B2B: Where Are We Going? (Part A)

Back 2 Basics Recap

Mission: Talihina First Baptist Church exists to help the lost be saved and the saved be disciples.

Lost be saved…

What a person says about Jesus matters

What Jesus says about a person matters

What we associate with Jesus matters

Saved be disciples…

Disciples recognize Jesus’ authority.

Disciples are active in following.

Disciples are continuously growing.

Introduction

As we live out our mission where does that take us as a church? What does it do to focus on our goals for the future? What does it establish as a vision for our church?

Churches can be lots of things with lots of focuses:

Christian social group Church

A place where people who are living out their lives day after day join together each week, because of a shared interest in God, in order to socialize, catch up, and encourage one another, possibly even with scripture if at all possible.

Typically in a Christian social group the group is primarily concerned with preserving its own interests and trying to just be as good of folk as they can be.

If this is a traditional Christian social group then they’ll likely focus more on preserving their social and cultural traditions…if it is a more progressive Christian social group then they’ll likely focus more on cultural and social justice.

In a Christian social group the biggest focus is typically more on the “social” part with Christian flavoring and language emphasized.

Social services hub Church

A place where people who are living out their lives day after day join together each week to be encouraged in a Christian-like way and strive to do good works in their community, especially among those less fortunate than them.

Typically a Social services hub will pool their resources together to meet needs in Jesus’ name throughout their community, hoping that people will be encouraged by their charity and possibly seek faith.

As a whole their success comes with getting more people to join in with them and be a part of serving others in their community, though not typically those whom they trying to serve.

In a social services hub the biggest focus is on traditions mixed with philanthropy and charity and it gives those who are able to participate a sense of accomplishment of something outside of themselves.

Christian Conservation and Preservation Church

A place where people who are living out their lives day after day join together each week to preserve their religious preferences and dogmas.

They typically identify and define themselves as preserving a particular tradition that only finds sacred and acceptable a certain style of music or singing, scripture translations, and style of preaching.

They are often organizationally inward focused for the sake of preserving their own preferences and traditions.

In a Christian conservation and preservation Church their highest aim is to stay true to their traditions and only emphasis the scriptures that support those traditions…sometimes in context and sometimes not.

Motivational Church

A place where people who are living out their lives day after day join together each week to get a spiritual pick me up from this past week and Christian charged up motivation for this next week.

Typical motivational church is often very exciting, energetic, motivational, and up-lifting. Very heavily tied to music and sways of emotion throughout a service.

The motivation comes from a place of Christian encouragement and positivity with the hopes of it being contagious throughout the rest of your week.

In a motivational church the goal is to leave you wanting to come back for more motivation and maybe even a little bit of the scriptures.

There are other styles or focuses that American churches have and have had throughout the last century, but what about us specifically at TFBC?

Regardless of where we’ve been and what seasons we’ve been through, if we narrow our identity to existing in order for the lost to be saved and the saved to be disciples…where is that taking us? What vision does that give us? What ambition does that establish for us?

I don’t think any of the previous models mentioned are realistically in our future… and these models are not all that there are for a church…

As we let our mission fuel our ambitions I prayerfully feel as though our vision is to be an outpost of God’s Kingdom that spreads His Gospel and His Influence throughout the valley and beyond.

Over the next few weeks, I want to take and break this statement down, much like we did our mission statement.

Let’s look first and what does it mean “to be an outpost of God’s Kingdom” and why does that matter?

John 18:33–38 ESV

33 So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” 35 Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went back outside to the Jews and told them, “I find no guilt in him.

1) Jesus’ Kingdom

Jesus says “My Kingdom…” 3 times in vs. 36.

This tells us that Jesus has an established Kingdom.

It is not a kingdom in development or a future kingdom we hope to be a part of one day in heaven.

Jesus has an established Kingdom right here and right now…but it is not an earthly kingdom.

Jesus says, “My Kingdom is not of this world” and “My Kingdom is not from the world.”

This tells us that the nature, culture, motivations, and functions of Jesus’ Kingdom is different than the nature, culture, motivations, and functions of earthly kingdoms and organizations.

Those who come to be a part of Jesus’ Kingdom likewise take on the culture of Jesus’ Kingdom…We are still in this world, but we do not become of this world.

1 Peter 2:1–11 ESV

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

Jesus’ Kingdom calls people who follow Him to be Kingdom people.

We are to put away the old flesh.

We are to grow in our salvation from the power of sin in our lives.

We are to be built up together as a spiritual house (v.5)

We are different from this world because we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (v.9)

Therefore, because we are His by His own mercy, we are sojourners and exiles in this world (v.11)

Jesus’ Kingdom is distinct from this world and from the ways of this world.

This is why as His people we are to be a Kingdom people who live and collectively operate under His Kingdom Covenant.

2) An Outpost vs. A Castle

Why is our ambition and vision “to be an outpost of God’s Kingdom”? Why that specific language…an outpost?

Generally when we think of a Kingdom and a King, out minds are typically limited to think of what we know… knights, kings, and castles.

I think this image of a castle is more of what we are prone to become if we are not careful.

A castle has walls and a mote.

It is the center of authority within the kingdom.

It is patrolled and restricted to only those whom the king wants to be there.

It is designed to preserve and protect authority and the king.

There are typically hierarchies in terms of people within the castle and restricted areas where only certain people are allowed to go within the castle.

If we are not careful, churches can become castles.

We can restrict who is welcomed and who is not.

We can centralize authority around ourselves.

We can set ourselves up to be the authority rather than exercise borrowed authority, especially true for church leadership.

We can tend to establish hierarchies and prominence from worldly perspectives.

Where as an outpost…

Is not the center of authority, but rather the influence of the Kingdom within its region.

It is often a place of safety within lawless and harassed regions.

An outpost is led by Kingdom minded people, but they do not seek to establish their own kingdom.

An outpost brings the kingdom culture to the regions it had not previously been.

An outpost does not produce it’s own culture, but is to be a reflection of the culture of the Kingdom who’s banner it flies.

Outposts are strategically placed with a Kingdom mission and purpose.

Outposts are designed to spread the message and proclamation of the King whom it represents.

3) TFBC’s Ambition to Be An Outpost

If our mission is to help the lost be saved and the saved be disciples, we do not want to do so in order to build up our own castle…

We want to do so as an expression of Kingdom faithfulness to Jesus, the High King of Heaven!

Our vision is to be the Church that is a Kingdom Outpost, strategically positioned in Talihina to spread the Gospel and influence of King Jesus throughout our church, our community, our valley and beyond.

As we move into the future, we don’t want to be a Christian social club, a social services hub, a conservation and preservation Church, or an emotionally motivating church.

Our vision is to be a Kingdom-minded church that keeps our focus on Christ and His Kingdom…

…Who seeks not to make a name for ourselves, but to lift high and elevate the banner of Jesus.

…Who seeks not a stick to what we’ve always known, but allows the Holy Spirit to lead us in ways that may be new to us, but are long established in Him.

…Who seeks not to make Jesus a part of our weekend, but strives to make Jesus the focus of all of our lives.

…Who doesn’t want to just do good things, but wants to put our resources and efforts into that which is most glorifying to King Jesus.

Our goals and ambitions as we help the lost be saved and the saved be disciples, is that 2 years from now, 5 years from now, 10 years from now…when people hear Talihina First Baptist Church they immediately think of King Jesus as we lift high His banner.

Closing