Reflections

Introduction: Today marks 10 years that I have been serving as your pastor. Ten years may seem like a very long to some, and very short to others. However,in many ways it seems like to me we are just getting started. As a way to celebrate, I wanted to spend a little time this morning reflecting on what God has done in the last decade but most of our time will be looking ahead to what God might be doing in our future.

Transition: Our guiding passage for the day in Acts 20:17-35. After a brief explanation of the background, read text together and notice a special focus upon verse 28. (Pray)

Transition: I thought it would be wise to begin with retelling the story of how I came to this role. For those who have been along for this journey, I’m sure it will be a reminder of God’s grace and mercy. A glance backward… looking at where we have been.

Glancing Backward...

I had been serving in pastoral ministry for about 6 years when Emily and I were married in January of 2009. When we decided to move to Logan County in October of 2009, we were praying about what ministry role Jesus might have for us. I’ve always had a desire to serve other pastors see we decided to remodel our garage to create a ministry suite where we started hosting pastors and missionaries who needed a place of rest and renewal. While working construction I was also trying to get to know local pastors and see how I might be an encouragement to them.

It was then that I met pastor Greg Haisley, my predecessor. The guy I was working for said he had a job helping a pastor fix a broken sewer line, so while digging up Greg and Terra's front yard I had the opportunity to get to know Greg. Since I was trying to encourage pastors I started meeting with Greg once a week for prayer and conversation. So, over the next year or so we got to know one another and during that time the associate pastor role at Hillcrest became available. Greg invited me to turn in a resume. After meeting with the search team, Hillcrest called me to serve as your associate pastor in August of 2011.

After a couple years, God put a burden on Greg and Terra to move to his home town in Albany, Indiana to start a church. After meeting with the search team, the members of Hillcrest called me to be your pastor in November 2013.

The last decade has been a demonstration of the gracious and sovereign care of Jesus over His church. We have enjoyed seasons of refreshing and renewal as well as grief and pain. We have experienced joys and sorrows. We have watched God bring about new life, and we have grieved those who have gone on to heaven. We have rejoiced and celebrated God’s kindness to use us for His purposes and glory. And we have lamented those moments where we have yielded to the flesh and not the Spirit. Overall, we have experienced both the bumps and smooth traveling on the pathway to being a healthy congregation. We are not unique in the blessings we have enjoyed or in the suffering we have endured. I suppose, in many ways, we could say the last 10 years have been smothered in the grace and mercy of God as we live out the Biblical realities of being a healthy church. Personally, I have grown to have clearer and more precise understanding of what it means to be a pastor, and what we should aspire to be as a body of Christ. I believe that more than ever, today we stand poised to respond to the work of God among His church.

Transition: With that short glance backward, lets now spend some time looking ahead. Along with many of the members of Hillcrest, I've been pondering on the question, “Whats next? or where are we going?”

At this point we must apply the wisdom of Proverbs 16:9. which says… With this in mind I offer some general plans, trusting the Lord to direct the details of our steps.

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Looking Ahead...

3 areas of growth in which the Lord might direct our steps…

Grow in God’s Word.

It was my deep conviction 10 years ago that in order for us to be a healthy church we must grow in God’s word. This is still my deep conviction. If we are going to be the followers of Christ that honor God, we must love and cherish His word.

Hillcrest has enjoyed the continually impact of God’s word throughout the 50 plus years of our being established as a local body of Christ. God’s word brings life, and sustains life. His word teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains us in righteousness so that we might be equipped for every good work. We have been the recipients of God working through His word in the lives of His people. We are thankful for that heritage.

Practically, this means that the word of God must hold supreme authority in all that we do. Preaching and teaching of the Scriptures must take primacy among our gatherings. Whether we are assembled as a whole group, or gathered for smaller groups, the Bible must be our authority for faith and practice.

This also means that in the days ahead we will need to continue to conform to God’s word. Our thinking will need to transform. Our attitudes will need to conform. Our behaviors and emotions will need to be submitted to the authority of God’s word. God’s word is sufficient to make us a people living for His glory.

It will be the continued effort of myself and your other elders to equip you in the days ahead to rightly handle God’s word, so that we will continue to be a body of Christ who personally and congregationaly are transformed for the glory of God.

Transition: In an effort to focus attention on this key area, Emily and I offer a gift of pew Bibles. You’ll notice in the chairs in front of you. If you forget your Bible, you can use to follow along. Also, if you want to share a Bible with a friend or neighbor; please take them home and share. This gift is a simple reminder of our commitment in the days ahead is to grow in God’s word.

Transition: So the first answer to the question.. where are we going? Is to grow in God’s word. Second, it to grow in prayer.

Grow in Prayer.

