April 29, 2001 Acts 2- 6
“Our Mission”
INTRODUCTION
A volunteer fire department in a Minnesota town has this slogan, “We’ll know where we’re going when we get there.” The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart p. 210 You ever feel like that? Whenever both Tammy and I have forgotten to plan something for dinner, we’ll pile everyone into the car to go out to eat somewhere. The difficulty is deciding where we’re going. There have been times that I have sat at a red light for a while even after it turns green waiting for someone to direct me to the spot where we will eat dinner. Sometimes, Tammy will say, “You’re driving; you decide.” Benjamin has to know where we are going at all times. He will incessantly ask, “Where are we going?” To which we reply, “You’ll know when we get there.” Where are we going? It’s a good question to ask, especially if you‘re a church. It’s also a good question to ask if you’re a cab driver.
Thomas Henry Huxley was a devoted disciple of Darwin. Famous biologist, teacher, and author. Defender of the theory of evolution. Bold, convincing, self-avowed humanist. Traveling lecturer.
Having finished another series of public assaults against several truths Christians hold sacred, Huxley was in a hurry the following morning to catch his train to the next city. He took one of Dublin’s famous horse-drawn taxis and settled back with his eyes closed to rest himself for a few minutes. He assumed the driver had been told the destination by the hotel doorman, so all he had said as he got in was, “Hurry, I’m almost late. Drive fast!” The horses lurched forward and galloped across Dublin at a vigorous pace. Before long Huxley glanced out the window and frowned as he realized they were going west, away from the sun, not toward it.
Leaning forward, the scholar shouted, “Do you know where you are going?” Without looking back, the driver yelled a classic line, not meant to be humorous. “No, your honor! But I am driving very fast!” Charles Swindoll, Growing strong in the seasons of life
If we assume that everyone in the church knows where we are going, then we run the same risk that this gentleman did – going no where very fast, keeping ourselves very busy without accomplishing anything.
Every day, when I go up to Heritage Christian School, I see their mission statement. It is placed at several strategic locations in the school so that it is almost impossible not to notice it. “The mission of Heritage Christian School is to fulfill a God-given vision to prepare Christian students to become model citizens and leaders by providing a high quality Christ- centered education.” Everything that they do fits into that mission statement. It enables them to have a sense of identity and to know what they want to accomplish. It is the tool that they use for budgeting, for curriculum, for evaluation, and for planning. The mission statement keeps them focused on why they exist.
Paul, the apostle, had a mission statement: (Phil 3:10 NIV) I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, Jesus had a mission statement: (Mat 20:28 NIV) …the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." That statement controlled everything that He did. Everything that He did fit with that mission. It also controlled what He did not involve Himself in. Jesus could have built great buildings and introduced wonderful new architectural advances to the people of His day so that there would be high rise hotels. Then no one would have to be turned away like He was as a child. But Jesus’ mission was not to build things. Think what it would have been like to have Jesus as a stock-broker. Talk about your insider trading! He would be able to clue you in when things were getting ready to go up and when they were getting ready to go down. But that was not His mission. Or think of the possibilities if Jesus had started a family. What a wonderful daddy He would have been and a wonderful father! But that was not His mission. While on earth, Jesus was not a great architect or stock-broker or father. But Jesus was a great Savior! That’s what His mission was all about, and He fulfilled that mission better than anyone else ever could have. It was ok that He wasn’t all those other things. He was focused on the cross.
Very few people draw much significance from the mission statement of Heritage Christian school. You don’t have children that go there. You might not be able to identify with the mission of Paul, or even of Jesus on a day by day basis. But there is one organization whose mission statement has affected each and every one of you. Look on the back of your note sheet, and follow along as I read the mission statement of the Coca-Cola Co. –
“Our promise is simple, solid and timeless: The Coca-Cola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone who is touched by our business. Fulfilling this promise means that every day we have to live up to our values so that people continue to invite us into their lives. We have to maintain our special place in local cultures, recognizing the differences between countries and regions. We must continually operate as model business citizens, consistently shaping our business decisions to improve the quality of life in the communities in which we do business. We encourage our people to develop to their fullest potential and infuse every aspect of our business with the spirit of innovation. We must also give the thirsty people of the world the beverage they want.” – Coca-Cola web site
It’s one thing for me to read that statement to you, but it’s quite another for me to do this. [pull out a can of coke that you have placed behind the podium. Make sure that it is cold, and that you have means to keep it cold throughout the message.] They say that their mission or promise as they put it is to “benefit and refresh”. Let’s see how refreshing this is. [open the can] I’m pretty parched up here after teaching a Sunday School lesson and singing this morning. [take a long guzzle of the Coke] Yep…must say that was quite refreshing. They fulfill their mission well. It helps knowing what their mission is.
My fear is that many of us who comprise New Life Baptist Church do not have the faintest idea of what our mission is. We can’t answer the questions: What are we trying to accomplish? Where are we headed? So, for the next 6 weeks, beginning today, we’re going to take a close look at what it means to be a part of this church. As you discover our mission, I hope that it will do several things. I hope that it will excite you. I hope that it will motivate you to get more involved. I hope that it will cause you to pray. And I hope that it will convict you.
New Life Baptist Church exists to…
…Worship (Acts 2:47; 4:23-31; Rev. 4:6-11)
…Teach (Acts 2:14-42; 3:11-4:3; Mt. 28:19-20)
…Serve (Acts 3:6,7; 6:1-7)
…Fellowship/Care (Acts 2:42-47)
…Evangelize (Acts 4:31,41,3;6:7;2:47)
Missionary Susie Hobert believes that one of her main responsibilities as a mother is to instill in her children a burden for their lost friends. And she has done a good job.
Ten-year old Ryan was driving imaginary race cars with his friends. Several minutes later he came bounding into the house and yelled, "Mom, you’ve got to come quick. Isabelle wants to accept Jesus into her heart."
Skeptical of the child’s sudden interest in spiritual things, Susie asked, "Ryan, I thought you were playing race cars?"
"We were, Mom, but our cars wrecked. The accident was real bad so I asked Isabelle if she would go to heaven if she died. She said she didn’t know. I told her how she could know and she wants to ask Jesus into her heart."
What is 750,000 miles long, reaches around the earth 30 times, and grows 20 miles longer each day? Answer: The line of people who are without Christ. -- Pulpit Helps
CONCLUSION
I read the story of a man who lived in Atlanta several years ago. "I noticed in the yellow pages, in the listing of restaurants, and entry for a place called Church of God grill. The peculiar name aroused my curiosity and I dialed the number. A man answered with a cheery, “Hello! Church of God Grill!” I asked how his restaurant had been given such an unusual name, and he told me: “Well, we had a little mission down here, and we started selling chicken dinners after church on Sunday to help pay the bills. Well, people liked the chicken, and we did such a good business, that eventually we cut back on the church service. After a while we just closed down the church altogether and kept on serving the chicken dinners. We kept the name that we started with, and that’s Church of God Grill.” – Charles Paul Conn, Making it happen
A quality which is prominent in every leader is a strongly developed sense of dominant purpose and direction in life. He is one who knows with greater than average strength of conviction what he wants to get done and where he wants to go. The world stands aside to let pass the man who knows where he is going. Ordway Tead, The Art of Leadership
Worship The Savior For Ever
