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How to
Help Your Church
1. Be faithful to attend and
participate — Commit
yourself to the church and let them know they can count on you. Obviously you
can’t be of much help if you don’t show up or take part. Some people
underestimate their value of simply being present. Joining together with others
adds to their encouragement, and it encourages the leaders and the pastor who
have prayed and prepared all week to minister to you (Heb. 10:24-25). It helps
your pastor and the whole church for you to come faithfully and on time. And
don’t merely sit there like a bump on a log. Be friendly, put a smile on your
face, and enter into the service by singing and worshiping. You can even utter
an audible Amen or two when the pastor makes a good point. Go ahead, it’ll
make his day!
2. Commit yourself to love the
Lord and your brethren —
The Bible teaches that all the desires of God are condensed into only two
cardinal commandments that Jesus gave to His followers. He said, “...You shall
love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).
By clothing ourselves in God’s love, we help the church to reinforce this
objective for every believer, and we also help to eliminate the elements of
conflict and division which can hinder the unity of the church. “I... beseech
you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all
lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph.
4:1-3).
3. Pray for your church, its
pastors and leaders —
The Apostle Paul explained that it is the duty of Christians to pray for all who
are in authority, especially those in spiritual authority. “I exhort first of
all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for
all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Your church
leaders are on the cutting edge of the battle with Satan, and will face
temptations and spiritual conflict unlike anything you could imagine. The devil
knows that if he can topple a spiritual leader or get him discouraged enough to
quit, it will have a domino effect on the rest of the church. You can be a
tremendous help by praying fervently for your church, and especially for the
pastor and his family.
Especially helpful, attend the church
prayer meetings, where you can come into agreement with others, and where the
pastors and leaders can see and feel your prayer support for them and the
church. God promised special strength through the combined prayer of His
children. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning
anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven”
(Matt. 18:19).
4. Get to know your spiritual
leaders and cooperate with them
— The more you get to know them and their Godly life-style, the more you
will likely come to trust their leadership. You will have a greater credibility
in their teaching and counsel (1 Thes. 5:12). Show respect and cooperate with
their authority. Avoid challenging their right or worthiness to serve in their
position, but accept that God has seen fit to place them in this role (Rom.
13:1). Belligerence or antagonism toward leadership may be acceptable in secular
society, but there is no place for it in the Lord’s church. “Obey those who
rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those
who must give account...” (Heb. 13:17).
5. Help shoulder the load of
responsibility —
Pastors and leaders of the church often feel much like Moses did when Israel
fought with Amelek. Their arms become weary under the weight of so many
responsibilities and they need brothers and sisters to stand beside them and
help distribute the load. “But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a
stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his
hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were
steady until the going down of the sun” (Ex. 17:12).
The Lord never intended for the whole
ministry of the church to be carried solely by the pastor or a mere handful of
people. It’s said that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people, and
sadly, this has caused the “burnout” of its many outstanding workers. If
everyone would simply pitch in and do their fair share in helping, serving, and
giving, all the needs would be met and no one would be overburdened. Be willing
to volunteer with whatever needs done and don’t be finicky about what you will
or will not do. Do as the scripture says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do
it with your might...” (Ecl. 9:10). And don’t help out just for strokes of
attention, but do it for God’s glory.
A church is like any other organization
with human resources. No one ever starts out at the top. Everyone knows that we
have to start at the “entry level.” But if a believer continues to grow
strong in Christian character and proves faithful and responsible to the basic
tasks given to them in the church, they will likely be promoted to greater
responsibility and ministry. “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful
also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much”
(Luke 16:10).
6. Apply the teaching and ministry
to your life —
There’s not much that a pastor loves more than to see his flock practicing
what he has preached, living a Godly, holy life, and on their knees seeking the
Lord. Learn to appreciate the spiritual values they try to instill in you and
the congregation. “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who
so walk, as you have us for a pattern” (Phil. 3:17).
It helps your church when you live and
conduct yourself in a Christ-like manner. Whether you realize it or, you’re a
walking billboard for your church. Whatever the people of your community see in
your life, they will tend to identify with your pastor and his flock. Behave
yourself and speak well of the church and your pastor. Eyes and ears are always
open to the things you say and do.
7. Seek out and use your gifts
— According to the scriptures, the Lord distributes gifts to each in the
body as it pleases Him. Spiritual gifts are not provided to you merely for your
own gratification, but so the church would be edified or built up. God has given
you gifts that will be a help to your church -- it is up to you to discover
them, develop and utilize them under the direction and cooperation with your
spiritual leaders. By doing so, you will glorify God and be a great help to your
church. “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for
the edification of the church that you seek to excel” (1 Cor. 14:12).
8. Contribute to solutions and not
to problems — Every
pastor would be thrilled if each of his flock got involved and helped the church
in some way. However, they would rejoice if certain ones simply stopped being a
pain in the neck! It’s a shame that pastors spend so much time “putting out
fires,” that is, squelching problems that could have a negative influence on
the whole body, such as gossip, rumors, complaining, misunderstandings, hurt
feelings, discontent and so forth. Regrettably, it has been said that 90% of
these kinds of problems are generated among the same 10% of the people.
Spiritually mature persons who wish to
help their church don’t become a part of such problems -- instead, they
contribute to solutions. They avoid divisive people (Rom. 16:17) and don’t get
caught up in the mischief or grievances of others (1 Tim. 5:13). If they are
aware of spreading problems in the fellowship, they will try to bring a
resolution, or else they bring matters to the attention of spiritual leadership
so that they can bring an end to it (Matt. 18:15-17). People who wish to be an
asset to their church don’t participate with or spread problems -- they help
spiritual leadership resolve them.
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