Faithfulness in Action

Welcome

Good morning everyone…today is a very different kind of day because we get to celebrate what God has done over the last 40 years right here in this place. Well, not always in THIS place, but mostly in this address, and in this zip code.

Welcome online extended family

Listen we have been in a series where we have been talking about how much we love out church and what it means to love our church. We talked about what the early church did to love the church and what they did to start the church. We looked at Acts 2 and how they devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching, and to the fellowship with one another. Then we looked at how they devoted themselves to prayer and even to generosity as they helped each other with no question. It has been a pretty great series so far I think as we have looked at how God has given us example after example of how to love our church together and how when we love our church it actually allows us to grow closer to the Lord as individuals and as a body of beleivers.

Beth and I watched a movie this week called, Unsung Hero. It’s kind of the origin the story of Rebecca St James, and for King & Country who are Christian musicians. Anyway, it was interesting to see how they were in Australia and their father was very successful, and then he wasn’t…he lost everything on a deal with Amy Grant. So they moved to the states and they took whatever jobs they could in order to pay the bills. As a family they did lawn work, house cleaning, whatever they had to do in order to pay rent and have food. Well, God was faithful to this family just like God has been faithful to this church and this morning we are going to be looking at that together. I’ve titled this sermon Faithfulness in Action because there really is alot of action that goes into faithfulness, both Gods and ours and that is what I am hoping we will get to see today…So let’s start off today looking at

God’s Faithfulness to us

What does it mean that God is faithful to us? Well I’ve asked a couple of people to come and share with us today about God’s faithfulness over the years. Like I said, today is going to look a little different and so I hope you will all be blessed, but to kick us off I’d like to read a quick passage as our fist guest Pastor Randy Snider prepares to join us this morning.

Psalm 89:1–2 (ESV)

I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

I love this passage because it really speaks to the early years of LRBC and what God was doing and what God did really rapidly right here in this place. God’s faithfulness was established in this place very early on I believe. Now, I have some questions for Pastor Randy here, but I don’t know what he is going to share with us today, so I’m really hoping that what I have here is accurate:)

Ya’ll, let’s welcome Pastor Randy Snider up here this morning. Pastor Randy is the retired pastor of Cornerstone Family Church in Byron and had a ministry right here in this region for 50 years starting as a youth pastor at First Baptist Church in Byron and then retiring from the same church 50 years later. Pastor Randy has been blessed to see many ups and downs in his own ministry and he has been blessed to see LRBC from her beginning stages and he has watched her struggle and grow through the years. So let’s have a little conversation with Pastor Randy…

1. You were the youth pastor at First Baptist Church, Byron (now Cornerstone Family Church), the church that planted Leaf River Baptist Church. What do you remember about the early conversations and prayers that led to the decision to plant this church?

This opens up the story of how the vision for the church began and what role prayer played in that process.

2. You were present for some of the early prayer meetings and services before the first pastor, Pastor Randy, was hired. How did you see God preparing this church for its mission during those early days? This question allows you to reflect on how God was at work even before leadership was fully established

3. Now, besides being around, you helped preach during some of those foundational Sundays, what was the atmosphere like in those first gatherings? How did you sense God’s presence as the church was starting to take shape? This gives you an opportunity to describe the early dynamics of worship, travel and the anticipation of God’s work in the people of LRBC, and even the planting/sending church of FBC Byron.

4. You also had a unique vantage point of watching Leaf River Baptist Church come to life. What was one of the defining moments for you where you knew God was going to do something special through this church? A chance to pinpoint a key moment where you witnessed God’s hand at work in the early stages.

5. Even though you weren’t on staff here, we've already established you were here to witness the church’s formation. Looking back, how do you see God’s faithfulness in those beginning years? This invites reflection on how God laid the foundation for the church’s future even in those humble beginnings.

6. What advice would you give to the congregation today, based on your experiences during those early days of faith and planting? This is a chance for you to offer encouragement from the lessons learned during the church’s formation, as well as your many years in ministry

Wow that was really great advice Randy…I really appreciate that, and I’m sure that everyone else does as well.

