesty of the mountains, and the warmth of the sun on your face And on and on and on… God is INCREDIBLY generous to us!! And as Christ followers, we also know and believe and embrace the reality that God has given us the single most valuable thing in His possession ever - His one and only Son who lived a perfect life, then died a sinner’s death, and rose again from the dead that we might be reconciled to God! God wants us to see and understand His heart of generosity that is birthed out of a heart of love But for us, that does not come naturally We are born under the Curse because of the Fall in the Garden of Eden when sin entered the world Our natural impulse is not to be like the God who made us, but to grasp things tightly, to covet, to hoard, and cultivate selfishness born out of fear and insecurity We have to shift our mindset away from an OWNERSHIP mentality when it comes to our lives and possessions, and instead embrace a STEWARDSHIP mentality Being created in God’s Image, we’ve been given stewardship over Creation, over our families, and over resources And really, that’s just another way of saying that we own NONE of it - we own ZERO % All of it belongs to the God who made it and us You have been entrusted with the care and management of these things while UNDER the authority of our great God The enemy’s LIE: If I’m generous, I won’t have enough for myself We think our standard of what we have is the right standard - enough time and money for ME according to my measure We need a Jesus-take-the-wheel moment - to relinquish control of your wealth and resources to Him We can have tight fisted control over our money and resources OR we have have the nearness of Jesus and HIs Spirit But we cannot have both True spiritual transformation via the Gospel of Jesus Christ, MUST and WILL always lead to practical, material transformation The same Gospel that sets us FREE FROM sin and death also FREES US TO be generous and TO radically sacrifice for God’s Kingdom purposes Just like Abraham, when God blesses us, His intention and design is that we would be a blessing to others in return So much of our lives are spent grasping for what we consider sources of security, but it’s an illusion!!! True security is only found in Jesus and in obedience to Him And as those members in the local church are generously serving and giving, God causes us to grow… MEMBERS SERVE MEMBERS GIVE MEMBERS GROW Healthy things grow and reproduce That’s the way God designed it Sometimes that growth happens fast and in bursts Sometimes it takes longer, and is a slower process (as it has been for this church for almost 8 years) Sometimes growth is sudden and rapid Both scenarios have good and bad aspects But at the end of the day, God is the one moving behind the scenes And I’ll add a personal note here, I would LOVE for our fellowship to grow in size, such that it would allow us to find and acquire a permanent facility But that is predicated on our growth as individual followers of Jesus AND it is predicated on our growth as a Body in both size and in generosity Those aren’t things we can manipulate God cannot be manipulated He wants faithfulness in His Church, AND He wants that for every individual in this church And when that happens, and we’re fully yielded to Him, He will provide for us what we need So the growth is happening IN us before it is happening TO us Or to put it another way, we strive to be good stewards of what what the Lord has already given us so that He can trust us with more of His resources That’s not a leverage point to put God over a barrel That’s the way He has it set up If you’re a regular attender, but not a member of Emmaus Road Church, I want to challenge you on that point, this morning God doesn’t want half-hearted people in the Kingdom - He wants our whole heart He wants us to be wholehearted about His work and agenda That means we need to commit ourselves to being wholehearted when it comes to Emmaus Road as a manifestation of Christ’s Body and Bride Get in the Word daily If you’re not in a lifegroup, get in one and find fellowship and accountability Or you could make Heritage a priority on your schedule, and participate with your brothers and sisters in that capacity MEMBERS SERVE MEMBERS GIVE MEMBERS GROW MEMBERS REPRODUCE Encouraging the body ought to be something your think about often, and especially on Sunday Nothing of your life and accumulation, neither your possessions nor your money will go with you into the presence of God when you die (or are raptured) What will be waiting for you there is your love and investment in people that was made here And in saying that, my hope is that it shocks and shakes some of you to your core Maybe you already knew that but hadn’t considered it in a while, but if you’re a member of Emmaus Road Church, you need to be investing yourself here In addition to encouraging those already in our church, you should take the opportunity to invite others to come to worship with you Maybe they don’t have a church home Maybe they’ve never stepped foot in a church! Invite them, bring them, sit with them, and then share a meal with them and talk about the experience Members reproduce by sharing the Gospel and serving our community We do such a great job of that in the summer when we partner with the city and local businesses I don’t know that we do such a great job the other 8-9 months I DO know that some of you are relentless with your friends, neighbors, and loved ones when it comes to talking about Jesus Thank you for being bold The rest of us need to follow your example while we still have the opportunity I think there is more to be done Will you join us in the labor? The fields are white unto harvest! Formal Membership is a form of protection and accountability There is accountability for living - one’s testimony of how they became a Believer and how God has worked in their lives and grown them toward Christlikeness And there is accountability for giving - the 4 T’s - our Time Talents Treasure and Touch MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS BENEFITS Formal Membership is supporting your local pastor(s) and staff, who are called by God to serve you in this capacity Our pastors and elders are here to care for your souls We are committed to making sure that you receive sound, Biblical teaching And we want everyone else at ER to have that same love and accountability Without it, the local church would fall apart We MUST submit ourselves to God and to those He as placed as stewards over His Church Formal Membership means that every Believer needs to find an avenue of personal service Passively receiving the benefits of the local Church without any service, effort, or care for others is sinful and selfish It means that person is actually a consumer of religious goods and services only, and does not contribute to the Body of Christ Membership is something you DO, not something you HAVE It is a heart commitment to a local expression of Christ’s Body and Bride that links you and your family in fellowship with other born-again Believers in Jesus Membership has its advantages? No. Membership is not about gaining an advantage But membership does comes with both responsibilities, as well as blessings In includes Community You can count on Accountability We will strive to provide Orthodoxy (right doctrine) And we will consistently encourage Orthopraxy (right practice) And all of this leads to healthy churches as we send more people out and plant more churches in the Pacific Northwest, and around the world As we come to the end of this sermon, I’m reminded of a short song that was very popular in the 80s and 90s and was sung to death But it is appropriate to this time together…the song goes like this… Lord, prepare me to be a Sanctuary Pure and holy, tried and true With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living Sanctuary for You! // PRAYER / future facility and God’s provision of resources / / purification and holiness in the Church Body / / seeking and saving the lost / // SING // WRAP UP The progression looks like this: Come SEE - come GROW - come LEARN - come LEAD That list of 4 items is both the calling of God on all Believers and also some of the Benefits and Gifts God gives to all Believers Where are you on that spectrum? Both myself and our Elder Team want to challenge you to take some time this week to really answer that question Wherever you are on that spectrum, there are ways to serve the Body of Christ And we pray for God’s grace to be upon us and His provision to come to us in His timing He is good Emmaus Road Church, YOU ARE SENT!