Be Imitators of Christ
Practical Church (1 Corinthians) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Announcements
Good morning. Welcome to Southern Hills Baptist Church. Thank you for joining us today.
If you are a first-time guest with us, you will find a Connection Card in the pew rack in front of you. We would appreciate it if you would fill that out and place it in the offering plate. That gives us a record of your visit and allows us the opportunity of reaching out to you this week to answer any questions that you might have.
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See bulletin for Calendar Updates
If you are a guest with us, know that this is our weekly Family Worship service. Our children will remain with us for the entire service. We do have a nursery available for children under 4 just down the hall if you would like to use it.
Please stand as I read our Call to Worship. This is Moses responding to Yahweh God as Israel stands on the precipice of the promised land:
Call To Worship
‘O Lord God, you have only begun to show your servant your greatness and your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?
Let us come in awe as we approach the throne of the One and Only Almighty God in worship this morning.
PRAYER OF ADORATION
Opening Hymn
Scripture & Prayer: Evan Bohnet John 15:1-11
Song #1
Missions Minute: MITCHELL HOSPICE HOUSE
Before we get into the Missions Minute: free t-shirts!
Today, our Missions Minute is about the Mitchell Hospice House here in Sioux City. Jeff and Cathy Anderson are our liaisons for that ministry, so I have asked Jeff to provide you with an update this morning.
Offering & Prayer
Song #2 (This is Amazing Grace)
Lord’s Supper
Please be seated.
(beat)
The amazing grace of God is such that it brings the dead back to life.
We’re going to continue our reading about Jesus from the book of John. Today we will continue in chapter 11, where Jesus has just arrived in Bethany:
Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
When Jesus learned that Lazarus was severely ill, he delayed another 2 days before coming to Bethany. Counting a day’s travel for the messenger and a day for Jesus’ return, it seems that Lazarus must have died shortly after the messenger was sent. Even if Jesus had come back immediately, He may not have made it in time to save Lazarus from dying.
But there is something else interesting about this passage. John is specific in telling us that Lazarus had been dead and in the tomb for 4 days. This holds importance for both the Jews and the greater Ancient Near East at large.
There was an understanding throughout the Ancient Near East that even supernatural beings could only visit the underworld for 3 days before they were stuck there forever.
But there was also a Jewish rabbinic belief that the soul of a person would hover near its dead body for 3 days hoping for resurrection, but would leave permanently when the body began to decay at the end of the third day.
Jesus puts both of these myths to the test and proves them false by raising Lazarus. This feat is something that was seen as impossible for any sorcerer or divine being to accomplish. Only the Almighty Creator God could bring life to someone dead 4 days.
John gives us these details to testify to the fact that Jesus is Yahweh God in the flesh. He loves His people. And He offers them grace by raising them to new life.
At this time, I am going to have our ushers come forward. If you are a follower of Jesus, in that you have accepted Him as Savior, bowed to Him as King, and been baptized in obedience to His commandment, we invite you to participate with us. In just a moment, we will pass the plates. Please take a piece of bread and a cup and hold it until we take together.
Pass
Instruction from Jesus: Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Prayer of Blessing on bread and cup
Song #3
Pastoral Prayer
World -
Country-
State-
City-
SHBC-
Introduction
It has been a month since we have been in Paul’s first preserved letter to the church at Corinth. For the first 3 weeks of August, Pastor Atreju walked us through the ideas of identity and forgiveness in the letter to Philemon. He did such a good job. I hope you feel blessed as a congregation to have a plurality of Elders with the ability to exposit scripture well.
And last week was such a beautiful celebration of 65 years as a local church. If you could not be with us last week, you really missed out. Be sure to go to our YouTube page and watch the service from last Sunday when you get a chance.
We heard Pastor Mark discuss the history of our church and Pastor Leo speak about the past. But, even knowing the beginnings of our local church, I was not expecting what God had in store for me this week.
On Monday, the North American Mission Board flew me out to their Headquarters in Georgia for a conference on Church Revitalization and Replanting. At the conference, they introduced one of our old Presidents of the Home Mission Board—the pre-runner to NAMB. It was a 92 year old man named Larry Lewis.
On Tuesday night, as we waited in line for a BBQ dinner, Larry and his pastor asked if they could cut in front of me. I don’t know about you, but I am not going to tell a 92 year old saint to walk to the back of the line…
(beat)
Anyway, as we are waiting, he looks down at my name tag and asks me where Southwick, Iowa is. I explained that Southwick was my last name and that I pastored a church in Sioux City.
He responded by saying, “I went to Sioux City once.”
