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These will kill local church growth before or after it happens

Are you a mule or rabbit?

Some members are like mules: Resistant to any new congregational ideas to evangelize and like a mule, unable to reproduce

"Well, That's the Lord's work for today!"

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CONGREGATIONAL BARRIERS

INTRODUCTION

Edsel & Vega The Engineering Disasters Of The Automotive Industry

ROLE OF THE EVANGELIST

Chart: Pastor or Equipper?

Who is your evangelist? I'd be glad to introduce you to anyone of the 100 here!

Preachers:

Pastor system:

4 sermons and classes a week no time left for soulwinning

professional public speaker or evangelist?

the church is a group of people streaming to a shrine to make an audience for a speaker

Sales manager can outperform 10 - 1 other salesman. Would boss have him spend time selling or training others to sell?

members:

preacher says and does all the right things

apathetic, stubborn and resistant to his efforts

"Its the preachers job...what do we pay him for?

If he pushes too hard he gets fired or quits in discouragement

do not appreciate the luxury of having a full time man:

"Only be around for 3 years"

Preacher is not family, he is a temporary ornament

Soldiers of Christ arise and put your armor on? We have raised an army in which nobody fights but the generals

EVANGELISM BY PROXY:

look at evangelism in the church today:

Preachers and money: CHART: "THE MOST POTENT CHURCH BUILDER TODAY"

Preacher thinks up some fancy program

members supply cash

Evangelism: first thing that pops into mind is a gospel meeting or ad in newspaper for BC

Most evangelistic person in the church is the local paper boy! Evangelism by proxy

Abdicating our personal responsibility-

Members hire the preacher to preach the gospel on their behalf

preacher hires the paper boy

no one is doing anything personal.

chart: activate membership.

CHART: evangelism by proxy:

Our traditional way of outreach has four serious problems:

It replaces men with machines

it is inherently impersonal

It tends to de-activate the common membership

It deceives the heart and salves the conscience

WOMEN OVERLOOKED

Always unrest when women are overlooked:

"He takes care of himself first, & I am at bottom of his priority list."

Acts 6 there was unrest in the church because the women were being overlooked.

Today, we have overlooked the great potential that women possess in evangelism.

Woman teachers? CHART: Woman's Restrictions

women are not to teach or exercise authority over a man, 1 Ti 2:12.

women are to teach other women the gospel in Tit 2:4.

NT examples of women actively involved in every aspect of gospel:

significance of Jesus entrusting a woman, Mary, first preaching of resurrection Jn 20:17,18?

When she reported the news to the men, they didn't believe her!

In Jn 4:27-30, Jesus used a woman to bring out an entire village to hear the gospel.

Lk 8:3 Joanna, Susanna, Mary & others contributed to financial support of Jesus' ministry.

Eunice and Lois were commended for teaching their children the gospel. In Col 4:15,

Nympha allowed the church to meet in her house every Lord's day. Col 4:15

Pheobe was called a "servant of the church...worthy of all respect" Rom 16:1-2.

We have Philip's four daughters who prophesied in Acts 21:9.

Acts 18:26 Priscilla and Aquila taught the details of baptism to a powerful evangelist

Euodia and Syntyche were two women who Paul described as his fellow-workers Phil 4:3.

women are better teachers of women, than men.

After all, women themselves will often claim that men don't understand them!

A woman is much better at being frank about the sin of fornication in the non-Christian's life

there is no possibility of temptation between them as there is with a man.

A woman teacher can be that much needed friend in areas where men can't

A women can phone just to chat or drop in for a social visit.

Women teaching women, the cliche, CHART: "I can do anything, you can do, better"

who overlooks who?

Yes, the men certainly have overlooked the incredible potential women inherently possess

women stop overlooking themselves and develop their own God given skills as soulwinners.

GOSSIP, GRUDGES AND GRITZ:

CHART: Rockwell "The gossips"

What different men said about gossip:

Dale Carnage "You'll never move up in the world if you're always running someone down

Two doctors: "Halitosis of the mind" another "Ear Disease"

Photographer: a negative that is developed and then enlarged

George Gallop the pollster: Public opinion that has reached epidemic proportions

Weather man: When someone gets wind of something and turns it into a cyclone

Terrorist: Gossip is Character assassination

Father to son: Believe only half of what you hear...make sure you believe the right half!

