25 Year Anniversary
October 29, 2017
Matthew 28:16-20
Ephesians 4:1-7
If you were leaving someone and wouldn’t see them for a long time, would you not tell them some things you would like them to do? Maybe you encourage them to do certain things and at the same time you warn them not to do certain things.
I believe Jesus did this throughout His ministry, but especially after the resurrection. He told the disciples something which we call “The Great Commission.” Jesus never used those words, He never said, “OK guys, what I’m going to tell you is really, really, super important, so make sure you write this down in the scrolls.” There’s much of what Jesus said that didn’t get written down, but these words . . . the Great Commission are written in each of the Gospels and in the book of Acts.
In Matthew 28, we read ~
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
As we celebrate 25 yeas in this building, we need to be reminded again and again of why we moved onto this site. I want to point out a couple of things in this passage and in Luke 24.
As much as we celebrate this move, as Kevin said, there were doubters. Especially those who were working for the church. They didn’t believe this was possible. Did you notice verse 17. Let’s look at it again.
17 And when they saw Him they worshiped Him
Isn’t that great! Some saw Jesus and worshiped Him. They celebrated, they praised, they shouted, they whooped it up! It was great and powerful worship . . . by some! But not by all!
Oops, that’s not the entire verse. Notice how that verse ended. . .
17 And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted.
Whoa!! Who was there? Was it 5,000 people? Or 120? NO!!! It was only the 11. It was the closest of the closest followers of Jesus. Some of them got it, they were thrilled and excited. Others were saying, NO WAY! That’s not Jesus, they were the doubters.
It happens everywhere. There are always going to be doubters! Some people are slow to believe in anything. They join in only when they have 100% certainty. That’s not only the world we live in, but that’s part of the church as well.
Yet, in spite of this, in spite of the experts saying you can’t do this, we did it! You did it! The building was built, it was paid off and then you went ahead and said, we need more room. I’m not sure that people were saying you can’t do this, since you already proved it once.
So, the Family Life Center was built, we added on, then we believed we could pay that building off early. We had a drive to pay off the remaining debt . . . and we did that! I love that attitude. It’s like telling someone, “you can’t do that!” And they say, “Oh yeah, watch me!”
That’s the attitude and belief the church is supposed to have. And when I say the church, I’m talking about the people of the church. That’s you and me! If we don’t believe, if we don’t have that faith, if we don’t have hope in something bigger and better and beyond ourselves, than we are really to be pitied.
We have nothing to hold onto. If we hold onto ourselves, we are always going to be disappointed. We realize we’re not as strong, or as healthy, or as resilient on our own. But when we add Christ - - and when we really believe in Him, when we trust that His Spirit dwells within us, because of our faith, then nothing can destroy us, and we can do as Paul told the Ephesian church - - when we trust in Christ ~
20 He is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. – Ephesians 3:20
Now that power at work within us is the power of the Holy Spirit which we have because of our faith in Jesus. Notice also . . . when we do something extraordinary . . . it’s because HE is able to do far more. Not we, not you, not I . . . BUT JESUS is able to do far more than we can ever imagine.
That’s awesome! But we must believe in His power - not ours. That’s part of the power and beauty of the faith we have in Christ. On our own we don’t have the power, but through the power of Christ, through the Holy Spirit, we can do far more than we think or even think of asking for.
The role of our church is to follow those words of Jesus . . . to go into the world and proclaim the GOOD NEWS, the message of the gospel to the world who doesn’t know Jesus.
And we can trust that we can do it because of the power of the Holy Spirit which is within us. That’s part of the great news which we need to be reminded of again and again and again. Because if we were to be really honest, if we were to put our guard down, then we would admit, we sometimes struggle with doing things on our own and we have to admit that there are times when we do things which hurt others. We need to own up to it, because that is the only way we can unleash His power.