Well, we all know that after a while there was a pretty big loss here at LRBC…I’d like to invite you all to watch this video now

VIDEO: “Fire Remembrance?”

I wasn’t here at that time, but I can just image the devastation and heartbreak watching that and then having to rebuild. Many of you were here for that and many of you were part of that rebuilding team. I want to just thank you all for what you did all those years ago. I know we would not be here today without your commitment to be used by God all those years ago. You know though…this tragedy reminds me of another passage…look at this

Lamentations 3:22–23 (ESV)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

God’s mercies are new every morning…Amen for that! We all experience all kinds of hardships and all kinds of unexpected changes through life and just like we all experience unexpected things…so has LRBC. Let’s welcome up Pastor Randy Newton, my predecessor and LRBC’s first staff pastor who served for 35 years the people of Leaf River through the ups and downs of ministry right here. Let’s have a little conversation with Pastor Randy.

You’ve seen so much over your 35 years of ministry here. What are some of the most memorable ways you’ve seen God at work here at LRBC?

This opens the conversation broadly, allowing you to reflect on a couple of key moments of God’s faithfulness.

Can you share about the early years of your ministry here? What were the church’s strengths, and in what areas did you see God grow over time? This lets you reflect on how the church matured spiritually, relationally, and perhaps numerically over the years. We know the fire was a particularly difficult time in the church’s history. How did you see God’s faithfulness during that season of loss and rebuilding? This focuses on the specific hardship while allowing you to highlight how God sustained the church. Over your 35 years of serving here, were there other challenging moments for the church where God showed His provision and faithfulness? This question expands beyond the fire to include other challenges the church may have faced, without going into details of things like "splits". You’ve been part of many celebrations and milestones over the years. Could you share one of the moments where you especially felt God’s presence in times of joy and growth? This balances our conversation by highlighting the positive, joyful moments, not just the hardships. Looking back over 35 years, what has been the most rewarding aspect of being part of this church’s journey (if you had to choose one thing)? A personal reflection that allows you to express gratitude for his time serving the church.A chance to connect the lessons of the past with the church’s mission of moving forward into a new vision that God has for us. What advice or encouragement would you give this current congregation as we look to the future? How can we continue to rely on God’s faithfulness as you’ve seen over the years? A chance to connect the lessons of the past with the church’s mission of moving forward into a new vision that God has for us.

Wow, Pastor Randy thank you for those words! It is truly encouraging to hear about how God worked in the past and how you saw God work in all of those ways. You know as we think about all of the things that God has brought LRBC through over the years I think it is appropriate to truly take a moment to worship the Lord together and just think about his majesty and faithfulness together.

TRANSITION – Majesty (Raina/Jim/Sherry)

King of Kings, amen…You know the Majesty of the one who never failed during his time walking with his apostles. Not just the majesty, but the faithfulness like we’ve been seeing all morning. However, if we are seeing his faithfulness to us…What does that leave as our response to him. Let’s talk about…

Our Faithfulness to God

I just want to be quick this morning and read a piece of Scripture. Go ahead and turn your Bibles over to

Ephesians 4:1–16 (ESV)

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

and he gave gifts to men.”

(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) 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, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

So here we have something pretty amazing happening. Paul is telling us that a believer’s behavior must be worthy of his calling. In other words, our behavior should be consistent with who God is and what God has done for us. Think about that: our faithfulness to God is a direct response to God’s faithfulness to us.

As a church, we are called to humility, gentleness, patience, and unity. Those aren’t small things—they’re crucial aspects of how we live as the body of Christ. And the amazing thing is, they aren’t burdensome when we think about God’s faithfulness to each and every one of us. He is the one who empowers us to live this way. Think about your own life for a moment. What has God done to bring you to this point? You’re not here by accident. You’re here for a purpose, under the sovereign hand of God who is over all, through all, and in all (v.6).

Paul was writing to believers who were surrounded by false teachings that could easily lead them astray, confusing them about what was true and what wasn’t. And here Paul brings them back to the truth: God is true. He’s reminding them of what we must hold onto—‘there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism’ (v.5). God’s oneness defines the unity of His church.

