Not Forsaking The Assembling Of Ourselves Together

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[2] The title of the sermon: “NOT FORSAKING THE ASSEMBLING OF OURSELVES TOGETHER.”

• There is a commandment in the Bible to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
• I want to talk about this in detail in the light of the entire Bible today.
• You will find this Scripture in Hebrews Chapter 10. Let’s look closely.

[3] Hebrews 10:19-22 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21 And having an high priest over the house of God; 22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

[4] Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

• You can clearly see that the assembling of ourselves together will allow us to do what God says here.
• It’s not just about getting together and gathering together. This does more for us than just a gathering.
• This assembling together with believers gives you boldness. Helps you to hold fast the profession of faith.
• Helps you to keep the faith without wavering. Helps you to consider one another.

Yes, gathering together as believers helps you to care for one another.

• If you, having the same Spirit, can’t love a saved person, you sure can’t love an unsaved person.
• We are to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together for all of these reasons stated there.
• We gather to exhort or incite or encourage or to move people to take action.
• We encourage each other to do good works, which are the works of God.

One of those good works is assembling together just as God asks us to do.

• When we assemble together physically, we do what God asks and He blesses us by helping us.
• We are to gather together physically more and more as time goes by.
• As the end gets closer, Christians will have more trouble. Christians will go through tribulation.

God commands us to assemble together because He knows better than you and I.

• He knows that you will need my help. He knows that I will need your help. He already knows.
• The Book of Hebrews is book 58 of 66 books in the Bible. It’s towards the end.
• He’s speaking to us in this book. Gathering together helps us to not sin.
• Hebrews Chapter 10 speaks of the seriousness of sin. We help each other to not sin. This is serious.

Why do we, as Christians, assemble together? Why do people, as Christians, not assemble together?

• What types of assemblies of believers are seen in the Bible? When did they assemble?
• Why did they assemble together? What did they do? Let’s learn about all of this today.

[5] Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

• We know Jesus is here with us at church because we follow His words.
• We worship Him in spirit and truth. We use His words. We know that He is with us.
• But please allow me to show you something because many people, more and more, will use this Scripture as an excuse not to go to church.

Please bear with me here so you understand where I’m coming from.

• Listen, this church right here is a good church. We preach God’s words here. We worship God here.
• We worship Jesus Christ here. We worship the Holy Spirit here. We do our best to get people to come.
• We’ve been to thousands and thousands of doors in this city of Shelbyville, KY.

We’ve tried different things. We go out and give the Gospel. We get people saved.

• We’ve bought ads to try to find believers who are looking for a good church.
• We’ve put flyers on people’s doors. We’ve had events such as VBS in an attempt to get people here.
• We’ve had great trouble getting people to come to this church.
• What are the Christians out there thinking? They say, “Well, I just read the Bible at home.”
• “Well, I just study the Bible myself at home.”

Many people that we talk with in person, before we tell them we have a good church here, will say that there’s no good church around.

• They spew things out of their mouth and tell me how serious they are about God. They do.
• They say, “I can’t find a good church around here.” But, did they look hard? Did they try?
• We’re right here. We aren’t difficult here. We don’t have difficult people here.

Some people are out there looking for a good church. They are actually looking. These people aren’t.

• We pray, sing some hymns, read the Bible, preach God’s words, win souls to Christ. We encourage.
• Is it that difficult to come when you don’t live very far from here? Most are 15 minutes or less.
• These people that tell me they are looking for a good church won’t even visit here once.

Some of these people will say, “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

• People will take anything they can and use it as an excuse to not go to church.
• Now, don’t get me wrong here. If you truly can’t find a good church in your area, I’m not talking to you.
• If you can’t, keep looking. Ask God for His help. This is His will. God’s will is for you to be in a good church.
• And I mean physically assembled together in a good local church. Not a false church with a false gospel.
• Don’t go to a church that preaches a false gospel. Let them be accursed. Don’t support them in any way.

But, please, don’t use a Scripture to support your false view of not assembling together in a church.

• If the true believers in this area would just get here to this church, we could do even greater things.
• We could do more soul winning. It’s difficult when you have a few people that go soul winning.
• A soul winner that I know is part of a bigger Baptist church, and they have 2 people going soul winning.
• That church has hundreds of people. Why are only 2 people going out to win souls to Christ?

[6] Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.

• I’ve done a lot of physical work in my life. I’ve done many things on my own.
• But do you know what’s awesome when you’re working hard all alone?
• When someone else who knows what they’re doing shows up to help you. Right?
• If two show up to help you, it’s even better. Three? Even better.

