A Church of Destiny
The opportunity for greatness is thrust in each person’s direction at least one time in life. Perhaps you can look at situations in your own life and clearly see that mark we could call destiny beckoning in your direction. Perhaps your seized the opportunity, perhaps not. Only you and God truly know what you did with what you were given.
I also believe church’s have the opportunity to attain greatness in their community for the glory of God. Great churches will rise up and do the seemingly impossible. They will leave their footprint on a society that is desperate for direction, showing the way for people to follow.
I believe that each pastor has that opportunity to lead a congregation to that place of greatness. Far too often however, we see pastor’s who have missed that place and have become more fixtures rather than movers and shakers for the Kingdom. It is my prayer, by the grace of God I will never become like that, but God would move me out of the way if I am in the way of building His Kingdom.
We today, stand at the threshold and this morning I want to challenge with what God is speaking to me concerning the direction as shepherd I need to lead you in 1997. It is the criteria from which I will determine sometime this year if I am leading you in the right direction, or if I need to get out of the way.
1. God is calling us in 1997 to be a Church of Prayer.
A familiar passage in 2 Chronicles 7:14 states: "and My people, who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
The Assemblies of God has issued a proclamation calling for Tuesday’s to be a day of fasting and prayer. I realize in our church schedule, Tuesday for some is an inconvenient day, so may I encourage you to take one day a week and set it aside to practice the discipline of fasting, and prayer. If you are unable to fast a day, may I encourage you to fast at least one meal if it is medically possible. I understand the needs of those who are diabetic, but the majority of us could fast at least a meal, we don’t look malnourished. To encourage you in this area of prayer, on Fridays from 7 - 8 a.m. and again from 5 - 6 p.m., the church will be open for a time of corporate prayer where we can join together as the Body and prayer for needs. If you have prayer requests, please call the office or put your prayer request in the offering plate on Sunday and we will have these requests available for those who come to spend time in prayer. What happens when people seek God in prayer, the passage we read said not only will God hear, but he will forgive and heal. What a promise to grasp ahold of.
Throughout the evening services in January, I will be delivering a series of messages on prayer. The Assemblies has called for one week in January to be a week of prayer emphasis, I am extending that to one month of concentrated emphasis. The youth group will be involved in an all-night prayer retreat at the church during the month to seek the face of God in the their individual lives and the life of the church. God is calling us to prayer, to be a church of prayer.
2. God is calling us to be a church of mission. Again, a passage I believe most of us are familiar with, Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
Mission is both in the community and around the world. I want to ask you a personal question. In the last year, how many people have you lead to Christ? The last 5 years? 10 years? In your life as a Christian? The passage I just read said who would be Jesus witness? (I will be). Now, if you are not, one of 3 things has happened. 1] You are not a Christian so you are unable to witness to a fact that has not happened in your life. 2] You have not received the power of the Holy Spirit in your life so you are ineffective as a witness. 3] You have received the power of the Holy Spirit but you are refusing to fulfill the command of God. Church, I am not preaching a feel good message. Understand something with me this morning. One day you will stand before God and give an account of your life. As a pastor, I will stand before God with a greater degree of accountability concerning what I did with the people He has given me to minister. So is it okay if I get in your face from time to time?
Now let me go on with this thought. Perhaps you will never have the opportunity to go the ends of the earth personally to testify to others of Jesus, but you can go. We held a missions banquet in October. Three people responded with pledges totaling $65 per month in mission pledges. Three people, in making their pledge said, I can’t go, but I want to help someone else, and we will pledge for 1997, $65 per month, $780 per year, divided to the Hennessy’s, the Shoops, and Invasion 39 or $21.67 per month per missionary. I am excited about that. Because I know there are people who are committed to fulfilling the Great Commission, to helping others go where they cannot themselves go at this time. Last year, BGMC, the Boy’s and Girl’s Missionary Crusade under the leadership of Bonnie Weaver, gave over $2,000 to help with printed materials for missionaries around the world. And this year I believe we can top $3,000.
God is calling us to be a church of missions, and I know we can do it together for His Kingdom.
3. God is calling us to be a church of purpose. Do you know the purpose of this church? If you don’t, it is my fault for not properly communicating it to you. Let me give it so you will know next time.
To reach people in Ione and the surrounding area.
To win them to Jesus Christ through profession of faith in Him as Lord & Savior
To train everyone in a discipling structure so they will know and grow in Him
To send them out as missionaries locally and to the ends of the earth.
TO REACH, TO WIN, TO TRAIN AND TO SEND that is our purpose taken from the passage we read in Acts 1:8. It is the call of God on each of our lives.
How do we accomplish our purpose, first of all we need to strengthen what we have. Acts 16:5 states, "So the churches were being strengthened in the faith and were increasing in numbers daily."
