“A CHURCH TO CHANGE THE WORLD”
By
Jerry Falwell
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house” (Matthew 5:13-15).
A. INTRODUCTION
Today I want to challenge Thomas Road Baptist Church to be a church that changes the world by both salt and light.
Let me tell you about the Clapham Church, an Anglican church in the Clapham District of London during the early 1800s whose “salt” influenced the entire world. It was pastored by John Venn who was the Rector. Nothing much is known about him except the great results of his parishioners. The church was influenced by the Evangelical Revival of John Wesley. Whereas most of those converted under John Wesley left the Anglican Church to join Methodist churches, those in Clapham Church were wealthy and titled nobility; many of them were members of the House of Lords. They stayed in the Clapham Church.
Granville Sharp, a church member, was moved to do something about the slave traffic when Jonathan Strong, a black slave, showed up at his door—beaten almost to the point of death. Granville Sharp put the black man in St. Bartholomew Hospital and it took four months to heal Jonathan Strong. When he got out of the hospital, David Lisle, the slave’s original owner, re-captured the slave now that he was not going to die. Lisle thought that he had pistol-whipped his slave to death. Granville Sharp sued in court for the release of Jonathan Strong, and three years later in 1767, the slave was given his freedom. This was only one slave freed. Still, slave ownership and slave trafficking were permitted in the British Empire.
William Wilberforce was converted to Christ at Clapham Church and used his power as a member of Parliament to bring an end to slavery. During his lifetime, he first got a bill passed that made it unlawful for any British ship or citizen to transport slaves. This was only the first step. Because of his efforts, a month after he died in 1833, Parliament passed the Slavery Abolition Act that gave all slaves in the empire their freedom.
Lord Ashley, another believer from the Clapham Church, used his position in the House of Commons to pass a bill; the 1833 Factory Act made it illegal for children under nine to work in the textile factories; and those between the ages of 9 and 13 could not work more than eight hours a day.
In 1840 Lord Ashley led the parliament to approve the Coal Mine Act to prohibit women and children from working underground.
These people from the Clapham Church were nicknamed, “saints” for what they did for England, for the Church and for Jesus Christ.
Elizabeth Fry became an ardent friend and supporter of the “saints,” however she was a Quaker minister who rallied support among the popular people for the efforts of the “saints” as they worked in Parliament to get bills passed. Elizabeth Fry visited the prisons and was overwhelmed when she saw the plight of women in prison. She began a crusade to upgrade their living conditions and she began schools for the children of women prisoners. Finally, because of her influence, Parliament passed the Female and Children Prisoners Act.
THESIS: When one church changed England, they influenced the world. Today, when one church changes America, they influence the world.
SUMMER SERIES: This summer I am going to preach a series of four sermons on what it will take spiritually for Thomas Road Baptist Church to influence the world. These sermons will involve four strategies that I think are imperative to be “salt and light” to the world. First, by our faith; second, by our prayers; and third, by our sacrifice, and fourth, by our inheritance, i.e., the young people we send out into the world.
STRATEGY ONE
B. FAITH TO CHANGE THE WORLD
I remember reading Dr. Towns’ article where he wrote, “I visited the 10 largest churches in the world.” Dr. Towns said that the churches outside the United States were not growing with organization, management, or even the programs of evangelism that we use in the United States such as FAITH, Evangelism Explosion, or Friend Day. He said that the greatest churches in the world grew because of the faith of the leader and the people. They just believed God and put Him to the task.
1. Definition. I’d like to define faith as “Knowing what God has said in His Word and acting on what He has promised.”
2. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). That means faith is two things: it is first substance, and second, it is evidence. This means that when you put God on the spot, He does things substantive for you, and you will have evidence that God has worked.
I believe George Müeller of Bristol, England, had more faith than anyone I’ve ever read. He built a great orphanage in Bristol, England, to take care of over 2,000 students; clothing them and feeding them, and sheltering them from the elements. One day when there was no food in the pantry, he brought all the children into the dining room. Standing on the podium where he usually gave the blessing of the food, he said, “When you came to this orphanage, you were promised three things. First, that you would have clean clothes; second, that you would have a warm place to sleep, and third, you were promised one hot meal each day.” Then, George Müeller thanked God for the food that was not there. When he said “Amen,” a wagon master—like our truck drivers—came to the door and said, “Mr. Müeller, my wagon broke down on the Bristol Pike and I have a wagon of pies for you.” Mr. Müeller said to bring the pies in and give them to the children, they had already thanked God for the food. The wagon master said, “We just took them out of the oven and they are hot,” to which Mr. Müeller replied, “Yes, we expected that.” The greatest faith in the world thanks God for food when there is nothing in the kitchen, knowing God will supply. He even thanked God for hot pies.
C. WHAT FAITH CAN DO FOR US
1. Faith will give us bold plans for the future. When two blind men began begging for Jesus Christ, they were brought to the Master. “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you” (Matthew 9:29). What they had asked for in faith, i.e., healing, Jesus gave it to them because they asked in faith.
We must make bold plans by faith to build a new building, to touch our nation by TV and to turn out spiritual giants for Liberty University.
2. Faith to expect the impossible. When His disciples came to Him in unbelief, Jesus said to them, “. . . have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe . . . he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:22-23). It is impossible to cast the mountain into the sea, therefore Jesus told them to have faith to see God do impossible things. Impossible to us, but all things are possible to him that believeth.
God can give us millions for the new church campus. God wants us to dream of projects and dream of new ways to build our projects.
3. Faith gives us power with God. When the disciples could not heal a young boy that had a demon, they asked Jesus, “Why could not we . . .?” (Matthew 17:19). “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief . . . If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed” (Matthew 17:20).
