Being the Church @ Church

Preached by Ps Jude Blayney

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Hebrews 10:19-25 "Forsake not yourself from the gathering together."

John 13:34-35 'By this shall all men know that you are my disciples.'

So how do we be the church @ church gatherings?

1. Love the House

Practically

i. Turning up on time. - We all know that stuff happens, but maybe we need to re-think our day if stuff continually happens. - Would you turn up late for a meeting with the king?
ii. Being generous with your talents, treasure and time - Generosity is based on attitude and action not amount.
iii. Speaking well about the house - Boasting about what happens there.

2. Love the people

Say hello to new people

i. Sometimes this means literally seeking them out before you speak to others you already know.
ii. Spend time with people at the service and during the week - 1 Timothy 5:1-2

Invite people to events

Listen

i. Listening is a forgotten art of communication.

Connecting people to others

i. Jesus, when he was on the cross still was connecting people to people. John 19:28-30

"Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older sisters as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity."

Here is a valuable key for all Christians in their walk and relationships to others. It is actually quite easy to relate to people when things are going well in their lives and in yours. People naturally want to hang out with others and just enjoy life. The problems surface when the relation comes under attack because of offences, conflicts of interest or personal challenges.

The biggest area is offences and conflicts of interest. I believe the apostle Paul highlights here a strategy for maintaining good relationships within the church and within your life. He has given us a simple, yet very effective means of walking through sticky relational problems. Its just whether we know it and are willing to walk it out, sometimes even disregarding our own personal insecurities.

Exhortation Greek word parakaleo. It simply means to call near. Almost like an invitation or the invoking of something through exhortation, consolation or imploration. Its an appeal to the heart of the matter.

Older men, appeal to them as fathers.

Younger men as brothers.

Older women as mothers.

Younger women as sisters.

You might say things like 'As brothers we can work this out'. "As my father, I believe you have spoken truly".
If you feel that something they are doing is not correct then appeal to them by asking a simple question. "Would a brother do that to a brother?" "Would a mother do that to a daughter?" This way can open up the heart of the matter without directly challenging the action. Sometimes I wish I had this revelation years ago. Getting this week and looking back over my life I can see times when this way helped.

3. Love the worship

Being active in the worship and the word.
Taking notes
Bringing your bible to church gathered
Listening to worship during the week so you learn the words.

Being the church is actually quite easy. It just takes a decision of the will to say this is what we do, this is who we are, this is what we believe. People love hanging around people who have a purpose, a cause to live for to die for to dream about. Being the church is real. Its easy.