How to Go to Church - II

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God. If you would like to know how you can become a harvest partner, just go to harvest.org that's harvest.org when you come together with God's people, something wonderful, because were told in Psalms 22 three. He inhabits the praises of his. And when you were doing what God created you to do worship plays a key role in God's plan for believers today.

Pastor Greg Laurie says we need to fully from Genesis to Revelation. Our faith is one of worship in heaven were going to sing subject practice connection can visit a church nearly anywhere on the planet bring alive service right on your home computer right on your smart device is better to bring ourselves to the service and bring the service on the work phone today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie helps to seek God's plan for the church she worship is an integral part of encouraging and training the body of Christ, helping us find the whole accountability we need search for every Christian and every Christian should be in church.

Some say why, Greg, and organized religion.

Okay, okay, what are you into the disorganized chaos with organized religion is a false dichotomy. I noted organized religion will what you mean by that. There has to be structure in order. God is a God of order establishes the church he establishes absolutely loved by you establishes leadership affect the Bible even says let everything be done decently and in order so this M.Ed. and organized religion. I don't think of this is organized religion. This is a place we can encounter God as his people and we follow a clear biblical template that all identifier for you in just a moment, but that's why I can commune with God when I'm surfing or golfing or hiking or doing whatever I just did all this talk to God.

There was hope you will. You should… Everywhere you go. And that's a good thing to do but don't do that in the place of the church listen, you need the church and the church needs you as a God says.

Hebrews 1024 let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, is the manner of some is so this is in a 21st-century problem only. It was even happening in the first century, but rather we should be exhorting one another, and so much more.

As we see the day approaching what day the day of the Lord. In other words, because Christ is coming back.

We should be gathering together as his people more modern translation puts it this way. Let's see how inventive we can be an encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worship together, as some do, but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big day approaching. But some people treat church like it's a movie theater and know they have the new trend in theaters is you get these reclining seats ribbon.

One of those burning eyes actually promise I get to know seats I fall asleep. So, becomes a very expensive nap. Actually, my wife and I go to a movie which is not all that often, but when we do go, you know, we like to get popcorn and milk… I think right sweet and savory and I honestly admit you I smuggle water into the theater. I just bring what I don't hide it like you, but I you know it's in my back pocket in so we walked in and I with my smuggled water in and so you know maybe were like nosy Kathy were getting in the theater that the movie started so safe I have to get popcorn milk that does a look at the line because I have to get it. Sorry, Paris, and so I'm I'm in the seat and here goes a trailers and trailers are done. Here's the movie it's starting needs. Here's the title here's the music they're establishing the holes you know foundation of the story. Now the movie Kathy finally shows up and then she sits down and she's like looking at the popcorn. In fact, I might stop looking at the popcorn look at the screen gives you an athlete.

Five minutes later who she God this for three this stuff am I the only one here on the screen. Kathy, I paid money for this thing you're looking at.

And you know so we can be that way would church we get there late will you know it's will miss the warm up his own to think worship is the warm-up act. These folks these very gifted and skilled musicians are here leaving us in prayer.

Set the song.

These people are helping us to glorify God. That's one of the reasons the church exists there worship leaders that probably don't call them rockstar. They are rock stars know the rock bars because funds says that to me every time I see him. So John rockstar yeah whatever know you know I'm jumping. He doesn't say that he says I'm the greatest rockstar is just going to say that but these folks are arguably the source of why would you be late for that message starts. We need to engage. We need to connect.

We need to participate not merely as a spectator, but as a participator you know and I'll take it a step further, not only should you be a part of the church should be a part of the local church now turn to acts chapter 2 and the reason I want to look at this is that this is the first century church member. Jesus started the church, and so this is very close to what he wanted and will get to see a lot of important principles. In fact, these are sort of foundational scriptures for our church that we of function by ever since our beginning while over 40 years ago. Here's what the early church did asked to verse 42 and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and prayers then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done to the apostles. Now all who believed were together and had all things in common and they sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, is everyone at knee so continuing daily. Notice the word daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they eat their bread with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being say stop there.

So this is the church that turned its world upside down. No social media. Thomas did not tweet. Peter did not have a Facebook page called and have a TV show that he wasn't on the radio know they did this all word of mouth. They change their world. How did they do it. I've summed it up in a simple acronym WELL well well W they were worshiping church E they were an evangelistic church. L.