[7] Ecclesiastes 4:10-12 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

• This is the truth about assembling together in a good church. If you don’t have this, you will fall faster.
• Why am I preaching this? Because I am trying to help you. I want you to have that threefold cord, at least.
• You need people around you who love the Lord God Almighty with all their heart. Where are they?
• They are out there. Find them in a local church. If it’s not a local church for you, make it one.

When we gather together, we assemble for the right reasons. If not, this is no good either.

• Someone told me the other day that he considers it church when him and I were talking about God.
• I want to be clear. That is not church. This doesn’t meet the requirements that God gives us.
• I want you to know why that would not be the assembling together of believers in church.
• Now, I know the people who are listening to this sermon know all the parts of the Bible or many of them.
• You know that the Bible talks about churches often. Right? Church is in the Bible over a hundred times.

[8] Matthew 18:15-17 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

• What church? There must be a church with believers who assemble together to worship God.
• Right? There’s all these Scriptures about church in the Bible. We are supposed to be a part of a church.
• But, in this country today, people are forsaking this part of the Bible. And they are missing out.

I will not lie to you. The people who live in this area and won’t come to this church are missing out.

• We haven’t hurt anyone or done wrong to these people.
• They just won’t come, and they make many excuses.
• And guess what? A good church for this area will be gone because believers won’t gather together.
• Without believers gathering together, there is no church. There is no assembly of believers.

And that blessing of a good church that God put here will be gone. The soul winners will be gone.

• The teaching and preaching of the Bible will be gone. But people don’t care, and it is sad.
• When the soul winners leave, there is no one out there to preach the truth of the Gospel.
• There won’t be people out giving the Jehovah’s Witness and Mormons a good battle.
• There won’t be a good church there fighting against false doctrine, lies, and deception.
• There won’t be anyone fighting the Calvinists, the Catholics, the Church of Christ, the Southern Baptists.

[9] Acts 7:37-38 This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear. 38 This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us:

• Moses was in the church in the wilderness. There were believers gathered there. They were assembled.
• They had structure. They had leaders of that church. They didn’t have a fancy building. We don’t.
• We just meet inside an electrical supply store. We don’t need a fancy building with graven images galore.
• We don’t need any of that to follow God’s commandment to not forsake the assembling of ourselves.
• Church is seen all throughout the Bible. Old Testament and New Testament.

[10] Acts 8:3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

• Haling men and women means dragging them. This was Saul who becomes the apostle Paul.
• What is this church that the Bible speaks about?
• The word congregation and congregations is in the Old Testament 367 times.
• The word church and churches is in the New Testament 117 times.
• There was order and structure to the Old Testament church. You can read all about it in Numbers.

There is structure and order to the New Testament church. Your church must meet requirements.

• If you think you’re having church, why don’t you see if it meets the requirements of the Bible.
• We live in the New Testament church. If you aren’t a part of one of these good churches, you need one.
• There are the offices of a bishop or pastor and the office of a deacon in a church.
• If you stay at home and think you’re having church without having an ordained leader, then you need to trust the words of the Bible.

You will not be as successful as you would have been going to a good church that meets God’s requirements.

• It is very important that you are under the leadership of a good preacher who teaches right things.
• Your kids don’t need Sunday School or babysitting services in a good church. They need preaching.
• God chose preaching. That should convince you enough. Children need preaching. God chose preaching.
• You don’t need a gym or a fitness center. You don’t need stadium seating. You need preaching.
• You don’t need a show with flashing lights and big screens all over the place. You need preaching.

You need a church according to what God says is church. You need to not forsake the assembling of yourselves.

• You need a God fearing and a Gospel preaching church.
• If someone knows the Gospel, they will usually let you know pretty quickly.
• An old time Southern Baptist man told me at his door, “Oh yes, I know I am saved. Jesus Christ alone.”
• “I put my faith in him in 1972. I have everlasting life, and I can’t lose it no matter what.” Saved man.

You want to be around people who know the Gospel well. That’s who you want to be around.

• You want be around the Gospel preachers. You want to be around those who love Jesus Christ.
• Some people might say, “Well, he’s on fire for Jesus Christ right now but he won’t be much longer.”
• That’s right. You won’t be as long as you aren’t in a good church with people who exhort one another.
• If you never hear the Gospel in church or from anyone who attends that church, you need to find a new church.

