Keys to Building a Stronger Spiritual Congregation
Introduction:
1. I thank Charles Mullins, Tony and the Kingwood Hts. elders
2. We are all here today because we want stronger churches.
3. Some assumptions:
a. Psalm 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it;
b. 1 Cor. 3:6-11
· God was causing the growth.
· we are God's fellow workers;
· let each man be careful how he builds upon it.
· no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
c. the size of a church is not a sure indication of its spiritual strength; we want large churches, but we also want healthy churches
d. churches are strong, because it has members who are strong
4. We build stronger churches by building stronger brothers and sisters
5. We build stronger people by looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2)
6. I have been asking how did Jesus have strength, courage, patience, and the endurance to remain on the cross?
I. How Jesus Remained on the Cross:
1. Love for God (John 14:31)
2. Love for you (John 13:1)
3. Trust in God (1 Pet. 2:21-24)
4. Obedience to God (Heb. 5:8,9)
5. The Joy Set before Him (Heb. 12:1,2)
The Things that Kept Jesus on the cross are the things that will help you not only to take up your cross but also to carry it till you see Jesus.
1. Luke 14:27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”
2. Luke 9:23 “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”
3. The cross is not something we can selectively carry when we have time for it.
4. We will not have strong churches until our people take the cross of Christ seriously enough to take up his own cross.
5. Gal. 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.
6. Gal. 6:14 But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
III. Each Cross-Bearing Christian Builds Stronger Churches
1. Our faith must move us to action.
James 2:17,18 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith, and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."
2. Our love must move us to action.
Rev. 2:4,5 'But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 'Remember therefore from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you, and will remove your lampstand out of its place--unless you repent. (to Ephesus)
The #1 killer of our churches today is apathy. We have forgotten the lost.
Size, lots of activities, and good fellowship doesn’t make up for a failure to do the work of the Lord.
Brethren, we need a FIRE lit underneath our souls to get us moving again!
2 Cor. 5:14-15 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
3. Our joy must move us to action.
Nehemiah 8:10 “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The greatest joy we will know is the day we are taken home to be with the Father and the Lord Jesus. To lead others to our heavenly home is an even greater joy.
We must never lose the joy of our salvation!
We must not lose the joy of other people’s salvation!
Heaven motivates us to do all we can to reach others for Jesus.
Conclusion:
Eph. 6:10-20
The Fellowship of the Unashamed:
I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I am strengthened in the Lord and the power of His might. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple and a soldier of Jesus Christ.
I won’t look up, let us, slow down, back away, or be still.
I’m not all I ought to be, all I want to be, or all I am going to be; but, thank God, I am not all I used to be.
My past is forgiven, my present makes sense, and my future is everlasting.
I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame service, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be first, tops, recognized, praised or rewarded.
I now live knowing God is present, leaning by faith, loving with patience, lifting others in prayer, laboring with God’s strength.
My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.
I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the polls of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I have preached up, prayed up, stored up, and stayed up the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until Heaven returns, give until I drop, preach until everyone knows, and work until He comes.
And when He comes to get His
own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My colors will be clear.
Can the Lord depend on you?
A missionary wrote David Livingstone in Africa: “Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to send other men to join you.”
Livingstone replied: “If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.”