Why You Need the Church & the Church Needs You: Loving His People

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. To find out how to know God personally, go to knowgod.org. K-N-O-W, knowgod.org.

Hey, would you do me a favor? Share this message with someone who needs to hear it. You need the Church, and the Church needs you. Have you unplugged from Church?

Pastor Greg Laurie says don't unplug from your source of encouragement and support. You know, some will say, well, I love Jesus. I just don't love Christians. Listen, how can you love God who you can't see when you can't love His people who you can't see?

No, if you love Jesus, you will love His people. You need to be in the Church. This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.

Oh, can you hear when the angels are singing? This is the day, the day when life begins. A sign outside a church said, Does your life stink? Then we have a pew for you.

But it's a valuable point. If life has fallen apart, why not plug in to the support system designed by Jesus Himself? Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how important it is to be a part of an alive, supportive group of believers. And if we don't really feel like being apart, we'll see that's a warning sign that we need to be a part of the Church.

Good insight coming your way. This is the day, the day when life begins. Ok. Quick poll. How many of you are Christians? Raise your hand if you are a Christian.

Ok. It looks like most of you. How many of you now are growing Christians? You are a growing Christian. I hope all of you still raise your hand because if you are not growing as a Christian, if you are not advancing in your faith, that will begin the process of you going backwards.

Because the Christian life is one of advancing or retreating. It's a life of getting stronger or getting weaker. I read a story in the paper a while back about a trainer. A person who helps other people get into shape. And this guy was super buff and you know amazing physique and all that. So he worked with a lot of clients that were very overweight. And it was hard for him to relate to excessively overweight people because this guy didn't have an ounce of fat on him.

So he decided as an experiment he was going to go and gain 70 pounds to see what it was like to be an overweight person. So he went on this crazy diet. He intentionally ate only fattening food.

He stopped exercising altogether. So he was eating corn dogs and donuts. And for breakfast he had Captain Crunch cereal. For snacks he had banana bread.

For dinner chicken alfredo pasta and so forth. And he said at first it was exhilarating to eat this way. He loved it.

And there was no discernible difference. His physique remained even though he wasn't exercising. Even though he was eating the wrong foods. But then reality kicked in. He said the first thing to go were his abs.

Then the rest. Soon he was craving the bad food and he was wondering if he could ever get that weight off. His blood pressure went up. He was tired all the time. He grew lethargic and depressed. And I think he eventually did lose that weight.

I am not sure. But to me this is a perfect picture of the slow but certain process of backsliding. You know you don't backslide overnight. You don't call up your Christian friend and say, Hey dude want to backslide tomorrow night? You know.

There might be some idiot that has done that but generally it doesn't happen. It is a process. It is a slow but sure process where I stop doing that which will help me and I start doing that which will hurt me.

Just like this trainer did. And then you start finding that this world is becoming more appealing to you. And the things of God are becoming less appealing to you. So you have to ask yourself the question, Am I going to be a growing Christian or am I going to go backward?

If you go backward I am going to tell you what is going to happen. Proverbs 14 says, The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways. And a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways. So whatever path you choose you will be filled with that fruit.

Right? The Bible says, Be not deceived. God does not mock whatsoever a man sows. That shall he reap. If you sow to the flesh you will reap corruption.

And if you sow to the Spirit you will reap life everlasting. So this series is how we can be growing Christians. It is called, What Every Growing Christian Needs to Know. Let's review what we have already seen together.

Number one. If you want to be a growing Christian, a successful believer, you must read, study, and love the Word of God. Let me repeat that again. You must read, study, and love the Word of God. Joshua 1 says, This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth. You shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do all that is written in it. Then you will have good success. Listen to this. A Bible that is falling apart is an indication of a life that isn't.

Number two. We discovered that if you want to be a successful and growing Christian you must have a prayer life. The Bible says that we are to pray without ceasing. For this is God's will in Christ concerning us. Principle number three.

This is what we are going to focus on in this message. To be a successful and growing Christian you need to be actively involved in the church. If you want to be a growing Christian you have to be actively involved in the church. Some say, Well I don't need church to get close to God. You know I feel close to God when I am golfing. Or when I am surfing.

