All right, we're there in Psalm 122, and of course, this morning we are celebrating or
having our I Love My Church Sunday, and we're taking a little bit of a break from our Esther
series.
And if you're there in Psalm 122, I'd like you to notice these words, this is a very
short psalm.
But I want you to notice verse 1, it says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us
go into the house of the Lord.
And of course, throughout the history of mankind, the house of the Lord has changed locations.
It started out as a tabernacle in the wilderness, and then it was a temple.
And the Bible says today, the Apostle Paul wrote that ye may know how ye ought to behave
yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground
of the truth.
We know that today, as New Testament believers, the house of God is the church of God.
And I'd like you to keep your place right there in Psalm 122, and I'll just read for
you from Ephesians 5.
But there's something that I'd like you to know about the church.
In Ephesians 5 and verse 25, you don't have to turn there, I'll just read this for you.
The Bible says this, husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave
himself for him.
The Bible says that Jesus loves the church.
And as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ and as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ,
we should love what Jesus loves.
Jesus loves the church, therefore we should love the church.
Because if we're followers, if we're following his lead, if we're doing what he does, if
we are Christians, then we should love what the Lord loves.
And the Bible says that Christ loves the church, that he says even as Christ also loved the
church and gave himself for it.
And what I'd like to do this morning during this sermon is preach to you on the subject
of how to love the church.
Because what I've learned over the last 10 years of ministry is that loving the church
is not something that comes naturally to people.
People do on their own.
It's something that you need to be taught, you need to do it.
And so I want to teach you, I want to give you five statements this morning on the subject
of loving the church, how to love the church, and I'd encourage you to write these things
down on the back of your course of the week.
There's a place for you to write down some notes and I'd encourage you to do that.
And so I thought number one this morning, or the first thought I'd like to give you
in regards to how to love our church or how to love this church or how to love any church
really is this, you ought to show up.
I mean, Psalm 122 says, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of
the Lord.
And like I said, I realize that 2020 we've had lockdowns and quarantines and all of those
things, but the truth of the matter is that to be part of a church, you must actually
be part of the church.
The Bible says that the church is a congregation.
It is an assembly of believers.
It is a gathering of believers.
And in order for you to love the church, you actually need to show up to church.
Now leave your place right there in Psalms if you would and go with me to the book of
Acts, Acts chapter number 11.
In the New Testament, you've got the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and the books
of Acts, Acts chapter number 11.
And do me a favor when you get to Acts, put a ribbon or a bookmark there because we're
going to leave it and we're going to come back to it and I'd like you to be able to
get to it fairly quickly.
So you should have your place in Psalms and Acts if that's okay, Acts chapter number 11.
And I want you to notice verse number 26, Acts chapter number 11 in verse 26.
The Bible says this, and when he, and this is Barnabas, had found him, and that's referring
to Saul, he brought him unto Antioch.
And this is when Barnabas is trying to help Saul, who later is known as Paul, you know,
get involved in the ministry, get involved in the things of God.
I want you to notice what the Bible says there, and it came to pass that a whole year they
assembled themselves with the church.
And by the way, that's what it means to be part of the church, you have to assemble.
The word church means assembly, congregation, it is a coming together of believers.
The Bible says that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much
people and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Notice that as a result of this assembly, as a result of them coming together on a regular
basis, it says there that a whole year they assembled themselves together.
And then the Bible tells us this is the first time that a group of people were, they were
called Christians.
And the word Christian, if you notice the word Christ there at the beginning of the
word Christian, a Christian is a little Christ or someone that resembles Christ, someone
that's like Christ.
And what we learn in this verse is that they assembled themselves for a time on a regular
basis, a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people.
And as a result, as a result, their lives began to be transformed, their character began
to change, and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
As a result, the people in the community, the people outside of the church, the people
outside of the assembly began to identify that the people in this assembly were different
and they said, you know what those people remind me of?
They remind me of Christ.
Those people were like Christians.
I'd like you to look at verse number 18, same chapter, Acts 20 and verse 18.
And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Acts chapter 20 and verse 18, Acts chapter
20 and verse 18, the Bible says, and when they were come to him, he said unto them,
ye know from the first day that I came to Asia after, and I want you to notice these
words, after what manner?
See that word manner?
I want you to make notice of that word manner.
The word manner means a person's behavior, a custom or a habit.
