2-12-23 PM Service: A Healthy Church Member

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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty, Baptist

Church in Eastern Massachusetts. You can find out more about us

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message from God's word will be a blessing to you.

Meeting here, our annual business meeting in just a

little while. I do think, it would be good for

us to take an aside and talk a little bit about what it means

to be a healthy church. And what it means to be a

healthy church member because a healthy church can only be

healthy as the members are healthy with in that church.

And so I think it would be good. Not just to look at the needs of

a healthy church, but also of the healthy church member as

well. I will say this, we have a

unique opportunity before us here at Liberty Baptist Church

just looking Around and I'll share a little bit more during

the business meeting, but just scanning through the auditorium

this morning in the back rooms, which I have a little bit more

of an ability to do when I'm not preaching, believe it or not, it

was great to you know, help with Kai this morning.

I lifted him up. Even gave me one of his gummy

bears, which was very kind of him.

Tell you, I mean, we're having a time back there, got to visit

with the nursery. They probably asked me to leave

but that's alright. But it was a good time had by

almost all this morning but just looking around we had almost 40

folks here this In the church, which was a blessing.

And as he scanned, the room, most of those folks weren't here

a year ago, believe it or not. And so, we do have a very unique

opportunity that's here before us at Liberty, Baptist Church.

But I also know this to be the kind of church that God wants us

to be. We have to be a healthy church.

And sometimes we have to do a little bit of a checkup, if you

will to make sure that we're doing right, that's a bit of a

checkup from the neck up if you will to make sure that we are

where we need to be, I'll tell you you have to do a checkup and

if you don't Don't you end up doing an autopsy?

And I would much rather for us as a church to do a check-up,

then to do an autopsy to see what went wrong rather.

But then just to make some changes that are small and

simple that are in each one of us that need to be made.

I do know this about the Christian life, there are always

changes that need to be made. There are always improvements

that need to be done. It would be like having a

project that's never finished. I can't imagine that if you were

a contractor, if you're a carpenter, whatever it is.

You know, the project, you know what it takes to start, you

know, the materials that you need and there is a completed

time. However, when it comes to

working on the spiritual life, you realize this side of Heaven,

There is no completion. There's still work that needs to

be done. There's still standing there

still buffing, they're still polishing, other still patching

that needs to take place as we walk through this Christian

life. And that carries over to us into

the church. Because as we are people who are

imperfect, as we are people who need the help of Jesus Christ to

be Able to get through. We as a church, are in the same

issue and affliction as well. The problem is what we don't see

ourselves as that and when we see ourselves as the finished

product, that's when we get ourselves into some trouble,

that's when we get ourselves into some difficulties, like the

old children's song says, he's still working on me to make me

what I ought to be. It took him just a week to make

the moon and the stars and the Sun, and the Earth and Jupiter

and Mars. How loving and patient, he must

be to still be working on me. And, you know, I A lot of the

children songs that we sing have a lot of the rich doctrinal,

truth that sometimes we don't even think about as adults.

And boy, if that's not the truth, I don't know what it is.

And so I just want to go through and more of a topical way this

evening. Just us looking from the word of

God here tonight. And and a lot of just things

that you already know this evening about what it means to

be a healthy church member and I'll tell you one of the most

healthy churches that you'll find in the book of Acts are in

the New Testament, is one of the ones that we know the least

about. And that's the church at Berea.

This church at Berea was in Countered by Paul on the second

missionary journey, not his initial journey through Asia

Minor. But on a second journey in which

he went beyond Asia Minor and across into Europe and the

bereans had a very wonderful thing said about them.

You might already know what was said about the bereans but it

would do us well to be reminded of them this evening.

And so, here in X17, you may remain seated.

But it says, in verse number 10, and the Brethren immediately

sent Away, Paul and Silas by night into Maria or unto Berea.

Who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.

These were more noble than those in thessalonica.

Now, can we stop here for just a moment?

Those in thessalonica, were some of the most blessed that you'll

find in the New Testament. What I mean by this is the

church at Corinth was a troubled Church, wasn't it?

The church is at galatia had problems.

They were Bewitched by this false gospel that this Gospel of

the law, which is no gospel that came and was trying to overtake.

