We Are Willetton Bible Baptist Church

Introduction

Over the past weeks I’ve tried to lay a basic foundation about why we need to make the changes to our documents

I haven’t answered every question in these sermons

Tried to answer many here and personally questions too

Above all I want you to be confident that we aren’t weakening our stance or compromising our beliefs

Rather I believe we’re are strengthening our church through these to be more biblical and Christ-like

We have no intention of compromising doctrine

Or becoming ‘ecumenical’ in the sense that unity is more important than truth

Our goal is to be what we say that we are - a Bible-believing church

So, we are doing our best to pursue that goal and grow in our faithfulness

We will come to vote on these matters shortly

Please ask questions if you have them

Talk to your children about them

Though they can’t vote it is still their church so help them understand what we’re doing and why

Soon they will be the leaders of this church

Perhaps 1 day they will need to find a church so let’s help them know what to look for

Today, I want to put all of these things into context

Who are we? What does that mean for us and for those who would join us?

READ Acts 2:36-47

Here we see what a church is like in its simplest form

Without all the programs & modern expectations

We see from the beginning what is at the core of a church

It’s the Gospel, worship, fellowship

These are the things that define us & therefore the things we need to cultivate & protect

What should that look like for us?

Our Commitment as a Church

We will Praise God

Making His Glory Known

We began these conversations noting that we are light in this world

Not THE light but that God’s light is in us & we’re to radiate His light in this world

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

What is the purspose of our light in this world? To give glory to God

So, each of us is to live in a way that gives praise & glory to God

Naturally that purpose applies to us as a church too

Ephesians 3:9–10 NKJV

9 and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

Point of our church isn’t to make much of ourselves

Point of our church is to make much of Christ

Not just in this generation or this world but to proclaime His wisdom & glory in every place

Showing Our Love Through Obedience

John 14:15 “15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

We give God glory not just by saying the right things

We glorify God by obeying His Words

When we say that Bible is our sole rule of authority we are saying we commit to doing as it says

We will hold fast to and defend the truth

We will humbly submit and change where we must

As a church we commit to obey God’s Word to the very best of our ability and knowledge

Growing in Faith and Influence

Our pursuit of these things will enable God to do His work in us

Ephesians 2:18–19 “18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,”

We can’t create this community nor the unity God speaks of - God does that in Christ through the Spirit

As we seek to follow God and nurture these things He will grow this community deep and wide

We don’t need a diversity quota - if we reveal God’s love & grace God will reach out beyond us (age, race, rich/poor/etc.)

In the process He will bring us together as one

Ephesians 2:15 “15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,”

We will Pursue God’s Purpose

In Our Unity

Ephesians 4:2–3 “2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

We’re not trying to create something new here, just live out what God has done within us

What binds us together is something supernatural, something divine, something truly other-worldly

What binds us together is our common bond in Jesus Christ

We are bound together in a new life as new creations

It doesn’t matter if you like Eagles, Dockers or Carlton you are family

Every other thing in this world that either unites or divides us is superceded by our unity in Jesus

That is something to be lived for and protected

In Our Structure

Jesus declares this community to be HIS ekklesia

He is head, authority and so it is His right to determine how it operates

When Jesus said, whereever 2 or 3 are gathered He is in there midst He didn’t mean that we can just be some unorganised group

No, He established structure, protocols, purposes to be followed

We don’t have right to make church whatever we want it to be

Jesus began instructing on these things while He was on earth

Acts 2:42 “42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

We see patterns, structures emerging which don’t change

Christ is head, His Word our guide

Ephesians 4:11–12 “11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,”

He establishes leadership for His churches to teach us God’s Word and how to follow it

So that, we all can serve God for His glory and our growth

In Our Worship

We believe God also teaches us how we are to worship Him

Not everything is a valid form of worship, even if it is with the right motives

We believe God should be worshipped with the dignity & honour He rightly deserves

We believe God should be worshipped in the ways that He teaches

We see these things expressed in Acts 2 and throughout the NT

We worship God by preaching the Word, singing the Word, fellowshipping with believers, administering the ordinances in accordance with His authority

We worship God by baptising believers

Romans 6:4 “4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Baptism is a outward representation of your inward renewal

In part that is why we believe in baptism by immersion

It also means that baptism is for those who have believed Jesus as Saviour

Acts 2 indicates that having believed & been baptised they were added to the church

So baptism isn’t only a believers profession of faith but also the church’s expression of fellowship

We worship God by partaking of the Lord’s Supper

Here both the church and the individual have responsibility to Christ

Church is called to administer it under the authority of Christ

That means we have a responsibility to protect it’s purity without denying believers this privilege

So, we’re not to offer it openly to anyone who turns up because its meant for believers faithfully living for God

We also do a disservice to God by overly restricting it too - close communion seems right and has been practice of Baptists for a long time

On the other side, the believer is responsible for examining themselves

We will Proclaim God’s Word

Committed to God’s Word

As we spoke about in previous sermons (Now I Understand) we believe the Bible is God’s inspired and infallible Word (2 Tim. 3:16)

We believe the Bible is powerful and transforming (Heb. 4:12)