Number one, they were a learning church. L. Number two. They were a loving church well worshiping evangelizing learning and loving you want to be a well Christian Bill worshiping Christian PIN evangelizing Christian be a learning curve can be a loving Christian you want to be healthy in the church do the same thing. Here's the thing. Let's start with point number one they were worshiping church. Verse 47 praising God and having favor with all the people of the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved. Listen to this when you come together with God's people, something wonderful happened because were told in Psalm 22, three, he inhabits the praises of his people know that God is omnipresent, which means he's present everywhere at the same time, but he manifest his presence herein feels himself and a special and unique way will be gathered together for worship and Bible study. Make no mistake about that. So when you unplug from that you're missing out on a significant thing that God wants to do in your life and when you worship God, you're doing what God created you to do, from Genesis to Revelation.

Our faith is one of worship and in heaven were going to sing. Revelation 15 says this is a glimpse into heaven. It says I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and send it beside the sea were those who had been victorious over that Antichrist and they held harps and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb, singing great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty just and true are your ways, King of the ages you worship will going to be doing it in heaven. So get in practice the great glory of the second half of this message in just a moment. We love hearing from our listeners, whether it's a short word were telling us what's going on. We read every word dear Pastor Greg appreciate how you make your sermon so realistic and applicable. I believe that's how the Lord uses you to reach the hurting in the last without a doubt, they can relate to your situation, your hard life is sometimes people need to hear.

Keep preaching and reaching such a blessing to hear from listeners who take time to express their appreciation would you share your story. If so, leave us a message at 1-866-871-1144. That's a special number 1-866-871-1144 today. Pastor Greg is bringing a message called how to go to church. We learning the importance of worship. Pastor Greg pointed out that something will be doing in heaven. Let's continue now. But sometimes it so I don't feel like worshiping today. You know I'm not in the mood to worship today we here's a biblical response. Hebrews 1315 by him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lives, giving thanks to his name to think sacrifice of praise fruit of your lips. Number one. Sometimes praise as a sacrifice I don't feel like worshiping Lord I'm going to the mood. Who cares if you're in the mood, God still worthy of your praises me to give him the sacrifice of praise number two, the fruit of your lips does that mean verbalize what I like to believe express myself, you know, with the motion, you know, I will scream like a maniac during the Super Bowl game but in sure I just like to stand there and do nothing. That's my form of worship.

Is it God says over this are good bites of praise and urges you to lift your hands and urges you to lift your voice you should verbalize it. You know you could say it's true of marriage you love your wife on the last time you told her what I told her on the day I narrator like change my mind.

I'll let her know you really that stupid. Yes I think she'd appreciate it if you visit honey, I love your beautiful day know why she did the same with a husband.

I appreciate you. Thank you for all that you do verbalize it. The Lord wants to hear you verbalize your praise quotas and God know I love and yes what he says he wants to hear you proclaim it. So the Bible tells us also give thanks in the Lord for he is good and his mercy endures forever doesn't say give thanks to the Lord. When you feel good listener. This did you know that your worship is a witness your worship as a witness. Look at verse 47 they were praising God and having favor with all the people in the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved. There is a definite connection there.

When nonbelievers see believers give praise to God when things are hard. It's a powerful testimony you're being watched everywhere you go you will know your Christian. And so the locality of the Christian treats his wife Alexi would kinda like the single Christian lives here. Oh let's see how hard the Christian works. Let's see what kind of a student.

This Christian is all.

Let's see how this Christian drives everyone and really honestly nonbelievers don't probably want you to succeed. They want you to fail so they can pull out their favorite word I'll look at that they won 1 mile over the speed limit within you mess with their narrative when you give praise to God, and you live a godly life. And when you can rejoice, even when things are bad all you know if all the bills are paid and the kids are healthy and everything's great, wonderful, but all of a sudden they find out you know the wife got cancer or the husband got laid off from the job and you're still serving God you still faithfully going to go well.

None of the story of when Paul and Silas were thrown into Roman dungeon for preaching the gospel the jailer with them, put them in stocks that we read at midnight Paul and Silas began to sing praises to God. It's interesting because it says and the other prisoners were listening in that phrase listening to be translated listening with pleasure then heard many concerts in that hellhole and what happens in earthquake comes everyone could've run to their freedom that they stayed there and the jailer was about to kill himself. I posted don't kill yourself, were all still here and that man said sir, what must I do to be saved. What's at the state it was there worship you know when I was on non-Christian. There were Christians on my high school campus in they had meetings on the front lawn affect all my friends. Warmly, Greg. Stay away from the Jesus freaks and actually said yet is if Greg Laurie would ever become a Jesus freak. Famous last words right.