Him, is why Paul said, oh, you foolish Galatians.

And talk to them in the manner that he did, but we read 1st

Thessalonians. And second Thessalonians, I

mentioned a few weeks ago, you don't see much of that level of

rebuke as much as you see. A lot of complimentary things

being said, as well as exhortations for them to move

forward in their Christian Life. And so what I'm saying is this,

the Thessalonians were no slouches the church at

thessalonica was like well hey at least you're not like the

Thessalonians, it wasn't like that they weren't laodiceans.

You say, I don't know. I think he just said, amen,

that's great. It sounded close to it.

So I'll take it. Thank you, AJ.

If you don't know what I mean about Leo to see it will get

there on Wednesday night here in a while about the lukewarm

nature of the laodicean church but this isn't who we're talking

about. Look at what it says again in

verse number 11 and these were more noble than those in

thessalonica in that they received the word with all

Readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures Daily.

Whether those things were so and it's interesting that this was

my text and this is my message. Before I knew, what, Brother

Scott Sandy was going to preach this morning and that was on my

mind as he was preaching about the daily reading of the word of

God. And of course that's no accident

that's no coincidence and certainly at the same time it's

something that should be on our minds and our hearts on a daily

basis. Anyway the need to read and

study the word. It says they received the word

and searched the Scriptures Daily whether those things were,

so what things were they searching, Well, they were

searching out what Paul was saying, whether Paul was

speaking truth or not, you say well who would fact check the

Apostle Paul. Well the bereans did and the

Bible complimented them for it. It wasn't that they did so

because they were skeptical of him as a person and it wasn't

because they had a skeptical nature where they were just

hoping they looked at the preacher and say bless me.

Now, if you can, they wanted to be able to hear the word of God

and they just want to make sure he was on the right path.

This might surprise you but us preachers.

We can sometimes get it wrong. Somehow, my wife wasn't

surprised by that, but the rest of you are on support.

Thank you brother. Vince McMahon.

All right, but we sometimes get it wrong.

You know why? Because we're human and

fallible. Like anyone else, we have a

calling upon our life, but we have the ability to get the call

wrong, and we have to pray about that and address that as that

comes. And so, the bereans are

literally fact-checking Paul, not to be Skeptics, but because

they wanted to believe it. Not because Paul said it,

because they wanted to believe it because they knew the word of

God said, it. It reminds me of at the end of

John chapter 4, when the people of sychar came back to the woman

John 4 · chapter mention

at the well, and they said, we believe, but not because of you,

but because we've heard him ourselves and for a long time, I

thought that that statement sounded kind of strange.

It's kind of like yeah. We don't like you, but we heard

Jesus and we believe in him. That's not what they were

saying. I believe they were thanking her

for bringing Jesus to their attention, but they're saying we

don't believe Because we trust your word, we believe, because

we listen to his word and we trust in him.

And that's what it should be, by the way for you, if you walk out

of here. However, long your time is here

at Liberty, Baptist Church and I hope it's a very long time until

the Lord calls us all home. But if that's the case, I hope

that you don't walk out of here. Saying I know what I believe

because it's what Pastor Rivero said.

That's seen a moment. That's not the sign of a healthy

church. Member, it's no because Pastor

Rivero caused me to want to search the scriptures for

myself. And I seem to be that I came to

the same conclusion that he came to.

Because that's by the way, the doctor that I have is not

because Heartland Baptist Bible College told me to have it.

The doctor that I have is not because Westgate Baptist Church

ordained me to preach that and that alone know the doctrine.

I came to is because I had to search the scriptures for myself

and I'm thankful for men like a Sam Davison or worse?

Has Turner Jason Gaddis men that you've met many of them.

I'm thankful for what they've received what I've received from

them, but I had to go to the word of God, myself and check

whether those things were so or not for myself.

So I come here not as an emissary of Heartland or an

emissary of Westgate or of Sam or of Bruce or of anyone else.

I come to you as an ambassador of Jesus Christ.

Knowing that I've had to search the scriptures for myself and

that's part of what our commission is as a church to be

people of the worst part of being a healthy church.

