If you would, please stand as we say together our memory Scripture for this quarter:
Romans 12:4-5
“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”
And our memory refresher Scripture is …
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
“May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”
Today we will not be having the usual sermon but a pastoral report that was due a couple of months ago and then a few words from the Scripture as to what the Lord has placed on my heart for Crossroads.
(Prayer)
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(In this section I take time to explain to the congregation what it is that I do throughout the week. Much of my work is out of sight of the congregation and so the concept of “you only work one day a week” has the potential to take on a life of its own. Because of this I keep a log of what I do each day and summarize that for the report; the number of meals with different members/families of the congregation, number of counseling sessions and phone counseling sessions, hospital/nursing home visits, any administrative activities I take care of, any buildings and properties repairs/improvements I have made, etc.
This is NOT to brag about what I have accomplished but to inform and to give thanks for the blessing of serving this church in this way. After that I continue with what the Lord would have me say about the future of the church.)
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With that in mind let’s see what the Word of God has in store for us today.
Often at the time of the annual pastor’s report the pastor will give their “vision” for the church in the coming year or years.
I do not have such a vision. To tell you the truth I am just walking a path, one step at a time, one day at a time.
I believe that setting a two or three or five year goal is trying to force a business model into the Kingdom of God and that the two are incompatible.
For instance, setting a numerical goal can cause disappointment if it is not reached and exceeding a numerical goal can cause pride.
To use a quote from Davie Platt:
“The number of people who sit in church is not the measure of our success. The measure of our success is whether the people in the seats look more and more like Jesus!”
So, these are the steps which the Lord has impressed on my heart to pursue for His kingdom in this church as I serve you and Him here …
Step 1 on the path: Trust and obey the Lord
Proverbs 3:5-8 (from memory)
On this path I must:
- Trust in the Lord even if it does not make sense to me!
- Ask the Lord to lead me
- Obediently do what He leads me to do
- Don’t try to be wise in my own eyes but fear the Lord
As we look to step two please open your Bibles to Jude 1:1-4 which we will read in a few minutes.
Step 2 is an overarching duty not just for pastors but for all followers of Jesus Christ
With that in mind let’s go ahead and read Jude 1:1-4
Here is step 2 - “Contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints …”
Where do we find this “faith once for all entrusted to the saints”?
In God’s Holy Word, the Bible, that’s where!
God’s Holy Word, adding nothing, subtracting nothing! (repeat)
There is CRAZY stuff going on in our society today!
Now you may think that is CRAZY what is going on inside our churches that is even more frightening!
One “preacher” tells us that if we get his “Miracle Spring Water” and follow directions you will get a, “miracle release; miracle money, miracle healing, and miracle deliverance in your life” and “God can release every negative verdict in your life.”
Another “preacher” needs $54 million for a private jet. As Kenneth Copeland explains it, if you ride on a commercial airliner, “you get in a long tube with a bunch of demons” which is not so good for Duplantis but apparently it’s OK for the rest of us.
Copeland goes on to say that with today’s airline situation you can’t get there from here with a commercial airline. He says that you can’t pray on a commercial airliner because someone sitting next to you might say, “What the hell does he think he’s doing?”
(Sounds like a good opening to me to tell them about Jesus!)
Duplantis says that he needs the new plane because in the old one he might have to stop for fuel somewhere.
Oral Roberts when he was alive said it “got to the place where it was agitating (my) spirit. People coming up to (me). And they (are) wanting (me) to pray for them and all that.”
Now, those are wild things but we have assaults on the Scriptures all the time.
In John 14:2 where Jesus says, “In My Father’s house are many rooms” it is being interpreted to mean that all religions are welcome in Heaven; the Muslims have one room, the Hindus have a room, the Buddhists have another one. I guess even demon worshipers have one as well!
Of course, to arrive at that interpretation you have to ignore everything else that Jesus said and the entire New Testament as well.
Others have made a “salad bar” out of the Bible; take what you want and leave what you don’t.
That is exactly why step 2 on my path as the servant of this church is to …
“Contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints …”
So far we have;
Step 1: Trust and obey the Lord
Step 2: “Contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints …”
Which leads to Step 3 and let’s look again at that quote from Davie Platt:
“The number of people who sit in church is not the measure of our success. The measure of our success is whether the people in the seats look more and more like Jesus!”
Please turn if you would to 1 Corinthians 3:6-8
So, what does it mean to look more and more like Jesus?
Does it mean that we all grow beards and start wearing long robes and sandals?
No, instead it means that we are transformed from the inside out to be like Jesus.
Step 3: Plant the seed, water the seed and watch the Lord make it grow.
1 Corinthians 3:6-8
“I (Paul) planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.”
So, how do these verses help us live in Christ and work in His kingdom?
Look around at our sanctuary.
This place is totally given over to the Lord for His kingdom and His purposes.
Every part of the service points to the Lord, the opening song, the prayer of exaltation of the Lord, the announcement of upcoming gatherings, the time of showing love to one another, preparing our hearts for worshiping the Lord with our tithes and offerings with Scripture, preparing our hearts for prayer with Scripture and a prayer song, exalting the Lord with another song and then looking into Scriptures, the Bread of Life.
If anything is done for the glory of the church or for the glory of any one individual or group of individuals it must be removed ASAP.
TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
This whole sanctuary is dedicated to the Lord. Anything at all, no matter how small, if it detracts or distracts from a focus on the Lord should be immediately removed.
This sanctuary is for God and God alone!
In this sanctuary the seed is planted through preaching.
In this sanctuary the seed is watered through worship and prayer.
In this sanctuary God makes the seed grow and produce fruit.
When the Lord God makes the seed grow in our individual hearts we make our inner beings just like this sanctuary.
When the Lord God makes the seed grow in our hearts we start casting out things that detract or distract from Him. We take everything that displeases God and we throw it out!
We then become sanctuaries of God’s presence moving about among the unsaved people of the world; planting seeds, watering other seeds and watching the Lord bring those seeds to life.
Don’t you just love that idea; being a sanctuary of God’s presence moving about in the world for His purposes and for His pleasure?
But, that’s not something you can put into a five year plan or a “vision” for the church.
It’s just a step by step process of walking through the path of life guided by the Lord.
Step 1: Trust and obey the Lord
Step 2: “Contend for the faith once for all entrusted to the saints …”
Step 3: Plant the seed, water the seed and watch the Lord make it grow.
Closing comments
Questions from the congregation
Prayer
