The Church Exists for Evangelism
How does the old adage go? “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.?Can we say it together? “The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.? Do you agree with this statement? For us here at the Seattle Central Korean SDA Church, as we celebrate the inauguration of the new church building, I ask you, “Is the main thing, the main thing? Do we even know what the main thing is? How many of us know? Would Satan do all that he can to keep the church from keeping the main thing the main thing? The answer is yes! And he has been very successful.
Studies show that 80-85% of churches have plateaued or are in decline in North America. By the way, a plateaued church is a dying church.
Each year, estimates are that as many as 2,700 churches in the United States alone hold their last service, close their doors, and put up the “For Sale?sign.
Satan has been very successful here in North America. 80-85% of churches in North America obviously don’t know what the main thing is! How are we doing? Are we a part of the 80-85% of churches in decline.
I want to tell you a parable. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!?
Canon Theodore Wedel told a parable of a dangerous seacoast where many sailing ships were wrecked and many lives were lost (Sweazey 1968:12-13). Volunteers from a nearby fishing village again and again braved the storm and rescued many from drowning, and those who were saved often joined the rescue team.
One day a volunteer suggested that with practice they could do an even better job. So in summer the rescue crews practiced rowing and throwing life preservers and were later able to save more lives. Another volunteer thought they should build a boat house near the coast to keep the rescue boats. That way they would not waste time bringing their boats from the village. After a time, a third volunteer suggested that they build a shelter for the people they rescued, for they often died of the cold. And another recommended adding a kitchen to make soup to warm the storm victims. All these innovations added to the effectiveness of their work.
Later a rescuer suggested that they wait in the boat house during the storms so that they would be ready when a ship was wrecked. Another proposed adding a game room so that they would not be bored, and a third that they expand the kitchen so that they would have hot drinks and food while they waited in the boat house. The members took great pleasure in their building projects and added a lounge and a fine restaurant. The rescue station grew in prestige, and many more joined it on that account.
As time passed, one member observed that rescuing was a highly specialized task and that only those highly trained for it should be allowed to do the job. So they hired young men to go out in the storm while the rest cheered them on from the rescue complex. Finally the members had a meeting and decided to discontinue the lifesaving feature of the “club?altogether. It was too costly, and they all were too busy with related committee meetings and other activities.
A number protested that this abandoned their primary propose, so they resigned and started a real lifesaving station down the coast. Once again they went out into the storm and waves to rescue those who were drowning.
One day a volunteer suggested that with some practice they could do an even better job. So in the summer the rescue crews practiced rowing and throwing life preservers, and they rescued more people. Soon the crews from the club up the coast challenged them to a contest, for although the group had given up actual lifesaving, it retained “rescuing?as a summer sport. And when a rescue station won, its members were given a trophy to take home.
Later someone in the newer group suggested that they build a boat house near the coast to keep their boats, and another added that they needed a kitchen and shelter for those who were rescued. After a time, they added a game room and restaurant for those waiting on the coast during the storms.
Eventually, rescuing became a highly trained skill and specialists were hired to do the job. And one day the members decided to discontinue the lifesaving because it was costly and they were all busy. A number protested and moved down the coast to start a true rescue station.
We know the rest of the story.
Is the meaning of the parable obvious? What is this parable describing? What does the rescue station represent? The church! Who do the rescuers represent? They represent Christians. And who do the highly specialized rescuers represent? Pastors!
The church is a life boat not a show boat. Amen!
The church is God’s appointed agency for the salvation of men. It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world. We are to fulfill the divine mandate which is found in Matthew 28:19.
(19) “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.?
God says, “Go!? He says, “Go to all and make disciples.? God is very serious when He says “Go.? Even His name G-O-D begins with Go.
I love the end of verse 20. “… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.? Isn’t that a beautiful promise? Is God with our church today? Are you sure? Did you know that there are many promises in the Bible that are conditional? The promise “and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age?does not stand alone. It is preceded by “Go therefore…”
In the book Desire of Ages p. 825, Ellen White writes:
It is in doing Christ’s work that the church has the promise of His presence. Go teach all nations, He said; "and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." To take His yoke is one of the first conditions of receiving His power. The very life of the church depends upon her faithfulness in fulfilling the Lord’s commission.?
Do you understand why 80-85% of churches in North America are dying?
Ellen White goes on to say, “To neglect this work is surely to invite spiritual feebleness and decay. Where there is no active labor for others, love wanes, and faith grows dim.?
Do we want to have a church that is alive and healthy?
“It is in doing Christ’s work that the church has the promise of His presence.?
To better understand Christ’s work, let’s turn to Luke 19:10
I believe that Luke 19:10 gives us the clearest summary in Scripture of the essence of the work and life of Christ. The essence, the kernel, the heart of the gospel is found in this verse.
Luke 19:10 “for the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.?
God’s heart is to seek and to save lost people. God had only one Son and He became a missionary. Jesus life was defined by mission. The essence of who Jesus was, was defined by mission.
I want you to think of some of the pictures that the Bible gives us of Jesus. In the classic chapter in Luke 15, Jesus is pictured as a shepherd that seeks the lost. He’s pictured as having the heart of a woman who’s lost something valuable to her, one of the coins of her dowry. And she can think of nothing else until she finds that lost coin. Jesus is pictured in those parables of Luke 15 as a loving Father who welcomes home his lost Son. Think fo the other pictures we have of Jesus in Scripture. He is the Godd Shepherd binding up the wound. He is the host of the wedding feast compelling people to come in. Jesus is the open door inviting them to come through. Jesus is the bread of life satisfying the inner hunger and need. Jesus is the water of life, satisfying their thirst. When we look at Jesus in Scripture, He is always in a relationship with people, always in a redemptive role, always in a saving role.