Acts 2:42 tells us that in the early days of the church in Jerusalem they…

Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Devotion to prayer can be a challenge. Over the last several years we have incorporated many different focuses on prayer. We’ve had prayer services, prayer breakfasts, corporate prayer time during our services, prayer emails, and an assortment of other prayer guides; and all of those have been helpful in some way to grow us in prayer.

However, I believe what must be demonstrated among a healthy church is devotion to prayer. This means that prayer isn’t simply an item on our agenda but the very depth of our desires. Devotion to prayer is a condition of the heart, and attitude of our soul, that says, “We cannot function without communing with God.” Prayer is breath for the body of Christ, not simply a religious activity.

A hard question: Could we still be doing all that we are doing if we were not praying? Point of the question: Prayer reveals our humble dependence upon God to do what we cannot.

Now, I will be the first to admit that I need growth in this area of prayer. My natural inclination is to think that prayer is passive, and I need to be active. However, I’m discovering that prayer is a major aspect of the work of ministry. In other words, as a body of Christ we need to exercise our faith by doing the good work of prayer. Many of you could offer great insight and Biblical truth regarding prayer. At this point, I want to confirm our commitment that in the days ahead, we are going to seek to grow in prayer. That when we stand before Jesus someday, He might say, “The members of Hillcrest were devoted to prayer.”

Transition: To continue growing us in that direction I've acquired as a gift from our State Convention a little booklet entitled, “21 Days of Transforming prayer.” As they are being handed out let me offer a brief explanation for how to use this.

It is our hope that in the days that Jesus gives us, we will grow in His Word, Grow in prayer, and lastly.. grow in Body Building.

Grow in Body Building.

Verse 28 from the passage we read is a reminder to the overseers or elders in the church at Ephesus to “pay careful attention to their own spiritual care, but then goes on that say and to all the flock. This reminds us of the letter that Paul writes to the church at Ephesus in Ephesians 4:11-12. (Read)

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

The goal for the future is very clear. We want to be a church that is made up of maturing followers of Christ being equipped for the work of ministry.

With this in mind, I want to offer some ways in which your elders anticipate equipping the body for the work of ministry. We might ask this question...

How do we anticipate growing in the word of God and prayer?

Equip every member for ministry.

How? Teaching. Guiding. Guarding. Loving. Serving. Shepherding. To be faithful to fulfill the works that Jesus has prepared for each of us. That we would be diligent to obey the word in fulfilling our membership commitments to one another. Everything from giving of our tithes to repenting of sin. Everything from consistently gathering for worship to witnessing to our friends and neighbors. In other words , we want to equip one another for the regular, normal, works of ministry that Jesus has already placed in our lives. We want to equip one another to be faithful with what He has already given us to do.

Example: Lets say you , (make personal connection to individuals) are having conversations with someone at work about the gospel. Suppose this person has some questions that your not sure you have answers for. So you text Jon , or Johnny or myself. Or ask us after service, or send an email. Individually, we may have an answer from Scripture or we may not know the answer either, so we’ll talk together and search the scripture and then offer some equipment for you to do that work of ministry. We want to help guide and guard you through the ministry that God has prepared for you to do.

Example: Marriage & Parenting.

We want to do what Ephesians 5 & 6 goes on to instruct. Marriages to look like Christ. Families to look like Christ. Specifically, that dad’s would take up the torch of disciplining our families.

Why? Because this is the primary work of ministry that you have been called to accomplish, and need equipped to fulfill. Before anything else, husbands and fathers, we have been called by Christ to shepherd our wives and kids. Clearly we see the imperatives for husbands to love our wives just as Christ loved the church, and father’s to not provoke their children to anger but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (6:4) We may not think we are able to do that, but it doesn't remove our responsibility to do this. A part of what must happen is that we humble ourselves, and search out the help to do so. And a part of the responsibility of your elders is to help equip us to fulfill this work.

Practical tool: (handout book)

Equip men for the ministry of shepherding and serving.

We want to respond to God’s work among us to recognize, train, and affirm new leaders. This is not a quick process, and it does not mean that every man among us will be qualified to serve in the Biblical offices of deacon or elder. But it does mean that every man has the potential, and certainly if your a husband or father we have the responsibility.

We do this all together, but specifically as elders we want to actively train those aspiring to lead.

Example: Dave Clemmer is currently our deacon. This guy is poised and ready to love and serve your practical needs. But he is also seeking those who might be trained to serve as deacons along with him.

Transition: Perhaps the Lord is making you aware of a need among our body? How are you being equipped to meet that need?

Closing: Jesus is at work among us. Neither you nor myself are a part of this church by accident. We have this grand privilege to humbly join up with what He is doing. By God’s grace our future will be full of growth in God’s Word, prayer, and body building. Let’s pray.