I Love my Church Sunday!

John 8:3-5 & 10-11 (NKJV) Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." I Love My Church is all about the idea of community. Key: Jesus is the cornerstone of this community of broken, strange, weird bunch of misfits and to criticize the community is to insult the Christ Who built it. We want everyone to feel accepted at Life Church. Romans 15:7 (NIV) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 

Today we will be talking about how important it is to be faithful to God’s House. With church attendance on the decline, have you ever given consideration why you should be faithful to this community of believers? National averages say people are attending church one or two times a month. Hebrews 10:25 (NCV)
^“You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming.” Think about this…what if someone comes to church hurting? It happens every service. If you were here you could give them a hug, pray with them, or give them an encouraging word. It is not all about us…it is also about encouraging others. 

When all the stone throws dropped their rocks and walked away, Jesus asked the woman caught a very interesting question, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." Jesus says something more to this lady which cuts her to her core but also gives her hope. Go and sin no more told her that He knew all about her sin but it also told her that someone believed in her. Key – Failure to confront, to speak truth in love, can ultimately be as fatal to the growth of the community as being judgmental. Ortberg – “Go and sin no more.” Jesus’ acceptance is free, undeserved, unmerited—but it is also demanding. For the woman to fully examine her acceptance will require entering into a new way of life. The same grace that liberates her from past sins calls her to walk free of them in the future. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) ^“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”