And because then Number 12, it says therefore many of them

believed also of honorable women which were Greeks and of men not

a few. It's amazing.

And on a study of the scriptures brought people to a saving

knowledge of Jesus Christ. Imagine that.

I feel like if we can just present people the gospel and if

we can just present them the word of God and they listen with

an open mind and that they take what we have and study it for

themselves that they really can come to no other conclusion.

Other than unless they're just trying to be stubborn about the

issue then Jesus. Christ is Lord and he is the

only one that can save them. But here are these

Thessalonians, their Noble. Could we put it this way in the

context of the message? I want to give tonight?

They're healthy, they're healthy.

They're people the Bible, they're not people of tradition.

They're not people of politics. They're not people of any of

these other things. Listen, we get our marching

orders, but not from Bible, colleges.

We get our marching orders, not from the Republican National

headquarters. Yeah, we get our marching orders

from Jesus Christ because he is the one who is the same

yesterday and today and forever. So I just topically tonight,

want to give you a five things that I believe help make a

healthy church and I hope you'll write these down or at least

listen to it later online and write it down then.

All right. Number one, is this a healthy

church members saturated with the gospel?

A healthy church member is saturated with the gospel.

Listen, how can you not get excited then to hear what we

heard this? Warning about brother.

Jim a man that we've been praying for four years.

And to hear that Jim Weatherbee was able to sit down.

And he told me the story. I don't want to tell it's his

story to tell him, not mine, but I'll tell you, just to be able

to hear how the Lord orchestrated all that together.

And it's not a coincidence that we've been talking about Soul

winning is not a coincidence that he's been talking about.

And he was telling me some of the illustrations that he was

using. And he was talking about, I told

him this is this is a gift if I gave it to you, when would it

belong to you? I thought that's what I say, but

it's not because I made it up. It's because these are things

that have been handed down Down from generation to generation

that come from the word of God, because salvation is a gift.

And we have to explain to people what that is.

But you know, that comes from being saturated with the gospel,

a healthy church members members, someone who knows the

gospel, they desire to hear the gospel, they love to preach the

gospel. It's not just my job to preach

the gospel. I know that from this Pulpit

that that's what God has ordained me to do and I'm happy

and I'm thankful and I hope sometimes if you're happy that I

do it, I praise the Lord for it. But I do know this, it's all of

our jobs to preach the gospel because I can't preach the

gospel to your co-workers and I likely can't preach the gospel

to your family and I can't preach gospel to the school's, I

can't do that. But I do know this.

That you were, you are have been ordained to preach, just

literally to proclaim the gospel, but that only happens

when we're saturated with it, do you realize people talk about

the things they're interested in?

You know, what, everyone's going to talk about the water cooler

tomorrow? They're gonna talk about the

Super Bowl. You know why?

Because that's what they've been immersed in tonight.

And for you and I all joking aside that we were kind of Like

a collective shrug this evening about it.

It's not that you can't watch it or you shouldn't watch it.

It's just that, well, it doesn't dominate our lives.

In the sense that the onion dips, not going to be ready

tonight. What are we going to do?

We can't go to church. I've got to find the you know I

got to find all the snacks. Listen let him have it man.

We're here in the house of God tonight.

We're here to hear the word of God.

We've even had church service when the patch were in the Super

Bowl. And we didn't change it, their

churches that were closed church for the Super Bowl.

What message does that send to people?

What does it do? So, I'm not out to to try to

belittle any other charge or anyone else, but just to say, it

sends a message and probably not the one that says the gospel is

the most important thing in our life to saturate ourselves,

gospel, preached, The Gospel Center, our lives, around the

gospel. I feel like there's a couple

problems when it comes to us being centered around the

gospel. One, is that for many people,

the gospel is a Spoke. It's not the Hub.

You understand what I mean by that?

If you had an Old Wagon Wheel, the Hub is in the middle.

The spokes is around at the spoke supports the but the spoke

alone doesn't run. The, the wheel you need to have

the Hub. Everything else goes around it.

For many people, the gospel is just another spoke.

In The Wheel of Life but really for us, the gospel is the center

and everything else connects to it and everything else rotates

around it. So we should be gospel-centered.