When somebody has a manner, it's a way in which they operate, something they do on a
regular basis.
I want you to notice what the apostle Paul says.
He says, and when they were come to him, he said unto them, ye know from the first day
that I came into Asia, after what manner?
After what behavior?
After what custom or habit?
He says, I have been with you.
He says this at all seasons.
And whenever I read that verse, especially in February, I always think, you know, that's
even football season.
That's even basketball season.
But he says, look, I've been with you.
He says, you know what manner I've been with you at all seasons.
And here's what the apostle Paul is saying.
Paul is saying, you know, you know that I have a habit, you know that I have a custom,
you know that I have a routine of assembling with the congregation.
And here's what I would submit to you this morning.
If you want to love the church, if you want to love the church, because the Bible says
Jesus loves the church and the Bible says that we should love what Jesus loves because
we are Christians.
We are followers.
And you say, well, how do I love the church?
Well, you love the church first by showing up, by developing a habit or a manner of being
faithful to church.
You ought to have, you ought to develop a consistency in your life of being faithful
to the house of God.
Now, keep your place right there in Acts.
And I realize I've asked you to keep your place in Psalms, but I'm going to ask you
to go to the book of Hebrews, if you would.
Hebrews chapter number 10.
Now, I need you to keep your place in Hebrews also.
I realize I'm asking you to stay in three different places.
But if you could do that for me, I'd appreciate it because I have a lot to cover and I'd
like to be able to move quickly.
Hebrews chapter number 10.
If you start at the end of the Bible and you go backwards, you have the book of Revelation,
Jude, third, second and first John, second and first Peter, Hebrews, Revelation, Jude,
third, second and first John, second and first Peter, James, Hebrews, Hebrews chapter number
10.
See, you should love the church by showing up.
You should develop a habit.
You should develop a manner.
You should develop a custom in your life of just being faithful to church.
And here's what you ought to do.
Not only should you develop a habit of being faithful to church, but you should break the
habit of skipping church.
Hebrews chapter 10, look at verse 24.
Hebrews chapter 10 verse 24, the Bible says this, and let us consider.
Notice that word consider.
The word consider means to think about, to ponder.
He says, let us consider one another to provoke.
The word provoke means to stimulate or to stir up unto love and to good works.
Here the writer of Hebrews is saying, look, we ought to consider one another.
We ought to think about each other.
We ought to ponder each other in order to provoke, in order to stimulate, in order to
stir up each other unto love and good works.
This is what the book of Proverbs says, that iron sharpeneth iron, that a man sharpeneth
the countenance of his friends.
I want you to notice how the writer says, well, how do you do that?
How do we provoke each other unto love and good works?
Verse 25, he says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
And again, what is a church?
It's an assembly.
It is a gathering.
It is a congregation.
He says, look, consider yourselves one to another, provoke each other in love and good
works.
How do we do that?
By not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, and here's what I want you to notice,
as the manner.
See that word manner again?
As the manner of some is.
The word manner here in Hebrews 10 25 means the same thing that it meant in Acts 20 18.
It is a person's behavior, a custom, or a habit.
You know that some Christians have a manner?
They have a habit.
They have a custom.
They have a behavior of their lives, a thing they do on a regular basis.
Some people have a manner of being faithful to church.
You know, other people have a manner of forsaking the assembly.
They have a habit of skipping church.
He says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting
one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.
See he says, you ought to develop, you ought to develop a manner like Paul said.
Paul said, we gathered together for a whole year, and it began to transform our lives.
People began to identify and see a difference in us, and people started saying, man, you're
kind of like one of those like Christ followers, you know?
You must be one of those Christians.
He said, that's the type of manner that you ought to have in your life.
He says, break the habit of forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
Break the manner of forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.
He says, it's not helpful to you, and here's what people will say, right?
As we live in this 2021 society, and people will say, oh well, you know, I can just catch
it on livestream.
Okay well, here's the thing, can you exhort one another on livestream?
Can you, can you provoke each other unto love and good works?
Now look, I realize if the livestream's there, and if you're sick, or you're, you know, quarantined
or whatever, you know, we understand that, that's a great tool, but you know that that
livestream is not a substitute for church.
You say, well why not?
Because church is assembling with other believers.
