What’s Still The Same?
Psalm Psalms 93:1-5 Hebrews 13:1-8
It was about 8 years ago that Glenville New Life Community Church and Calvary Presbyterian Church began to explore the idea of coming together to form one congregation. After a lot of prayer, discussions, meetings and votes, we decided to become one church known as New Life At Calvary.
Seven years ago, a group marched from Glenville at 711 East 105th Street, down St. Clair to E. 79th and then headed south toward Euclid Avenue. Meanwhile a group from Calvary, headed north on E. 79th Street to meet the group heading south. The two marching groups met up just beyond Hough Avenue, embraced one another and together continued the journey South to Euclid Avenue.
On the steps of Calvary there was a group from both of the churches waiting for the marching groups to arrive. After embracing one another at the intersection, we went inside the building and had our first praise and worship service as New Life At Calvary. That was seven years ago on the Second Sunday in 2013. In 7 years, we have seen a lot of changes take place in various ministries, in various lives, in our community, in our nation and in our world.
We have seen new life come into our church through births, through membership transfers, and through people giving their lives to Christ and choosing to serve God with us. We have seen people leave us through membership transfers, through walk aways and disappearnces, and most importantly of all through going Home to be with the Lord.
We have seen times of services change, the number of services change, length of services change, the location of services change and the styles of worship in those services change. No doubt we all have seen something changed that we really, liked and that we miss even today. But our goal has been to seek what was best for the body of Christ at New Life At Calvary.
We have heard from almost 70 of you what you love, like or have appreciated about New Life At Calvary these past 7 years. We thank God for each of you and how you feel about your church, it’s ministries, your pastors, and your God. Sometimes it’s not necessarily what has changed that needs to be celebrated, but there are times when we need to celebrate what is still the same.
Jesus told Peter once, “Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Jesus wanted the church on a firm foundation. In one of Jesus’ most famous parables he talked about a wise man building his house upon the rock whereas a foolish person built his house on the sand. But then when a terrible storm arose and the flood waters came through, the house on the sand was torn apart and washed away. But the house that was built on the rock, weathered the storm and stood its ground.
When we build upon solid rock, things stay in place. We live in a society today that wants to build for the future without having an agreed upon foundation. It’s moral values shift from day to day and wants everyone to shift with them.
What makes us who we are as a church today is the foundation we have been built upon. We unashamedly declare, Our hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus Christ and righteousness, we dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name. On Christ the solid rock we stand, all other ground is sinking sand.
We have stood upon the rock of belief that the word of God is not outdated because of the opinions of actors, singers, politicians, athletes, philosophers and others. We still believe as did the apostles did , that God’s word is given to us for instruction that we might become more like Jesus Christ. We are not hear to win a popularity contest in this world, but rather we are here to show what it means to be faithful in serving God. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed.
We have stood upon the rock of belief that word of God requires that we love others, and that we should serve expecting nothing in return for doing so. One thing that hasn’t changed has been the choice so many of you have made in your giving, to love others. Those orphaned children in Rotolo Home in Nigeria, won’t get to say thank you until you get to heaven. All the kids we fed in Haiti, and all the wheelchairs we provided to those in need in various countries in the world aren’t going to show up at our doors. But you have given anyways.
The home we have been paying for Pastor Darvin & his Wife Marci in India, will not host any of us for any nights, but it does show we think beyond ourselves to be a blessing. They preach the gospel in a very anti-Christian area of India. As they approach retirement and poor health, you have given them a place to call home.
The groceries we have given, the hot meals we have served in our community, and the distribution of food in front of our church, do not fill our pews, but they do make a difference for those we serve. You have given much without seeking much in return. That’s who we are as a church. We stand in our community as a rock with its hands open and its building and resources available.
Many of the kids we serve in our community through our partnership with Wade Park School or the many activities we have done with Costume Parties, Christmas Breakfasts, Basketball trainings, Tutoring Classes and Summer Camping, do not show up in our services, but we did manage to pass on the truths about the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our actions, our tracts, and our testimonies.
Sure, we would like to keep everybody that comes into our doors, but for some reason God uses us as an equipping station, where people come to us to be nourished for a while and then sent back out to do God’s will.
We have stood firm upon the rock of belief that Jesus’s words can be trusted. When Jesus said, “I am the Way The Truth And The Life, No one comes to the Father except through me” that’s exactly what he meant. We recognize that God can be at work in anyone’s life regardless of who they are or what they believe.