If you won’t find a good church and get there, you aren’t fulfilling God’s commandments.

• You won’t be able to do as much for God. 100% truth. Do you want to do God’s work?
• Do you want someone to go to hell because you weren’t doing God’s work?
• Maybe your child was saved from hell because of a person who said, “I WILL DO GOD’S WORK.”

Maybe you can save someone else’s child from going to hell because you said, “I WILL FIND A GOOD CHURCH.”

• “I WILL DO GOD’S WORK.” The Gospel is the POWER OF GOD unto salvation to EVERY ONE that believeth.
• “For WHOSOEVER shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” You must believe first.

So, God didn’t put all the parts in the Bible about bishops or pastors and deacons for no reason.

• You need to be around those men in church. You need their leadership in church.
• God says that He will give you those people. You should desire that with a passion. You need this.

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things, but I guarantee you will learn faster in church. Why?

• Because God commands church for many different reasons. All of them are great reasons.
• The church you choose should have some elder people there who have been through life.
• They have more experience than you. A good church will have those people and needs those people.
• “I have run the race.” These people should have years of experience with soul winning.

I’ve had jobs before. I got a few weeks of experience and they said, “You’re the expert now.”

• “We don’t have anyone else.”
• If you don’t have experience winning souls, now it’s time to get the experience.
• Good churches need someone with that experience. It’s time for you to get it and add it to a church.
• One day of experience Gospel preaching around here, and you are the expert in this area.

It’s difficult to find soul winners out there. No one cares to support these people any more.

• And when I say support, I just mean showing up to church. People won’t even do that any more.
• I mean giving yourself and some hours to this work. We’re supposed to exhort each other.
• Encourage each other to do the right things. NOT THE WRONG THINGS.

Sunday is now the day for the evil National Football League, the NFL. Yes, I was one of those people who loved it.

• I loved the NFL. I haven’t watched a game in years now. I hate it. Wasted my time for years.
• People won’t miss a football game, but they could care less about missing church.
• Again, you are forsaking the assembling of yourselves together if you aren’t going to a good church.
• You are breaking God’s commandments. This is serious. But God says this to greatly help you.
• If you don’t have a pastor, bishop, deacon leading you, you aren’t meeting the requirements for church.

So, please listen and don’t get upset with me. I am telling you the truth. I push for this because God says this.

• I want the best for anyone out there who is listening. It’s time to get to a good church.
• If you can’t find one in your area, do you know what you need to do? Go to a different area.
• God told Abram to get thee out of thy country. Get up from where he lived and go somewhere else.
• So Abram departed. If you want your children to grow up around believers, as they should, get up.
• Go find that church. People will move for jobs, but they won’t move for a church.

I guarantee you that a good church will help you get there.

• We thought we had a good family that was going to move here.
• We bought them a vehicle. They started driving from California. The car was having issues.
• We bought parts for the car. Still having issues. My Dad and I drove 14 hours to Nebraska to meet them.
• We drove 14 hours back. We slept a few hours. Drove 28 hours to make sure that family got there.
• Bought plane tickets for 2 of their daughters. Bought hotel rooms. We helped.

They stayed 10 weeks or so. Got a free place to live and much free food.

• Got paid well for a little work they did in an attempt to help them get started.
• They got their free vacation. They got a free ladder, impact drill, and left without even saying goodbye.
• I made the man angry because I told him he must get a job, work, and take care of his family.
• To say thanks, they called me a liar about unlocking a gate that was unlocked.
• These are the types of people that we’ve helped. But we show that we care. Good churches will care.

I’m here today to tell you that a good church is more important than any job. There are good jobs everywhere.

• There are not good churches everywhere. God will help you find a good church and a good job.
• But, what is your priority? A job first? Then church is way down the list?
• There are “okay” churches out there, but when it comes to God, I’m not into “okay” churches.

People will say, “Well, we have to compromise when it comes to churches.”

• “This is the only one in my area.” You don’t have to compromise. You can be a part of a good church.
• And, if you won’t be, those good churches will be less and less.
• They will go away while you support the okay churches so the okay churches take over.

When I can’t get one person outside of my family to come (Dad, Mom, and my mother in law), I will pack up and go somewhere else.

• We don’t have to compromise. I’ll go be a part of another good church somewhere else.
• I will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. I don’t want to be a part of an okay church.
• I don’t want to be a part of a church that gets the Gospel right but preaches a pre-tribulation rapture.
• I want to be a part of a fantastic church that does everything they can to follow God’s words.

