Backsliding from a Church Pew

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-This week is camp week for our students.  Please pray for God to work in the lives of our young people that they might glorify Him.

Here are the completed notes from the morning service July 19, 2015

Scripture:  Colossians 2:6-8, Proverbs 14:14a

Characteristics of Backsliding from a Church Pew:

1.  Attends church but it’s about religion rather than about a relationship with Jesus

  • Sitting in church with unconfessed sin in your life
  • Little to no pursuit of God outside the four walls of this building

“IT’S ALL ABOUT A RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS!”

2.  Attendance at church is characterized by inconsistency and unfaithfulness – Hebrews 10:25

  • An essential to spiritual growth – I Peter 2:2
  • An important aspect of personal accountability
  • Believers are equipped for ministry at church – See Ephesians 4:11b, 12
  • Scriptural Command – Hebrews 10:24, 25

3.  Giving to the Lord is minimal, sporadic, or not at all

  1. Proverbs 3:9
    • “Honor” – Giving is an act of honoring the Lord with what He has provided you
    • “Firstfruits” – Of all thy increase
  2. I Corinthians 16:2
    • “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”
    • “The first day of the week” – Sunday (systematic giving)
    • “As God has prospered” – proportionate giving
  3. Malachi 3:8-10
    • “Tithe” – 10%
    • “Offerings” – additional giving
    • “This whole nation” – Tithe was what was required of Israel under the OT Law
    • Robbing God – not to tithe was robbing God and SIN
    • Blessing – Obeying God in tithes and offerings resulted in blessings / Robbing God resulted in a curse
    • See I Corinthians 10:11:  “Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
  4. II Corinthians 9:6, 7
    • What we reap is dependent upon what we sow
  5. Luke 6:38
    • Give and it shall be given unto you
    • This is a natural part of life as a believer
  6. Matthew 6:19-21
    • Avoid materialism – “treasures upon earth”
    • Where your treasure is there will your heart be also
  7. II Corinthians 8:1-5
    • Example of the Macedonia churches
    • Their condition – in a great trial of affliction, deep poverty
    • Their sacrificial giving – riches of their liberality, giving beyond their power
    • The relationship – first gave themselves to the Lord

Taken from Corner Stone By-Laws:

  • Have you read and are you in agreement with our Doctrinal Statement, Constitution, and By-Laws?
  • Are you willing to give of your time, resources, gifts, and abilities for the furtherance of the ministry of this church?
  • Are you willing to be held accountable by the members of this local church?

4.  Spiritual growth is dormant not growing in knowledge or developing in Christian maturity – I Peter 2:2

  • II Peter 3:18 – How much closer are you to the Lord than last year at this time?

5.  Service is stagnate or non-existant – I Peter 4:10, 11

6.  Not taking God and His Word seriously

7.  God and obedience to Him is just not a priority – Matthew 6:33

  • The Law of Desire – We do what we do because we want what we want.
  • Deuteronomy 8:10-20
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