Roger Clark brought the message.
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Rev 3:1 And unto the angel of the church in Sardis
write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven
stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
There are a lot of dead churches; they need an autopsy to be
done. Jesus told the church at Sardis
that it was dead. The people did not endure.
They did not keep up the fight. They did not keep the church alive. Here are a few ways to keep a church alive.
1) Have
a burden for souls. We need a burning passion for the lost. A verse of
scripture says “no man cared for my soul.” We must take interest, work and
labor. Psalm 165:5 says that those who sow in tears will reap with joy. We
cannot qualify for the joy if there has been no tear. So many never lose sleep,
shed a tear, or present to Lord to anyone. There will be no tears in heaven,
but we do need some tears here. Let’s not leave it up to anyone else.
2) Have
a hunger for God’s word. Claim the promises. Read and study. It is a living
book. We love it and it loves us back. It needs to be in our church, our home
and our heart. The world needs the word, for it has the power to touch hearts.
Psalm 1:2 says to delight in it and meditate day and night. It is accurate, up
to date and the infallible word of God. It is recorded in heaven.
3) Warm
fellowship will keep a church alive. Hebrews 10 tells us to go to church. Not
going keeps us away from that fellowship. Some prefer the fellowship of the
world and worldly people. The Psalmist says we are not to sit in the seat of
the scornful or stand in the way of sinners.
4) Give
liberty to the Holy Spirit. Give Him some elbow room. Don’t be cold and
indifferent. Don’t bind up the Spirit. We can still be “undignified” and
fundamental.
5) The
joy of the Lord will keep a church alive. Even if we don’t have much in this
world, we can still have joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
6) Serving
the Lord will keep a church alive. Matthew 25:21 shows the greatest compliment
the Lord can give—“well done thou good and faithful servant.”
Keep the church alive. We have the power to do it!
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 