One day I went to their meeting.

No one invited me. I started a distance I could kind of watch them and judge them and decide why they were all crazy and the problem is, as I look at their faces I saw something I didn't have what were they doing their worshiping God so you know your worship is a testimony he can do it even if you don't feel like it you don't think Job have problems when his family died in his possessions were gone and his health with it yet. We read in Job 121, he fell to the ground anywhere except that said, the Lord gave me what I had in the Lord is taking it away. Blessed be the name of the Lord seat worshiping God with other Christians put things in perspective.

So I come to church today with a burden some of your burdens right now. Something truly troubling you. Something big is happening to you and you don't know what to do. So what is the Bible say magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together doesn't say magnify your problem when you magnify the Lord and see him in all of his glory, you can see your problem in its proper perspective. Worship can make all of the different as we gathered together with God's people and see things accurately, biblically and correctly know when you isolate yourself from other believers lose perspective you can become fearful and confused and angry and bitter. The gold skeptical Thomas were after Jesus rose from the dead didn't join the other Christians for their little worship service. He was very disillusioned. They saw him afterwards and said hey Tom should have been there yet what happened.

Jesus showed up. That's implied the original Greek react. She said no he does not know Jesus showed up right all believe that says Thomas that I give up my hand and the wound in his side and Todd's the holes in his hands to mix them together together because it was there.

Thomas and guess who showed up again. Jesus, he always does when people gather and Jesus said they Thomas go for.

He says oh my Lord my God. But here's my point.

He missed out when he was separated from other believers. He received so much more.

When he joined with them.

Asaph was grappling with the age-old question, why do the wicked prosper but he got perspective. While he worship with God's people in God's house and he wrote in Psalm 7316.

When I tried to understand all of this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of the Lord and I understood their final destiny. So the point is I didn't understand why things are the way they are. What I gathered together for worship. I found perspective, there's a lot more to say get that next time. But I want to just say we should be a part of the church. Why should we be part of the church because it is here we hear the word of God. It is here we worship the Lord. It is here we receive untold spiritual benefits and sometimes even physical benefits. It's here that we encounter God heard about 100-year-old man that was celebrating his birthday at church. It actually attended that church ever since he been a little boy so they threw a big party forum big cake. Lots of cards ice cream and then they saw the stone of the sanctuary and so everyone one in and is a great-grandson got up to the microphone. He turned it up really loud, so his great-grandfather could hear and he said great grandpa. We know you can barely hear or see.

But tell us why do you still go to church every Sunday and great grandpa said because I love Jesus with all my heart and he commanded me to be here. Then he paused for a moment and then said I just want to show everybody whose side I'm on.

I like that that's good. Whose side are you will euro the Lord side is you here today and I applaud you for that and I hope you be here all the times we gather because you receive so much from it but not everyone is on the Lord side.

People don't know the Lord at all. So this is the family of God. And here's the great thing about our family.

You can join our family is a how will you have to be born into it. Oh, you mean like raised in the church my life. No need to be born again. Jesus said unless you're born again, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.

What you mean by born again, you might ask.

Funny thing, someone asked Jesus that 2000 years ago what you mean born again, what is that even mean and Jesus said to the guy's name was Nicodemus. He said the wind blows were will you don't know where it's coming from.

You don't know where it's going.

So is everyone who is born of the spirit. And so Jesus was basically saying look, it's a work of the Holy Spirit which I don't even know what that means, comes down to this.

Would you like your sins are forgiven.

Would you like to know that you will go to heaven when you die. Would you like your guilt removed and would you like to join the family of God. You say yes I would. Then you say Lord I know I'm a sinner and I pray for spiritual rebirth of my life right now that doesn't take years.

It doesn't take months. It doesn't take weeks. It doesn't even take hours again happened in an instant, for you right now.

I will give a closing prayer to extend an invitation for you to believe in Jesus. If you don't yet have you then join the family of God join our family. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word to us and now I pray for any that if join this who may not yet know you help the Lord to see that the words we shared our true they are. The gospel truth that I prefer every anyone hear anyone watching, listening, wherever they might be.

