PRAY
Father, thank you for giving us Your Word that is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our pathway. It is through Your holy word that we find the truth. Teach us to live by Your truth every day. Help us not to detour from Your precepts.
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
Pray.
Last week I began a series entitled “Impact Minded.”
The question that is in my heart is this, “Is my church impact minded?”
Remember what we said last week, to impact something means to have an affect or to make an impression that would cause a change upon something.
So that means is Prairie Family Church having an effect upon Bismarck and the surrounding area?
Are we changing the landscape of this area? The simple fact is, we need to be. God has called us to make a positive impact where we are.
What is this impact that we are supposed to be making as the people of God? It is for us to follow Jesus Christ into the inheritance that God promises us in the heavenly realm and to move others there as well.
This is what the first century church did and this is what we are supposed to do. Why? Because Jesus asked us to do it.
It is more than just getting people saved, it is discipling them as well.
We have to get the tools and information that people need to stay strong in the Lord.
If we are going to impact Bismarck and the surrounding area then we need to do a better job at reaching out to people and discipling them through building relationships with them and equipping them.
Last week we looked at the first century church in Acts 2.
They were able to make an impact on their world.
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 and they provided for the needs of the people.
It is a great church model.
The first century church understood the principle of multiplication. They understood that there needed to be a natural process of multiplication. The x factor within the church.
They birthed new Christians and new churches through evangelism and discipleship.
The church has to reproduce itself or it will die.
The very first church started out with a congregation of 120 people.
The average church size in America according to Barna Research group is 89 attendees. We are an average church in a small community.
But that doesn’t change the fact that it is God’s will for us here at PFC to multiply
We are 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.
How are we going to do this? We have to have a plan.
The first thing we have to do is get past the small church pattern of thought.
This is a pattern of thought that says we can’t do certain things because we are a small church or an average size church. It is a pattern of thought that measures success by how big your church is.
Some say the bigger the church, the more successful the church is. I don’t believe that is true.
God is not just pleased when a church has large numbers in attendance; God is pleased when a church, regardless of its size is being the salt and the light in the community.
Jesus told us that we are supposed to be salt and light in Matthew 5:13-16. I spoke on this not too long ago and feel it is important to revisit today.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16
As I said last week, if we are not making an impact, if we are not being salt and light as a church we might as well close the doors and sell the church and give the money to a ministry that is making an impact.
Have you ever noticed how just the right amount of salt can make a great impact on a meal?
Remember, it does not matter how big we are or how small we are; an average size church in any community can make an impact and it can change the spiritual landscape around them.
In order to accomplish this it comes down to three things that we as a church need to do. We need to love each other, love the people in our community, and do what God commands us to do. But how do we do those things?
We have a mission plan and a mandate to help us but how do we accomplish these plans?
The mandate of PFC is simple.
We will strive to bring hope to those who are searching.
We will endeavor that our example and our testimony will cause others to desire a relationship with God through Jesus.
We will work to understand the needs of today’s families.
We will teach people the truth from God’s Word.
We will provide a place to worship in Spirit and in Truth.
We will offer people a way to grow in Christ.
Our mission statement is that we desire to build healthy families.
Our core values are evangelism, discipleship, worship, community, and excellence.
As we gain a true understanding of our mission and purpose and then work together to see it accomplished, we we will make an impact and change the spiritual landscape in a community that needs it changed.
The thing about mission statements and mandates and core values is this; How are we going to achieve these things?
This is a question that all successful businesses and ministries have to answer. How do we do it?
I believe that our mission as a church will be accomplished by focusing on five areas. This is something that I learned a few years ago and it works.
Focus on Investing and Inviting.
We will invest our time and energy by reaching out past the four walls of the church to the people in our communities. We invest in the lives of our neighbors and co-workers by loving them and helping them.
We live our lives so that they will want what we have, at work, at play, at school and then we will invite them to know what we have. What do we have? What makes the difference? Jesus Christ. And invite them to church, which is the place we are supposed to be getting the tools we need and the feeding we need to live for Him.