Chinese proverb: A six inch tongue can kill a six foot man

Queen of sheeba in reference to Solomon: "The best half, hath not been told" The best half of gossip is always the half that has not been told!

Non-Christian: pours gasoline on the church and lights the match

God: Lev 19:16 "You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor, I am the Lord."

Gossip defined:

GOSSIP IS saying something about another, true or untrue:

for our entertainment

to build our own ego

to harm hurt, spite or get revenge

GOSSIP IS NOT:

Telling someone else to help solve the problem: 1 Cor 1:11

Warning about possible harm: 2 Ti 2:14-15 "Alexander did me much harm, beware of him"

saying anything nice, complimentary or positive about: Eph 4:29

soulwinners won't gossip:

Gossip does irreparable damage: Lady came to old farmer for advice on how to correct the damage caused by gossiping. Farmer took a big feather pillow outside and slashed it open in the wind. The feathers quickly spread everywhere in sight. He said, "Gather up the feathers."

Too busy minding the Lord's business rather than others

Positive work of gospel is more important than the negative failings of brethren

Saving souls rather than slandering the saved

POOR ROLE MODELS FOR NEW CHRISTIANS

What is your child's role model? CHART: Punk Hippo

Bart Simpson? Some teenage idol?

Harry Chapen Cat's Cradle "When I grow up I'm going to be like you, dad!"

DANGER; We become like that which we worship: Great if God bad if Bart Simpson

When Talitha was 4, "Daddy don't put your feet on the coffee table...you'll teach the kids"

Who are the new converts role model? YOU ARE

Why do I have to be at every service...sister _____ isn't?

Why do I have to quit smoking...brother ______ hasn't?

Why can't I drink one beer...Elder ____ offered me one last week?

When will we stop studying the Bible every week...the rest of the church doesn't?

I can't wait till I'm a mature Christian and won't have to read my Bible daily and pray.

Harry Chapen, "I'll be like you..."

If all new converts grew up like you, what would the church be like?

YOUNG MARRYING NON-CHRISTIANS

CHART: Bad Advice

Where did I find this?

Truth magazine

Christianity magazine

Spreading the Word?

Sunday Sun: A smutty tabloid, features a full page color "sun swine girl" ½ notch above National Enquirer

If the world realizes this advice...Why can't we, the people of God?

Bible teaching: Old Testament Forbad Marriage To Non-Covenant Partners:

Patriarchal: Gen 26:34-35; 27:46

Mosaic: Neh 13:25-26

NT: Rom 15:4 written for our instruction; 1 Cor 7:39 remarry Christian only

facts of mixed marriages: chart

Don't even date non-Christians: You can't marry somebody you haven't dated

Whose word should you take and advice follow?

grandparents?

elders?

preacher?

Those who already made the mistake you are about to make & married a non-Christian

CHART: growing vs dying churches:

A growing church:

numeric growth itself

low dropout rate

new young people to chose mates from thus reducing mixed marriages and falling away

Stagnant or Dying church:

no numeric growth

high drop out rate

many fall away through the evil influence of non-Christian spouses.

POOR ATTENDANCE

chart: please consider me excused

CARTOON: Why do they close church when we have company?

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, a lot of people must love this church

Newscaster, "Sunday looks like a great day to not forsake the assembly"

God appealed to human standards to prove a point:

Mal 1:8 Why not offer the crippled sacrifice to the governor

Why not attend church and be late for your employer?

bc2, "The Lord"

If you are not in the habit of attending every week, you will be lost:

Not because you are breaking the commandment of Heb 10:25

It is merely a symptom of a more serious problem: lack of spiritual interest!

CHART: test yourself

Christians interested in saving souls never forsake:

Saving their own soul

Saving souls of others:

If you thought a visitor you invited might show up, you would never miss

imagine your visitor comes but you stayed home to watch TV or slept in.

STERILE ASSEMBLIES

2 CHARTS: "APATHETIC" "OH JOY"

Heartless prayers

Skimpy giving

Morgue like singing

Machine like communion

Non-convicting preaching CHART: "you wake him up"

solution: have a baby!

Couple feel their life is routine & common place, have a baby. stir-up, spice-up liven up!

Non-Christian visitors see the joy and genuine enthusiasm:

Members put more effort into singing, prayers and are more attentive to sermons

preacher, presider, and song leaders put more extra effort into preparation.

CONCLUSION:

chart: growing/dying churches

Steve Rudd

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