Or when I am hiking. And I will read a couple of verses and I will say a little prayer. And that is my church. I believe in the cathedral of nature.

You know and I don't need to go into some building with people in an organized kind of a way. But actually you are really missing the point here. Now I encourage you when you are out golfing or hiking or surfing to pray. You that are surfing especially pray if a great white is approaching.

I did hear about a guy who was out surfing and a great white was approaching closing in for the kill. So this guy couldn't get to shore. He knew he was dead. So he prayed as any clear thinking person would. He said, Oh God help me.

God save me. At least I pray Lord that it is a Christian shark. Are there Christian sharks? Meanwhile the shark is closing in and he is getting ready to bite this guy. And the shark says, Lord for this meal that I am about to receive I give you things. That is a true story.

Not really. So pray when you are out and about. But don't miss this point. You need to be in the church. And when I say the church I don't mean a building per se. But you need to be in a regular place where God's people are gathering together for worship, teaching, and all the other wonderful things that the church does. You need the church. And the church needs you. And the Bible actually commands us to be a part of the church.

To be a functioning part of the church. Hebrews 10 24 says, Let's consider one another in order to stir up love and good works. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some. But rather exhorting one another and so much more as the day of the Lord is approaching.

A more modern translation puts that verse this way. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out. Not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on especially as we see the big day approaching. You know some will say, well I love Jesus. I just don't love Christians.

Listen. How can you love God who you can't see when you can't love His people who you can see? Now if you love Jesus you will love His people. In fact we are told in 1 John 3 14, We know that we pass from death to life because we love our brothers.

And anyone who does not remains in death. So God gives us a love for the people that are part of the church. And frankly not going to church is proof something is wrong with you spiritually. Because 1 John 2 19 says, These people left our churches because they never really belonged with us. Otherwise they would have stayed with us when they left us.

They proved they don't belong with us. You see. So when you leave and never come back then that just shows there is something wrong with you in your spiritual life. The closer you are to God the closer you will want to be with His people. The further you are from God the further you will want to distance yourself from His people.

So here is kind of a way to measure your life up right now. What do you look forward to more? Being at church with fellow brothers and sisters or hanging out with a bunch of nonbelievers. You know if you find yourself uncomfortable with the Christians then maybe there is something wrong with you spiritually. You see so every Christian should be a part of the church. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We are thrilled when we hear from listeners who join us from every background, every profession, every age.

Dear Greg Laurie, I am 10 years old and I have been a Christian since I was age 3 or 4. My family started listening to you as COVID hit last year. I really like your services and hope that when Jesus comes back that I can take my favorite cats with me.

I watched a rush of hope and loved it. I also love seeing your Bradley Brown and watch your own Harvest at Home. I hope you will preach on Matthew 4 1 through 11 as it's my favorite story.

Love you lots. It's great to know that the Ministry of Harvest is impacting the life of this 10 year old. Why not call us and tell us your story. Just call 866-871-1144.

That's 866-871-1144. Well today Pastor Greg is pointing out how important it is for believers to be a part of a local body of believers. It's a message called Why You Need the Church and the Church Needs You. Church is not a movie theater. Church is a family. Church is a gathering of the people of God. And sometimes people will sort of have a consumer mentality when it comes to church. Well you know I really like the children's program over here. But I really love the worship at this other church. The teaching in this one is good. The worship is kind of weak. But I really love the facilities over here. And so we sort of pick and choose our churches according to our tastes or our likes or our dislikes.

Here is a little news flash for you. The church is not all about you. And when we figure that out church is going to be a whole lot better for us. When we stop walking in and saying, What are you going to do for me? How are you going to serve me?

There is a place for that. And we are here to serve you. But you will know that you are entering into a state of spiritual maturity when you come in saying, I don't want to be the person who is served. I want to be the person who serves.

I want to be one of the people who helps us. And when you go to church. Come to church I should say. And when you pull into our parking lot especially in this hot weather we have been having.

You see someone standing out there in the blazing sun. That is not their job. They are a volunteer.

They are doing that because they have chosen to do that. And then when you see people come forward and make a commitment to Christ and you see those counselors waiting for them. These are just folks from our church who have volunteered their time. These are people that have simply discovered the joy of serving. And I want you all to discover that. I want you all to discover that.

