MISSING MORE THAN A SUNDAY | The Decline of Consistent Worship & Fellowship
Christianity is personal, but God never intended it to be private.
We live in a time when we have more Christian content available than ever before. We can stream sermons, listen to worship music, watch church online, and find biblical teaching with the touch of a screen.
But the church is a body, not a broadcast.
When we disconnect from biblical community, we aren't simply missing a sermon. We're missing people God designed us to need, and people whom God designed to need us.
In this message, we look at five reasons biblical community matters:
• Biblical community reflects God's design for us.
• Biblical community produces spiritual growth.
• Biblical community provides support when life falls apart.
• Biblical community provides accountability for our decisions.
• Biblical community becomes a witness to the world.
We also examine the danger of counterfeit community. You can have friends, belong to clubs, participate in sports, enjoy hobbies, and constantly be surrounded by people while still lacking genuine Christian community.
There is a tremendous difference between having company and having Christian community.
Hebrews 10:24–25 calls believers not to neglect gathering together, but to stir one another up to love and good works. The question shouldn't simply be, “What did I get out of church?”
A better question is:
“What did God put in me that somebody else needed today?”
Spiritual disconnection rarely happens overnight. One busy weekend becomes another. One tournament, one trip, one overtime shift, one Sunday when everyone is tired. Eventually, what was once unusual becomes normal.
We don't always decide to disconnect. Sometimes we simply develop habits that disconnect us.
THE CHALLENGE
I will gather unless providentially hindered.
I will come to give, not merely receive.
I will allow myself to be known.
I will notice who is missing and reach out.
Because church isn't an event I attend. It is a people to whom I belong.
📖 Key Scriptures: Hebrews 10:24–25 | Acts 2:42–47 | 1 Corinthians 12:14–20 | Galatians 6:2 | Proverbs 27:17 | John 17:21
Harman Memorial Baptist Church
Grundy, Virginia
#MissingMoreThanASunday #BiblicalCommunity #ChurchAttendance #ChristianFellowship #Hebrews10 #Acts2 #ChurchFamily #Discipleship #ChristianSermon #HarmanMemorialBaptist
30 Sept 2026
GOD NEVER LOSES
Israel lost the battle. The Ark of the Covenant was captured. To everyone watching, it may have looked as though Israel’s God had been defeated.
But Israel’s defeat was not God’s defeat.
In 1 Samuel 5–6, the Philistines place the Ark beside their false god Dagon, only to discover very quickly who is truly in control. Dagon falls, God’s hand reaches throughout the land of the Philistines, and eventually the Ark is returned to Israel without an Israelite army having to rescue it.
The message is simple but powerful:
God never loses.
God is not struggling with Satan for control. He does not need us to defend His throne, protect His power, or rescue His plans. Even when circumstances appear chaotic, God remains completely sovereign.
In this message we examine six truths:
• God’s judgment does not mean God has lost.
• God will not share His glory with our idols.
• God’s hand reaches where false gods cannot.
• Recognizing God’s power is not the same as surrendering to Him.
• God can accomplish His purpose without our control.
• God’s holiness must be honored by His own people too.
The question is not whether God will remain sovereign. He will.
The question is whether we will surrender to Him.
What have you placed beside God in your life? Are you seeking relief from consequences, or genuine repentance? Have you become comfortable around the things of God while becoming careless about obedience to God?
At the cross, Jesus bore the judgment sinners deserve. In His resurrection, He conquered death. You do not have to make yourself worthy before coming to Him. Turn from your sin and trust the Savior.
“The God who never loses is calling you to stop resisting Him and start trusting Him.”
Primary Text: 1 Samuel 5–6
Background: 1 Samuel 4
Harman Memorial Baptist Church
Grundy, Virginia
#GodNeverLoses #1Samuel #SovereigntyOfGod #JesusChrist #BiblePreaching #ChristianSermon #HarmanMemorialBaptistChurch
27 Sept 2026
STATE OF THE CHURCH – WEEK 1: WHEN SELF TAKES THE THRONE
What is one of the greatest threats facing the church today?
It may not be that people stop worshiping. It may be that we continue worshiping while slowly replacing God with ourselves.
In Week 1 of our five-week State of the Church series, Pastor Shea Shrader examines the danger of self-centered Christianity and asks a deeply personal question:
WHO IS SITTING ON THE THRONE?
Romans 1 shows what happens when humanity stops glorifying God as God. Worship doesn't disappear. It simply changes direction. Instead of looking upward toward our Creator, our hearts begin bending inward toward ourselves.
Scripture gives us sobering examples:
Saul couldn't celebrate another man's success.
Haman couldn't get past one man's disrespect.
The Pharisee needed someone beneath him.
The rich fool believed every blessing existed for himself.
The disciples turned Kingdom work into a competition.
Diotrephes simply had to be first.
Different people. Different circumstances. Different centuries.
Same throne: SELF.
And self-worship can enter the church. It can carry a Bible, sing a hymn, serve on a committee, preach a sermon, and sit in the same pew for decades while still asking, “What about me?”
But Isaiah 6 gives us the cure: a bigger vision of God.
When Isaiah saw the Lord “high and lifted up,” his attention shifted from himself to the holiness and glory of God. When God becomes enormous in our vision, self gets smaller.
This message challenges each of us to examine our hearts:
When Jesus disagrees with me, who has to change?
State of the Church begins with the state of my heart.
When self is on the throne: “What about me?”
When God is on the throne: “Here am I! Send me.”
📖 Key Scriptures: Romans 1:18–25 | Isaiah 6:1–8 | Romans 12:1 | Matthew 16:24 | Philippians 2:9–11 | John 3:30
STATE OF THE CHURCH | 5-WEEK SERIES
Week 1 – When Self Takes the Throne
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3:30
#StateOfTheChurch #WhenSelfTakesTheThrone #ChristianSermon #ExpositoryPreaching #Worship #JesusIsLord #Romans1 #Isaiah6 #Church #ChristianLiving #BiblePreaching #Surrender
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