I am not going to compromise for church. I am not going to a church that teaches a pre-tribulation rapture.

• “Well, it’s not a big deal.” I’m different. It is a big deal to me. “Let’s just agree to disagree.” NO!!!
• If you can’t listen to what Jesus Christ says CLEARLY, I have a problem with that.
• It’s time to find a good church. It’s time to get there every time they open.
• “Well, I have more important things to do.” Okay, this just shows how foolish you happen to be.

Now, if you’re out winning souls to Christ, and you’re late to church because of that, that’s great!

• But, is that why people are missing church? I don’t think so. It’s football, basketball, TV, and couches.
• God will understand if you’re winning a soul to Christ. But that’s not what’s happening out there.

Why do we go to church? We go to worship God. We go to sing psalms and hymns together.

• We go to be filled with the Spirit of God as we teach, preach, hear, and listen.
• We want to be taught by God. We assemble because we love God and His people. We support each other.
• God supports us so we show up to church, and we support Him. We preach His words no matter what.
• We don’t hold back anything from His words. We preach Malachi Chapter 2.
• We preach Exodus Chapter 32. We preach Deuteronomy Chapter 28. We preach Revelation FULLY.

We assemble together for soul winning. We go out and preach the Gospel together. We assemble for this.

• God is with us when we go out soul winning. We pray during soul winning. We pray for soul winning.
• Without God, we will never win a soul to Christ. He says, “I will be with you.” This is His will.

[11] Acts 2:46-47 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

• We go from house to house together. This is one of my favorite things to do as a group.
• One of the best days I’ve ever had was when we had many people out soul winning together.
• It’s sad that a nosy woman, a busybody, put a stop to this and tried to destroy the church altogether.

We assemble together to break bread. We eat together, sing together, worship together, have fun together.

• There is nothing more fun than winning a soul to Jesus Christ with your soul winning partner.
• There is no law against any of these things. God says we can gather together as much as we want.
• God says we can have church as much as we want. We can win as many souls to Christ as we want.

Church could be amazingly awesome, but no one wants to come except the few, the proud, the Marines.

• Oh, sorry, I got mixed up there for a second. No one wants to come except the few who love Jesus.
• He says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
• He commands us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Doesn’t He?
• When we do what He says, this is love. When we hate evil, this is love.

If Christians would get up and go find the good local churches, those churches could do even greater things.

• Yes, the local churches need you there. They need your support. We assemble together to pray.
• They did this in the Bible. We assemble together for the Lord’s Supper. They did this in the Bible.
• They gathered together to hear what type of preaching? Short preaching or long preaching?

[12] Acts 20:9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

• People don’t want to hear long preaching any more. They want their ears tickled.
• They end up falling a long ways. They might end up almost dead or even dead. This is the truth.
• If you won’t get up and find a good church, your children might end up dead. Seriously.
• It’s time to do this. It’s a call for you to do what God has asked you to do.
• And you don’t have to compromise. Go find a good church. Do it as fast as you can before it’s too late.

Do you want to know some of the reasons people say they won’t come to church?

• “There aren’t any people there my age. I won’t be able to make any good friends.”
• “Who goes there? Are there any powerful political people there?” Excuse after excuse.
• They will say they practice their faith some other way and not by going to church.
• They say, “I haven’t found a church that I like. It must be what I LIKE!!!”
• Before I go any further with these reasons people won’t go to church, I want to stop on that one for a few minutes.

“I haven’t found a church I like.” What’s your reason? There are good reasons and bad reasons.

• For example, if you don’t go because you can’t find a church that preaches the true Gospel, this is a good reason to not go to those churches.
• If you don’t go to a church because you can’t find use that uses only the King James, this is a good reason.
• If you don’t go to a church because they don’t have an organ, this is a bad reason.
• If you don’t go to a church because they don’t use Hillsong or Bethel music, this is a bad reason.
• If you don’t go because they don’t have Sunday School, this is a bad reason.

If you don’t go because they don’t treat you like the high prince or princess of fantasy world, this is a bad reason.

• If you don’t go because they teach false doctrine, this is a good reason to not go.
• But, make sure they are teaching false doctrine. Are you sure?
• For example, if you think salvation is of works and they preach faith, you’re wrong. They’re right.

You need to get there so they can teach you something.

• If you don’t go because they take up offering, this is a bad reason. We don’t, but people still won’t come.
• They like to just come up with ANY EXCUSE they can to not come to church.

