Pressing Onward: Leaving Behind to Reach Ahead

Studies have shown that when rating television shows and movies of the past and present, the past shows are consistently seen as better. I grew up in the Golden Era of the sitcom. TGIF, the Friday lineup of shows like Boy Meets World, Full House, Family Matters, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Then on other nights you had Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier and others. As a child, I loved shows like the A-Team, and Alf. But several years ago I tried to sit down and watch an episode of Alf and I realized, "This is silly." I guess the Good old days, weren't that good after all.

Billy Joel sings, “You know the good old days weren’t always good. And tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.” Solomon wrote this in Ecclesiastes 7:10,“Don’t long for ‘the good old days.’ This is not wise.”

And yet in the church, what we often see this "good ole days" syndrome infecting the church. “If we could just get a pastor like Brother Tom, I always learned so much from his sermons!” “Our church used to be so much more family-like, it’s not that way anymore.” “People used to bring their Bibles to church—now they just bring their phones!”

Why is this? Well, there are a number of scientific reasons why people may feel nostalgia for the "good old days," including:

Selective memory retrieval

People tend to remember positive memories more easily than negative ones. This is because the brain's reward pathways are triggered when recalling positive memories, which reinforces the feeling of nostalgia.

Cognitive biases

People may be more likely to view the past favorably and the future negatively due to cognitive biases like rosy retrospection.

Memory encoding

People encode more memories during adolescence and early adulthood than any other period of their lives. When people think about the past, they often return to this period.

Nostalgia is reveling in the past—and it carries a number of dangers for the church.

Church revitalization specialist William Vanderbloemen notes three of them:

When we think the past was better we are more likely to just spin our wheels in neutral without forward progress. Remember the Israelites who forgot how bad slavery was in Egypt? When they balked at entering the Promised Land they just went in circles for another 38 years!

When we are sure the past was better we are more likely to resist change that could bring better things. When we glorify the past we tend to believe that the methods and ministries that were used should still be used. We quit learning and close ourselves off to any risk-taking with something new.

Reveling in the past could lead us to the sin of grumbling and complaining. Remember what the Apostle Paul says the two great sins of the Israelite nation were? Idolatry and grumbling. Most of us would not think of grumbling as that serious, but it is an offense to God.

So how do we as a church move past the past in a way that honors God?

Today, we are looking at Philippians 3:12-16, and we’re looking at this truth as we ask How Does GOd Revitalize His Church:

We can’t move forward if we keep looking backward.

Honor the Past

We love our history. We embrace our legacy!

Note what Paul says in v. 12

Philippians 3:12 ESV

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

Paul begins by recognizing his past, recognizing the work God had done in him.

In the same way, we must recognize our past. I said this last week. Truitt has a long legacy of excellence when it comes to preaching the gospel, and raising up men and women of God.

The legacy of great mean like Bro. Reeves, Dr. Matt Snowden, and my predecessor Brother Kevin Griffin. The legacy of great workers like Ms. Ethylbye Moseley, Mr. Jim Chancellor, Bob Williams and others who taught, served and loved this body.

Today, there are churches all over our area, missions and ministries began and embued with energy and strength because of the saints who walked down these halls. This church grew from a tent meeting in the 1940’s to a vibrant work. We must remember that.

2 Timothy 1:5 ESV

I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.

Paul reminds Timothy of the importance of the legacy of faith entrusted to him.

To revitalize a church, it is crucial to understand and honor its legacy. The history of a church is not just a series of past events; it is a tapestry of faith, struggle, and growth that has shaped its identity. Embracing this legacy helps to build a bridge from the past to the future, ensuring that revitalization efforts are rooted in the rich soil of the church’s history, rather than in an arbitrary vision of what it could be.

As Church revitalization specialist and pastor Mark Clifton notes, “"Revitalization is not about erasing the past but understanding and learning from it. The legacy of a church is a vital part of its identity and can provide a strong foundation for renewed health and growth… A dying church is not a church without a great past, it is a church that has failed to build a bridge between that great past and a hopeful future. You don’t revitalize a church by erasing its history but by leveraging it to inspire a new generation of ministry."

Revere and Release

We love our history. We embrace our legacy! But part of recognizing the past is also recognizing the not so good parts. We talked last week about the past plants our church participated in, but there were also problematic times where splits and pain occured that have left a mark on people in this community and on our church.

Recently I was talking to a man whose family were charter members at Truitt. His father was one of the charter members who signed the original constitution and by-laws, but when a pastor was fired, he and his family left and helped start another church. He told me, “I’ll never forget what that church did.”

We must recognize our past, but we also must let it go.

Paul states in v. 13

Philippians 3:13 ESV

Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

Paul understood that for him to be who Christ wanted him to be he had to forget his own past, the good and the bad. The problem is, we tend to look at the past like I look at old TV shows and movies from my youth, with rose colored eyes. I remember the Sunday at First Baptist Morton and the 15 students and adults we baptized in one Sunday, but I tend to forget a few weeks later when I was chewed out by some ladies in the church because our youth slept in the “parlor” at Disciple Now. I remember the growth in Sunday School, but I forget the argument over the putting up of the projector screen in the sanctuary.

We tend to hold on to the good because it gives us a dopamine hit, while at the same time forgetting the bad.

The problem with that is we tend to think the way our pastor preached was what caused our church to grow. The way we did Sunday school is the only way to do it, and we miss that it wasn’t the structure that made this church great, but the great prayers and faithfulness of the people who sought after God.

At the end of the day, we end up honoring the structures and programs and forgetting the Spirit and move of God.

But if we’re going to PRESS ONWARD, we have to also leave behind so we can reach ahead.

Pursue Fully

Philippians 3:14–16 ESV

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

So how do we move forward? Well just like Paul said, we have to press on toward the goal. Moving forward is about pressing on. In the weeks ahead we will look at how we move forward, but I want to leave today with a few things that we find in this passage to help us begin the process.

Notice what Paul says in v. 15

Philippians 3:15 ESV

Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.

Read God’s Word with an Eye to Revitalization

Study God’s word and look ask not just what is God saying to me, but also how is God leading his church. Let me make some suggestions.

Read the first 3 chapters of Revelation, particularly chapters 2&3 where Jesus speaks to the churches. Ask God to direct you to sins and omissions in our church that God is judging in those. Ask God to show you ways Christ commended those churches and celebrate the good you see in ours.

Read the book of Acts and meditate on what a biblical church looks like.

Read Nehemiah and see how God used Nehemiah to help prepare the people for the work God was going to do.

Pray for God to Revitalize His Church

Make prayer the foundation of revitalization efforts, seeking God’s guidance for the church’s future. Begin a small group prayer time to pray for God to move.

Make a prayer calendar for your bible study.

Ask God to prepare your own heart for what He wants to do. Pray that you will be faithful, passionate and supportive as we seek to be the church Christ is calling us to be.

Be Present and Give

One of the greatest ways you can help is by being here and second by giving of your treasures.

We need you to dig deep and be willing to serve in new ways. We need you to come to small group, to participate in outreaches, to give more of yourself.

We have been blessed by our growth, but we are in need of fund to do the work.