Yet salvation is found in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. None of us will ever be saved based on our good works. We are saved by our faith in Jesus Christ, that when he died on the cross, he died for our sins and when he rose from the dead, his resurrection is proof that we too shall one day rise to new life. This belief has not changed.
We have stood firm upon the rock of the belief that when we hurt one another, we are called to repentance and to forgive each other. Just like our God is a God of the second chance, we have tried to be a church, that’s willing to give you another chance when you fail.
For we recognize that just as we are all just one step closer from becoming more like Jesus, we are likewise just one bad decision away from causing great havoc and suffering to come into our lives.
We are striving to be the church that Paul mentioned in Galatians in which he said, Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV2011) 1 Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. This is a hope that lives in us that’s still the same.
We have stood firm upon the rock of the belief that God is a good God. In seven years of ministry God has blessed us in many ways. We have seen people give their lives to Christ. We have seen God pour out financial blessings upon as a church. We have seen great healings take place. We have seen reconciliations take place. We have seen that even in our times of loss and grief, God is still the comforter that Jesus promised to come into our lives in the form of the Holy Spirit.
We can be confident of the future because of the promises we have in God’s word which says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. It does not matter whether we have 7 more years ahead of us, 70 years ahead of us or 700 years ahead of us.
I have read the end of the book of Revelation. I don’t want to spoil your reading if you haven’t got that far yer, but I know that in the end Jesus is sitting on the throne and every knee is bowing and every tongue is confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. There is a great day of Celebration taking place for the people of God.
There are some things that are still the same that God is saying in these next seven years, you need to move to the solid Rock. Not enough of us have fallen in love with the word of God to actually read it and study it with other believers. We all need to be in a life connect group studying and praying with other believers. This is where we become a stronger church built upon the rock.
God has brought our Life Connect groups right into your home through either Zoom or your telephone. If you want a class in person, that’s available to you as well. Don’t let events and TV programs keep you from helping us to build our church and to build your faith.
Those of you watching us online, you’re welcome to join in our Bible Studies. Go to our website NLAC.tv, click on connect and choose Life Connect Groups. You will find all the information you need for a zoom class or download our phone App, New Life at Calvary. Go to Life Connect and you will see information for Zoom Classes. You can call in on your land phone and participate.
God is saying in these next seven years, God wants to cut some of us free from the love of money and the things of this world and start to tithe. Tithing is 10% of your income to the Lord. You would be amazed to discover how God blesses the lives of those who are obedient in their giving. The sooner you start, the richer your lives will become. Don’t go through life taking when you are not giving out more in return.
God is saying in these next seven years, I want you to have a true burden for those who are lost and are leaving this world without a knowledge of my Son. Jesus did tell us to go into all the world and preach the gospel.
Be bold enough to preach the gospel on your Facebook Page, your Instagram account or your twitter account with a greater intensity than all the other opinions that you share. Be bold enough to bring up Jesus in a conversation. Be bold enough to say, can I tell you what God has done for me.
Covid-19 has put a lot of churches in the position where only 10% to 40% of their people have come back into the live worship service itself. Many of us a are feeling as though we are emerging out of exile. But even in exile God can do great things.
Shadrack, Meschak and Abednego were in exile when they were cast into the fiery furnace but stood firm for God. They walked around in the flames and came out not smelling at all like Smoke. Daniel was in exile when he was cast into the lion’s den because he disobeyed the government’s order to stop praying. After a night with lions, Daniel got up the next morning and went back to work and kept on paying.
Queen Esther was in exile when she put he life on the line to save her people. She told the people to pray for her and then she declared, “if I perish, I perish, I am going to see the King.” Her courage saved her people.
We celebrate our 7th anniversary in a period of exile in that we are scattered all over the place, but I want you to know there is a God who made a promise to an exiled people that I believe God can give to us in which he said, Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV2011) 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
What do we want for the next 7 years. We want more of the love of Jesus Christ to flow through us into the lives of others. We want to be that church, where anyone can come and know they will be accepted, and that they will hear the truth which comes from the word of God. We want to a people who demonstrate they are children of God by the way they love one another as Christ loved them.
What do we celebrate most. We celebrate the goodness of our God. There is no greater gift given, than the gift of God’s Jesus Christ, The Messiah. Don’t let another anniversary go by without accepting him as your Lord and your Savior.
