Healthy Members are Growing

Scripture: Various

Intro

My hope and prayer for 2025 is for First Baptist Church – Dunkirk to be a healthy, growing church. Is this a good thing? Well, the opposite of a healthy growing church would be a sick dying church and I think we can all agree that is not good.

When I say healthy growing church what comes to your mind? More people attending. People becoming disciples of Jesus Christ. Baptisms. New members. People serving. More growth groups. More outreach ministry to our community.

It is impossible for a church to be healthy and growing unless its members are healthy and growing. And that does not mean just a few people who are growing and serving. Our prayer is for all of the members of the body to be healthy and growing.

Growing to be Like Jesus

John 15:5-8

Stay connected to the vine. Jesus said, “Abide in Me.” You cannot grow without me, just like a branch will not keep growing when it is cut off from the tree. It no longer gets water and nutrients. It’s leaves dry up and fall off and it will never produce flowers or fruit.

John 15:9-14

Jesus goes on in these verses to explain that we abide in His love and the Father’s love when we keep his commandments. Jesus’ own example for us was that they kept the Father’s commandments, just as He expects us to keep His. We will experience God’s love and joy instead of his judgment and disapproval when we keep His word. The Bible is the Word of God. It teaches us who God is and what He expects us to do. Jesus’ life is fully on display in the Gospels so we can read and follow His example.

At FBC, you will hear expository preaching – that mean sermons that come from the Bible – not the news or self-help books. Our Sunday School classes and Growth Groups are also centered on the Bible because it is not some old dusty archaic book – it is living and active and powerful. It changes peoples’ lives.

2 Tim 3:15-16

What is the Bible good for? Why is it profitable? Why should we read it and follow it every day?

It teaches us. It reproves or tells us where we are wrong in our thinking or doing. It corrects us by telling us what is right, and it trains us in righteousness – being like Jesus. Then we will be growing to be more mature, complete in Christ and we will be equipped to serve.

Philippians 1:6

Our transformation of growing to be like Jesus ends only when we see Jesus face to face in heaven. Keep on growing!

What are you doing to grow to be more like Jesus? Devotional. Bible reading plan. Prayer. Scripture memory.

Ordinary Means of Grace

Many people look for these big break through moments in their spiritual walk. Often these are more emotional than they  are spiritual. We feel great at a Christian concert or when we make a big commitment at summer camp or a revival meeting. These moments can be encouraging but they are just not sustainable.

The ordinary means of grace are the day to day times when we hear and see God’s grace on display. We need to be reminded often of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ because that is the source of our salvation. We grow and change to be more like Jesus because His death and resurrection set us free from sin and our own spiritual death. Reading the Word individually will keep the Gospel fresh in your mind, but God also calls us to participate in the ordinances or commands to the local church. There are only two commanded by Jesus and they are part of what makes our Baptist faith distinct from most others. Do you know the two commands of Jesus? We celebrated one of them today.

Yes, communion. Jesus said, do this in remembrance of me. He also commanded His followers to go into all the world and preach the Gospel and baptize new believers.

Every time we celebrate communion, we remember what Jesus did on the cross. He died in our place. His blood paid the price for our sins. He was buried and then came back to life, offering forgiveness and salvation to all who believe. We need to be reminded that our salvation is entirely based on what Jesus did for us. It has nothing to do with us earning our way by good works, or giving to the poor.

Ephesians 2:8–9

We are also reminded of God’s grace when we celebrate the baptism of a believer. We hear their testimony of how they came to accept Jesus as their Savior and we are strengthened by their courage to share the Gospel with their family, friends, and other church members.

Baptism is also a visual reminder of God’s grace and new spiritual life we experience.

Romans 6:4

We believe that anyone who wants to become members of a local church should first be saved by God’s grace and then baptized as a testimony to proclaim their new life in Christ.

Have you been baptized since becoming a follower of Jesus? I was sprinkled when I was a baby, but that is not what the Bible teaches. Every instance of a person being baptized in the New Testament was following trusting Jesus as Savior. And then the person connected with a local church and became a member.

Participate in the Local Church

Speaking of the local church, the Bible makes it very clear that there are no lone ranger Christians. We are given the example in Acts 1 of the first church who listened to the apostles’ preaching and teaching, and fellow-shipped and ate together and prayed together.

We are commanded to gather together regularly.

Hebrews 10:24–25

Ephesians 4:11-14 tells us that God gives the local church pastors, shepherds and teachers to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry, to build up the body or church of Christ so that we are all growing in Christlikeness. We do this through unity in the faith and greater knowledge of who Jesus is and what He taught. This passage says the goal is spiritual maturity for all the church members. When we do this, we will be joined together and equipped to work and serve properly together that we all grow together in love.

How do you participate in the local church? Attend. Join in worship. Read Scripture. These are ways we are reminded weekly of God’s grace and the Gospel.

Join up with a growth group and get to really know, love, and care for others. Serve somewhere based on your spiritual gifts. Give your time and a portion of your income.

We just finished the year behind budget in giving. Thankfully we kept our spending down. We don’t expect guests to give. We don’t have fundraisers. If every one of our members gave consistently and regularly we would be able to do even more outreach and fix up more of our facilities. The Old Testament tithe of ten percent was the beginning level. In the New Testament Jesus said God loves a cheerful giver who recognizes all God has blessed him with and wants to give back. The Apostle Paul asked the local church members to give as they were able, meaning give some percentage of your income. Those who are blessed with more can give more, but even the widow with little gave what she could.

If you want to learn more about being baptized or becoming a member of First Baptist, please sign up for the Intro Class at the Welcome Center. We have a free book for you and a short two-hour class next Sunday including lunch!

Look to Jesus’ Coming

In the New Testament passages about Jesus’ return, most of the time there is also an exhortation or command to holiness and purity.

In Matthew 24 & 25 Jesus shared teaching about end times and several parables about His return and the warning to be watchful and ready with righteous living and making the best use of your time and abilities.

Titus 2:13–14 “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Verse 15 goes on to say declare or teach these things, tell people to live pure and holy lives, rebuke or correct believers who are continuing in sin. The church has the authority from Christ to encourage our members to become more like Jesus as we look forward to His return.

In 1 Thessalonians 4, Paul calls his fellow brothers in Christ to live lives that please God. His will is that we be sanctified or made holy – set apart to serve Him and live for Him. He goes on to say we need to love each other, live quietly, work to earn a living so that our outsiders will see our lives.

Our testimony is worthless, if we say we are followers of Jesus and our lives don’t look any different than the world of unbelievers around us. If we are really His disciples – we should look more and more like Jesus every day.

The next verses 13-20 talk about how Jesus will return with the sound of a trumpet and the church will be raptured or taken up to heaven to meet Jesus. Encourage each other with these words!

Take Aways

A healthy church is made of growing church members. People who are growing to be more like Jesus through holiness and spiritual maturity.

What steps do you need to take?

Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior?

Are you abiding in Him through prayer and time in the Bible?

Do you participate in communion to be reminded of God’s Grace?

Have you been baptized?

Are you a member of our church? How are you actively participating? Regularly worshipping, Serving, giving, etc.

Every day, we should say “Come quickly Lord Jesus.” That will change our focus from ourselves to becoming more like Him and sharing the Good News with others.

 

NOTE: Main Points from this Sermon came from Nine Marks book “What is a Healthy Church Member?” by Thabiti Anyabwile