Church Spirit

"For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. ¹² So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. ¹³ For this reason we have been comforted.
And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. ¹⁴ For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. ¹⁵ His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you."
II Corinthians 7:11-16

Good Morning Beloved,

Welcome to worship, we're so glad you're here.

I'm sure that we’ve all been in a church for the first time and before the service was halfway through, it was as though you could sense the love and warmth in the air. No one had to tell you, you were able to discerned it because you can’t hide the spirit that a church has. Churches have a spirit about them, whether good or bad.

In contrast, many of us have also experienced walking into a church and before you even got halfway through the service, you instinctively knew this was a cold, judgmental, and unfriendly place? No one had to tell you that either, you discerned it. Again, because you can’t hide the spirit that a church has.

Some churches are filled with the Holy Spirit, while others seem to posses a Jezebel spirit.

Resentment can rise in a church when it seems like others aren’t stepping up to do their part, so a few are often overworked. You can have resentment in a church when people are sitting on their hands because they don’t want to do their part. You can have resentment when people are heading for the exits because of contention in the church and those left feel overwhelmed. Some of you have gone to church when it felt like a burden rather than a joy, I'm sure.
 
Let's bow our heads in prayer.

Heavenly Father,

Father, we just thank You for the instruction we are about to receive in Your Word for us today. We thank You for those who are gathered with us, both near and around the world. We pray that Your Holy Spirit would speak to our hearts, clearly, profoundly and deeply, that we might be changed.

May we get a grasp on these truths, like never before, in terms of the restoration of broken relationships. Lord, we pray that You’ll cause us to apply these to our lives, and to the lives of those who are experiencing these very things.

Thank You for giving us standards, principles and measures that are tangible, that we can look to, in order to see if our repentance is true. Thank You for what You’re about to reveal us, such tremendous insight. Lord, we pray that You would restore all the broken relationships within this church, in these families, in these homes, among these people joining us today. May we enjoy the fullness of that rich relationship. Thank You for all You so freely give to us, though we are undeserving.
in Christ’s precious name
Amen.

Today's Message: Church Spirit

Open with me your Bibles to the seventh chapter in the book of II Corinthians. Today, we’re studying at a portion of Scripture, beginning at verse 11 and running through to verse 16, the end this chapter.

Allow me to read to you from this marvelous epistle to get it settled in minds. Follow along with me, as I read, II Corinthians 7:11-16. 

"For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. For this reason we have been comforted.
And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth. His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you." 

So, what does a "good spirit" in a church look like? Our text in this passage today, from the apostle Paul, is an interesting commentary on how they uplifted Titus when he was with them. It’s a portrait of what a good church family looks like. Allow me to pull out a few of the key phrases to see if we can get a clearer picture.
The first thing I want to say up front, is that the things that the Corinthian church was doing weren’t extraordinary. It doesn't require any special knowledge or ability. In fact, much of the church being what it should, is not complex, or complicated, its actually a matter of getting the simple things right!

What Should a Good Church Family Look Like?
Encouraging.

Notice verse 13, how encouraging seems to have an expansive effect. Paul and his companions are encouraged by the Corinthians’ actions, but they were also encouraged by how the Corinthians treated Titus. When people are lifting each other up, it creates an environment where it’s easy for more and more encouragement to happen.

Let me be clear, by encouraging, I don’t mean just being nice to each other. Shallow politeness isn’t enough. Encouraging each other requires that we actually speak positive words to each other. It requires that we actually invest ourselves in each other’s lives. It requires that we actually want to have an impact on those around us. It’s amazing how an encouraging environment fosters more encouragement. It’s also astonishing how quickly that can disappear when things start going awry.

What Should a Good Church Family Look Like?
Refreshing.

Notice that verse 13 also speaks of how Titus was "refreshed" by the Corinthians and how they treated him. We’ve all been around toxic people and when we’re around them, you feel like you want to go take a shower to scrub the negativity off. Those conversations and interactions leave you drained emotionally and physically because of the negativity.

In contrast, when you’re around people who have this refreshment about them, you leave uplifted and energized. Their words and actions toward you are like a stream flowing into your spirit.
I have sat in meetings, doing no physical activity and yet left feeling completely drained. I have also worked hard physically, yet finished energized. The people we are surrounded by can have that effect.

It’s disheartening, but many people see church as a draining experience. They leave emotionally spent from all the pettiness and negativity. Church is not meant to be that way! It should be an oasis, a place of refreshing in our week. It should be something that picks us up.

Now, that’s not to say that church is supposed to be a petty pep rally or that we aren’t to share the challenging aspects of the gospel. Or that there won't be times, we feel under conviction by the Scripture.  But it does mean that being surrounded by genuinely caring people who are also pursuing Christ will lift us up.

