Thank you for joining me for installment number four of our “Who Needs the Church” devotional. As a means of a short review, last week I started this journey with; what people think about church going. Then, I said the local church should be better than any other support group. And yesterday, I defined both Church and church. Over the next several days, I want us to begin to think about and pray for the kinds of people who need a local church like Grace Evangelical Church. A study of the New Testament reveals that there are at least seven different ways of describing those who need the church. I will be introducing a new group each day. It is my prayer that you would see yourself in each of these or begin praying for someone you think might identify themselves as in a particular group. So, let’s consider the first people group: Broken People. Broken people are those who have come to the end of themselves. They know what it means to have been humbled, not only before God but also before man. The result is that they are willing to admit their personal needs, vulnerabilities, and faults that other less-broken people are still denying. Without such brokenness, a person would not likely realize they need the church. To see why such an awareness of need is so important, imagine yourself seated in a hospital emergency room filled with sick people, but none of whom know why they are there; they all are basically in denial. Imagine what would happen if after the doctor finally appeared and asked a few questions, each person was sent home but told they needed to make a contribution to the hospital expansion fund. Often this resembles what happens in some churches. We all have needs! If we could see as God sees, we would see ourselves and one another with crises far more serious than are usually treated in a hospital emergency room. If we could see as God does, we would see problems far more dangerous than those usually addressed in a typical support group. We would see people as having more than relational problems, emotional problems, eating disorders, or substance abuse. We would see the kind of personal spiritual crises described by the author of Hebrews. Scripture for today “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” Hebrews 3:12-15 Spiritually broken people realize the importance of their needs. They have been humbled to the point of seeing that the most important values in life are their faith, their love, and their hope in the Lord. They have come to realize that they were not made to walk with the Lord without the help of other Followers of Christ or their church family. Brokenness is the opposite of pride and self-sufficiency. Brokenness that shows our need and daily jeopardy is where we must begin and end each day. If I, as your pastor, and you, as the people of our church, don’t keep reminding one another of all that is at stake, our church services will seem a lot like that hospital emergency room full of people that were in denial. Prayer for today Thank you, Lord, for giving us the Church and our church. Help me to be more aware of my brokenness before You. Help me to admit my brokenness before the people of my church family. Help me to support and love the broken people You bring before me. Help us all be a church family who welcomes broken people and helps them recover. Help me begin by reaching out to others who are feeling isolated and alone, and be an encouragement to them. In Jesus’ name, amen Blessings, Pastor Tim
Who Needs the Church? Radio Bible Class, 1990
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