Building a Healthy Church: Truth, Leadership, and Community

1) "You see, for American churches and American evangelicalism, we are in a rough spot. Collectively as churches, we need to know and recognize that attendance at churches is dropping precipitously. Membership and participation in churches from 1992 has lost almost a quarter of its juice. involvement. Now that's before the COVID pandemic, which saw what recent numbers say another additional 15 to 18 percent. Church involvement is at an all-time low. In fact, over the last 10 years, I heard about a local study that was done through some members of World Relief, and they found out in the Chicagoland area alone, in the last 10 years, 4,000 churches have closed their doors. Just in the Chicago metro area in the last 10 years. Church is at a rough place." [05:06] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "You see, one of the reasons why is within our American culture, we have Hollywoodized everything, including the church. And so what we've done is, as churches have gotten bigger, as pastors' reach has become broader, as churches have grown, so has this label of a pastor becoming a celebrity. We live in this culture of celebrity pastors, and we love to talk about them, but then when they fall, it is disastrous. So 3 John gives us this picture of what we're experiencing now." [07:48] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "So the first thing we're going to see is that to be a healthy church to be a vibrant church church that I believe God wants us to be. We need to be a church that has people becoming productive and passionate church members. That's the first point this morning. And it comes from the first eight verses of 3 John. The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoice greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth." [10:46] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "Now, I added a word onto that first point that is so important. And that's the word member. They're passionate and productive. They're active church members. And that's something we need everyone to become. And the reason why I added that word member is because Village Bible Church believes very passionately about church membership. We believe passionately about it because our church membership isn't just a club to be a part of. It doesn't just give you a right to have a vote or attend certain meetings. What church membership is all about is a commitment. And it is a commitment as diocese to the brothers and sisters of the faith that I am willing to commit to be known and to know other members so that they may be able to pass judgment." [19:30] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "So this is what John is worried about in the church, and this is what he communicates to Gaius. And he says, notice here, he says, I do not want you to imitate evil, but to imitate good. For whoever does good is from God, and whoever does evil has not seen God. In essence, what he's saying is, Gaius, you keep being faithful. And Diotrephes, what he's communicating is, I'm not sure Diotrephes has even seen God. What a glaring accusation that the pastor of the church might in fact not even be a believer. And that could be the case. That could be the case, in some churches." [27:12] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "The reason why Village Bible Church and any other biblical church exists today is solely on the grace of God and the work of Jesus Christ on his cross. Jesus died for this church. Jesus gave his life so that Village Bible Church could exist. Jesus gave this church the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave spiritual gifts to the people of this church for it to exist. Jesus himself is the one who moves in the hearts of people to give generously so this ministry can happen. I'm going to tell you something. I can't do any of that humanly. I don't care how gifted of a pastor you might think I am or anybody else is. I am finite, and we worship the one who this church is always to be established on, Jesus Christ, who's able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever ask for or imagine." [33:15] (54 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "And so, friends, I tell you this because there will be a time, there will be a place where you'll be at another church, or God forbid, you'll be here, and Pastor Tim will start believing his own press. Because can I just be really honest with you? There's a lot of diatrophies in your pastor. Fleshly speaking, I want to be first. Fleshly speaking, I want to be known as the greatest pastor in the world. But by the Holy Spirit, I've got to be reminded that I'm not just that I am a treasure in a jar of clay. And that God has used, listen to me, no joke, God has used donkeys to carry his truth. And each Sunday, he uses a donkey to preach to you fine people. And so I'm a beggar telling another beggar where to find bread." [41:01] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "So what we need to do as a church is be proactive in promoting godly leaders. At our members meeting, we introduced two new potential elders, Sam and John. And they came up here with their wives and they introduced themselves and they spoke about their love for the Lord and their love for this church. And now for the next handful of weeks into a month's time, the job of the members of this church is to discern, are they a Gaius and a Demetrius? Or are they a Diotrephes? We don't need Diotrephes. People that are out for themselves. We need godly leaders who will lead." [44:09] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)