Focus on the Word of God and Prayer
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that through reading, studying, and preaching the Word of God along with prayer we can enter into a deeper relationship with God as well as releasing His presence in our lives.
Adopt a Bible reading plan and read it and study it. What a difference you will see if you would give 15 minutes each day to reading the Bible.
And what a difference you would see in your life if you adopted an attitude of prayer and you spent time praying when you had a spare moment.
We all have spare moments in which we can talk to God. Maybe we have to put down the smart phone or turn off the television or the computer but we all have time we can give to God.
Prayer is the most important factor in any church making an impact and it is the easiest.
Prayer doesn’t cost anything but some time, so it is affordable. But more important, prayer is Biblical.
Jesus prayed all the time. How else do you think He was able to live such a righteous life? He stayed in touch with His Father. And Jesus constantly taught that we should pray.
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Matthew 18:19-20
21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21:22
Focus on Meaningful Relationships
It is important to build meaningful relationships within the church. I know that everyone isn’t going to build a relationship with everyone else in the church. But that does not change the fact that we should be connecting with like-minded people so we can build each other up, worship, learn, and minister together.
By building relationships within the church, we will love each other more and stand together through the good times and the bad times.
Focus on Serving Each Other
This is something that goes much deeper than love. This is helping others so that we can make a difference in their life. We need to make a habit of serving others so that we can demonstrate God’s way of loving.
And if you didn’t know, Jesus put a great deal of importance on serving others. He said, But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant. Luke 22:26 NASB
Focus on Praise and Worship
We were created to worship God. By lifting Him up in praise and worship we are surrendering our whole self to Him. Praising and worshipping God means that we are expressing our love to Him. This should be done all the time, when we are alone and when we are together.
We can do these things and we can make an impact and we can change the spiritual landscape of our community but the challenge to focus on these 5 things is always dependent upon our commitment to the church.
We need to make sure that we are committed to making an impact?
The good news is that there are many smaller churches across America who are committed and because they are committed they are thriving and alive.
We need to make sure that we are a church that is at the center of the will of God.
We need to make sure that we are a church that is making a difference in the lives of the people in this area.
And that doesn’t mean that Pastor is just preaching good sermons, it means that we as a whole, are doing the job that we are supposed to be doing.
It means that we are focusing on making an impact and doing the things that we change the spiritual landscape.
Its not just about scores of visitors coming each week. It is nice when visitors come, but if that is our focus then we are missing the big picture.
Our focus needs to be changing the spiritual landscape so that when people do come they will want to be a part of what God is doing.
A good way to do this is to make good use of what we have.
It is important for everyone to understand, everyone has gifts and we are supposed to use them for the glory of God.
If the people who attend a local church all use their gifts to help build the Kingdom of God, then the size of the church doesn’t matter. It can impact the community for God.
In other words PFC, we can change the spiritual landscape.
But it will take us focusing on what we need to do.
It will mean that we need to identify the needs of the community and find ways to help meet those needs.
It will mean that we need to plug people in. Every church, no matter the size, has gifted people.
Let me let you in on a little secret. Volunteers are important in local churches. You are important. We need you. We can’t do it without you.
One of my job as a pastor and something I am asking the team leaders of the church is to help you identify your gifts and your talents and then get you plugged in within the church so that we can make an impact.
There are a number of people who attend this church who are not living up to their potential. I don’t say that to put you down, I say that to motivate you to use your gifts to further the Kingdom of God.
It is time to make an impact and change the spiritual landscape.
If we are focusing on these five ministry areas and if we are following the will of God we should be excited about what God is doing and is going to do.
People will always go to church where people love to go to church and if that church is making an impact then why wouldn’t you love attending?
We can do the impossible in 2013.
And when we do it will cause us to praise Him more and worship Him more.
It will cause us to get our vision off ourselves and where it should be, on Christ so that we can make an impact on the spiritual landscape of this area.
Today I have shared with you some ways that we can see the impossible done, some ways we can be impact minded. There is more to come!
Are you with me?
It’s going to take work.
It’s going to take sacrifice and commitment.
But the rewards will far outweigh the cost.
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