See, people think, oh well, it's all about the preaching, and obviously the preaching
is a big factor, and the preaching of God's word, and I will say this, preaching with
you in the chair is different than preaching on the livestream.
Because you know, when you're here, you're there, and you know, the Holy Spirit is working,
and I'm preaching, or the pastor's preaching, and it's in your faith, you know it's not
the same at home.
On the livestream, you're getting up and going to the bathroom, and you're checking your
phone, and you're, you know, eating your popcorn, well some of you are eating your popcorn right
now anyway, but you know, and you're, and you're doing all these things that are distracting
you.
Hey, you say, you know, why do I need to come to church?
Because you need to be around other believers, and by the way, selfish, other believers need
to be around you.
I don't need it.
Okay, well how about you consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together.
See, the more you come to church, the more you learn, the more chances you have to develop
lasting friendships and relationships.
When I was growing up, we used to say it this way, three to thrive.
Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, three to thrive, and here's what I'm saying.
If you got to love the church of God, you say, how can I love the church?
Hey, show up.
You got to develop a habit in your life.
You got to develop a manner of yourself that you just say, you know what, I'm just the
type of person that just shows up to church.
Go to John chapter 20, if you would, if you kept your place in Acts.
I need you in Psalms, Acts, and Hebrews, all right, if you can stay in those areas, we'll
be able to find our passages quickly this morning.
Go to John, if you kept your place in Acts, right before the book of Acts, you have the
book of John.
Now, continue to keep your place in Acts, but you can find John right before the book
of Acts.
When I was growing up, our house got broken into one time.
One time, my whole life, did our house get broken into, and we got robbed, and it happened
on a Sunday night at 6 p.m.
My home growing up, you know, and I thank the Lord for my parents and the habits and
customs they instilled in us, but in our home, we didn't miss church.
The policy at our house was when the church doors are open, we're there, and it wasn't
just special services, it was a cleaning day, work day, anything, if there's something going
on at the church house, we want to be a part of it because we love the church, and I mean,
we would miss school before we missed church.
We didn't miss anything before we missed church.
God was the priority.
That's how we grew up, and I remember one time we got robbed.
We came home from Sunday night church, and we'd been robbed, and I thought to myself,
I wonder if these people were watching us for any period of time, it'd be real easy
for them to know, hey, you know, Sunday at 6 p.m., you can break into that house because
those people are at church every week, and obviously, I don't want you to get robbed,
but the idea is this, you know, you got to develop a habit.
You got to develop a way about you that when your unsaved family and your unsaved coworkers,
when they're trying to get a hold of you, and they're trying to call you, and they're
like, oh, oh, it's Wednesday, oh, don't even try, it's Wednesday night, 7 p.m., they're
at church.
Oh, honey, no, don't even try to get a hold of them, it's Sunday night, 6 p.m., they're
at church.
That's the type of manner they have.
See, the more time you spend at church, the more time you spend with God's people, the
more time you are under the word of God, it'll help you.
Because here's the truth, you don't know what you're missing when you're missing.
You say, ah, you just skipped church this week, or I can just skip church for the next
six weeks, or I can just, it's no big deal, but here's the thing, you don't know what
you're missing when you're missing.
Let me give you an example of this, probably one of the most famous examples in the Bible
that I could show you of this.
John chapter 20, if you would, look at verse 19, John chapter 20 and verse 19, the Bible
says this, then the same day at evening, this is after Jesus had resurrected from the grave,
he's died and he's resurrected, the same day at evening being the first day of the week.
Now the first day of the week is Sunday, this is literally Sunday night church.
The disciples are gathered together on a Sunday night, you know, worshiping, the same day
at evening being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples
were assembled for the fear of the Jews, notice, came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith
unto them, peace be unto you.
Jesus had died three days later, he had resurrected and they had heard that his body was missing,
but many of them had not yet seen him, and they show up on the first day of the week
in the evening, they're gathered together, and all of a sudden, Jesus shows up.
Look at verse 24, but Thomas, but Thomas one of the 12 called Didymus was not with them
when Jesus came, he skipped out on Sunday night church, look at verse 25, the other
disciples therefore said unto him, we have seen the Lord, but he said unto them, you
know these words, if you've been around church, I mean, you know the words that doubting Thomas
as he's been known for all of history said, except I shall see in his hands the print
of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side,
I will not believe.