In January in the morning services, I want to strengthen your faith through a series of teaching on Lordship. Do you know what it means to make Jesus Lord of your life? I know, if you grasp the concepts, your faith will be strengthened. Strengthened faith will lead to increasing numbers into this congregation. I am not here for numbers per say, but I am here for souls into the Kingdom and I hope you are too.
I have been asked by a couple of people about the two services on Sunday morning. We could accommodate everyone in one service, the church would be full and the Body would not be divided. And you know, this is a truth. We would be full with no room for growth, we would be together with each other, but no room for anyone else to enter our group. Why have 2 services, to make room for God to add to our numbers in proportion to your faith. God does not want us to bemoan a second service, He is waiting for a people who are looking with hope, with joy to a third and fourth service because of all the people who are entering the Kingdom of God thanks to the efforts of the believers in the church.
What is our purpose, what is the call of God on your life, where do you fit into the mission and ministry of the church? God adds when our faith is strengthened and part of that faith is believing we can step out and accomplish the impossible through Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit working within us. Church, it is time to face your fears and get involved in ministry opportunities this year.
Let me tell you some areas we want to strengthen this year:
1. Our Sunday worship, including the development of a worship team and band.
2. Sunday School, including additional teachers and helpers in each class.
3. Our K.I.D.S. Church ministry. We need more workers and eventually someone
to step into the key role of leadership.
4. Student Ministry. The leadership team we are putting together is doing a great
job, but there is need for more workers and someone to spearhead the ministry.
5. Men’s Ministry leadership, which will be receiving training by Promise Keepers.
6. Mid-Week home Bible Fellowships which are currently poorly attended.
7. A ministry to senior adults which needs a couple which senses the burden and
desires to spearhead such a ministry.
The task before us, to fulfill His purpose is sizable, but everyone who puts their hands to the plow will experience that sense of accomplishment in their lives. 1997 will be a year of strengthening what we already have going.
4. God call is for a church of growth.
How do we accomplish them? God call in 1997 is to strengthen the ministries we currently are involved. Proverbs 27:23-25 states:
"Know well the condition of your flocks, and pay attention to your herds; For riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the grass disappears, the new growth is seen, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in."
Know the condition of your flock. What is our condition? Allow me to tell the parable of 2 shepherds and their respective flocks. The one shepherd spent most of his time rounding up the flock, and just when he would get some back into the fold, others would wander off and he would work to get them back. When it came time to shear the sheep, the quality of wool they had to offer was inferior, unacceptable at harvest time because the shepherd had spent his time trying to gather them together, he was never able to take them to fields abundant with the food necessary to produce salable wool. It was the end for these sheep, the little they did produce was of no value, so they were destroyed.
The other shepherd had a different outcome. The sheep knew the voice of the shepherd, and they followed him. He lead them to fields which were untouched by other flocks and as a result, when harvest time came, and they went to the shearers, the wool they produced was of such high quality, they were rewarded with the opportunity to produce even more.
Which flock are you in? Proverbs 27:17 states, "Iron sharpens iron. So one man sharpens another." Are you being sharpened by each other. Do you have someone who is challenging you, encouraging you, taking you to the cutting edge of growth?
Growth comes when we understand God’s word and we react in a positive way to what He is seeking to accomplish. In the passage in Acts 16:5, it speaks also of growth coming through the faith of the people. Will you believe for growth in 1997, not only numerically, but also spiritual growth which is the seed we need to plant to see what is growing when the grass is cut?
5. Finally, God is calling us to be a church of vision. Proverbs 29:18 says, "Where they is no vision, the people perish." Tommy Barnett said, "Where there is no people, the vision perishes." I personally struggle at times with the knowledge that I am a visionary. And I know that for others, it can be a struggle as well. I see beyond where we are, where I am in life, to where I think we should be, where I think I should be. Visionaries are hard people at times to live with I know, and if Laura were here she would agree. At home, in our conversations, I at times can accept where we are at in the terms of ministry and the next day, Laura would probably say the next minute, in contemplation about where we should be and why we are not there. As a statesman once said, "Some people see things as they are and ask why, I dream things that never were and ask why not." Last year, I shared with you a message on my vision for Ione. For many, you were overwhelmed. In fact, I have had conversation with some concerning the fact that Ione is a small town, and these were big city ideas. God has a big vision for the small town. In fact, small is a state of the mind. Do you realize there are well over 2,000 people in Ione and the surrounding communities, in the hills and back areas. Since the majority don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, I am left to ask why are we struggling to break the 50 barrier? I am concerned about people who don’t know Jesus and I have a vision to raise up strong Christians within this church who are willing to rescue those who are lost and bring them into the Light of Jesus Christ.
I like the passage what God has to say in Joel 2. Turn with me in your Bibles to this passage as I close this service. read Joel 2.
comments
Before I close, let me review this for you. God is calling us to be in 1997
1. A Church of Prayer
2. A Church of Mission
3. A Church of Purpose
4. A Church of Growth
5. A Church of Vision
will you dedicate yourself to this call?
