LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT OUR CHURCH

 Explaining the Story, Statements, Structure and Strategy Of New Wine Church 

“THIS IS WHERE YOU FIT”

By Pastor Tayo Adeyemi
New Wine Church, London

Sunday 18 September 2011

Foundation Scriptures: Matthew 16:18 & Habakkuk 2: 2-3

In the last two messages in this series, we have looked at our structure and examined New Wine’s five circles of commitment, which are the core, the committed, the congregation, the crowd and the community. We went on to identify commitment, the act of pledging, engaging, aligning or involving oneself, as the one factor that will help us move from our current circle to the next one. We learned that commitment first starts in the heart and ultimately manifests in action; a decision and then a corresponding action. Now today, we want to zero in on that picture and see if we can find you in it.

God has not called you to be a freelance believer or a lone ranger Christian.  Paul describes believers in Ephesians 2:19 (TLB) as ‘members of God’s own family’ and belonging ‘in God’s household.’ The heartbeat of God is relationship, fellowship and community. For this reason whilst when He created everything else, He said “Let there be”, when He created man He said “Let us.” And not long after that, He said “It is not good that man should be alone”.  We were created to be in community. Every believer needs a church family. You cannot be a footballer without being in a team; you cannot be a soldier without being in an army.  And you cannot be a truly obedient believer without being a member of a local church family.  Psalms 92:13 says ‘those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God’. If you are not planted therefore, you cannot flourish. The question therefore is ‘are you planted?’

In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit was not sent into the church until they were all with one accord in one place. This referred to more than just a physical location but also the ‘one place’ of fellowship, unity and harmony. In the New Testament, the word ‘church’ is used in two different contexts: First, the universal church referring to all believers of all generations, all over the world. The church is referred to in this context only four times in the New Testament. The other 92 times refer to the local church – a specific body of believers, gathered under one vision and meeting in a specific location.  To function effectively as a believer, you have to do more than be part of the universal church, but need to be part of a local church. Once you receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour, you are automatically a member of the universal church – it’s as simple as that. But to become a member of a local church, you have to make a choice and make a commitment.  The moment you were born physically, you became a member of the human race – it was automatic.  But you did not become a member of a family until someone made a choice to take you home and made a commitment to care for you and raise you.  A believer without a church family is an orphan.  So what is the difference between a Christian and a member of a local church? Two words: choice and commitment.  That is exactly how you became a Christian.  You become a Christian by making a choice to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour and by making a commitment to give your life to Him.  Likewise, you become a member of a local church by making a choice to be a member and by making a commitment to other members of the church. For those who have not yet taken this step, that is my first assignment today: I have come to call you to make that choice and make that commitment.

Let me give you four reasons why you need to be a member of a local church: (i) A Biblical Reason: Jesus wants you to be committed to His church, because He is committed to His church.  The church is the body of Christ and the bride of Christ. You cannot love Jesus and hate His church. (ii) A Cultural Reason:  Church membership is a prophetic statement against the spirit of the age. We live in a society plagued with the spirit of consumerism and selfishness. We look out for our own interests, demanding our rights and committing only to that which serves our own ends. So, if something no longer serves what we consider to be our best interests, we simply up and leave; and go find another alternative. In the process we have bred a selfish, entitled and uncommitted generation. Many of us treat church like a restaurant or a hotel. We expect exceptional service every time – after all, we’re paying for it. And the day we don’t get the kind of service we expect, we simply go find another restaurant . . . sorry, another church that meets our requirements. You see, church is not a hotel – it’s a home; it’s a family. In a hotel, you don’t have to make your bed or clean your room or do the dishes. You don’t have to lift a finger. There are people who are paid to do all that for you. But at home, it’s not so. Everybody does their share, except of course the babies.  Babies are the only people in a family who are allowed to take and not give back. Membership is an unselfish decision. It shows you’re committed. (iii) A Practical Reason: The membership process helps to know for sure, who is a member of the New Wine family and who is not. Imagine you asked someone “How many children do you have?” And they answered; “Hmm, I’m not sure really – maybe three, maybe eight . . . not really sure. You would think they were irresponsible, at best, and insane at worst. Membership helps us identify who is our family and who is not. Every nation has a census; every army has an enlistment; and every church should have a membership! (iv) A Personal Reason: Membership fosters accountability; and accountability is the breeding ground for spiritual growth. Another problem in society today, is that people don’t want to be accountable. We promote entitlement, but downplay responsibility. If you look closely, you will find that many people leave church for one of two reasons: It’s either they don’t want to be accountable or because they were denied something to which they felt they were entitled.