But I also believe this the question I heard a preacher just

say this not that long ago. The question is not just our we

gospel-centered. But the question is this, how

far does the circle around that Center, go in our life?

Because there's some people gospel centered, but the gospel

doesn't touch every part of their life.

The gospel out of touch, the things that you watch The Gospel

out of touch, the things that you think the gospel out to

touch the things that you go online and see.

See the gospel out to touch the music that you listen to the

gospel out of touch every single thing of our life.

And so it's not just that it's the center but it's that it's

the center of a very broad Circle that encompasses every

single part of our lives. And I think for many of us as

Christians. Sure, we're gospel centered on

Sunday, but it's just that Circle doesn't Encompass the

other six days of the week. That's a problem and it's

something that we have to work on.

It doesn't make for a healthy Church.

It doesn't make for a healthy church and we are people who

need to defend the gospel. We need to be able to talk about

why The gospel is true. When someone asks us questions

about the gospel, we should be ready to be able to answer.

It's not that we can answer every question.

I wish that we could we can't but that we are at least

prepared to be able as much as we can to give an answer for the

hope that lies within us. That's I believe what the

bereans would have been able to do, because they were searching

the scriptures for themselves and they were in able to

interact with Paul about the gospel because they were gospel

centered, so the healthy church. Member number one is saturated

with the gospel number to a healthy.

Church member is a student of the Bible.

Oh, Could you doubt that the bereans were students of the

Bible? You know what makes this more

incredible to me? How many of them do you think on

the Bible? I mean, certainly they could

have had access to the Old Testament.

I would assure you that they did, but I'm talking about, in

their home, on their bookshelf. We're about 1,400 years away

from Johann Gutenberg. And we're certainly about

another from here, 40 years or so, until scripture has been

completely written by John and the Canon of scripture is

closed. But despite the difficulty, they

were students of the Bible, we have never had more Bibles.

We have. Never had more Bible literature.

We've never had more resources. I have more resources on my

phone than Charles Spurgeon had in his entire library at the

Metropolitan Tabernacle. I mean that'll blow your mind

right there. When you think about that the

prince of preachers had had less resources fingertips that I do.

And I know that's true because I can read his resources for my

phone so and he didn't have access to those unless he was

just accessing his mind I guess. But I do know this is that we

have all these resources but it seems like as a culture and even

as if I could use the term, the church in general is more

gospel, starved and Bible illiterate than ever.

And I'm not talking about individuals here in general,

that's For you to understand but if I was to take just

Christianity in general, we are more Bible illiterate than ever

even with the access to all the things that we have a healthy

church members, a student of the Bible, they have a healthy

prayer life that we pray. And I was just reading just this

morning getting ready for my time of reading in the Bible,

just a very short message that I was reading with the idea of

that that we as Christians, most of our problems, our prayer

problems. In the sense that it's a lack of

prayer problems that we can't say that for every situation in

life. But how many times have we just

neglected? The closet?

You have not because you ask not when you wonder sometimes why we

have not. Well, the Bible tells us why in

certain situations, you have not because you ask not, they have a

healthy fare / life, they Faithfully, read the Bible.

I hope that January moving forward in your daily walk.

Help you to realize some places where you can move ahead in your

Bible reading over the next year.

Lives by the Bible. Listen, anyone can The Bible and

I don't mean to be unkind about that, but I can tell you, I've

met a lot of people who say, I've read the Bible every year

for 30 years and you look at them and say well hopefully

it'll start taking pretty soon. And again, not trying to be

unkind. And I'm not trying to be

sarcastic. What I'm saying is this at some

point, as I said, a few moments ago, or I think earlier this

morning is that just that you read the Bible, but the Rive

Bible read you. And that we get to the point

where it's not just we go through the routine of reading,

but it starts to change you and like Pete montoro says, you

know, it's who you really start to understand a few things after

you get through about 25 times. I feel like there's probably

some truth to that although you can understand certain parts of

it, the very first time that you can get to the 25th time and The

Lord still unlocks. Wonderful and precious truths to

you. What other book is like that

there's some wonderful classic literature out there that there

is wonderful. Classic literature fact.