People will say, “I don’t go to church because I don’t like the sermons.” Well, guess what? GOD DOES.

• He chose preaching as the way to teach others His truth. You aren’t God. He made that decision.
• That’s why we preach long sermons here. People who want to learn love the long sermons.
• People who want to come for some other reason don’t.

People say, “I don’t feel welcome at church.” Did YOU ever try to talk to anyone? Did YOU show yourself friendly?

• And sometimes, you could be right. Maybe that church has a problem with welcoming people.
• Maybe you could go there and start welcoming people the right way.
• Maybe it’s your job to add your gifts into that church. Let me be crystal clear.

God commanded us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. He doesn’t accept excuses.

• God commands us to not steal. Did He say it was okay to steal under certain circumstances? No, He didn’t.
• He also doesn’t say it’s okay to forsake the assembling of yourselves for any other reasons.
• He is telling you to find a good church and get there.

Make sure it is a good church that teaches right things. Yes, they are out there.

• It’s time to find them and support them for the rest of your life as long as they teach right things.
• It’s time to be a part of what God asked you to be a part of. I would love to have you here.
• Any good church would love to have any believer there with them.
• When you come here, you are always welcomed by us unless you’re a sodomite.

Some people make the excuse that they can’t make it to church. They say, “I don’t have enough time.”

• They say, “I’m in poor health. My back hurts when I sit.” You don’t have to sit down.
• You can stand up on the sides of the aisles or in the back. Doesn’t bother me at all.
• You can sit on the couch at home or in the chair at home. These seats are padded. WHINERS.

Excuse makers. There’s a lion out there. I can’t go outside. It’s too cold. It’s raining. The wind is blowing.

• There’s fresh oxygen out there. OH NO!!! There’s an excuse for everything.
• People say, “I’ll be there. I’m coming to church.”
• I don’t know the exact number of people that have told us this.
• But God does. Guess what? They never come. Hundreds and hundreds of people say this.
• Many of them look me straight in the eye, and say, “I’ll be there.” LIARS. Straight to your face.
• They just can’t come to church. Why? What is so horrible about coming to church to worship God?

When did believers assemble together for church? I don’t think it matters. Pick the days.

• Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Pick them.
• You will see them meeting together on the first day of the week. So we have church on Sunday.
• If you look up the phrase, “first day of the week” in the King James Bible, you will learn something.

Jesus arose from the dead on the first day of the week. We arise, get up out of bed, and go to church.

• We don’t say, “Oh, I didn’t sleep well last night. I can’t get up today.”
• Hey, I work all week long hours. I prepare all of these things for church. I am tired. I get up. I go to church.
• You can do it too. I haven’t died yet from the lack of sleep. I’m still breathing. Not dead yet.
• You shall not die from a night of less sleep than what you’re accustomed to.

[13] John 20:19-21 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.

• On the first day of the week, Jesus stood there where they were assembled together.
• He says, “EVEN SO I SEND YOU.”
• We go soul winning on Sunday because it works the best in my experience.
• It’s not the only day that works.

But it’s my favorite day to win souls to Jesus Christ. Right after lunch and before dinner.

• People seem to be more relaxed on Sunday afternoon. They give us some time. We deliver the Gospel.
• If their NFL team is losing, they might give us even more time.
• Thomas missed this assembly in John Chapter 20. You don’t want to miss church.
• He missed when Jesus gave the indwelling of the Holy Ghost for the first time.

[14] Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

• We aren’t afraid to stay in church a long time. We love church here. We don’t waste time.
• We get straight to the things God told us to do. We get straight to the long preaching.
• We don’t waste time with Sunday School. We don’t waste time in preaching.

Important things happen in church. When you do what God says, He will bless you and care for you.

• Don’t forget that. Church is there for many different reasons.
• Treat church like it is of utmost importance because it is that important.
• If it weren’t, God wouldn’t have put in His words so many times.
• If you aren’t going to a good church, you’re missing out on so many things.

You’re missing out on eternal rewards in heaven. A good church will inspire you to get going.

• They will lead you in the right paths. “Hey, do you want to go soul winning with me today?”
• You can be the silent partner and just watch how I do this. I’ll show you.
• Maybe one day you’ll want to speak, and I’ll be the silent partner who prays for you and that person.

I guarantee you that winning a soul to Christ is God’s will, and He will reward His workers.

• Do you want to work for the Majesty on High or not? I do. I will be bold. I will speak for God.
• And I’ll show you how. I will lead in the paths of righteousness. I will look straight on.
• I will not turn to the left or to the right. I will look to Jesus Christ for guidance.

