PRAY
Lord God and Father,
open our eyes so we can see Your truth.
Open our ears so w can hear Your voice.
Open our mind so we can understand Your Word.
And open our heart so we may receive all that You want me to receive. AMEN
I received a Christmas card from our Open Bible leaders this year, and on the bottom of the card it said, “Believing with you for the impossible in 2013.”
As we closed in on 2013 I asked myself a number of times, what are those impossible things that we need to be doing? What impossible things does Greg Carr need to do?
What impossible things does PFC need to do?
As for me, there are a number of things I would love to see happen. I would love to lose 30 pounds. I would love to see a large amount of our debt gone. I would love to draw even closer to God this year. I would love to stomp on the devil more this year than I did last year!
As I look back and as I look forward, those things may not seem impossible but if I do not attempt to see them done, then they are impossible. But I am going to see these things done!
What about PFC. What impossible things can we see done in 2013?
Looking back, we have spent a lot of money and put in a lot of effort in the past 4 years so that we can see the impossible being done.
What I mean is, we have been doing a lot of updating and fixing up things around here and we are not done yet.
We have to be a forward thinking church and not only forward thinking but we need to be thinking big as well.
The reason we need to be forward thinking and thinking big is because the purpose of the church is to make an impact upon this world. Our purpose is to make an impact upon the Bismarck/Mandan area and elsewhere.
I believe that PFC is impact minded. I also believe that we can be even more so because there is always room for improvement. But before we go on, we need to understand what kind of impact do we want to make?
The answer to this question might be might be obvious, but I bet if we went around the room we might come up with 10 different answers.
To impact something means to have an effect or to make an impression that would cause a change upon something. That change could be something that is positive or it could be something that is negative.
I think we would all agree that we would want to have a positive effect on things around here.
So in other words, is the PFC making an effect upon the Bismarck/Mandan area?
I hope to answer this question during the next few weeks as well as share some plans that will help us accomplish this.
My prayer is that each of you will join me in making an impact in this area.
The goal of any local church should be to make positive impressions upon others.
I am talking about impressions and impacts that make a difference in people’s lives.
I am talking about eternal impacts, impressions that mean heaven or hell for individuals.
What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word impact?
The first thing I think of is an meteor hitting the earth. It is something that changes the landscape. Something that changes things and it usually involves force.
The world’s best preserved meteorite impact site in Arizona near Winslow.
Several thousand meteors hit the earth each day. Most of them are the size of a grain of rice or smaller and they never make an impact. A few may be the size of a baseball or occasionally the size of a basketball, they burn up in the atmosphere as well.
Sometimes the meteors that hit the earth can be the size of a car or even a house.
In 1908 an asteroid estimated at 50 meters across explodes above Tunguska, Siberia, blowing down trees across 2,000 square kilometers and killing a thousand reindeer, but apparently no people. Because the meteor exploded in the atmosphere, there was no crater..
But make no mistake, it changed the landscape.
The thing about meteors is that they make a forceful impact. It is something that is noticed.
Now please don’t misunderstand me…
I am not saying that the Christian community needs to become violent in its approaches to spread the good news, but we do need to make a forceful impact.
Listen to what Jesus said in Matthew, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” Matthew 11:12.
Many commentaries agree that Jesus was referring to an Old Testament Scripture in Micah 2:12-13.
It was a prophetic passage about the Messiah being the Shepherd that would breach or tear open a section of the fence or wall of the Sheepfold (the earthly existence), for the Remnant of Israel and this restore Israel.
The Sheep which are the believers who are also called the breachers, would continue to break down and break through the fence of the sheep-pen into greener pastures which is a reference to the Heavenly Kingdom, as they followed their Shepherd.
This is an awesome prophetic picture. Let’s read it.
’I will surely assemble all of you, Jacob. I will surely gather the Remnant of Israel. I will put them together like sheep in the fold’ (Bozrah); ’like a flock in the midst of its pasture. They shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.’
’The Breaker (Poretz from the same verb ’to tear down,’ to breach) goes up before them. They break out, pass through the gate and go out by it. So their King goes on before them and Yahweh is at their head.’ Micah 2:12-13
This is what Jesus was pointing to that day in Matthew.
The Kingdom of Heaven was presenting itself, first with the Old Testament prophets then with John’s proclamation and finally with Jesus.
Jesus was declaring that He was the Shepherd, the one to break down the walls first, the Breaker, who would break down the fence so that His Sheep, the breakers or the breachers could follow Him into their inheritance, the Heavenly realm, the Kingdom of God.
Here is the impact. Don’t miss it, the people of God should be following Jesus Christ into their inheritance in the heavenly realm. As we move into our inheritance, we are to move others there as well.