I would take classic literature compared to most the trash

that's being written today. But I will tell you this, that

even of the classics, you're not going to get the timelessness.

The freshness, the Perpetual ability to learn and to grow,

and that you will from the word of God.

So we must be students of the Bible healthy church members are

students of the Bible. Well, I'm not Bible College,

well, your whole life Be a Bible College, our whole life's, just

be a Perpetual study and learning and growth of the word

of God. And after what we heard this

morning, why would we want to? It's the honey that enlightens

us, it brightens the eyes. It helps us to discern between

the good and the evil. So number one, a healthy church

members. Saturate with the gospel number

to a healthy church members are student the Bible.

Number three, a healthy church member is a serving member, a

serving member. What does that mean?

Well, if you're part of the organism, the organization of

the church, Is that you serve as part of the church as part of

being a healthy Church? Why?

Because the needs of the church are met within the church, I

cannot call the town of Easton and ask them.

Can you help us cover a children's church this Sunday?

They'll laugh at us, you know. I can't call Walmart and ask,

can you help us? We have a need tending to the

property outside. They'll laugh at us.

They can't even tend to there. Never mind.

But it seems like I keep coming back to that.

So there what I'm saying is this, God has ordained this

entity to care for the needs of this entity.

And you've all heard the statistics that 80% of the work

gets done by 20% of the people. And we've gotten to the point

where maybe that's just a normal thing, and I will say that that

may be normal, but Not God's plan that may be normal, but it

was never God's plan that God has called us all to be serving

members to be faithful to the services of the church.

I made a decision long ago before I even knew that God was

going to put me into Ministry like I am now.

But if the church was open, I was going to be there and I can

tell you that some people said well you don't have to do that.

The Bible doesn't say Sunday morning Sunday night and

Wednesday night. Can I tell you?

My life is so much enriched by that decision.

It has been so enriched by being able to be here Sunday morning.

I haven't missed a thing and I even put it this way.

I feel like I've gained quite a lot by being able to be in the

house of God. I know that that's the case in

some of you that may be live longer out in the world and I

did just getting saved at 16 and then coming to some of these

conclusions, by the time, I was 18.

Somebody would say, I lived out a lot farther in the world than

you did Pastor. And I would tell you this, I'm

better off coming to Sunday morning, and Sunday night and

Wednesday night. Then when I had my time, quote

unquote for myself, and I look back and say this is where I

want to be, it's not just where I need to be, but Want to be a

serving members. Faithful all the services by the

way, you can't really serve unless you're faithful to

several services. And the reason why is there's

some Ministries you can't help it because if you do and that's

the only service, you're at during the week, you'll never

get preaching. You'll never get Fellowship will

be stuck back in one of the classrooms and we don't want to

do that. And so sure it's okay to be back

there, but we want to make sure you get fed.

We want to make sure that you have that as well and so

faithful to all the services. Here's a big one serves others

first. And there, Self last serves

others first and their self last.

And that isn't that what service is all about?

Listen, we talked about the Great Gulf that was fanned by

Jesus Christ. And all I can think of is

Philippians chapter number 2, and if that doesn't also speak

to the fact that Jesus washed the feet of the disciples.

Now, Not only was that task itself, what we would consider

to be, not a very fun job, but you are John 1:1.

John 1:1

The one who is before the beginning.

Ting and the one that you are involved in every element of

creation. Without him was not anything

made that was made. And he washed the very feet that

he created of the dirt that he had created with the water that

he created. There's no other way to look at.

And sometimes we can't be bothered to serve.

When Jesus did that him, if anyone had an excuse to say, I'm

out, it's Jesus on top of the fact that he knew in hours, that

he would be led to the cross that he did not deserve, and he

still took that time to give us the example of being servants, a

healthy church member serves other healthy church.

Member, does it look for reasons for people to pour into him or

her? When they come in, they look for

opportunities and even excuses to pour into other people get

involved. Old with new people, they want

to talk to new people that want to help new arrivals and I've

been encouraged even with some of the new folks that we've had,

some of the younger believers do or folks that have been here,

how some of you have gone above and beyond.

And yes, I've seen it and I hope that complimented you on that.