What Should a Good Church Family Look Like?
Bragging on each other.

In verse 14, Paul says, "For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame;"
Paul was boasting about the Corinthians. Even with all the difficulty that Paul had them and how imperfect they were, there was still something there that Paul was confident in. He was confident that they would treat Titus well.

Christian, are just people. We're human and humans are flawed. Therefore, if we're not careful, it’s so easy for church to be filled with gossip, members talking behind each other’s backs while smiling to their face. However, that’s not how it should be, though.

Instead, we should regularly brag on each other. As we see our brothers and sisters in Christ serving, giving of their time, using their talents, leading studies and singing in worship, serving in the children’s ministries and helping in the office, or community involvement projects, those are all reasons to brag on each other. We all have personal lives, that often take a lot of time, so when our brothers and sisters, take time away from that to serve the Lord, we need to recognize that.

I know many of you might be thinking, isn't that the same thing as encouraging? Not really. Its different. In encouraging, its more pushing those who are struggling or having difficulties not to give up or become discouraged; with bragging, its more of lifting up those who are working for the Kingdom. Its recognition for their efforts.

What Should a Good Church Family Look Like?
Not embarrassing.

I wish I could tell you that I have no experience with this, however, unfortunately, I do. Not only have I been "justifiably" embarrassed, I have also been embarrassed of my fellow Christians’ actions and words on many occasions throughout the years.

There is something to be said for a church family that is not embarrassing. You know they’re going to treat the visitor you bring to church with warmth and fellowship. You just know they’re going to actually pray for those they say that they will to. You know they’re not going to say one thing on Sunday and do the opposite on Monday. I wish that I were able say that this is a small issue, but it’s not. There are many Christians feel this way about their church. It shouldn't be this way.

What Should a Good Church Family Look Like?
Obedient.

Paul says in verse 15, "His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all..."

I have shared on many occasions, the importance of actually following the teaching of Christ. It’s no surprise that these Corinthians, Paul says, are a good church family. They were being obedient to the teaching of Christ. Now, we all know they weren’t perfectly following them, however, they apparently were serious about obedience, even if it was done imperfectly.

You can’t be the church family you should be without being filled with people who are obeying Christ. What we’re talking about today is not a shallow politeness, but an overflowing Christlikeness.

What Should a Good Church Family Look Like?
Dependable.

In verse 16, Paul says "I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you."

Paul concludes this chapter with a comment that calls to mind his comment about bragging on them. He says that he has complete confidence in them. That’s actually quite a statement.

I’m going to use the word dependable to summarize that. He knew he could count on them.
This might be something you don't think is a big deal, but, as a pastor, let me tell you it is. A pastor is the leader, often coordinating many volunteer projects, as such, you frequently get people who say "count me in," that they will help out, only to fail to show up and follow through. Because of that, you really learn to cherish those people that you can give a task to and then forget about it because you know that it will be taken care of. It’s such a great joy to have people like that.

In Closing...

The spirit of a church that we spoke of at the beginning of this message, is the collective combination of all the little interactions. You can’t have cold people and a warm church. You can’t have judgmental people and a welcoming church. And any attempt to fake it, will quickly be seen through by others.

This isn’t just an issue of what the pastor acts like, whether you have greeters who are eager with a smile or handshake. This is about every person in the church. This isn’t an issue of how we act on Sunday worship, it’s about how we act before, during and after church as well as during the week.

One thing I have learned throughout the years, is you can tell a lot about the health and spirit of a church by how long the people hang out, talking with others after church. If the place clears out in no time, you’ve likely got a issue.

If they remain in the pews, hang out in the hallway, chatting by the doorway, or in the parking lot long after the benediction has been said, you’ve got a real church family. Now, of course, that’s not something that can be forced. It just happens naturally because of the relationships that the people have with one another. They either want to be together or they don’t. It’s a sign of warm, loving fellowships or divisive factions. What you see, is an accumulation of all these little interactions.

The point I want to make, is that each of you bear a responsibility in the health and spirit of the church. You can’t expect a warm, loving church when you just sit there, arms folded, cold and closed off. You can’t expect a friendly church family when you only speak to those who speak to you. You can’t expect a family when you're not displaying fellowship and brotherly or sisterly love.

I'd like to leave you with something to think about:
If the spirit of the church, is a reflection of what you’ve shown others since you got out of your car, what kind of church would we be? 

I believe that church, should be the most loving, warmest, welcoming, friendliest place that someone enters all week. However, making that happen, is up to each and every one of us. May we all become more loveable people because of our respecting and receiving of one another in the fear and obedience of the Lord.

May it be so...

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen

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