Building For Christ—celebrating 9 Years Of God’s Call Church Anniversary

Building For Christ—Celebrating 9 Years Of God’s Call

Exodus 4:1-13 Acts 9:11-18

Today is a day of celebration in the life of our church as we remember the goodness of God. Anniversaries are a time of remembrance of where we started and where God Is leading us in the future. The word remember is used 230 times in the Bible. In order for us to become what God wants us to become, we need to remember how God reached out to us in the beginning.

A little over ten years ago, there existed two churches seeking to know the will of God for their future. There was Glenville New Life Community Church whose history dated back 50 years, and Calvary Presbyterian Church whose history dated back 130 years. The two churches felt led to discover if God was calling them to the same mission in Building For Christ. After many months of prayer, deliberation, discussions, votes, and worshipping in each other’s sanctuaries, the two churches came together and united in Christ under the banner New Life At Calvary.

It was not always easy, but what kept things in focus was the reality that we were allowing God to build His Kingdom through us in a new way. Not only was God interested in us building a new ministry for Christ, God was just as interested in building a new work for Christ in each of our own hearts. We can be proud of all the outreach ministries, the worship services, the world missions and the love that has grown out of this church and been poured into the world. In many ways we have taken the gospel to several nations.

We can thank God for all of you brothers and sisters who have provided what was needed to do God’s work. We remember and are thankful for those who labored in our midst who are now in the presence of the Lord. Many of you here today and others who are now serving God in other ministries, have been faithful in the roles God placed you in.

We have a reason to celebrate after nine years because we have seen the faithfulness of our God, and we have witnessed the presence of God in our midst. We can celebrate the birth of Bridge City Church on the west side, which came out of a vision from covenant partners in our own midst. We can celebrate the partnerships God allowed us to form with other churches, ministry teams, and community groups. Together we have made an impact for God. The Lord has raised up some incredible people in our midst.

Anniversaries remind us that not only do we have a beginning, but that we also have a purpose. That purpose always extends beyond the celebration of the day itself. God has a purpose for building the body of Christ here in this location. The amazing thing is that God has invited you to be a part of that process both as a congregation and as an individual.

Without individuals, there is not congregation. The Scriptures tell us, in 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. God has called you with a purpose in mind. You are a necessary part of the body of Christ. There are no unused parts even though some of us act as though we are spare parts.

In our New Testament reading, God wanted to do something new in “Building For Christ.” It was something that nobody in their right mind would have come up with because it was so far outside the box. We are introduced to a person by the name of Ananias. A person devoted to God with a great reputation for serving the Lord earnestly. Ananias lives in Damascus. He has heard about the persecution that has broken out in Jerusalem against the believers. Men and women are being thrown in jail for their faith and some are being killed.

The mastermind behind this Persecution was a madman named Saul who had gone overboard wanting to annihilate the followers of Jesus. He wasn’t happy with just arresting and killing Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem. He had gotten a search warrant to go and arrest Christians in Damascus and drag them back to Jerusalem to face trials.

Just think, if you knew this madman was going to show up at church today following service to arrest those of you who love the Lord, what would your reaction be? Some of you may leave service early, others may be glad they are watching the service online.

The thing is, when a scary challenge is presented to us, we don’t know what the outcome might be and whether it will leave us better equipped in building for Christ or if it will bring an end to our situation. The issue becomes, will I trust Jesus in this situation. Everybody is going to face some scary times. Every church is going to face some scary times. Ananias was probably wondering where he could go and hide to get away from this madman Saul and save his life and the lives of others.