Why Are We Still Here?

Maybe you are here because of tradition. If so, just make sure that it’s the right kind of tradition. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

II. OWNERSHIP

Another reason for this church being here after all these years may be because most, if not all, of you have been here during the valley days and the mountaintop days. You’ve been here when the had of God was evident on this church as well as those times when you may have wondered if He had forgotten about you. You’ve spent countless hours on your knees shedding tears and praying over this church. You’ve seen Pastors come and go—some who just spent time here and some who invested time here. You’ve seen members come and go—some gladly and some sadly. Through it all you’ve been faithful. You have persevered. You have put your blood, sweat, toil and tears into this church—this is YOUR church. You’ve shingled the roof, nailed the paneling, painted the walls and arranged the pews. You take a great deal of pride in the fact that through rough waters and smooth sailing you’ve remained strong. Thank God for you! Thank you for not throwing in the towel when others said to just give up. Thank you for giving sacrificially—often times more than you could afford to give so that this work could go on. Thank you for thwarting the efforts of a small minority who took it upon themselves to liquidate all the assets of the church, feeble as they were, and close the doors for ever. I realize none of you may have been here at that time, but there were some who said, “No! We’ll not allow you to close God’s house!” There have been those during these past 56 years who have stood in the gap and not allowed the Devil to have a foothold. Their sacrifices will long be remembered.

We must remember, however, what I preached this morning. We must recognize Who it is that owns this church. We must remember the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 127:1 “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it…” I am very careful to never call this church “my church”. It’s not my church; it’s not your church; it’s not even our church. This is God’s church. It was the Lord Jesus Christ Who hung on a rugged cross and gave His life for this church. We ought to take pride in our church. But we need to remember that it’s the Lord’s house and we are just the caretakers.

III. DOCTRINE

A third reason why our church is still in existence after 56 years may be because although in this little town of 1,600 there are nine churches, there is not one other that believes exactly as we do on what we consider to be the fundamentals of the faith. We come to this church because no other church in town teaches:

Ø The Bible is the inspired, infallible Word of God, divinely preserved in the Authorized (King James) Version.

Ø The Autonomy of the local church. That we ought not to be under the authority of any denominational headquarters or hierarchal board or body.

Ø The Preservation (eternal security) of the believer. Once a person is saved there is nothing that he can do to lose his salvation.