If you still want to say, “I don’t have time,” maybe God will say YOUR TIME is up.

• If you want to make more excuses out there, maybe God will make sure it’s your last excuse.
• “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”
• We are not ashamed to say that we love Jesus Christ here. We love God here. Not ashamed.
• I’ll say it right now to anyone out there. I love Jesus Christ. I will do what He says.
• I am far from perfect, but I will put forth effort to do what Jesus told me to do.

Now, we don’t have many people here in person. We’ve had 29 people maximum in here before.

• We’re back to what we started with. Just my family. And guess what?
• We’re still doing what God asks us to do. That should tell you something about us.
• My family doesn’t have another family to rely on or to back us up. We keep going.
• And if no one in this local area wants to join us, we’ll go somewhere else. We don’t stop.
• What about you? What will you do?

Now, it’s time for you to decide. Do you love Jesus Christ or not? If so, do what He says.

• No more hearing and talking about it. Let’s do it. Get it done. Do what needs to be done.
• Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together as BELIEVERS in Jesus Christ.

If you’ve put on Christ, it’s time to go show that to someone. It’s time to speak.

• It’s time to get up. It’s time to go to church. It’s time to be baptized in water.
• It’s time to preach the Gospel. It’s time to win souls to Christ. It’s time to sing psalms and hymns.
• It’s time to worship God. It’s time to stop sinning. It’s time to do what God says to do.

Go find you a REAL FRIEND who loves Jesus Christ. You’ll find them in good churches.

• Aren’t you tired of getting stabbed in the back? Go find a real friend. Come here.
• We’ve got some real friends waiting for you. Why not? We love and care.
• I will say one more verse as we close. This is the last verse in the Bible that has the word friend or friends.

[15] 3 John 14 But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Greet the friends by name.

• And yes, whoever you are out there, I say this to you. I trust I shall shortly see thee.
• We shall speak face to face, friend. I hope I’ll see you soon in this life on this earth.
• If not, I will see you soon when we gather together in heaven. Hey, let’s get to church.
• Won’t it be sad to get to heaven and you won’t have any friends there from your church you didn’t have?

If we had just a few families here that loved Jesus Christ, I would stay. I haven’t found them in over 3 years.

• And I’ve searched. And I’ve prayed. And I’ve wanted to grow this church more than you might think.
• Jesus says, “I will build my church.” I will ask Jesus one day, “Why couldn’t we grow this church?”
• Maybe it’s my fault. Maybe it’s not. Maybe I could have done more. I do have faith in Jesus Christ.
• But I will not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Yes, I care for this area. I’ve shown this.

Maybe it’s not my fault. Maybe it’s your fault. Maybe in heaven, when I ask Jesus why? He’ll call a meeting.

• Maybe He’ll call you over with me. Maybe He’ll show me the reasons why.
• I am sure many of the reasons will be my fault. But maybe some will be yours. I own my mistakes.
• Will you? I am going to do my best to do better. Will you?

Maybe one reasons is because you didn’t go find a good church. There are others just like us struggling right now.

• Maybe a good local church in your area is closing soon because you didn’t do what God asked you to do.
• Let’s do what God said to do. Get out there and find a good church. SEARCH AND SEARCH.
• God has great things in store for us. We believe Him. You need a church that teaches the whole Bible.
• Why? You need to hear His words. Don’t compromise. Find the one God wants you to find. They exist.

It’s sad when a man or a woman stays home and won’t go to church. They try to learn God’s words on their own.

• They don’t even tune in to a good live stream of a good church like this one. They try to do it themselves.
• They listen to all the wrong people. They don’t understand the Scriptures.

But there’s a good preacher right down the road teaching the right things. There are good friends there.

• They are waiting for you to get there.
• They are trying to find you, but they can’t get to every house quickly.
• You can find them faster than they can find you. Go find them. That’s your job now. Go find them.

They’re still out there working and looking for you. I do this work every day and often.

• I can’t find the people locally. I have found many all over the world and all over this country.
• I’m trying. I’m working. I’m looking. If you’re out there listening, get to the closest good church.

Find them before they spend year after year trying to find you. And they will because they won’t stop.

• But why not make it a little easier and just get to the closest good church you can find.
• And don’t compromise on the King James, the Gospel, or soul winning. Move if you have to move.
• And yes, it is THAT important. God says so.

Let’s pray.