Who Needs the Church?

November 3, 2019                  NOTES NOT EDITED

Who Needs the Church?

Luke 8:22-48

SIS:  The Lord’s Church is as much a need in life (both temporal AND eternal) as eating, drinking, or even breathing.

Have you ever seriously thought about, “wants versus needs?”  I came across this distinction:  “think of a need being something required for survival. Needs are water for drinking, food to eat, clothing to keep you warm, and shelter to live in. On the other hand, a want is everything else.”

It becomes apparent to me that there are many more “wants” in life than “needs.”  It also makes me ask:  “What if someone needs something but doesn’t want it, is it any less of a need?” Again, it seems apparent to me that “wanting or not wanting a need doesn’t change whether something is a need or not.”  Think of water for drinking for example.  Whether one wants water or not, doesn’t change whether a person needs it.  This applies equally to food.  Over the years I’ve had both the opportunity and the burden to minister to families with a family member who has been in a prolonged illness and is now nearing death. Many I’ve been with at this stage in life are conscious, though weak.  One thing I have noted.  People in the last stages of life lose any desire to eat, and often to drink. I’ve noted that this seems to be an indicator that the end is near.  Food and water are needs, and when these needs are no longer wanted, it indicates something is wrong, that is, death is near.

Remember, a “need” is necessary for survival—it is a “must have.” 

So, what about church?  Let’s ask first, “do people WANT the church?”  Without any research or reading my gut feeling in regard to this question falls squarely between “not much and not at all,” at least when limited to the United States.  What does the research say?  In a recent Gallup Poll article I read this:  “Gallup finds the percentage of Americans who report belonging to a church, synagogue or mosque at an all-time low, averaging 50% in 2018.U.S. church membership was 70% or higher from 1937 through 1976, falling modestly to an average of 68% in the 1970s through the 1990s. The past 20 years have seen an acceleration in the drop-off, with a 20-percentage-point decline since 1999 and more than half of that change occurring since the start of the current decade.”  Gallup records a 20 percent drop in the last 20 years and most of it in the last few years.  Clearly, a majority of Americans do not seem to “want” what the church has to offer. Now, many blame the church for failing to attract people, or for being “out of touch or not hip, or . . . well, there’s too many criticisms of church to list.”  But, the question really isn’t, “do most people WANT church”—clearly, they don’t; the real question is, “do people NEED church?”  If someone gets a bad meal at a restaurant, they may stop going to that restaurant, but they don’t stop eating.  Why?  Because clearly eating is a NEED.  My desire this morning is to show you, through the Scriptures, that the Lord’s Church is as much a need in life (both temporal AND eternal) as eating, drinking, or even breathing.  LET’S READ OUR: Lk. 8:22-25

²² One day He and His disciples got into a boat, and He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.”  So they set out, ²³ and as they were sailing He fell asleep. Then a fierce windstorm came down on the lake; they were being swamped and were in danger. ²⁴ They came and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to die!” Then He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves. So they ceased, and there was a calm.  ²⁵ He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were fearful and amazed, asking one another, “Who can this be? He commands even the winds and the waves, and they obey Him!”

In our time together this morning we will examine four reasons why “Everyone Needs the Church.”  People Dealing with DOUBT, Need the Church.  People who are DEMONIZED, Need the Church. People Who are DESPERATE, Need the Church.  Most of all, People Facing DEATH, Need the Church.

1.  People Dealing with DOUBT, Need the Church.

In the portion of Scripture we just read, what great challenge are the disciples facing?  Verse 24 seems pretty clear.  The disciples cry out, “Master, Master, we’re going to die!”  The gospel of Mark adds another element to the cry of the disciples.  Mark 4:38 says, Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?”

Storms on the sea of Gallilee were frequent, sudden, and violent.  The Sea of Gallilee is surrounded by mountains and the mountain gorges funnel cold air onto the warm Sea and violent storms result.  So, it is easy to see why the disciples were afraid.  But our fear, while natural should never be fatal.  The disciples, as recorded in Mark, made two mistakes in what they said.  One, they were NOT going to die.  Jesus said in Lk. 8:22, Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.”  Jesus never said anything about drowning halfway across.  Second, the disciples accused Jesus of “not caring” (Mk. 4:38).  This is a common accusation against God when people find themselves in dire straits and difficult situations. But, God DOES care. The entire gospel message is founded upon God’s love and care.  We all know that verse in John 3:16:

For God so loved the world He gave His only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

So, let me ask again.  What was the great challenge or difficulty the disciples were facing.  As we have established.  It wasn’t death by drowning.  It wasn’t that God doesn’t care.  So, what’s their problem.  What’s the great NEED they have. Jesus answered that question with a question of His own.

