Do you ever find yourself wondering about your purpose? As a church we should be continually considering that thought. Why are we here? I would like for us to consider this question today. This is a vitally important question.
Sometimes churches misunderstand their task. Someone wrote a list of the “Top Ten Indicators That Your Worship Service Is Headed In The Wrong Direction.”
10. The choir wears bath robes and bunny slippers!
9. Every prayer ends with "Yeah, God, You be the Man!"
8. The church just replaced their old pew bibles with the ABV Authorized Barney Version)!
7. The last time the word "sin" was heard in the sanctuary, it
was in reference to the hardness of the pews!
6. The most conservative member of the congregation is the Youth Minister!
5. The Preacher refuses to preach without his pipe and slippers!
4. The last time an Altar Call was made, the congregation was encouraged to use their cell phones!
3. The baptistry was replaced with a Jacuzzi!
2. 60% of the mission budget was funneled into purchasing reclining pews! And the number one indication that your worship service may be a bit too relaxed is:
1. No one in the congregation has ever heard these words of Jesus, "Pick up your cross and follow me!"
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Chip Monck)
For scriptural guidance I want us to read Mt. 28:16-20. “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “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 of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. This scripture records a transition. Jesus had died on the cross. He had risen from the grave and was about to return to Heaven. He was going to leave His disciples on earth with a job to do. They needed to know their task. They needed to know why they were here. What is that task?
I. We are here to honor God. In verse 16 we find it recorded that Jesus disciples “went away into Galilee.” They went to Galilee because Jesus had commanded them to meet Him there. When they arrived “they worshiped Him.” Their task was to honor Jesus as Lord.
That is the overarching purpose of any church and any Christian. Our purpose in life is to bring glory to God and honor Him. The apostle Paul stated it well in I Cor. 10:31. “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” We have recently been reviewing and revising our vision, values, purpose, and mission statements. Our purpose statement states “The purpose of Faith Baptist Church is to glorify God.”
Our purpose, as a church, should be to seek to glorify God in everything we do. We are to glorify God in our conversation. We are to glorify God by our conduct.
Illustration: One of America’s well-known Colonial leaders began his career as a school teacher, using the Bible as his most valued textbook. Noah Webster was born in Connecticut and came of age during the American Revolution. He was educated at Yale University, and when he lacked the funds for further studies, he became a teacher. His early impressions of Colonial classrooms were disparaging--they were crowded, disorganized and poorly equipped. But he continued to teach because he believed that the children of our new nation should be taught to honor God’s Word and to learn the moral laws in the Scriptures. He also believed that Americans should have American books from which to learn spelling and grammar. His “blue-backed speller” (so nicknamed for its colorful cover) became the standard for school children for over 100 years. He later developed our country’s first dictionary because he believed that all Americans should speak distinctly American English, not British English. Though Noah Webster is best known for his groundbreaking work with our language, The Presidential Prayer Team acknowledges him for his passion to teach godly values to the school children of our country. He said, “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed. . . . No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.” http://www.presidentialprayerteam.org/index_text.htm August 22, 2002
(Contributed to Sermon Central by SermonCentral )
Noah Webster’s desire was to honor God.
II. We are here to develop disciples for Jesus Christ. (notice verse 19 & 20). In our vision statement you will find a statement of our mission. “The mission of Faith Baptist Church is to grow obedient disciples of Christ.” That was Jesus instructions to His disciples and is the job of the church.
Illustration: The story is told that John Wesley, a founder of Methodism, changed his view about church division after a dream in which he was first transported to the gates of Hell. He asked, “Are there any Presbyterians here?” “Yes,” was the reply. “Any Roman Catholics?” “Yes.” “Any Congregationalists?” “Yes.” He hesitated, then said, “Not any Methodists, I hope!” To his dismay the answer was “Yes.” Suddenly in his dream he stood at the gate of Heaven. Once again he asked, “Are there any Presbyterians here?” “No,” was the reply. “Any Roman Catholics?” “No.” “Any Congregationalists?” “No.” Then he asked the question which most interested him: “Are there any Methodists here?” He was shocked to receive the same stern reply, “No!” “Well then,” he asked in surprise, “please tell me who IS in Heaven?” “CHRISTIANS!” was the jubilant answer.
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Glen Durham)
Our job is not to develop Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, or Presbyterians. Our job is to make disciples for Jesus Christ. “The mission of Faith Baptist Church is to grow obedient disciples of Christ.” That was Jesus instructions to His disciples, as recorded in Mt. 28:19-20.
As we develop disciples there are two parts to our vision.
A. We want to create an environment in which to develop disciples. People need a proper environment in which to grow and develop. Environment is important!
Illustration: Several weeks ago I mentioned attending an Auburn football game with my daughter-in-law and son. Auburn is one of LSU’s biggest rivals. It took a lot for me to attend their game. Ha! Ha! However, the environment was winsome. We saw the tail-gaters. We visited the Cheese-burger/Cheese-burger shop before the game. We watched the eagle soar into the stadium. We watched the fans roll the trees at the end of the game. Judy got a lemon aide at Toomer’s corner. It was a very positive environment. Environment is important!