And he's known as doubting Thomas, but you know what he should be known as is inconsistent
Thomas, because he skipped out on church and he didn't know what he was missing.
You know, oftentimes people will say to me as they leave the doors of the church building
and I appreciate the encouragement and I appreciate when people say this and I'm not saying this
in a negative way and I hope you understand it, but we will say, oh man, you know, the
Lord really spoke to me today through the preaching of God's word and I always think
to myself, well, you know, he'd speak to you tonight if you came back tonight too.
And he'd speak to you on Wednesday night if you came back on Wednesday night.
And the truth is, is that you just don't know what you're missing when you're missing, Thomas,
sometimes Jesus shows up.
I remember back in March of 2013, I was dealing with a couple who was struggling in their
marriage and I was trying to be a blessing to them and help them and my wife and I were
investing a lot of time into this couple and I remember they were just kind of just not,
it wasn't going well and they were just on their way out and I was just kind of trying
to keep them in and just taking one step after another and all those things and we had Pastor
Anderson coming and he, of course, comes to preach for us every once in a while and I
was telling them, like, why don't you show up for, you know, for the special service.
Pastor Anderson's going to be there and he said, you know what, I'm going to be there.
I'm going to be there.
My wife and I are going to be there.
And I didn't know what Pastor Anderson was preaching, you know, he was coming and I had
no idea what he was preaching and he said, I'm going to be there and of course, you know,
I'm texting him a couple of hours for the service, like, hey, don't forget, you know,
come tonight, you know, it's good for you to be in the house of God, it's good for you
to be God's people, you know, all those things, like, yeah, I'm going to be there.
Service starts 7 p.m., he's not there and I'm texting him and I'm like, hey, what's
going on?
He's like, we're not going to make it, you know, blah, blah, blah, all the drama, blah,
blah, blah.
No, that's not it.
Pastor Anderson said something to preach that night.
He preached a sermon called How to Have a Great Marriage, honestly, probably preached
one of the best sermons on marriage I've ever heard in my life and it was like, it was outlined
for this couple.
I mean, every single point, I'm thinking to myself, God wrote this sermon for this
couple and they just don't know what they're missing when they're missing.
They never came back.
The service prior to that was the last service they ever attended.
Listen to me, when God tries to keep you from church, excuse me, God will never try to keep
you from church.
When the devil tries to keep you from church, you ought to assume there's something at church
you need.
I mean, when I get up on a Sunday morning and I've got a flat tire, I think to myself,
it's going to be a good day.
God has something for me.
When your friends are like, hey, don't worry about church tonight, come hang out with us
and this and that and the Super Bowl or whatever, hey, just realize, maybe there's something
at church I need and it might not even be the preaching, it might just be somebody who's
there, someone who needs to see you, somebody needs to talk to you, somebody needs to encourage
you.
Here's all I'm saying.
You don't know what you're missing when you're missing.
You don't know what you're not going to experience, Thomas, when you're not there.
So you ought to develop a habit.
I'm just telling you, you ought to develop a habit.
You ought to get that thing on cruise control.
You ought to get that thing on autopilot.
Something my parents taught me growing up and we've done it in our home is we don't
ever get up, we never get up on a Sunday morning and you say, well, you're the pastor.
Remember I was a pastor.
We never got up on a Sunday morning and asked this question.
I wonder if we'll go to church today.
That decision was already made.
Never on a Sunday night was there this internal debate in my mind.
I wonder if we're going to go to church tonight.
What do you think, honey?
You think we should go to church tonight?
What do you think, kids?
You guys want to go?
No.
That question was never asked.
That decision has already been made.
Like Daniel said, purpose in your heart.
Why don't you just say today, you know what, I'm just going to be faithful to church.
Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, maybe that's a little too much for you.
Some of you are maybe, you say, well, I'm just kind of new at this thing.
Hey, why don't you just say I'm going to be faithful every Sunday?
I'm just going to develop this manner of my life, this manner and this custom and this
habit.
You say, how do I love the church?
Well, number one, show up.
The church is an assembly.
It is a team sport.
It requires the entire team, so you got to show up because here's the truth.
You don't know what you're missing when you're missing.
Number two, go back to the book of Psalms if you would, Psalm 92, Psalm 92, five statements,
how to love your church.
I said number one, show up.
Number two, be loyal.
We live in a society that has lost the concept of loyalty.
