Title: Church Membership is Not a Numbers Game
Meta: There are many seeker sensitive "churches" that are trying to manipulate people into their church. They treat church membership like a numbers game. The true church is looking for those who have truly experienced regeneration.
Tags: church,membership,Tim Conway,believer,regeneration

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I'll just tell you this,

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if you're visiting with us.

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I've almost got the feeling once in a while,

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somebody will visit the church,

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and it's like...

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"We want to become a member."

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And the very fact that I hesitate

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in the way that I answer them -

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sometimes I see,

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it's almost like I can read it on their face.

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What?

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I thought that if I wanted to be a member

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of your church, you'd be all happy about that.

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Isn't that the goal of churches?

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Isn't it to get as big as possible?

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Isn't that what makes pastors happy?

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Brethren, we've got all sorts of people

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around this country trying

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to coerce people into their church.

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Seeker-sensitive.

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Trying to attract people.

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Brethren, this isn't a numbers game.

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We're looking for people who

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have experienced this great spiritual operation

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known as regeneration -

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becoming new creations.

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That's what we're looking for.

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Real living stones

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that bear this image of holiness.

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That's it.

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That's it.

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The Spirit of God laying hold...

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This isn't about somebody trying to

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be religious and giving up smoking.

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We're talking about a dwelling place for God.

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God doesn't dwell with a bunch of unholy people

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trying to be Christians in their own strength

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who have given up smoking.

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This isn't it.

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I'll tell you what it is,

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and you know, Christian.

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You know this is what it is.

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He says He's going to cleanse us

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from our idols.

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You know what idols are?

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They're things you love.

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And He goes in at the deepest level,

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and He lays hold on those things,

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and He rips them out.

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And those roots, they go so deep.

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And as they come out, it hurts.

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He tears them out.

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And He looks at us and He said,

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I'm going to crush you.

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And Craig was talking about -

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what is it? v. 8?

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And all the you's.

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The self's. Self. Self, self, self.

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He says you're going to die to that.

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And I'm going to put that thing to death.

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I'm going to produce a person

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whose joy and confidence

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is in the Lord.

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Whose idols - when He tears those out,

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those roots come out,

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and it tears part of you out with it.

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And you know that's true.

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I'm going to cleanse them from their idols.

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That is a promise of the new covenant.

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And if you're a true child of God here,

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you know that.

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You know that feeling.

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You know Him tearing those things out.

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It's by the Spirit,

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and the Spirit's successful.

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This excerpt was taken from the sermon

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"The Dwelling Place of God is With Man"

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by Tim Conway,

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Preached on December 3rd, 2017.

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It can be found on our church website

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GCCSATX.COM

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Or Youtube.com/GCCSATX