4. Faith takes away our fear and reticence. When the great storm came upon the disciples on the sea, they were afraid of losing their lives and cried out. The Master spoke and the storm ceased. Then He said to the disciples, “Where is your faith?” (Luke 8:25). They were fearful became they didn’t have faith.
D. HOW TO GROW YOUR FAITH
1. Start by asking God to give you more faith. The disciples came to Jesus and said, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). Jesus had just given them a command and challenge to forgive others. He had told them to forgive those who trespass against you. The disciples knew they had to have greater faith than what they had, so they asked, “Increase our faith.”
Some people have great faith, others have to ask for it. The first step is to ask God to give you faith to pray for the new church on the Mountain. Then “pray in faith” because God gave you faith.
2. We grow our faith by knowing and acting on the Bible. I want you to realize that everyone of us can have more faith and we can grow our faith. First of all remember that the Bible says, “Faith is a grain of mustard seed.” The mustard seed was so small, it was the smallest thing perceived by the human eye. Therefore, Jesus is saying faith can be so small that it can barely be seen. But, even that faith can grow. Paul challenges us, “From faith to faith” (Romans 1:17), which seems to imply growing from a first kind of faith to a stronger kind of faith. Still in the same book of Romans Paul describes, “Him that is weak in the faith” (Romans 14:1), suggesting weak faith can grow to strong faith. And then Jesus said on another occasion, “O thou of little faith” (Matthew 14:31). Here He suggests, “Little faith can become large faith.”
So how do you get more faith or stronger faith, or larger faith? You get more faith from the Word of God. Paul said, “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 1:17). If you want more faith, then you have to get more of the Bible in your heart.
Let me tell you what more of the Bible means. To have more faith, you must have more Bible knowledge. You must memorize more Bible verses, you must meditate more on the Bible, and you must love the Bible more and live closer to the teaching of the Bible. When the Bible fills your heart, and your heart is in love with the Bible; you can have more faith in God.
3. Faith grows by obedience to God and His Word. After the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee. He stayed in the mountains to spend time in prayer. When the storm came, Jesus came walking toward the disciples on the water. When they saw him, they thought He was a ghost, and they cried out in fear. Jesus said to them, “O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt?” (Matthew 14:31). When you walk in fellowship with the Lord, you understand that there will be storms in your life; but you know that the One who sent you into the sea, is also the One who saw approaching storms; He will come to you and deliver you. You must trust and obey as the old hymn says, you must put all your faith in Him and obey His voice.
E. FIVE WAYS THOMAS ROAD BAPTIST CHURCH CAN EXPRESS FAITH
1. Become a great church by making great prayers. I am convinced that we are not greater in God’s work because we have not asked for greater things. “Ye have not because ye ask not” (James 4:2). The Clapham Church spent 30 years in revival and agonizing prayer before answers came. A group of wealthy people determined to change the world and they did it through changing laws about slavery, prisons, factory work, and work in the mines. They had a great goal to change the world, so they began to pray. I want to challenge everyone in this church to pray for greater things, but this is more than just putting words in our mouths. If we really believe that God can do great things, we will sacrifice, fast, agonize long periods of time in prayer, and ask in faith believing.
2. Pray with others who will believe God for great things. Jesus said there was power in two people praying together, “If two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19, NKJV). When you pray with someone who has a bigger goal than you, and has bigger faith than you, you can catch onto his coattails and you can serve God. Other believers can stretch your faith. Other prayer warriors can stretch your desire to pray for greater things. Remember, Elisha learned to ask God for great things because he was with Elijah when his mentor was translated into Heaven in a whirlwind.
3. Express great faith in sacrifice. Jesus reminds us, “If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). I’m going to preach on this in coming Sundays.
4. Express great faith by attempting great works for God. Those people who attempt to do the greatest things for God are those who have the greatest faith in God. I like this saying, “Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God.”
5. We don’t need greater faith, we need a greater vision of God, then we’ll have greater faith. One of our problems is not the faith that’s resident in us. We think that faith is like several cups on the kitchen table. Some are small teacups, others are larger coffee cups; and then think of those great big coffee containers you get at the fast food places. I’ve seen some that look like 2-quarts large.
Some people are asking for more faith. It’s like asking for a large coffee instead of a small coffee. Some people are asking to be the biggest containers possible. But remember, it’s not how big is your container to hold God; but how big is your God that you’re going to put into your container. I heard a preacher say one time,
“You don’t need bigger faith, you need a bigger God.”
When you have an understanding of a big God, you can do much more for God than you realize. Let me ask you several questions:
(a) Can your God create an entire earth and universe just by speaking?
(b) Can your God flood the entire earth, then save civilization through eight people on an ark?
(c) Can your God deliver a million and a half Jews out from Egypt, the largest and most powerful empire in its day?
(d) Can your God lead a million and a half people to walk through the Red Sea to dry land?
(e) Can your God make the sun to stand still?
(f) Can your God feed 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two small fish?
(g) Can your God give sight to a man born blind? and,
(h) Can your God walk up out of the grave after He’s been crucified, dead and buried?
F. SIX PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
1. Ask God to give you faith to put this church on the Mountain bigger than any of us expect, nicer than any of us expect, and with more technology than any of us expect.
2. Ask God to give us all the money we need to go to the Mountain.
3. Ask God to give us 50,000 students at Liberty University, right here in Lynchburg, Virginia.
4. Ask God to give us a telecast that can touch the world.
5. Ask God to help us plant 5,000 churches in my lifetime through our students.
6. Outlaw abortion in America.
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord,
I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet for TRBC Home page at www.trbc.org/pbc.