Why don't you notice Psalm 92 and verse 13?
You know, we read earlier when it comes to showing up, the Psalmist said, I was glad
when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.
I was excited to meet with God's people.
Here in Psalm 92 and verse 13, I want you to notice what the Bible says, Psalm 92, 13,
those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Those that be planted, what does the word planted mean?
It means placed or fixed in position.
When you plant something into the ground, you allow that plant to take some roots, some
roots down into the ground.
The Bible says those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish.
By the way, you cannot flourish unless you're planted.
You can't be half in and half out.
Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Go to 1 Corinthians if you would, 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
While you turn there, let me read to you a couple of passages from Ephesians and Colossians
that kind of go with this idea of being planted in the house of God.
Those that be planted in the house of God shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Ephesians 3 says this, you go to 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 3 that Christ may dwell in your
hearts by faith that ye be rooted and grounded in love.
Colossians 1-23, if ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled and be not moved away.
Colossians 2, 6 and 7, as ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye
in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as ye have been taught, abounding
therein with thanksgiving and by the way, you can't be built up and abounding to your
first rooted and grounded.
You cannot flourish in the courts of our God until you've been planted in the house
of the Lord.
See if you want to love the church, and look I'm talking about this, you're talking about
a church.
Maybe you're visiting with us this morning and you're not part of this church and you,
you know, I would encourage you to be part of a church and find a church that you can
get grounded into.
You know, you say how do I love my church?
Well show up.
How do I love my church?
Well be loyal.
You know you ought to realize, you ought to realize that the local church is not like
a grocery store.
People get this idea, they think oh the local church is just, you know, it's just whatever.
I can go to ballet, I can go to Safeway, I can go, you know, to Target, it's no big deal.
You know the Bible says, the Bible says that the church is something that God established.
Jesus is the head of the church, he built the church, he loves the church, he gave himself
for the church.
1 Corinthians chapter 12, look at verse 12, the Bible says this, for as the body is one,
1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 12, for as the body is one and have many members and
all the members of that one body being many are one body so also in Christ.
See God says the church is like a body, he uses illustration.
We even use this term church members, the word member means body part.
He says we're like this body, these members that God puts together, look at verse 17,
same chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 17, if the whole body were an eye, where were
they hearing?
If the whole were a hearing, where were the smelling?
Look at verse 18, but now hath God set the members, every one of them in the body as
it hath pleased him.
Now look, excuse me for just believing the Bible, but the Bible says that God set the
members, every one of them in the body.
So what does that mean?
Here's what that means, that if God brought you here, he brought you here for a reason.
He said, oh, well I can just be part of this church and if I don't like this one, I'll
just go to the one down the street.
No, you know what?
The Bible says that God, God brought the body together, God brought the members together,
God put the body together and I realize that in our seasons of life, you know, sometimes
people have to move and it's fine to, you know, move somewhere and go to another church
of like faith and practice.
I'm not saying you have to stay in one church your whole life, but I will say this, realize
that it's not this shopping around just any church, every church, no big deal.
You know what?
I believe that if you are here or if you're at Sure Foundation Baptist Church or if you're
at whatever good church, you know, if you ended up here, God brought you here.
God set the members, every one of them, in the body as it has pleased him.
You got to realize that if God brought you here, it's for a reason.
You got to realize that if God put you here, he placed you here to be a member in this body.
Go to James if you would.
If you kept your place in Hebrews, you got to be in Acts and Hebrews.
James chapter 118, right before the book of Hebrews, you have the book of James, James
chapter 1.
How do you love the church?
You love the church by showing up, but you got to love the church by being loyal, by
getting rooted and grounded and planted and fixed.
You know, don't be one of these church members that's always on their way out.
Don't be one of these church members, I realize you may not understand that, I know Pastor
Thompson understands that, Ms. Sherry, don't be one of these church members that's always
on their way out.
James 1 and verse 8, notice what the Bible says, a double-minded man is unstable in all
his ways.
James 1 and verse 8, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.
You don't have to turn here, I'll read this for you, Genesis 49.4, this is what Israel,
what Jacob said to one of his sons, he said, unstable as waters, thou shalt not excel.
Don't be one of these church members who's just always on their way out.