And if I haven't, I apologize. But I'll tell you this, I've

seen how you've gone above and beyond why, because you want to

love them to the gospel, you want to love them to the gospel

and you know, I could preach a sermon, they may not get it, but

by the fact that you serve them That make the difference out.

Be careful how I say this. I had someone just tell me this

recently. They said this, they said of

someone else that they care for. They said this.

He said no one treats them, right?

Except if it's your church, No one ever treat them, right

except at your church. Well do you think we'll have

more or less of an opportunity? Give them the gospel with the

testimony like that. Now I'm thankful for that.

I am thankful like that for that but there's room for

improvement, there's room for improvement, we can do more,

like I said on Wednesday night to be able to bring people in

our homes or to be able to show Hospitality or to be able to

just take some time after a church to talk or before church

to make sure that we're moving around.

Like, you know, they say, Say on the airplanes move about the

cabin, all right, so move around a little bit and talk to people

that the fasten seatbelt sign is not on.

You are free to move about the cabin while you're here and get

to know people and that's a blessing.

And then it being involved in a Ministry to find Ministries that

you can be involved in, that's part of being a healthy member.

So a healthy church members, saturated with the gospel.

There are student of the Bible there are serving member but I

also say this. They're also work under

Authority. They work under Authority as

well. This is an important one and I'm

thankful for Liberty Baptist Church helps me as a pastor and

I'm thankful for our Liberty churches comes alongside our

family. We felt that even over the last

few months we will be foolish to say otherwise.

And I'll be honest with you. At times, I'm uncomfortable

talking about my position as a pastor, or my authority, as a

pastor. And the reason why is because I

don't like to hold that over people or even give the idea

that I hold that over everyone. And I understand that I'm one of

the younger Believers that's here in the church as far as age

and there are many of you that have been in Good gospel

preaching churches for some time.

But I also do have to recognize the fact this that God has a

plan for the leadership of his church.

God has a plan that he has ordained for the church to move.

Heard he's given us a example, through the Church of Jesus

Christ and his disciples with the Good Shepherd, leading

around his 12 disciples. And at the same time as The

Under Shepherd, I'm to follow that model and that we as a

church to do that together, you know, a healthy Church Works

under Authority. They uphold the office of the

pastor understanding that I'm not just a preacher but a pastor

That I'm not just the preacher of the church, but also that has

some Authority as well. And another, right by the way,

another reason I'm going to comfortable talking about this

is because I would say, an independent Baptists circles,

know what? To be careful how I say this,

Independent Baptist circles Authority has been abused over

the years. It's been abused in the in the

broader. What?

I sometimes hear called the ifb movement, independent

fundamental Baptist. Church's Authority has been

abused. Trust has been broken.

Ian and violated and that's a real thing.

Some people have come from churches where that was an

issue, where the authority of a pastor was not just leading on

Softly As Jacob did when talking to Esau, but it was not leading

the Sheep, but beating the Sheep beating the Sheep when they

bleeped, if you will because all sheep make noise once in a

while, but they bleeped and he beats and that's not what the

biblical model is. And so sometimes that causes me

to not want to Talk about Authority, but that could also

cause the pendulum to go too far.

The other direction, to not even acknowledge that, there is a

Biblical model that God has and that includes upholding the

office of the pasture, which I'm thankful that Liberty is so

helpful. I feel like many times like

Aaron and Hur when Moses had the arms that were weak.

Aaron and Hur came alongside and held his arms up until the

battle was won. I feel like that here many times

at Liberty but they energetically follow the leader

of any Ministry that there are leaders.

Hours of different Ministries at times.

And it's not just that you follow me, but follow that

leader as well. That they have a humble Spirit,

a teachable spirit in whatever Ministry that they're in that.

They look for ways to promote leaders in to make them

successful, that no one's trying to be the head, honcho, but

everybody's trying to do this. What?

John the Baptist said of himself.

He must increase, but I must decrease Is that we make sure

that the leadership is upheld. And Leadership says Jesus

Christ. Must be upheld.

Everyone is passing on the glory to someone else.

So that in the end what happens? Jesus Christ is the only one

that's glorified that all they see here is Jesus.