Let me park on that question Jesus asked when the disciples were in a “life-threatening” situation, about to be drowned in the Sea of Gallilee.  Jesus asked, “Where is your faith? (v25).  He didn’t ask, “Where are your buckets for bailing water?”  He didn’t ask, “Where are your lifejackets?”  Jesus did not ask, “Where is the lifeboat?”  From a natural point of view, all these would be “NEEDED” for survival in a maritime emergency . . . but, Jesus said, “Where is your FAITH?”  That which is essential, according to Jesus, is “faith.”  It is a NEED, a NECESSITY, something ESSENTIAL for survival.  Jesus didn’t even ask them what they wanted (I’m sure their demeanor and desperation made that clear).  Jesus pointed their hearts and minds to what they NEEDED.  They NEEDED faith in Him.  They NEEDED encouragement in a time of great difficulty.  They NEEDED faith to lift them out of the crashing waves of doubt.  Church offers encouragement for those who are allowing the waves of difficulty to carry them out into the sea of doubt.  People Dealing With Doubt Need the Church.

2. People who are DEMONIZED, Need the Church. (26-39)

²⁶ Then they sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷ When He got out on land, a demon-possessed man from the town met Him. For a long time he had worn no clothes and did not stay in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸ When he saw Jesus, he cried out,  fell down before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What do You have to do with me,  ^g Jesus, You Son of the Most High God?  I beg You, don’t torment me!” ²⁹ For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was guarded, bound by chains and shackles, he would snap the restraints and be driven by the demon into deserted places.  ³⁰ “What is your name?” Jesus asked him. “Legion,”  he said—because many demons had entered him. ³¹ And they begged Him not to banish them to the abyss. ³² A large herd of pigs was there, feeding on the hillside. The demons begged Him to permit them to enter the pigs, and He gave them permission. ³³ The demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and drowned. ³⁴ When the men who tended them saw what had happened, they ran off and reported it in the town and in the countryside. ³⁵ Then people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and found the man the demons had departed from, sitting at Jesus’ feet,  dressed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶ Meanwhile, the eyewitnesses reported to them how the demon-possessed man was delivered.  ³⁷ Then all the people of the Gerasene region asked Him to leave them,  because they were gripped by great fear. So getting into the boat, He returned. ³⁸ The man from whom the demons had departed kept begging Him to be with Him. But He sent him away and said, ³⁹ “Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you.” And off he went, proclaiming throughout the town all that Jesus had done for him.

This section could easily warrant a sermon on its own, but I want to focus on just the central issue it presents:  People With Demons Need the Church.  When was the last time you saw an exorcism in church?  I’d venture to say, “never.”  When was the last time you met a demon-possessed person?  The chances are much greater that you have met a demon-possessed person—maybe even today.  Let me say something shocking, but I believe is supported by Scripture:  any person that is not a believer in Jesus Christ is possessed by the Devil!  Think about this:  according to laws of science it is said, “nature abhors a vacuum.”  In other words, anytime there is a void with nothing in it, something will seek to fill it.  You see this every day (or at least every time you clean the house).  You start the “vacuum cleaner.”  The motor creates a negative pressure—a vacuum—in the collection chamber.  When you run the hose over a cheerio or a lego, the cheerio or lego is “sucked into the vacuum.”  The vacuum wants to be filled with stuff—and it ain’t all that choosy as to what stuff fills it!

The same happens with a human soul.  Sin creates a spiritual vacuum in a person’s heart and it longs to be filled with a spirit. The sinful heart isn’t anymore selective than the vacuum cleaner.  It will suck up anything, including the demon spirits of the Devil’s “Legions.”  Jesus said it like this (Jn. 8:43-44):

⁴³ Why don’t you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to My word.  ⁴⁴ You are of your father the Devil.  Jesus also said, Anyone who is not with me is against me (Mt. 12:30)

There is no “neutral” ground.  Everybody is serving either the Lord or the Devil. There are no “empty” hearts. At any moment, the Devil can possess an unbeliever and they will be as demented and devilish as this man in our text.

Now, how much control the Devil takes over someone he possesses is different.  For some, it is violent, dark, destructive, and deadly, like this Gerasene demoniac.  For others, demon possession may be more subtle, but just as deadly. Demon-possession can be seen in a functioning alcoholic or a working drug addict.  Demon-possession can be seen in a man that abandons his wife and kids for another woman.  Demon-possession can be seen in a man, so full of greed that he embezzles from his employer and ends up losing everything and spending wasted years in prison.  Demon possession can be seen in a person like Bruce Jenner living in a confused state where he mutilates himself to act out a sick, mind-bending fantasy.  Demon-possession can be as extreme as a radical terrorist strapping a bomb on his body to blow up innocent people in the name of his god.  Demon-possession can be seen in the gutters of skid row where the Devil deposits those he has used like so much human trash.  Demon-possession is everywhere; and, there is only one solution to demon-possession:  the power of Christ initiated by the fervent prayers of the Church.  Demon-possessed People Need the Church.

