 |
| How to Make the Church Strong |
Introduction:
How do we make the church strong? I.
BY MAKING IT STRONG SPIRITUALLY!
HOW IS THIS DONE? A.
By filling it with knowledge of God’s inspired Word. 1.
The Apostle Paul said unto the elders of the church at
Ephesus, “And now,
brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace,
which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance
among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2). “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry” (2 Tim. 4:1-5). “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9). “He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). “But
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ. To
him be glory both now and for ever.
Amen” (2 Pet. 3:18). B.
By making it a praying church! 1. It is God’s will that we continually pray! I
Thes. 5:17-18, “Pray without ceasing. In
every thing give thanks: for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 2. When we pray it avails much. a. James informs us that, “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16). C.
By making it a united church.
No factions, bitterness, contentions, or strife. I
Cor. 1:10, “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions
among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same
mind and in the same judgment.” Eph.
4:32, “And
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Psa.
133:1, “Behold, how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” D.
By making it a loving church.
I Pet. 1:22, “Seeing
ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the
Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one
another with a pure heart fervently.”
I Cor. 13:1-7 (Read!) E.
By keeping the church unspotted from the world. James
1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep
himself unspotted from the world.”
Rom. 12:1-2, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto
God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that
ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect,
will of God.”
I Thes. 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” II.
BY MAKING IT STRONG IN ITS DEEDS! A.
Fill it with zeal and devotion.
Col. 3:23, “And
whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not unto
men;”
Titus 3:1 “Put
them in mind…to be ready to every good work.”
Eccl. 9:10, “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is
no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave,
whither thou goest.” B.
By having a membership that is faithful in attendance. Heb.
10:24-25, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works: Not
forsaking of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another and so much the more, as ye see the day
approaching.” C.
By making its worship scriptural, warm, and spiritual. John
4:23-24, “But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and
they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in
truth.” 1. It must be in spirit. Acts
16:25, “And
at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God:
and the prisoners heard them.” 2. It must be in truth. Col.
3:17, “And
whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” D.
By filling it with personal workers who long to win souls
for Christ.
Acts 8:1-4 (Read and make comments on it)
Prov. 11:30, “The fruit of the righteous is a
tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” E.
By having a cheerful, liberally giving church.
I Cor. 9:6-7, “But this I say, He which soweth
sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth
bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let
him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity:
for God loveth a cheerful giver. F.
By having a membership that has a mind to be involved by
participating in the various activities of the local
congregation. 1. An example from the Old Testament. Neh.
4:6, “So
built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the
half thereof: for
the people had a mind to work.” Conclusion:
--Dub
Mowery |