The Mission of the Church (2)

Introduction

Good morning! If you haven’t guessed by now, I am Lamar Ball. I am absolutely honored to be here with you today. Before we get started, I want to let you know that I am just an idiot from Tennessee. Now you may be thinking, “What’s this tall boy from Tennessee doing down here behind the pulpit on the coast of Mississippi?” Well, I’ll tell you. It all started a really really long time ago in Leakesville, Mississippi. My great great grandfather, Alex Ball, and his wife prayed for years and years that the Lord would bless their family with a long line of pastors, ministers, and people who would give up their lives in service of the Lord. He was a pastor, his son, Lamar O. Ball, was a pastor. His son, my grandfather, Lamar D. Ball made a few mistakes in his life time, but I believe he might have been called. Then his son, my father, Lamar C. Ball, gave his everything to the Lord, from staring down the wrong end of an AK-47, to sitting in a pastor’s office having a church member chew him out because he did what God wanted and not what they wanted, all for the Lord. Then his son, me, Lamar C. Ball II, have now been called to the Gospel ministry. But my story is a little different. I gave my life to Christ at 8:00 at night, on January 1st, 2018. about a year later sometime in the spring of 2019 I first felt the call. My dad preached a sermon on missions and told the story I just told. It felt like something came alive in me right there. So I surrendered and got the opportunity to preach twice before covid hit. The first time I did great because I relied on God. The second time, I was relying on Lamar and I bombed it. I was extremely discouraged, then covid happened. When lock down happened, I found something I should not have, and I just kept going and going into it, and running further and further away from God. In the summer of 22’ everything got so busy that the church could not go to summer camp, so we did it in the fall. during our “fall youth retreat” one of my buddies was talking to a couple of adults about what he was going to do with his life. So I started thinking, What am I going to do. I had no plan, and with no plan theres no attack, and with no attack theres no victory. I got scared and didn’t know what to do. Then that night as our youth minister was speaking, I don’t even remember was talking about. All I know is that in that moment I felt God say, “You do know what your supposed to do. You were created to share the Gospel.” I finally broke down and truly surrendered. On our youth minister’s last Sunday with out church, My dad preached another ministry oriented sermon and the entire time it felt like he was talking directly to me. So I walked down from the sound booth and made it public to the church. I already know its real but the thing that just made it perfect is that the Buddy that I mentioned earlier told me that when I came forward there were tears in his eyes. And he is one of the toughest guys in know. Like I have never seen this man cry. Then the summer of my senior year, My family moved from a backwater town in Tennessee to Gautier, MS. My dad is now the senior pastor at First Baptist Church Of Gautier, And I finished high school in December and now I’m taking classes at MGCCC. People ask if it was hard to move my senior year, they’ll assume it was unbearable, but like Paul, Philippians 4:11 says

Philippians 4:11 CSB

11 I don’t say this out of need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.

I was licensed in feb., but about a week before, I was struggling. I was in one of those “the whole world is evil and woe is me” kind of moods. I was thinking if it only takes one sin to make you worthy of death, then why am I still here. The Lord answered with Jeremiah 1:5

Jeremiah 1:5 CSB

5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

I believe that this verse is my life verse. But enough about me. I’m here today to talk about the church, but more importantly the purpose of the church. The church has multiple purposes, but today I’m only going to talk about two of them. If you have your bibles with you today, I start in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. Paul writes 1 Corinthians about Five years after it was planted. The major issues in the church at the time was the division and spiritual immaturity. And that is what we do not want as christians. If you are there I invite you to stand in honor of the holy inspired word of God. 1 Corinthians 1:10-27 says

1 Corinthians 1:10–17 CSB

10 Now I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters, by members of Chloe’s people, that there is rivalry among you. 12 What I am saying is this: One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don’t recall if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.

PRAY>

Be United!

