by

I Luv My Church

by Perry Noble 8/1/2010

Based on Ezekiel 37

What I wasn’t doing was practicing my faith outside the church.

Is my spiritual condition bones that are very dry?

Valley of dry bones represents the condition of the church in the US today. The church has become impotent – has the equipment but can’t perform.

The early church (book of Acts)

  • prayed for boldness
  • was generous
  • changed the culture

17% of Americans attend church weekly. Little league sports, shopping and other activities have become more important than church.

Reasons why church is on decline:

  1. Misunderstanding
    • Believe church is full of hypocrites
      • YES, it is, we all fall short — there’s room for more
    • Can be a Christian and not go to church —
      • To have a dynamic relationship with Christ I have to be in community with other believers
    • Search for ‘perfect church”
      • Every church has problems
      • Detrimental spiritually when I begin to criticize church
      • Matt 16:18 – Church belongs to Christ
      • Eph 1:22 – Christ is the head of the church
      • Eph 3:10 — thru the church
      • Eph 3:20-21 — glory in the church
      • Col 1:18 — Christ is the head of the church
      • If church is so unimportant then why does the Bible talk about it so much and why did Jesus die for it?
      • Church not given to us so we would have a Sunday option, but so I would have a Sunday opportunity to get together and worship the living God – so others want to have what I have
  2. Laziness
    • Spiritually lazy by not belonging to local church
    • God did not call me to attend, he called me to make a difference with my involvement in a local church
    • I’m an owner of my church — members have rights but as an owner I have responsibility
  3. Obsession with Image
    • We’ve raised a bunch of rule followers that love rules but not Jesus
    • Many are de-churched (including me) — walked away from church and came back
    • We’ve told people to follow rules instead of following Jesus
    • If we want our youth to drop out of church someday — force them to go to church when you wish you didn’t have to go
    • Isa 29:13 – It’s not about the eternal, it’s about the internal – our hearts

People

  • Church is for all people – I should accept them no matter what
  • Ezekial – preach to the dry bones (I represent the dry bones) –
  • A Supernatural Act of God happens whenever someone preaches Word of God making people alive in Christ
  • Church is supposed to be excited about Christ
  • When a football game is loud it means something exciting is happening on the field. When a church is loud, it means something exciting is happening for God
  • People matter to God — every # represents a person — church needs to grow
  • Why get mad at large churches when people matter to God when you don’t get over a large bank account because money matters to you?
  • I often have things of man in mind more than things of God

Potential

  • of where church can go
  • of where I can go when I have the Holy Spirit inside of me
  • Potential is unlimited in Christ
  • God did not call us to be spectators — he called us to be participants
  • Army gets on field and is willing to give life — what am I willing to give for my church?
  • Nothing church can’t accomplish if just step outside walls and be the church
  • Nothing has power to see people cross over from death to life like the local church – IT MATTERS

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