And here is why. Because it will make your whole church experience so much richer and deeper. Why does the church exist? The church exists for three reasons. The glorification of God. The edification of the saints.

And the evangelization of the world. Again the church is here for the glorification of God. We are here to bring honor and glory to the Lord as a church and as individuals. For the edification of the saints we are here to build up one another. Encourage one another. And then finally we are here for the evangelization of the world.

Here is a simpler way to remember it. Upward. Inward.

Outward. See so we want to be a part of that. You need the church and the church needs you. The church is an oasis of hope and a desert of hopelessness.

I will tell you when the Lord called our son Christopher home to heaven seven years ago. It happened on a Thursday. And to say we were devastated is the understatement of the century. I mean how do you process something like this?

You never prepare for it mentally or in any other way. And as we went through that horrible process of the initial shock and the rest. You know the weekend came and it was Sunday. And so we thought well what are we going to do?

What else are we going to do? We are going to church. I asked a friend to speak for me that day. And there wasn't any place I wanted to be but church. People said to us oh you are so strong in your faith to be at church. We were so surprised to see you at church this Sunday after your son died. So strong.

What are you talking about? I was there because I was so weak. Because I need the church. I need the Word of God. I need to worship the Lord.

I am not someone that is above that just because I preach or teach. On that day I was a grieving father missing his son. And I needed a biblical perspective. And I needed to bring honor to the Lord.

So we all need it. I mean think about the role the church has probably played in your life over the years. When a loved one died. Perhaps a grandparent. A spouse.

Even a child. Where did you turn? You probably turned to the church. The hospital tried to do what they could do but pretty much they want their bed free and make sure you pay your bills.

The funeral home will offer their condolences and of course give you the bill for their services as well. But where did you find help? You probably found it at church. When your spouse walked out on you.

Blindsided you. You didn't know what to do. Where did you find help? Probably at the church with your Christian friends.

What about when you were having problems with your kids? Where did you seek help? Probably down at the church.

And you probably thank God for that youth pastor that took an interest in your child. Hey remember when you desperately needed direction in life? Where did you find it? Perhaps sitting in church hearing a message and God just started to speak directly to you. Where did you find your mate? I think there is a good chance you found them at church.

And if you didn't this is the best place to look. That is why I always say how many of you are single and I will do it again because I love to embarrass single people. It is really one of my joys in life. I like to try to be matchmaker. My wife tells me to stop it.

But you know I have been successful two times. And these people have been married for like over 25 years. So I love to put single people in awkward situations.

I did this recently. I saw two single people and they were just talking. They didn't really know each other. And I said, you guys have met right? I said, you should take her out on a date and I will pay for it.

Now they are under pressure. It usually doesn't work. But look here is my point. What better place to meet that girl, that guy than in the church. You know I met my wife at church and I actually saw her for the first time when I was preaching. Now don't get the wrong idea. I am not scoping chicks while I am preaching.

Certainly not now. But even then I wasn't. But I did notice her.

She had a little halo over her head. She was there with her two sisters and so we went out for coffee afterwards. And then we went out for coffee again.

You know going out after church and get dessert whatever. And then after a couple of times I said, let's go out again. And she said, let me get my sisters. I said, don't so much want the sisters.

Then she started getting the idea that I was interested in her. This is the place to do it. Pastor Greg Laurie with some great insights on the church and how we all need to be a part of a local body of believers for so many reasons. And he has more to come as this message continues here on The New Beginning.

And a final comment before we go for today. But if you weren't able to hear all of today's insight from Pastor Greg you can catch what you missed online at harvest.org. Just look for the message titled, Why You Need the Church and the Church Needs You. Or call us for a copy on CD at 1-800-821-3300.

You can take your call anytime, again at 1-800-821-3300. Well what a privilege to have sports hero Darrell Strawberry with us today. He's known to baseball fans and even non-baseball fans the world over. And we're making available his brand new book called, Turn Your Season Around. You know Darrell, so many are working overtime to make lots of money or to make a name for themselves.

They love to be rich and famous. Well you've been both. Is it worth it? Is it worth all the pain?