I've literally had people who came to this church and they said to me, they walk up to
me after I get done preaching, and they said to me, you know what, Pastor, I'm going to
be here and I want to be your second man and I just want to be that guy that you need and
I want to be like Fuhrer was to Gideon, like Elisha was to Elijah, like Joshua was to Moses,
like I'm just going to be that guy.
And I'm like, man, praise the Lord, you know, we can use as much help as we can get.
And we need loyal people, you know, so praise the Lord for it.
And then sometimes it goes away, like, hey, Pastor, you know, I'm going to leave the church
but it's because I want to go start a church.
And I'm like, okay, well, I mean, I thought you were going to be the Fuhrer to my Gideon
but, you know, I'm all for church planting, I want to plant churches, like that's fine
too, you know, and I say, well, you know, let's train you up and here's the process
to get trained now.
Then sometimes it goes away and they're like, oh, actually, Pastor, we're just leaving.
To start a church?
No, we're just going.
You know, don't be one of these people that's just always just on their way out, always
just needing to go somewhere.
Earlier in ministry, my wife and I, you know, we struggled with this.
We were really burdened about these types of people because, you know, we thought we
were hurting them, like we thought we were hurting or mistreating them somehow, we thought
we were doing something.
You know, after 10 years of ministry, we've had so many of these types of people come
and go, I realize this is just how they are.
They don't stay anywhere very long.
They're here and they're there and they're over there and it's like that in church life,
it's like that with their jobs, it's like that with their marriages, it's just kind
of like they're just coming and going, coming and going.
And look, I realize people are like that.
Here's all I'm saying.
Don't you be like that.
You get planted and settled and grounded and look, you want to go start a church and you
legitimately want to start a church, let's train you and send you to start a church.
But don't play these games and don't play these games where, well, I'm kind of here
and I'm kind of there and I'm kind of doing this and I'm kind of doing that.
You say, how do you love the church?
Hey, show up to church.
How do you love the church?
Be loyal to church.
Just get rooted somewhere and get grounded somewhere and say, hey, I find myself here.
God must have brought me here.
God must have put me here.
He put me here for a reason.
Second Corinthians chapter 12, if you would, if you kept your place in first Corinthians,
go to second Corinthians, second Corinthians chapter 12.
Second Corinthians chapter 12, why don't you notice this verse?
I'm talking about being loyal.
Loyalty is something that we've lost in this country.
That's why 60% of marriages are ending in divorce.
We don't understand this concept of loyalty.
That's why people just shop around churches.
We don't understand this concept of loyalty.
That's why it's rare to find a couple that has been married for 57 years.
It's why it's rare to find an employee that's just been faithful at his job 20 years.
There used to be a thing in this country where, you know, you work somewhere for 30 years
that gave you a gold watch and acknowledged the fact that you were loyal.
And again, look, I realize there's times to change and go to different jobs.
And I'm not saying you have to stay at your job.
And if you're working at McDonald's, I'm definitely not saying you got to stay there, you know,
30 years or whatever, you know, you're working at, you know, you can grow.
I understand that.
That's not what I'm talking about, but try to develop loyalty.
1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 15, now very gladly spend and be spent for you, though
the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved.
The more abundantly I love you.
This is what Paul says, the man of God, the less I be loved.
We're talking about how to love the church.
So how do you love the church?
Show up.
How do you love the church?
Be loyal.
You know, one of the most discouraging things in ministry, and I don't talk a lot about
ministry unless I'm preaching to pastors or a sermon about pastors and, you know, Pastor
Thompson's here, so Ms. Sherry's here, so I feel like maybe I can preach this and I
can minister to them and I know they've ministered to me and my wife and things like that, but
you know one of the most discouraging things in ministry?
You know what a good pastor does?
You know what a good pastor's wife does?
I know Pastor Thompson and Ms. Sherry do this.
They take this attitude, I will very gladly spend and be spent for you.
You know, a church in many ways is like a spiritual hospital.
People walk in through these doors and they're spiritually wounded.
And you know what a good pastor and a good pastor's wife and what my wife and I have
tried to do over the years is we just try to jump in.
We're like the emergency room and we try to jump into these critical situations and we
put our hands on that wound and we try to stop the bleeding and we get them bandaged
up and we get them stitched up and we spend time with them and we counsel with them and
we spend evenings and we spend weekends and we spend time on the phone and we try to help
people and encourage people and try to get them back up and get them walking and crawling
and going.