Paul is talking to the church in Corinth saying brothers and sisters to show that they have a connection. That in the faith they are actually brothers and sisters in Christ. that is what the church is, is brothers and sisters advancing the kingdom together. Paul was calling that his brothers and sisters in Christ not be divided, but rather be unified together through Christ. Their division was who was the leader of the Church. Was it Paul or Apollos of Cephas or Jesus? The correct answer we know now is Jesus, because Paul answered the question. Paul we all know was originally a pharisee attacking the christians. He later was confronted by Jesus and became an Apostle. Apollos was not an apostle, but rather a well spoken christian. He learned of Christ and started learning more and teaching with eloquence. He added all the fancy words and churchy phrases and got attention by the way he spoke and taught. Cephas we know as Peter. But above Paul, Apollos, and even Peter the head of the disciples was Christ, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords. Paul is saying be unified in the one who died for the forgiveness of sins. In this day in age our arguments look more like, “I’m Baptist” or “I’m methodist” etc. or we might be upset because the carpet is blue and not red, or the argument of carpet or wood or stone. Forget about the floor, or the walls, or the building in general. Yes keep it up, keep it clean and updated because its the house of God, but the color scheme is not important in God’s eyes. Stop judging people for what they wear, how they dress , or what they look like. tattoos or no tattoos, criminal record or not. IT DOES NOT MATTER. We are here as the church to Know Christ and to make HIM known. The purpose of the church is not to argue about trivial things. The purpose of the church is to Advance the kingdom as brothers and sisters.

Go out.

Our mission or purpose as christians and as the church is not only to be unified in ourselves, but also to go out. Like I just said, to know Christ and to make him known. The great Commission, most commonly known from Matthew 28:18-20 says

Matthew 28:18–20 CSB

18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

We are commanded to GO! Why do we go? To share and proclaim the Gospel. What I have learned over the past few months is that a lot of professing christians don’t know what the gospel is. A lot of the younger Christians either don’t know what it is or they don’t know how to share it. There are so many ways to share, but I have found is that the simplest way to do so is doing it. The only bad evangelism is the kind that sends people away from God. The worst evangelism that you can do is none at all. But how? How do you share your faith in a way that you would live your life on mission? By simply going. Like I said a minute ago, a lot of professing christians today don’t exactly know what it is. Put simply, its the Good News Of Jesus Christ. I’ll show you a simple way that helps me share and gets people asking questions. First of do you want the Good news or the bad news? Most people are going to ask for the bad news first. So I’ll give it to them. But rather than telling I’ll ask questions that require a response. Do you agree that the world is broken? Or do you believe that any one is perfect? Then I’ll say we are living in a broken world, and I’ll give a few examples, drugs, alcohol, sex, money, etc. this brokenness is what we call sin and after only one sin you are worthy of death, for the wages of sin is death… sin is defined as missing the mark of perfection, and from the smallest lie, to a mass homicide, its sin. then I’ll have them imagine a bottomless pit 1000 feet wide, and it goes down forever. I’ll say imagine you have a shovel, and your digging and trying to fill the hole. that hole represents brokenness and the dirt your trying to fill it with is more brokenness, and its just an endless cycle of brokenness and pain. But you don’t Have to suffer like this. There is someone who loved you so so much that he gave up his throne in the most glorious place. He left the throne in heaven to be born in a stable filled with cows and sheep and other animals. He was born into the worst conditions. Born to die for the lowest of the low and the highest of the high. We said a minute ago that no one is perfect, Well this man lived a perfect life, he never once sinned. He was the one spotless lamb that it would take to cleanse us from all our sin. And fill the hole completely. He took all the sins of the world upon himself and died so that we could one day be free. His name is Jesus Christ. For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You might think theres a catch or something you have to do, but no. All you have to do is believe that he is God that he rose from the dead and accept him as Lord of your life and you will be saved. Its as simple as ABC, Admit that your a sinner and confess you sins to Him. Believe that He died and rose again for your sins. And Commit your life to following Him. Its that simple to share.

Conclusion

We can all agree that Jesus is the only way. He is the Way the Truth and the Life. We cannot get to God without Him. So as I close, I want to ask three Questions, 1.) Christians, are you living unified with each other and praying with and for each other? 2.) Are you living your life on mission? If not what’s stopping you? 3.) If you are not saved and you realize that you are not in unity with those around you, and you just keep on trying to fill that broken hole with more brokenness, whats stopping you from coming today, and giving your life to someone who loved you enough to die for you, but not only die for you but also rise again for you. No matter how old you are I invite you to come. I’m going to pray, then when I say amen and the music is playing and we sing, come forward if you feel lead, the altar is open and I will stand here for you to come.

PRAY>

Thank you!