No it's not worth all the pain. Because at the end of the day it really all is meaningless under the sun. When you go to King Solomon in the book Ecclesiastes and he talks about how it's meaningless under the sun without God. You know, I had all this, I built all this and he writes the book of Proverbs and then he goes back and writes this book. And it sounds like he feels sorry that he didn't stay on God's plan. You know, when you get off of God's plan you find yourself in a certain place. And I think when I was reading that about King Solomon and I read the first three chapters of Ecclesiastes, he said I 46 times, the Holy Spirit made me circle I.

How many times did he say I? He said I and the Holy Spirit said he said I because he was talking about himself. And had he kept his eyes on God he wouldn't have never fallen off the cliff of lifestyle that he ended up doing. And that happens to so many of us if we just realize that having stuff it doesn't mean anything. At the end of the day it's important that we keep our eyes on the cross where he shed his blood, you know, for sinners like us that we may have life and have it more abundantly. And abundant life I think most people think is stuff and it's really not. It's peace, joy, wisdom, knowledge, power.

It's far greater than any stuff that I ever achieved. What I have now from God that's down inside of me, it replaced everything that I was searching for, you know, because I searched for it all. A bigger house, a bigger car, a car is a car, a house is a house.

And it's all going to do the same thing. You're going to live in the house, you're going to drive the car, the car is going to break down, the house is going to get old. Everybody goes through that.

You know, everyone goes through that and just at the end of the day who are you and who is really important in your life? And I think the most important thing that I ever received was Christ in my life and being a living example of what Christ is all about. When you think about it, when Jesus didn't live in a mansion, he didn't ride in the Cadillac Escalade and say, and I got this big mansion sitting over here, you know, he met us right where we at. So, you know, that's the way God calls us to be, you know, not consumed with all these earthy material things because heaven and earth going to pass away, but not my word. All that stuff is going to pass away, but the word of God is never going to pass away. It's always going to be here. You know, a lot of people could say what Darrell Strawberry just said, but Darrell Strawberry has been there, done that, bought the t-shirt.

Actually, he's been the t-shirt. And the point is this is a man who speaks from experience. And I, you know, you quoted Solomon. And Solomon was at that moment the wealthiest man who had ever lived and he pretty much chased after everything his culture had to offer at that time.

He built incredibly huge mansions and had beautiful gardens and had people come and do performances of music for him and chased after sexual pleasure and drink and all the rest of it. And he said, one day I just looked at all of those things and I realized it was all emptiness and it was like chasing the wind. So Darrell Strawberry has written about this and a whole lot more with a lot of words of encouragement to help you get through this season of life you may be in. You know, we're in a tough season collectively as a nation and even globally with this pandemic. And we need encouragement. And I have words of encouragement for you written by our friend Darrell Strawberry in his new book called Turn Your Season Around How God Transforms Your Life. And it'd be our joy to send this to you for your gift of any size to Harvest Ministries to help us continue to teach God's Word, which is so needed, don't you think?

And also to proclaim the Gospel. Yeah, it's such an important time to share that good news. And we want to send Darrell's book your way to thank you for your donation, really an investment to help us as we touch lives each day with this radio program. So will you contact us today?

And when you include a donation, be sure to ask for Turn Your Season Around. You can write a new beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24-hour phone number, 1-800-821-3300.

Or go online to harvest.org. Well, next time, more insights about how the church is such an important part of our lives. But before we go, Pastor Greg has one final comment from today's study. It's been said people go to church three times in their life. When they're hatched, when they're matched, and when they're dispatched. The first time they throw water, the second time they throw rice, the third time they throw dirt. That's sad.

Because you know what? Let the church be a part of your life. There's even some physical benefits I have to tell you. I read an interesting article a while back from Time Magazine. The title was Benefits of Faith and the Church.

And some of their observations included the following. Heart surgery patients who draw comfort from their religious faith have a significantly higher survival rate than those that do not. They also noted that blood pressure of people who attend church is much lower than those who don't. Isn't that interesting? Thirdly, people with faith who attend church on a regular basis experience less depression than non-church attenders.

How about this one? Suicide is four times higher among non-church goers than church goers. So be a part of the church. It's good for your health, both physically and spiritually.