Now, becoming a member is not an end in itself; it is the means to an end. It’s not enough just to become a member; you need to know how to get the best out of church and be intentional about doing so. The starting point is to know what benefits are available to you as a member of New Wine Church. Let me highlight five of them:

(i) Spiritual Covering: As a member of this church, you enjoy a unique protection and covering. A house without a roof is exposed and vulnerable. Likewise, a sheep without a shepherd. In Matthew 9:36 (AMP) Jesus gives us a vivid picture of sheep who have no spiritual covering over their lives as being ‘bewildered harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless’. As a member of this church, there is a grace upon your life that protects you from evil. When people whimsically remove themselves from a local church, they have no idea that they are leaving more than a building. (ii) Pastoral Care: As a member of this church, you are entitled to pastoral care from this house. In the New Testament, the word for ‘pastor’ is the same word for ‘shepherd’ and Psalm 23 and John 10 provides a vivid picture of what a shepherd does, feeding, leading correcting, protecting, comforting and restoring the sheep. And that’s what pastoral care is all about. We feed you with God’s word, we give you godly counsel, we rebuke and correct you when you’re wrong, and we encourage you when you’re weary.  We fast for you; we pray for you, we fight spiritual battles for you that you’re not even aware of. We stand on the mountain and lift our hands, so you can win your battles. We’re there for you through the thick and thin of life. (iii) A Conducive Climate for Growth: Not everything grows everywhere. Potatoes don’t grow in Sudan; and pineapples don’t grow in Alaska. Everything needs a conducive climate or environment in which to grow. In this church the expectation for growth is all up in your face - you are expected to grow spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially, financially etc - growth is in our DNA. We are a greenhouse – we grow leaders and entrepreneurs and millionaires and world changers and difference makers and glory carriers! If you want to grow you’re in the right place! (iv) An Opportunity for Fellowship and Wholesome Relationships: When you become a member of this church, you become a member of a godly family - a family of God-loving, God-fearing, God-honouring, caring, loving and honest people - People of character, integrity, excellence, substance, calibre and faith. (v) Identity: When you become a member of New Wine Church, you have the right to say “I am a member of New Wine Church”. Until then, you don’t. You can say “I worship at New Wine; I go to New Wine; or I am part of the crowd at New Wine”. But until you have a membership certificate with your name on it, don’t call yourself a member.

Now, let’s flip the coin over. What are your obligations as a member of this church? What do we expect of you?  Let me quickly give you five obligations: (i) Make Yourself Available: Step up to the plate. Stand up and be counted. Be regular in attendance. Remember, there is strength in our numbers. There is a level of maturity you attain, where you come to church, not just for what you’re going to receive; but also to be a blessing to others. (ii) Make your Finances Available: You worship God, not just with your time and your temple, but also with your treasure. Jesus said where your treasure is; there your heart will be also. That means you have not really worshipped God with your heart if you haven’t worshipped Him with your treasure. Why is it important for you to give? To start with, giving is evidence that you have the nature of God your Father. Secondly, giving is God’s prescribed way of blessing you (See Proverbs 11:25) Thirdly, giving – especially tithing – teaches you to put God first in your life (See Deuteronomy 14:23).And finally, giving is a practical way of supporting the mission and vision of your church. You have been blessed by the ministry of this church, because others who came before you were generous and when you are generous too, you empower us to go forward and be a blessing to more people. (iii) Make Your Gifts Available: God has uniquely gifted you so you can use them to minister – first to Him – and then to other people; both Christians and non-Christians. When you make your gifts available, the body becomes stronger. (iv) Pray for Your Leaders and Support them in their Work: You are either a blessing or a burden; an asset or a liability; a problem solver or a problem; one who gathers or one who scatters. Your choice! (v) Promote and Maintain Unity: Always walk in love and refuse to participate in gossip – don’t give it; and don’t receive it.

Now, let me sum today’s message up with one scripture and one final question. In John 2: 17 it says ‘Then His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up." Now, what about you? Do you have a zeal for God’s house? Do you have a devotion for God’s house? Is it burning in you like a fire? If not, I challenge you to make that commitment today. This is where you fit