3.  People Who Are Desperate Need the Church (43-48)

While He was going, the crowds were nearly crushing Him.  ⁴³ A woman suffering from bleeding  for 12 years,  who had spent all she had on doctors  yet could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴ approached from behind and touched the tassel of His robe.  Instantly her bleeding stopped. ⁴⁵ “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter  said, “Master,  the crowds are hemming You in and pressing against You.” ⁴⁶ “Someone did touch Me,” said Jesus. “I know that power has gone out from Me.”  ⁴⁷ When the woman saw that she was discovered,  she came trembling and fell down before Him. In the presence of all the people, she declared the reason she had touched Him and how she was instantly cured. ⁴⁸ “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made you well.  Go in peace.”

Here is a “desperate woman.”  For twelve years she had battled a debilitating illness.  She was broken physically.  She was devastated financially.  She was exhausted emotionally.  Her situation was chronic and crushing.  She NEEDED relief and it was nowhere to be found.  And, then she met Jesus!

All around us—perhaps even our next-door neighbor—people are in “desperate” situations with some physical, emotional, or financial need that is being unmet which is crushing the very life out of them.  We get calls all the time at church from people in desperate situations.  People in Desperate Situations Need the Church.

People Dealing with Doubt, Need the Church.  People Dealing with Demon-possession, Need the Church.  People Dealing with Desperate Situations, Need the Church.

4.  People Facing Death, Need the Church (49-56)

⁴⁹ While He was still speaking,  someone came from the synagogue leader’s house, saying, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother  the Teacher  anymore.” ⁵⁰ When Jesus heard it, He answered him, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be made well.” ⁵¹ After He came to the house, He let no one enter with Him except Peter, John, James,  and the child’s father and mother. ⁵² Everyone was crying  and mourning for her.  But He said, “Stop crying, for she is not dead but asleep.” ⁵³ They started laughing at Him, because they knew she was dead. ⁵⁴ So He  took her by the hand  and called out, “Child, get up!”  ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned,  and she got up at once. Then He gave orders that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were astounded, but He instructed them to tell no one what had happened.

Here’s a little girl introduced as “gravely ill” in verses 40-42.  Now, she is dead.  The bad became the worse.  Hope is completely sucked out of the situation.  The father, Jairus, was pushing through the crowd to get to Jesus.  He knew Jesus had healed many, and even raised many from the dead.  Jairus knew he had a great NEED and he knew Who could meet that need.

I will admit that people can get “some needs” met by other organizations.  I have a friend who along with his mother and brother were abandoned by their father.  They grew up eating “government cheese.” Our family received some of this government subsidized cheese at one time. Even as young as I was, I knew this cheese was for “NEEDY” families.  There are some places, some people can find some fulfillment of their needs.  But, nowhere is the NEED for the church more apparent than when a person is facing death—either his or someone else’s.  There is no answer for this question or any solution for this need, but that which is found in and through the Church of Jesus Christ.  Jesus, through the Holy Spirit inspired preaching, has given the Church the the power of life.  Jesus said,

The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. (Jn. 6:63).  And Jesus also said, "Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life. (Jn. 5:24).

The Bible says, “It is appointed that everyone will die, and then face judgment” (Heb. 9:27).  Eternal life is the ONE, SINGLE-MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT A PERSON NEEDS AND CAN ONLY GET THROUGH THE WITNESS AND MINISTRY OF A CHURCH PREACHING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST, ALONE, AS THE WAY OF SALVATION.

Everybody faces death, so everybody needs the Church!

I’ve only touched on the issues presented in these four stories from the life of Jesus Christ.  All these situations taken both individually and together demonstrate that Everyone NEEDS the Church.  And, turning that theological proposition into a practical application, the Church must be about the business of meeting the needs of people—whether physical, emotional, social, or most certainly, spiritual.

The question remains:  Who Needs the Church?  The answer, based upon these four stories and the Bible story as a whole is a clear and resounding answer:  Everyone Needs the Church. 

Now, flip that coin over.  If “everyone needs the church” then the mission of the church must be, “meeting the needs of others.”  We must declare in bold letters that our church is OPEN FOR BUSINESS and our business is meeting the physical, emotional, and most of all, spiritual needs of our world.

People may seem like they don’t want what the Church is offering, but everyone needs Jesus, and Jesus is what the True Church offers.