So now, as we look at our own church, the question becomes, are we going to hold onto that unity in the Lord, or will we let ourselves be divided by insignificant preferences? God’s faithfulness has held us together through the years, and our faithfulness must respond by preserving that unity.

That’s not all though…we should also look at our

Faithfulness to Grow

That’s what we ultimately see in these passages. God has gifted some with very specific talents—whether to lead, to teach, or to share the Gospel with others. But here’s the important part: it’s the responsibility of the whole church to grow. We grow individually so that we can grow corporately. Those who lead are called to equip others to do the work of ministry.

In other words, it’s not my job alone as pastor, to go out and share the Gospel with Ogle County. That’s our job as the body of Christ. My role is to equip you, to prepare and inspire you to go and do that. Ultimately, ministry should push each of us to grow in three key areas: we must grow in the unity of faith, in maturity of understanding the Gospel, and in the knowledge and fullness of Jesus.

When we are faithful to grow in these areas, it will lead to transparent, honest relationships with each other. It will also allow us to maintain relationships that are above reproach with those outside the church. As the body of Christ, we benefit and build each other up. Every part of the body has a role to play. LRBC is the local expression of that body, which means that each one of us has a local responsibility. We’ve talked about that before. Just as every member of a physical body must function properly for the body to grow and thrive, each of us must do our part if this church is to grow and thrive as God intends.

You see, each one of us has been given gifts—not to elevate ourselves, but to build up the body of Christ. And when we faithfully use those gifts, the entire church grows stronger. As verse 16 says, ‘from him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.’ Our faithfulness in using our gifts leads to growth—not just for ourselves but for the entire body.

Finally let’s look at one more type of faithfulness…I’m going to call this one our

Faithfulness to Go

I’m calling it that because we have to actually make commitments to go and do the things that we are called to do

So, as we talk about growing in our faith and unity, I want to challenge each of you to consider the gifts that God has given you. Are you using those gifts to serve the church and build up the body of Christ? Every single one of us has a role to play, and it’s only when we all function together that we experience the fullness of what God wants for us.

Think about how we’ve come together as a church in the past. I think of moments like the fire, or the financial hardships that happened after that. I think about the times when attendance was down we were unsure as a church what to do, or even thinking back to 4 years ago when Covid was first thrust onto the world and used to sew fear and distrust into the lives of so many. Many of you stepped up, using your gifts, your time, and your prayers to serve this church. Some of you gave generously, others organized, some led in prayer, and others showed up with willing hands. It has always been a collective effort, and because of that, God’s faithfulness was made evident through the gifts He placed in all of us.

That’s what we’re called to—faithfully using our gifts not just when challenges arise, but in the everyday work of building this church in love and unity.

Now, I know you thought you were going to get out of it, but I’m going to ask everyone here today to go ahead and grab your commitment cards that were on your seats this morning. I want to ask you to each take a step forward in your faith journey today. There are some specific commitments up on the screen and I want you to reflect on those for a moment and write down the ones that you personally feel you can commit to. Listen, this is you and the Lord. You can also use this card as an opportunity to write down any other commitment that you feel the Lord is leading you to make, or any prayer concerns you want to make sure we know about here today. Here are the commitments I’m asking you to make today

1. I commit to personal growth by reading the Bible at least 5 days per week. This will deepen your relationship with God and His Word, guiding you in your daily life.

2. I commit to corporate growth by attending church at least 3 weeks per month. Being present with one another strengthens our unity and allows us to grow together in faith.

3. I commit to corporate growth by serving at least 2 times per month. Each of us has a role to play in this body, and your service is essential for our collective mission.

4. I commit to personal growth by praying at least 5 days per week. Prayer is vital for our spiritual health, connecting us to God and to one another.

As you fill out this commitment card, remember that this isn’t just about making promises—it's about responding to God’s faithfulness with your own faithfulness. Let this be a moment where you intentionally decide to take action in your walk with Christ and in our community.

Now the band is going to come up and while they lead us in our first song, the ushers will come around and pick up your cards as you are ready. If you’re not ready yet when they come by, just drop it in the offering plate later on.

Let’s pray: Pray for us to remain faithful in light of God’s continued faithfulness.