So, a commitment of this church is that we are committed to believe, follow and preach God’s Word

Our priority isn’t to a tradition or denomination, etc. but firstly to the Bible

We expect all those who preach & teach to have that commitment

2 Timothy 3:15 “15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

We’re committed to God’s Word because we are convinced it alone is able to lead us to faith in Jesus Christ (Rom. 10:17)

2 Timothy 3:17 “17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

We’re committed to God’s Word because we’re convinced that in it is all we need to be transformed into the image of Christ

Committed to Preach God’s Word

Because we believe the Bible to be the divinely inspired word of God that alone is what we will preach

1 Cor. 2:1-5 - We’re not here to dazzle you with our intelligence or oratory skills

We’re not here to pass on the best our culture has to offer of the latest theories to make your life better

1 Corinthians 2:5 “5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

We’re committed to preach God’s Word so that you will know God, know God’s ways and be transformed by God’s power

Committed to Make Disciples

Matthew 28:19–20 “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.” Amen.”

We’re called to make disciples of Jesus and to teach You His ways

Our commitment is to make disciples of Jesus Christ

Ephesians 4:14 “14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”

Our commitment is to teach God’s Word so that you will grow strong and stable in your faith

Your Commitment to Our Church

Meet the Requirements

Believe Jesus as Saviour

Membership in a church requires first that you be a member of God’s family

Church is a gathering of God’s people

To be a member of WBBC we require you to meet the standard that God Himself sets

Believe Jesus Christ as Saviour

The heart of all we are and all we do is the Gospel

Acts 2:38 - Peter simply uses the word ‘repent’

That is, you must truly believe that you are a sinner that needs to turn from your sin against God

It means that you believe that Jesus, as the perfect Son of God, died on the cross to pay for your sin

It means that if you accept in belief that gift of Jesus for you then your sin is forgiven

It is this above all else that unites us together

Show Your Belief in Baptism

Baptised by immersion as an expression of your sins being washed away

An illustration of Christ’s work for you

Baptism is your open and public declaration I believe in Jesus and I am associating with His people

Bible makes it clear this isn’t an optional extra (though not part of salvation)

It is a command of Jesus for His people

By baptising you or accepting your baptism our church is saying we believe you are saved and we are committing to you as family

Live Your Belief in Humility

Christ has given His church authority - that is we speak on His behalf

We act on His authority not our own

So it is right that if you intend to unite with a church that you are willing to submit to the church and it’s teaching

That isn’t a statement of the infallibity of a church or absolute authority of its leaders over you

Simply saying, if you’re going to join a church believe the church stance (statement of faith etc.)

Don’t join a church because you want to change it

Enjoy the Rewards

You Reap the Benefits of Being Part of the Family

Being a member of a church identifies you as a genuine believer

In Christianity membership isn’t just a status, not just attendance but commitment

That is, while you commit to them you become part of a community that is committed to you

A family whose desire is to support and encourage you in your walk with God

Church is also the place God uses to discover, develop and use the gifts and talents He’s given you

It places you in a place where godly leaders can protect you

It is a place where you have help and accountability to grow in faith

Membership gives you a voice in your church

We are an elder/pastor led congregational church so your voice matters

Shortly, we’ll have opportunity to exercise that in voting on these changes

You are a Benefit of the Family

You are here for a reason, you have a place

You are part of how all of the benefits of church are experienced

Rewards of church membership aren’t systems, programs, etc.

The rewards of church membership are people - you are part of the benefit of this church

That is what Paul teaches us in 1 Cor. 12 about the body

Fulfil Your Responsibilities

Make a Heart Commitment

Acts 2:44-47 - from the beginning of the church we see a desire to help each other

There is a commitment to each other from the heart

This is a result of Spirit within

How can I express this commitment?

Sheild the unity of my church (Eph. 4:3)

Share in the responsibility of my chuch

Pray for outreach, invite others & witness, be warm & welcoming

Serve the ministry of my church

Discover & use your gifts & talents

Have a servants heart

Support the testimony of my church

Attend faithfully

Live godly

Give joyfully

Live for One Another

At the heart of our responsibilities towards one another is fellowship (koinonia)

We can sum this idea up in the ‘one anothers’ of the NT

Love one another (John 13:34,35)

Edify one another (Romans 14:19)

Do not judge one another (Romans 14:13)

Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)

Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)

Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)

Submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21)

Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9-11)

Encourage one another to good works (Heb. 10:24-25)

Be of the same mind with one another (Rom. 12:16)

Conclusion

If you are a member of WBBC let’s recommit ourselves to pursuing God’s glory in our church

Not that we aren’t doing that

But that we would have a renewed passion and enthusiasm to see Christ glorified in us

Let’s make it our aim to pursue to maintain the unity that we have in the Spirit

Why? So that Christ will be glorified in us and people will be saved from their sin

Let’s commit to playing our part so that “the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places”

If you’re considering joining our church I hope that this has helped you

What is the next step?

Speak with me

Ask any questions you may have

We’ll talk about your testimony of faith and baptism

If you need to be baptised we can arrange that

You’ll be introduced to the church family

Attend services, fellowship & find ways to serve Christ with us