And you know what happens sometimes?
You spend all this time and energy trying to help somebody.
You get them all healthy and strong and they're starting to produce and be a good Christian
and be a disciple and they're like, oh, we're going to move to this church.
And it's like, okay, you're welcome.
You know, I will very gladly spend and be spent for you, like Paul said, but sometimes
you feel like this, the more abundantly I love, the less I'd be loved.
Here's what I'm telling you.
You got to develop some loyalty in your life where you're saying, hey, you know what?
God brought me here.
Hey, if Verity Baptist Church, if Sure Foundation Baptist Church for the Sure Foundation, they
got snowed in today, so maybe they're watching.
If you've been ministered by pastor and Mrs. Thompson at Sure Foundation Baptist Church,
why don't you, if they've helped you, hey, if you've came to Verity Baptist Church, if
you're a first time guest, I'm not talking to you right now, but if you've been here
and we've loved on you and we've ministered to you and we've been there for you during
the highs and the lows, during the difficult times, at the times when nobody else wanted
to help you, hey, why don't you have some loyalty to say, I'm going to put my roots
down and get planted here and help you out, pastor.
I'm going to stick here and I'm going to stay with it and I'm going to be loyal and I'm
going to help you out.
I'm just saying, this is how you love a church.
You say, pastor, what would you do if you weren't the pastor of a church?
I find a pastor I could lead and I'd help him for the rest of my life.
How do you love your church?
You show up.
How do you love your church?
You be loyal.
The problem is not spending and being spent.
We don't have a problem with spending and being spent, but sometimes you're not loved.
You're unappreciated.
It's disloyalty.
Number three, go back to Philippians chapter one, if you would, Philippians, or if you're
there in 2 Corinthians, you have Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians.
How do you love your church?
Number one, show up.
Number two, be loyal.
Number three, get involved.
Philippians chapter one, look at verse 27.
Philippians chapter one and verse 27.
Philippians 1, 27 says this, only let your conversation be as it become at the gospel
of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs
that you stand fast in one spirit with one mind, striving together for the faith of the
gospel.
I don't want to spend too much time on this, but the Bible says that we should not just
gather together.
The Bible says that we should be striving together.
The Bible says that we should be working together.
You say for what purpose?
Here's the purpose, as it become at the gospel of Christ, striving together for the faith
of the gospel.
You say, I don't know where to get involved.
You can get involved in soul winning.
I don't know where to get involved.
You can get involved in serving.
I don't know where to get involved.
Look, you can get involved whatever area.
If you can play an instrument, play an instrument.
If you can, if you can, you say, I don't know how to do anything.
Can you push a broom?
We'll get you involved.
You say, how do I get involved or how do I love the church?
Get involved, find somewhere to serve, find somewhere to strive together for the faith
of the gospel.
Number four, we're talking about how to love the church.
You got to show up, got to be loyal.
You got to get involved.
Here's number four.
You got to get along.
How do you love the church?
Get along.
I mean, look at Philippians 1 27 again, only let your conversation be as it become at the
gospel of Christ that whether I come and see you or else be absent, I may hear of your
affairs that you stand fast in, notice these words, one spirit with one mind.
What is that?
It's unity.
One spirit with one mind that you serve the Lord in unity together.
You learn Philippians one, go to Philippians chapter two.
Philippians chapter two.
You say, how does a church like this get together Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night
and not just flip out on each other and scream at each other because people, look, people
get on your nerves.
People get on my nerves right now.
They just not flip out on each other, yell at each other, scream at each other.
You learn to get along.
Philippians chapter number two and verse three says this, let nothing be done through
strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.
You say, how do we get along?
What's the key to getting along?
And by the way, this is a church, this is at work, this is at home, this is a school,
this is everywhere, anywhere, everywhere.
How do we get along?
You know, the key to getting along is to steaming others better than ourselves.
Let each esteem other better than themselves.
Look, people are going to hurt you, people are going to offend you, people are going
to defraud you, people are going to do things you don't like and you don't agree with and
you don't think they should have done that or you don't think they should have said that.
You say, how do we get along?
You just esteem others better than yourself.
You know why we don't esteem others better than ourselves?
Because we esteem ourselves better than others.
Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind.
Vain glory, can somebody get, Brandon, do you need a glass of water?
Okay, you're distracting me and I feel like there's something going on here.