I've said this before. I don't want someone to leave

Liberty Baptist Church and say. Wow, that music was great.

Wow, that singer was unbelievable.

Wow, that that preaching was just Dynamic that preacher boy,

he was so funny and so good-looking.

And so, anyway, I was I'll stop. So he said keep going keep no no

one's saying that, but but I hope that someone leaves Liberty

Baptist Church say, wow. They have a great God, they have

a great God. That's what someone should leave

here at Liberty Baptist Church look.

Nobody should be leaving a baseball game saying.

Wow, that umpire was great. Who is he?

He's just doing the job that he's supposed to do.

Usually, if you notice the Umpire, he's doing something

wrong, he's either making much of himself or he doesn't know

what he's doing one or the other.

I don't want anyone to leave here noticing me as the Umpire,

you know what, I just want to be.

I just want to be a small Cog in the great mechanism of the

Gospel Ministry that God has and that should be all of us.

That's what a healthy Church does.

It's not about me, it's not about my Ministry or people

think I'm important but this is in my notes but it's it's

amazing to me how we can have an organization of 30 or 40 people.

And I'm not talking about necessarily this configuration,

I'm just talking about over 10 years of experience as a senior

pastor. it's how people want to make themselves, so important,

In such a small body. Can I tell you there's nothing

super glamorous about any of the things that we do here?

I think sometimes people think that we have meetings in the

back and that we just share this information that.

If you only knew the things we talked about you, achieve this

next level of spiritual Insight, we were just wondering when we

had a meeting two weeks ago, how we get the heat up because it

was -10 outside. That was mostly what you're

talking about. That's all we could figure out

through that, poor Miss Ruthie, she had to wear three jackets,

just to be warm during the meeting.

It was not glamorous. I will promise you that our

coffee froze. By the time we were done, there

was nothing glamorous about it. There are sometimes people think

who's that? Well I see because it's a small

church if it was a church of 2000 wouldn't matter?

It wouldn't make any difference because we cannot accentuate or

embellish make better the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Now we can just get in the program and make the program

work and that's how we do our best for him.

That it's not about. How can I be used?

It's just Lord. Where would you have me to He

used, and I'll do it for the cause of Christ.

And whether Pastor sees it or not, we're the membership, sees

it or not, whether the town sees it or not, here's something

novel. Jesus Christ, sees it and he

will be the one who will reward me for it in heaven, with crowns

that I can cast back at his feet.

That a healthy Church. They work under Authority and

also promote Unity within the church.

You are the church. This ought to be the most

unified body in town. These are the most unified body

in town, and can I can I just give you a little bit of

insight. It's not It's not.

Now, I'm not saying we have large egregious problems, but

I'm just saying that it's not, you know, in sometimes that's

because we deal with real heavy issues, or sometimes other

groups, they have no problems because they're not even dealing

with any issues, or just it's all, it's all milk and cookies.

That's all it is. And we have Satan attacking us

and we have that. And so we can be under pressure.

But I'll tell you, we should recognize when Satan is

attacking. We should recognize when Satan,

trying to pit us, one against another and say this, we need to

have Unity. Well, I don't like her.

I don't like the cut of his jib. Will it stop talking about his

jib and go over and talk to him? Him and say, brother, can we get

this taken care of sister? Could we get this taken care of?

You say? Well, does that happen?

Well in churches that are right with God, it does. in healthy

churches, it does in healthy churches, it does a healthy

church member Works under the Because by the way we're people

And we have sinful Nature's. Well, we're saying we ought to

know better. Yeah, we ought to.

And so aren't you? And again, I'm not trying to be

unkind. I'm just saying.

We whole other people to standards that we don't hold

ourselves. Often times to we hold other

people to an impossible standard.

And if we had to be held to that standard, we would Wilt Under

The Lights within a moment. And so what we ought to do is

have some compassion, some help. And even if there is issues,

which by the way, there are real issues in a church that comes

sometimes that we handle in a way.

That honors our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, at the one who has

the problem, handles it. Humbly, the one who receives the

problem, handles it humbly, and we shouldn't handle our problems

like H&R. Block handles audits, we

shouldn't handle problems, like the school system, handles

suspensions for students, we shouldn't handle problems.