We then read about the Great Commission from the eyes of Luke ~
45 Then Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. – Luke 24:45-47
Now, I want to expand on that passage, by reading about the final words Jesus said before He ascended in Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you,
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
Notice where ministry starts. We often miss this. Jesus told the disciples in Luke, it begins in Jerusalem. In Acts 1:8, He says the same thing. Ministry starts at home. Then it spreads from there, until we reach the ends of the earth.
That’s the call and the vital importance of the local church. We are the witnesses!! We are the ones who are to go into the world, locally. We are the one’s who are to spread the message of Jesus as the Savior of the world. That’s why being active in the church. Of finding some type of ministry, whether it’s in front of people or behind the scenes is so, so, so important. It’s never been about coming on Sundays, being served, then safeguarding the message until the next Sunday.
The call is for you and I to go into the world and make a difference. Somehow, we show the world who Christ is. We do it through the ministries of the local church. We do it through various outreach events, we do it by talking to our neighbors and coworkers about Christ. We do it when we go to the stores. We do it by grounding ourself in our faith, so that whether it’s a great day or a miserable day, we find ways to exalt Christ as our Savior, as our Lord, our Redeemer. We do it by living a life which seeks to honor and glorify Christ.
In essence, we are to remain filled with the Spirit of God as we move about in the church and outside of the church. Even within the church, we can’t take anything for granted. It’s too easy for us to hurt one another without even thinking. We need to seek Christ in all we do.
I can’t tell you how many people have said, this is such a friendly, caring church. That’s fantastic. It is so important to help others feel welcomed. It may be the most important message someone hears on a Sunday morning. They may not hear my words or the music, but that handshake or hug, may have been the most important moment in their week.
We don’t realize how important the simple ministries of the church are. This is not rocket science. It’s not quantum physics, it’s simply demonstrating to the world who Jesus is, and it’s giving Jesus the credit. It’s knowing that we could not do what we do without Jesus. He is the most important person in our lives.
Without Jesus in our lives, this building would never have been built. There would have been too much disagreement over the color of the carpeting, the walls, and all the little things. Believe me, those things do happen. We may not always agree on everything, that’s normal and common.
A 17th century German Lutheran theologian, Rupertus Meldenius wrote these words,
In Essentials Unity
In Non-Essentials Liberty
In All Things Charity
This is such an important statement as it relates to the church. It strikes a great balance for who we’re called to be. It calls for unity on the essential things, the core truth is always going to be found in our unity with Christ. We must agree on the essentials and the essentials always start with the Bible and who we are called to be in Christ.
The non-essentials (those are the things which are still important, but those things which are not going to prevent our unity with Christ), it calls for liberty so that all might follow their consciences under the Word and Spirit.
In all things, however, there must be charity, which comes from the Latin word “LOVE,” which Paul says, “binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
And that is so true in the church. We won’t agree on everything, but what are the essentials? They are the truth in Christ. It is holding the Word of God as supreme, as our final authority. The Bible never said what color the carpeting should be, or what should be included in the by laws, and so on. But the Bible does say who is Lord and who is Savior. And there can be no disagreement about that. And in everything we do - we are to demonstrate charity or to better put it . . . we demonstrate sacrificial love to one another.
We are reminded again and again that we are to come together for the sake of the gospel message. We are to spread the Word of Christ into the world, so that those who do not know Jesus will have the opportunity to come to know Him. So they would find peace, hope and power in Christ.
Again, Paul reminds us of our unity in Ephesians 4 ~
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY of the calling to which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 EAGER to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. {go fast, be speedy; show full diligence by fully applying oneself; to act fervently}
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. – Ephesians 4:1-7
That is the call of this church. We are to be worthy to be called children of God, and we demonstrate that by living with gentleness, humility and patience. Add to that the need to bear with one another in love. To fight for the unity of the church. That means we don't fight one another, but we fight evil forces through the power of God's Spirit so we could experience the power and peace of God. Ultimately, we are then viewed as ONE body, because of our shared faith in Jesus as THE ONE and true God!
We are to be one body, believing in Christ and believing in one another and always, always seeking to be unified as we honor Christ.