That is why Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
People moving into the inheritance of God is more than just getting people saved, that is just the beginning.
Listen, Jesus did not tell us to save them, He told us to disciple them.
The church in America has done a great job saving people, but the church in America has done a terrible job discipling them.
That is why so many people who give their hearts to Christ fall away. The church failed to give them the tools and information they needed to stay strong.
If we are going to impact the Bismarck/Mandan area we need to be able to evangelize and disciple.
The first century was able to do this and because they did, they made a huge impact on their world. And it was an easy thing for them to do. Even in the midst of persecution they evangelized and discipled.
We see the impact that the first century church made in
Acts 2:14-47. Right after the 120 people who were gathered in an upper room received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit the Apostle Peter stood up, preached a sermon that lead to the conversion of about three thousand people.
But they did not stop there. They did not leave the people were they found them. This little church of 120 people who had received the Holy Spirit made an impact on their world by reaching out to those who were saved and discipled them.
READ Acts 2:41-47.
41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:41-47 NKJV
The first century church understood the principle of multiplication.
I am not talking about the multiplication that you learn in grade school. I am talking about the natural process of multiplication also known as birthing.
To multiply means to increase in amount. When we give birth to something we are increasing our amount.
When we successfully evangelize we increase in amount but if we do not disciple then we run the risk of losing that soul, therefore discipleship is as much about multiplication as is evangelism.
I heard Pastor Les Potts ask the question once, “Why does the church have such a problem producing offspring? Why does the church have to adopt?”
There is nothing wrong with adoption but there is a problem when the church is sterile and unable to reproduce. The church has to reproduce.
It is not that hard to reproduce. I never had a problem in multiplication with my wife. (Come on, we are married. God created this love between a man and a wife.)
I saved myself for my wife and she saved herself for me and when it came time to multiply we didn’t have to read books or anything else, we just multiplied. That’s God’s plan.
So what’s wrong with the church? Why can’t the church multiply? Why are we always stuck at near 100 people? It’s not that I am all about the numbers, but it is all about impacting as many people as we can for the kingdom of God!
Church growth isn’t just for the big mega churches!
Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being a small church. The average church size in America according to Barna Research group is 89 attendees. We are an average church..
But that doesn’t change the fact that it is God’s will for us here at PFC is to multiply.
The church is supposed to multiply. We are supposed to birth others into life and give them the tools they need to grow. We are supposed to impact our communities in this part of the world and make a difference by changing the landscape.
We have to understand something about multiplication and that is this, multiplication is about change.
Change can be broken down into two categories: growth or death.
Change means sacrifice, and it means fear, and it means resistance, and it means commitment.
We are either going to grow through change or we are going to die in change. We grow by accepting the fact that some things are going to change. And if we don’t change them the church will die.
Fortunately we serve a God who does not change and will never change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
But we are continually changing. Why? Because we aren’t there yet. We are not perfect to the point God wants us.
The church in America today, for the most part, is not impact minded. Local churches want to keep in their own space, do our own thing, not upset the apple cart, don’t make any waves, let people alone and let them do their own things.
Jesus commanded us to go and make disciples. The Apostle Peter was listening and was obedient, he went out, got filled with the Holy Ghost, preached his first sermon, gave his first alter call and 3000 people responded.
But he did not stop there! Each one of those people who were birthed on the Day of Pentecost went on to be nurtured in the faith. They were discipled just like Jesus’ 12 disciples were.
They learned doctrine, they learned faith, they participated in the Lord’s Supper, they learned to pray, they learned to share each other’s burdens, and the learned to impact their communities and birth others.
They went on in faith, having all things in common, praising God together and the result was that God added to their number every day.
Multiplication. Multiplication. Multiplication! They made an impact. And we are all called to make an impact as well. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8
When we give our hearts to Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters our lives and when the Holy Spirit comes we are to be His witnesses, in Bismarck, Mandan, Lincoln, and every place we go.
If a church is not making an impact on its communities then the church is not doing its job. We should close the doors, sell the building, sell everything and move on.
We need to be impacting our area, plain and simple. And God has equipped us to make an impact.
In the next few weeks we will discuss how we can impact our area and what we might need to do. Some of the things may make you feel uncomfortable, they may stretch you, scare you, and it may mean some sacrifice.
My prayer is they have another affect on you; I pray they excite you. They pump you up for the things of God. You might even want to be involved in impacting this area for the kingdom of God.
But you have to ask yourself one question today and that is this, do you want to make an impact? Do you want to make an impact for the kingdom of God in your town? In your school? In your neighborhood? In this church?
Let’s make an impact!
