Sermon Notes

“Have You Achieved--

Care of the Saints?”

By Brother Kenneth Ray

June 26^th, 2011

 Click here to download printable sermon notes in pdf format.  

            There are two types of saints.  You may be thinking, I never read about different types of saints in the Bible.  That’s true, but, there are two types:  Current; and Future, the ones that are not here yet.  God wants us to have ministry.  When you heard the title of today’s message, you may think of someone that you know in this ministry, or you may think of someone that you know who loves and serves God, but is not part of this ministry.  I will tell you that our message today is at least two-fold:  1) Speak about how to treat God’s people. 2) Speak about how to be toward all people.  We all have needs.  Does only one group of people need love? Does only one group of people need compassion?  How about understanding?

 Jude 22            And of some have compassion, making a difference:

 Could compassion make a difference in your life?  Could your compassion make a difference in someone else’s life?  It may not matter if they are saved, or seeking, or neither one.

 Galatians 6:10            …let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

 If you are going to build something, first you have to find a location.  Then you need to lay a foundation.  Then you start to build up from there.  Who is the household of faith?  The current saints.  They are often overlooked because we see each other every Sunday (or every day, in some instances).  It’s easy to take the current saints for granted.  We are supposed to be the ones protecting our brothers and sisters.  Our support is part of what’s getting them to the right place in the end; our lack of support may mean that they don’t make it…

 1 Corinthians 12:25    ...the members should have the same care one for another.

 NOTE:  It didn’t say that you had to like them all the same, but you do have to care for every one the same.  Each has their own needs, and at some point will need our support.  

To get to the mountaintop, you know that we have to go through the valley.  Sometimes we have to come up on the rough side of the mountain, but Jesus will help you to get over rough terrain.  There may be a brother or sister that will pray for you when you don’t even know that they are praying.

 2 Corinthians 11:28    … that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

 Paul was not a maintenance man of a building.  When he talked about the care of the churches, he was talking about the people.  The care of the people should fall upon us daily.

I’m going to share a secret:  If you want a strong bond, you have to be humble, open, and vulnerable.  Is that easy? No, but it’s worth the effort; we can form a bond that will not easily be broken.  When we fall (not if), caring hearts will minister to us and restore and strengthen us.  We are not born strong, we can be made strong.  When I was in school to be an electrician, one of our instructors used to ask, “What is your life worth?”  Is it worth the sixty-four steps to take the meter and check to make sure that the power is really off before you start to work?  In a spiritual sense, what is your life worth?  What is a brother or sister’s life worth?

 Having ministry—Future saints:

 I believe that men and women still seek God and desire His ways.  I also believe that people still have needs to be met.

   …His way is perfect: The Word of the Lord is tried…