Like any of these organizations should, we should handle it by

the word of God, but you can't do that if you don't know it and

you can't do that if you don't live it and the bereans were

Noble because they I searched these things out, and they

understood them. So, number one, healthy church

members saturated with the gospel.

Number two, healthy church members, a student of the Bible.

Number three, how the church members are serving member

number for Healthy church member is working under Authority, and

then 45. And finally, a healthy church

member is a soul winner and that's really the place we have

to end on a month like this. But a healthy church member is a

soul winner is that you are trying to constantly bring

people to Christ that you are part of the efforts of the

church organized as we are. And again that doesn't mean

everyone has to come on. Saturday.

That does mean everyone can come on Saturday but I would say this

if I was free on Saturday, I know where I would be.

I know where Ivy, I'm not saying again.

So you have other things that you have to do or take care or

you might have to work you want to work on Saturday so you'll be

church on Sunday. That's you.

God bless you, I understand it. But I know this, if I'm free on

Saturday, I know what I want to do.

I want to invest that time in the gospel Ministry and get to

know someone. Don't you wish don't you wish

some time that someone would come into church and you knew I

invited them. I invited them.

I had a small part. Now listen it God does the work,

we understand it. He plants.

He Waters. God gives the increase or maybe

that someone comes and visits, but you kind of take him under

your wing, you talk to him and and they see they're safe.

You know, I'm just, I'm just saying stuff tonight.

Anyway, so I'll say this, I mean, Biblical there's notes

Here, I promise you, but I'm praying for a lady that's been

coming to this church. Last few months to get saved,

but I know this that for the preaching, the hard preaching

that I do from the pulpit. During that time, there's one of

our church members at sitting, in the back with her every

Sunday morning. And talking to her.

You know what if that woman gets saved, guess who's getting

rewards for that? Oh, Pastor.

All right, yeah, no, probably not.

Someone that patiently and lovingly spent time with her,

were they? Well they were always talking

about the gospel know they're probably sometimes talking about

life. He says, why her little bit this

morning and poutine but but I don't like Jay that was my

fault. But this this is what I know is

that sometimes people don't care how much you know, until they

know how much you care. That you're not just another

Mark for them to hit with the gospel but you actually care

about them as a human being and they're willing to listen.

Don't you want to have a part in someone's life like that?

But that's what church is all about.

And that's where some plant, some water.

God gives the increase. There's a vacation bible school.

That some of you were part of were a family comes for the very

first time, then they start coming.

Now, they're in a junior Church in a Sunday school.

Now, a moms in a nursery and there needs to be help there and

all these things happen and guess.

It's what so many different people get to have a part, but

don't you want to do that? And if you do that, don't you

want to do more of it? And that's what a church is.

All about actively witness to acquaintances, pray for the

souls of friends and family, and neighbors that we pray for

opportunities to win people. To Christ.

I can't pray for God to save someone in the sense that God

saved them because God will not force someone to bend the knee

and salvation. I don't believe that.

I think there's a whole lot of theology about that, that I

disagree with very much so but I do know this.

God gave me an opportunity. Give someone an opportunity to

talk to them today, God, bring something into their life today

to make them more willing to listen to The Gospel.

So that the next time I do talk to them where they were opposed

to it a week ago, they'll want to listen today.

But those are things we got to pray about and those are things

we had to do, you know, who does that all the charges healthy

churches? We've had a lot of things over

the last few years, where you might wonder is this a healthy

Church. There are some things that

certainly have to be addressed and some things that have been

addressed and some things will discuss tonight.

But I do know this. These are the steps. that helped

us biblically to healthy Church to be a more Berean like church,

a church that's Noble, a church that receives the word, that

searches the word, therefore verse 12, many of them believed

They received they searched and therefore many of them believed,

that's the mark of a healthy Church.

Thank you for listening to the sermon from the pulpit of

Liberty Baptist Church. If this message was a blessing

to you or if there's any way we can serve you, please let us

know by contacting us at info, at my Liberty Baptist dot org.

Or you can visit us this Sunday at eight hundred Washington

Street and East and Massachusetts may the Lord bless

you as you grow in his word.