1. We want to give people a friendly, caring place in which to grow and serve God.
Our statement reads: We envision a church that conveys a passion for people: welcoming, befriending, loving, supporting, and offering a friendly, caring place to connect through meaningful relationships.
We receive many compliments concerning the friendliness of our people. Last week I spoke with a lady who made her first visit to Faith. She complimented the warm reception and friendly treatment she received from you.
Week before last I spoke with a man who made his first visit to Faith. He said as he got out of the truck he felt nervous about making his first visit. He said that nervousness was quickly dispelled as he was met at the door.
Illustration: “A pastor saw Robert Schuller’s TV program “Hour of Power.” One of the things that impressed him the most during the program was watching everyone turning around to shake hands with and greet other worshippers seated near them. The pastor felt that his church was a bit stuffy and could use a bit of friendliness. So, at Sunday morning worship he announced that next week they would initiate this custom of greeting one another. At the close of this same worship service one man turned around to the lady behind him and said a cheerful, “Good morning!” She looked back at him with shock at his boldness and said, “I beg your pardon! That friendliness business doesn’t start until next Sunday!”
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Jim Kane)
That is not the kind of environment we are seeking to build.
B. We want to give people a spiritual family where their family can grow.
Our statement reads: We envision a church that is family focused. Our vision is to provide ministries and facilities that are functional, culturally relevant, and age appropriate for all groups within the extended family. The facilities will be set in a landscaped campus designed to minister to the total person---spiritually, emotionally, physically, and socially.
The vision statement targets several priorities.
(1) Preschool/children
(2) For youth
(3) Senior solutions
B. We are seeking to intentionally develop disciples for Jesus Christ. Jesus used an intentional process to develop His disciples. This process is outlined in Mt. 4:19. In this passage we see three steps of progression.
1. Follow- We begin the process by becoming a follower of Jesus Christ.
2. Learn- Next we become a learner.
3. Fruit-bearer- Finally we become a fruit bearer. We become a fisherman. We become productive in His service.
We use the words LOVE, LEAD, and LAUNCH as an outline for the intentional process we are seeking to follow.
•We LOVE Jesus and share His love with the people around us.
•We LEAD people to maturity in Christ.
•We LAUNCH people into service for Christ.
Let me say a few words about each of these three.
(1.) We chose to use the word Love because it represents the overarching purpose of life. In Mark 12:30-31 Jesus referred to this. “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.” Love represents the greatest commandment in life; however, it also represents the strength of our church. This is why we have asked for volunteers to share slogans that reflect this strength. We want a slogan to print on business cards that reflects God’s love and our church’s nature.
The greatest thing we can do in life is love Jesus Christ and share His love with other people. This is nothing new. Many of you are doing this.
Illustration: This past month I have been blessed by testimonies I have heard from you. Three of our ladies ministered to a lady who was dying of cancer. They were concerned with sharing the love of Christ with this lady. They received assurance that the lady knew Jesus Christ. This past week that lady went into eternity.
Last week the advisory team asked you to take a mug and share a simple deed with someone else in order to express the love of Christ to them.
When you read this vision statement you will notice that we advocate relational evangelism as the primary form of evangelism. The most productive form of out-reach is through personal relationships when you share the love of Jesus through words, actions, testimonies, and deeds.
Illustration: Several years ago the mormons did a revealing study. They are the people who send out the solicitors on bicycles. You will see young men dressed in white shirts riding bicycles up and down the highways. They discovered that cold call contacts resulted in only 1 in 1,000 receptive people. However, when that call was made with a personal contact the odds increased to 1 in 50. The importance of relationships!
Illustration: A study that was conducted by a church growth consultant revealed that 85-90% of people testify that they are in church because a friend, neighbor, or relative brought them to church. The importance of relationships!
(2.) We are seeking to lead believers to spiritual maturity. Our desire is to teach five disciplines of the spiritual life that cover the basic elements of the spiritual life. They are:
1. Membership
2. Maturity
3. Ministry
4. Missions
5. Magnification
(3) The final part of our discipleship process is represented through the word launch. We are seeking to launch all believers into a ministry of service and sharing Christ. Ever so often NASA launches a space ship into orbit. Thousands of people watch the launch in person and millions more watch the launch on television. The launch is a big event! Even so, it should be a big event when a believer is launched into service for Christ. There ought to be a celebration. This is not anything new. Many of you, as individuals, and many of your Sunday school classes are doing ministry projects.
Illustration: One of our Sunday school classes is conducting a Christmas party at an apartment complex in a few weeks.
Illustration: Another class is paying the salary of five native pastors in Africa.
These classes are launching their members into service. That is our goal in making disciples. We are here to glorify God and to make disciples of those who follow Christ.
