Three Things I Wish Every Church Member Knew

God called me to preach at age seventeen and made me a pastor at eighteen. I’ve seen a lot of churches and church members.

I love the church. I love its present work and its future glory, but there are three things I wish all church members knew. I hope you will think of these ideas and take them to heart.

1. You Are the Church. Somewhere in my teen years I saw a billboard or an advertisement that now seems rather cheesy. At the time, it made sense to me. It had to do with the letters U and R being in church.

You and I are the church. It is not someone else’s church, and it is not made up of “they” or “them.” It is you and I. We are the church and the church on earth will depend a great deal on who we are and what we do.

2. The Joy of Serving. God called the church to serve. Unfortunately, many church members don’t serve in any capacity.

I believe many church members miss the thrill of worship and church because they have forsaken the opportunity to serve. Church takes on a whole different meaning when you look at it from the place of servanthood.

If you are a servant, you don’t demand and you don’t expect. You don’t think about receiving when you are thinking of giving.

3. The Joy of Giving. Recently, a pastor of a very large church discovered that almost 70% of the attenders of his church did not give for the ministry of the church.

Can you imagine what that church could do if those people knew the joy of giving to God’s kingdom? What could your church accomplish if people knew the joy of giving?

In America, giving as a percent of income has gone down by appoximately a third since 1968. No wonder people have no loyalty to the local church. They are not vested in its ministry and work. They miss the joy of being involved in the kingdom of God and of being obedient to God’s commands.

Numbers 1,2 and 3 are very similar. If you don’t take ownership and responsibility, service and giving really don’t matter to you.

As I reflect, there are many other truths I wish church members knew.

What do you wish all church members knew? Please leave us a brief comment.

Please come back tomorrow to read “Three Things I Wish Every Church Member Did.”

This blog is published each day (except for Sunday). If you would like to receive my daily look at Scripture and life, please subscribe at the home page of waylonbailey.com. It’s free, easy to do, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

 

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13 Responses

  1. Living among you as an ox muzzled and being further put into bondage, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the message of God’s great provision preserved for His Children’s Children, a Living Witness to His Faithfulness. The quest to Worship by His People that Blessed future generations to create Light in the darkness of Satan’s domain.
    I have called each life: the living debate. The Apostle Paul writes, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone,” 2Corinthians 3:2. May the Spirit of the Living God prevail among us, “not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.” It is with thanksgiving I praise Him, Who is able to sustain Life and to have found spiritual sustenance with you. Being married, as it is written, my passion is tempered. My duty constrained. Yet in weakness, found is His Strength. As bubbles of Life rise and shine, so His Presence is becoming known.
    Thanksgiving & from which flow: Blessings

  2. I love my church. For me, I’ve learned that God changes your attitude about church through your service and prayer. Instead of talking about my church and what it’s not doing for me, proper prayer for my church and it’s leaders keeps my focus on what God wants me to do for my church. We are blessed to be a blessing!! I’m thankful and blessed to be a part of FBC-Cov!

  3. Thank you, Waylon. These points are important. I also wish all church members understood the importance of truly making people feel welcome. Unfamiliar faces are an opportunity to make new friends and to minister. If we worship in our “church home” let’s welcome others as if to our home.

    Worship is for God. It shouldn’t primarily focus on what makes people feel good. Worship styles will no doubt continue to change with the times, but our focus should be on worshiping God and what pleases him.

  4. Here are three things I wish every church member knew. My answers are in reflection of areas in which I have made and continue making discoveries concerning myself and my walk with Christ. #1- I wish all truly realized the depth of Gods love for them. He breathed life into man during creation. The animals were just created. That shows His love for us. #2- I wish all truly realized Gods sovereignty in their lives. People do things the way they do for a reason and not by happen-chance. #3- I wish all knew and felt God’s love in their lives and the amazement of realizing His plans for them and our existence. He loves us so much He knew He had to send His Son so we may have that personal connection with Him. Just look at how amazing that is. Thanks Pastor.

  5. I wish every church member knew Jesus has come for the sick (Mark 2:17), sin is a cancer eating us alive, and therefore the church is a hospital for the sick to come and seek the Great Physician’s healing. I wish every church member knew we all have this cancer, hurting people hurt people, and healing takes time and is often a bloody, messy, painful process that requires time, patience, grace, and help to take the hard pills of truth, repentance, and forgiveness over and over. I wish every church member knew there are no acceptable cancers (gossip) or cancers that the church hospital refuses to allow in for help (homosexuality) and that the weapons of judgement and pride have no place in a healing place. Finally I wish every church member knew the Great Physician does heal and make whole in His perfect time and there is hope in the waiting.

  6. I wish all church members new who God really is in all of His Glory compared to who we as church members are in all of our weakness.

  7. I wish all church members would take the time to learn of all the serving opportunities the church offers. If you feel you are not getting as much out of church as you should, consider serving. If you are a grandparent whose grandchildren do not live nearby, or whose grandchildren have outgrow your lap & shoulder, consider serving in the Pre-school Department. It is a wonderful way to get your “kid” fix. What a blessing it is to see the faces of the little ones each week & to watch them grow, not only physically but spiritually.

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