How You
Can Help Your Church
Excerpts from a message preached by Dr.
Joe Alain at Carrollwood Baptist Church, Tampa, Florida on June 2, 2019.
The message I preached on June 2nd
during the occasion of our 25th Anniversary as Carrollwood Baptist
Church really spoke to me. God’s timing is always “spot on” and I believe this
was a timely message for us right now and every church as an example of how to
carry out God’s work.
Concern
Nehemiah inquired about the condition
of his people and his beloved city (Nehemiah Ch. 1). When he heard that
his people were “in great trouble and disgrace,” he became greatly burdened. When
Nehemiah hears about the condition of his people or the city of Jerusalem, he
doesn’t blame God or the people, he doesn’t conclude that God can’t turn the
situation around, he doesn’t throw up his arms in despair, and he doesn’t have
the attitude of, “Oh well, what can I do about it?” or “It’s not my job.”
Instead, Nehemiah takes his concern, his burden and goes before God in much
tears and in prayer (Neh. 1:5-11).
Prayer
And what a prayer it was! The first
thing Nehemiah did was praise God as the sovereign, awe-inspiring, and
faithful Lord that He is. Why praise God first? Praise to God lifts burdens and
gives us a renewed sense of hope regardless of what is weighing us down. Praise
does us good, it changes our attitudes and lifts our burdens. And praise will
prepare us for what’s next – confession of sin (1:6-7). Nehemiah
was born in Persia and lived long after the events that led to the exile, yet
he identified with the people of God and saw that he too was complicit in
Jerusalem’s current downtrodden condition. Confession is agreeing with God
about who we really are. Confession is “owning up” to our participation in
what’s wrong. When we confess our sins, God is faithful to cleanse us and renew
us.
The word to describe Israel’s sin (“corruption”)
has the idea of ruining something. A failure to follow God’s word always brings
corruption (ruin). Let me encourage you to not allow anything to ruin the good
work that God is doing in your life, your family, and the church. CBC is a
great church but we’re not a perfect church for none exists. However, let’s continue
to focus on the good and the godly, let’s build up the church by focusing on our
Lord and our mission of loving God and loving others (Mk. 12:30-31; Jn.
13:35; 1 Cor. 13:12).
After praise and confession, Nehemiah
was ready to petition God. As a result of his concern which has led him
to seek God, he will now become the answer to his own prayer – he will be
enlisted in the rebuilding, restoring, and renewing effort in Israel. The model
church member is concerned about the people and the work of God, they bring
their concerns first to God in much prayer, they then are ready to step up and
be counted in being a positive participant in the rebuilding effort.
Here Are Specific Ways that You Can Help Your Church
1. Pray for one another. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other
so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and
effective” (Jas.
5:16). Prayer allows us to see things from God’s perspective and it changes
our heart. It is impossible to remain angry or in conflict with people that you
are praying for.
2. Before you share your concerns, as
Nehemiah did, take them first to God in much prayer. Hurtful speech is always avoided
when we pray and listen before we speak (Jas. 1:19). Come to think of
it, I have never had to apologize for something I did not say.
3. Kindly don’t participate in
listening to or sharing gossip and negative speech. “Do not
let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen” (Eph. 4:29-32).
4. Remember, second and third hand
information is almost always incorrect. Always go the source and encourage
others to do the same.
Praying and thanking God for each of you
and the partnership that we have together in the Gospel! I am excited about the
great days ahead for CBC!
For God’s Glory!
Pastor Joe
“I thank my God every time I
remember you.” Philippians 1:3
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