We will be a church deeply in love with God. We will fervently worship God with our whole heart, soul, mind, strength, time, and finances. We will avoid the complacency of lukewarm, status-quo religion. We will pursue a deeper relationship with God through committed prayer, fasting, studying and meditating the Word of God. Jesus is building a church, in this last day, that will mightily prevail against the gates of hell. We will be saturated with this yoke-destroying anointing as we soak in the presence of the living God, dwelling in the secret place of His throne-room.
We will be a church that loves. We will embrace the up-and-out and down-and-out. God is raising up a church that has compassion on the suffering, sighing, crying lost souls of men. We will be a church that fights the prejudice and apathy of our society. We will love our neighbor as ourselves, love our families as Christ loved the church, reach out beyond the walls of our sanctuary with the glorious gospel -- of some have compassion, making a difference. We will build the bond of love that unites our church family. We will grow together as a church family in the unity of the Spirit. We will be united in our diversity, we will not be divided over differences in skin color, social status, or scriptural trivialities. We will not be a place of division, gossip, strife or prejudice.
We will be a church that grows. We have been placed in God’s kingdom at a time of whitened harvest fields. We are destined to reach multitudes in our generation -- in Lexington, in Kentucky, in the United States, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. We have been endued with power from on high for this purpose and we will succeed at bringing lost souls to the feet of the Savior. We will reach out in the last hour to the lost telling them of the soon return of the King of kings. We will let the world know the prophecies of the Bible reveal the coming events that will cause the world to tremble. We will be a voice of hope in uncertain times, peace during global conflict, joy in sorrow, healing during pestilence, faith amidst doubt, and forgiveness from sin bring salvation to the uttermost. Our message is plain, our mission is clear, our power is unquenchable, our course is set, and we will not only win the battle, we will triumph in the war. Many will be washed in the blood of the Lamb -- from the cradle to the grave, rich and poor, black and white, men and women -- whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
The church will not be group of spiritual orphans with an unfathered anointing or teaching. Our church will fulfill the mandate that Paul gave to Timothy as he passed the mantle of leadership -- "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." We will be faithful to the task of the Great Commission -- "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." We will not be a church that abandons the new-born babes that have been birthed into the Kingdom. We will nurture them with loving relationships, feed them with the milk of God’s Word, and bring them to strength and maturity in the faith. We will not abandon babies; we will board up the cracked structures in the House of God so that souls do not slip away undiscipled.
We will be a church that has the greatness of God’s Kingdom -- mighty through servanthood & humility. We will not seek power as the world does -- by criticism and crushing others while pridefully exalting ourselves. We seek to serve one another with meekness. Following the example of our Lord, we wash one another’s feet, bear one another’s burdens; and we count all things common -- both sufferings and blessings -- as we prefer our brother over ourselves.
We will be a church that lives the Great Commandment -- to love the Lord your God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself -- and fulfills the Great Commission -- to preach the Gospel to all creation and make disciples of all nations. We commit to this vision this morning. We commit to the God that granted this vision. We trust in His power to complete that great work that He has begun. We acknowledge our continual dependence on Him to guide us, empower us, refresh us, and honor us with His presence. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
∙ We exist to be a family FELLOWSHIP
∙ who loves God with all we are and do WORSHIP
∙ by learning and living the Bible’s teachings DISCIPLESHIP
∙ as servants building God’s kingdom MINISTRY
∙ and sharing Jesus with those in need EVANGELISM
From this passage, we see three descriptions of the who we are:
1. House of God — Indicative that we are God’s dwelling place
2. Church of the living God — elite, elected assembly chosen to have authority
3. Pillar & Ground of Truth — Both the stability/support and source of all truth
The Church is also called in Scripture:
4. SONS OF GOD
5. BODY OF CHRIST
6. FRIENDS OF GOD
7. ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
8. TEMPLE OF THE HOLY GHOST
9. BRIDE OF CHRIST
10. SAINTS OF GOD
11. ELECT OF GOD
12. APPLE OF GOD’S EYE
13. THE BELOVED
14. SEED OF ABRAHAM