He was saving even up to the last hour of his life. As he hung upon the cross, he hears what must have sounded like music to his ears. One of the criminals, who was nailed with Him, says, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.? Jesus reply is found in Luke 23:43. Jesus says, “Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.?
What did the criminal do to merit salvation? Absolutely nothing! That is the beautiful thing about the salvation that Jesus Christ offers us. It’s not about what we’ve done. It’s all about what He’s done. That’s why salvation is called a gift. It wouldn’t be called a gift if you had to do something to earn it.
Up to the last hour of His life, Christ was busy saving the lost.
What was it that Ellen White said in the book Desire of Ages?
“It is in doing Christ’s work that the church has the promise of His presence.?
I ask you, “Does this church want the promise of His presence??
The church exists for evangelism. Sadly, many Christian are confused.
Win Arn, a leading church consultant conducted a survey:
He surveyed members of nearly a thousand churches asking the question, “Why does the church exit?? The results? Of the church members surveyed, 89 percent said, “The church’s purpose is to take care of my family’s and my needs.? For many, the role of the pastor is simply to keep the sheep who are already in the “pen?happy and not lose too many of them. Only 11 percent said, “The purpose of the church is to win the world for Jesus Christ.
Then the pastors of the same churches were asked why the church exists. Amazingly, the results were exactly the opposite. Of the pastors surveyed, ninety percent said the purpose of the church was to win the world, and ten percent said it was to care for the needs of the members. Is it any wonder we have conflict, confusion, and stagnation in many churches today?
When the mission of the church gets reduced to keeping the sheep in the pen happy, the mission is falling woefully short. I’m sure the ninety-nine sheep in Jesus?parable believed they deserved the undivided attention and full protection of their shepherd. I can even imagine several of them complaining, “What’s the big deal about finding one little lost sheep when there are so many of us right here who need a good meal and a warm place to sleep??
Clearly in Jesus?mind it was—and still is—a big deal. Therefore, we have to try to overcome this tendency toward self-absorption.
Most people come to church, and they say, give me a good program, give me a comfortable church building where I can worship, give me good potlucks. Give me, give me, give me!
Friends, in the spiritual life, things operate differently. God says to get, you must give. So God says you come to my church to give. Give your money to missions. Give your service to the church. And give your time to searching for lost people. And when you give, you will get. You will receive exceedingly abundantly. My bible says, “Give , and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.? I know that God is even able to enlarge my bosoms so I can receive more of His blessings! Amen!
Ask not what your church can do for you; ask what you can do for your church.
The church is a lifeboat, not a showboat.
Does that mean Martin is against having parties, gym nights, and anything that is fun? What’s the answer? I know some of you know. We’re going to have parties, we’re going to have gym nights, camp outs, jet skiing at the lake. We going to have lots of fun. The difference is this: our primary purpose will not be merely fun, our primary purpose will be to win others to Christ. There are people who are so lost in the world, you will never be able to bring them to church. But they may come to gym night to play basketball. They might come out to a party. And if we can love them and develop good relationships, they may come to church. They won’t come to church because they feel their need for God. But they will come because they want to see us. This is called friendship evangelism.
How does this church feel about friendship evangelism? Well, if it’s easy enough, I suppose.
Let me share with you a dialog from the once-popular sitcom, Seinfield. I came across this on www.preachingtoday.com where I search for sermon illustrations. The dialog takes place between Elaine and her boyfriend.
Elaine asks, “Do you believe in God??
“Yes,?her boyfriend replies.
Elaine asks, “Is it a problem that I’m not religious??
“Not for me,?her boyfriend answers.
“How’s that??she asks.
Her boyfriend says, “I’m not the one going to hell.?
I wonder if that’s the attitude many of us Christians have.
Rick Warren in his book “The Purpose Driven Church?says, “A church that has no interest at all in increasing its number of converts is, in essence, saying to the rest of the world, “You all can go to hell.?
Whoa, that’s pretty strong! We have this precious truth! God has given us salvation. It is a free gift. God asks us to go to share the good news with the world.
God says, “Go!? In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, “you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.?
We need to go to all nations.
The General Conference, which is the largest unit of organization in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has declared 2004, the Year of World Evangelism.
In the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist Church, we have nearly 13 million members. We have 13 million reapers for a 6.3 billion people world.
We need to go to all nations. But we start here. We begin in our home town. There are people here who need Jesus.
Depending on the research you read, the United States is between the third and fifth largest mission field in the world, with more than 150 million not knowing Christ.
A century ago, Africa and Asia were the great mission fields. It is not so anymore. The word is spreading through the continents of Africa and Asia. Now the great mission fields are Europe, Australia, and North America.
God needs missionaries.
What if? Ever play “what if?games? Think with me. What if each one of us could bring one person to Christ during this next school year? What would happen if we could do that? Our church is about one third full. By next year, we would be two-thirds full. And during the next school year, what if the two-thirds of us in this church each brought one more person to Christ. We would be a packed church. Then what? Well, I guess we could move out of this building that looks more like a warehouse than a church. Do you believe that is God’s dream for this church? If each one, can reach one. What if we began to dream big for God? Better yet, what if we started praying, “Lord, dream your dreams through us!?
Is that your desire? Would you like to pray that prayer? If that is your desire, would you join me as we sing our closing hymn.
Hymn 330 ?Take My Life and Let It Be (1, 3, and 5)