So if we need Brother Oliver, if you can help him get him what he needs.
Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind, let each
esteem other better than themselves.
We don't get along because we esteem ourselves better than others.
We don't get along because we think that I'm more important than and they shouldn't have
and they shouldn't go there and they shouldn't say that.
Look, a church is a community of believers.
A church is a community of people doing life together and we can suffer together, we can
rejoice together, but we have to learn to get along.
We have to learn to esteem others better than ourselves.
We have to learn and say, you know what, instead of just flipping out here, I'm just going
to try to help these individuals.
Get the kid a glass of water.
Help him out.
Go to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, look at verse 11, 1 Corinthians
chapter 1 and verse 11, for it had been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which
are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
There is fighting among you.
There is chaos in the church.
Look at 1 Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 1, and I, brethren, could not speak unto you
as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
I have fed you with milk and not with meat, for hitherto you were not able to bear it,
neither yet now are ye able.
For ye are yet carnal for whereas there is among you envies and strife and divisions,
are ye not carnal?
For while one sayeth I am of Paul and another sayeth I am of Apollos, while one say I am
of Pastor Thompson and the other one sayeth I am of Pastor Anderson, are ye not carnal?
You know why we have problems in church?
Carnality.
Here's what I've learned.
Spiritual people, they take a big matter and they make it small.
Carnal people, they take a small matter and they make it big.
We don't esteem each other better than ourselves.
We esteem ourselves better than others.
We ought to get along.
We have people.
Look, people are going to hurt you.
People are going to offend you.
People are going to do things that are rude to you.
How do you get over it?
You get along.
I mean, we have people in this church that have done things to me and my wife.
We have things in this church.
People have done things to my wife and I that I know for a fact if it happened to just a
regular church member, they would just quit this church.
And I mean, I've tried it.
I tell my wife, we're not going back there.
You see what they were doing to me?
And my wife's like, you can't quit the church.
I'm like, why?
She's like, you're the pastor.
I'm like, oh yeah.
Hey, don't have this attitude.
I don't even like those people in church.
You must think very highly of yourself.
Because we get along.
We get along when we esteem others better than ourselves.
You say, how do you love the church?
You show up.
How do you love the church?
You be loyal.
How do you love the church?
You get involved.
How do you love the church?
You get along.
How do you love the church?
I'll give you this one quickly and I don't want to spend a lot of time here.
Go to 2 Corinthians 9, look at verse 7.
You support financially.
The Bible says this, every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give,
not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver.
You don't have to turn there.
Matthew 6 21 says this, for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You can't love the church if you don't support the church financially.
Those things are not compatible.
Go to 1 Peter chapter 2, we'll finish up, 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 17.
The Bible says that we ought to love the church.
The Bible says that husbands should love their wives even as Christ also loved the church
and gave himself for it.
The Bible says that Jesus loves the church.
And as believers, we're supposed to be disciples and followers of Jesus Christ.
And we're supposed to love the church because Jesus loves the church.
And the church is made up of believers, therefore, we should love the brotherhood.
1 Peter 2, look at verse 17, 1 Peter 2 17, honor all men, love the brotherhood, fear
God, honor the king.
Look at 1 Peter chapter 3 and verse 8, 1 Peter chapter 3 verse 8, finally, be ye all
of one mind, having compassion one for another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous.
So why should I love the church?
Because Jesus loved the church.
Because Jesus established the church, he built the church, he's the head of the church, he
gave himself for the church.
You say, how do I love the church?
By showing up, by being loyal, by getting involved, by getting along, by supporting
financially, by taking big matters and making them small, by not allowing your flesh to
take small matters and make them big, by esteeming others better than yourself, by encouraging
others along the way.
Why to love the church?
Does that mean we're not frustrated at times?
We all get frustrated.
Does that mean that we don't go through hard times and dark times?
We all go through hard times and dark times, but you ought to love the church.
I hope you do.
Spider heads and I will go to prayer.
Heavenly Father, Lord, we love you, thank you for your word, thank you for the Bible.
Lord, I pray that you would help us to love churches in general and specifically to love
this church.
Lord, I pray for Sure Foundation Baptist Church that you would help their members to love
their church.
Lord, I pray you'd help us to learn, to be courteous, to be kind, to love you and to
love your people.
In the matchless name of Christ, we pray, amen.