If they don't know you yet Lord, help them to come to you and believe a man, Esther, Greg Laurie is an invitation to get your heart right with the Lord.

And if you like to do that today.

Pastor Greg will help you in just a moment before today's addition of a new beginning.

Concludes but if you missed any portion of today study a message called how to go to church. You can hear the whole program again online@harvest.org or downloading MP3 or even order CD again go to harvest.org or call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 Pastor Greg as an evangelist, you have a certain awareness of the questions that are often on people's minds. Yeah, you know those issues of life that inevitably lead them to Christ and yours have a good awareness of the questions on the minds of those who just recently come to Christ. Yes, and that's what your brand-new new believers Bible is such a great resource. You know the questions, and more importantly, you know how to point people to the answers. Yeah, I think sometimes we make these things way too complicated for people you know we need to get down on level or the understanding of the Bible says of Jesus, the common people heard him gladly sever my objective is when I teach or preach to go over the heads of people.

Honestly, that's pretty easy to do. It takes more effort to make things understandable for people and and but if I am not understood a what I'm saying and more importantly, of God's truth is not understood. I'm kind of missing the mark so you hear are broadcast here in new beginning. You know what we do here every day we teach the books of the Bible talk about important topics.

We invite people to come to Christ. So when people do come to Christ. We want to help them grow spiritually because as I've said before, it's not enough to come forward. You need to go forward in your walk with the Lord. So we have a resource here that we want to offer. It's published by Tyndale House publishers to publish many fine books and great Bibles and after years of scholarly research.

They put together what is now known as the new living translation, starting with a great foundational translation. We've developed a special project called the new believers Bible that says chock-full of hundreds and hundreds of notes that will help a person grow spiritually. Yes, it is a great resource for the new believer, but don't be misled. It's not only for the new believer, I think any believer will benefit greatly from what is in it we go over the basics of the Christian life like why is the Bible important. Why should we read the Bible. What is prayer. How do you pray, how can you pray more effectively.

Why do I go through trials. What is the meaning of trials.

How can I know the will of God. Others so much more that we deal with, and it's all found in the notes that are in this project were offering to right now called the new believers Bible. By the way, the earlier version of this is been out for years and over 10 million people about copies of it.

But this is a brand-new edition I went back and re-added to the notes are written before and added a whole lot of new ones as well.

And now this is ready for you to get a copy of them were offering it to you now for your gift of any size.

What is that mean that means that whatever you send financially will send you a copy of the new believers Bible. Some of you can send a little bit that's all you can manage. That's okay will get you a copy. Some of you can send a little more and some of you can send a generous gift. Whatever you give.

It will be used to continue to bring this radio broadcast to people literally all around the world.

And as you know on this show new beginning. We invite people to come to Christ and I'll tell your friend thousands of people do every year. And when you give to our ministry, you play a part in that. And you share in the spiritual fruit of that so I want to send you a copy of the new believers Bible for your gift of any size. And I hope that it will be a blessing to you and we hope to contact us for a copy right away right away if you do contact us right away will also include a companion resource we call start to follow. It's an extra publication were pastor Greg watch it through the seven key basics. Every believer needs to know. Great information will send you both resources. If you contact us right away with your donation of any size to writers at a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and FSU Greg another seminar audience who felt God speaking to them today for your message and they want to make a change in the relationship with the Lord.

Could you help them with that. Yeah, you know, Dave. The Bible says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved so I would lead you in a prayer we you will be doing just that.

Calling on the name of the Lord solicit if you want your sins forgiven. If you want to know that when you die you will go to heaven if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life and take away your guilt and your shame. Then just stop what you're doing and pray this prayer with me right now pray this after me if you would, Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I have broken your commandments. I have fallen short of your standards but 2000 years ago you died on the cross for me, then you rose again from the dead.

So Jesus come in the my life and be my Savior and my Lord and my God, my friend. I choose to follow you from this moment forward. Thank you for calling me and accepting me and for giving me in Jesus name I pray, amen man listen.

If you have just prayed along with Pastor Greg and you meant those words.

Sincerely, God is heard you and forgiven you of your sin and we want to send you some materials to help you as you begin your new life as a follower of Christ is a collection of resources called the new believers growth packet will send it without charge. If you made a first-time commitment to the Lord today. Just ask for it when you write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call us at 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go to harvest.org and click on know God Pastor Greg begins his final message in the short series Fortin information every churchgoer needs to have started. Next time you beginning possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotions and harvest.org