(beat)
I prepared myself for an old man story…
You know what I mean. The meandering story that runs in circles but never quite makes it to the point. But I was ready to set aside my hunger and listen intently to this man while the line passed me by so that he feels heard and cared for.
Except, his story meant more to me that I could have expected.
He told me that in 1954, having just finished his first two years in bible school, he took a Summer vacation with his family to Sioux City. Being a born and bred Missouri mule, he was insistent that they find a Southern Baptist Church to worship with. But no such church could be found in Sioux City, or in all of NW Iowa for that matter.
They found an independent Baptist church in town to worship in, but he told himself on that Sunday in 1954 that he would plant a church in Sioux City. He went back to school in the Fall to finish his bachelors degree before returning to his home church in Missouri.
That church would later send him out to plant churches in Ohio and New Jersey. But they also took his story about Sioux City to heart. You see, it was Larry’s home church—First Baptist Church in Centralia, MO—that would take up his vision and plant a small church in Sergeant Bluff, IA in 1961.
Long story short, two days after celebrating our 65th anniversary, God introduced me to the man that He gave the vision to. So, before we jump into our text this morning, let me ask you a question: do you still believe in coincidence?
(beat)
You serve and Almighty and All-Sovereign God who holds and sustains all of creation in His hands. And He has created you and me and this local church for a purpose.
(beat)
What is that purpose, you ask?
To make disciples. To grow the kingdom by raising up leaders and deacons and pastors and missionaries for the purpose of building the worldwide church and bringing Him glory.
As we go through the message this morning, I want you to ask yourself a few questions. What does God want from me? What is the Holy Spirit calling me to do today and for the rest of my life?
(beat)
If you have your bibles with you this morning, please turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 10.
As you turn there, let me recap the letter thus far.
Paul has been away from Corinth for at least a year and a half. During his absence, prideful men have risen into positions of leadership and have led the church to adopt a false understanding of the gospel: namely that of cheap grace.
The idea of cheap grace is that since we have been forgiven and covered by the holiness of Jesus, it doesn’t matter how we live. But this is a false conclusion. Cheap grace attempts to adopt salvation without genuine repentance, transformation, and accountability.
And this flawed understanding of the doctrine of salvation has led the church to allow public sin to enter into the life of the church. Since Paul has left, some members have adopted sinful lifestyles of sexual immorality and their leaders have politicized the Apostles, aligning themselves with whoever they liked best.
In the first 10 chapters, Paul has called them to repent and believe the true gospel that he brought to them originally. They should sacrifice their own desires for the sake of the unity of Christ’s church, seek to live out the church’s call to holiness, and discipline those church members who have publicly engaged in and promoted sin.
In the chapters 8-10, Paul has tried to help the Corinthian believers to understand both their rights in the gospel and why he often chooses to forgo his own rights. And his understanding is rooted in the idea of doing good in the lives of others.
It is not just what we do that matters, but the motivations of our hearts.
(REPEAT)
This week, Paul is going to wrap up this argument about heart motivation. But, in doing so, he will also touch on mission.
[TITLE SLIDE]
The mission of the church and of its members is clearly laid out by Jesus in the Great Commission. But if we were to boil it down to make it simpler, it would simply be to live and love the way that Jesus does.
Look with me to the end of chapter 10, starting in verse 31 and over to the beginning of chapter 11:
[MAIN PASSAGE SLIDE x3]
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, (/) just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. (/)
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Paul says that no matter what they do, they should do it for the sole purpose of bringing glory to God. That they should not offend those around them so that the gospel will continue to move forward. And then he calls them to imitate him.
That’s right, the one who told Timothy that he was the foremost of sinners now instructs every member in the Corinthian church to do as he does.
So, how are we to make sense of all of this?
First, before we can understand what it is to imitate Paul, we must understand his call to the church. Look with me back to verse 31:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Paul tells them this in Greek: “anything you do, make all for God’s glory.”
This is a simple idea to understand, but difficult for us to put into practice.
But from the very beginning of creation, this was the call: that there was a connection between God and son of God; between Creator and creation; between the model and the image.
We call this the vertical axis.
[POINT 1 SLIDE]
The Vertical Axis: Glory (v 31)
This vertical axis is seen even in the garden of Eden. And it’s only emphasis is God’s glory.
You see, God created all things for a purpose, and that purpose is to bring Him glory. Every creature was created to glorify Him. And Jesus says that even if every creature refused to glorify Him, “the rocks would cry out” in worship of the Almighty Creator God.
Creation was designed for the purpose of providing worship to its creator.
(REPEAT)
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
In the beginning, God created a supernatural family, divine sons. And in Job, God says that these “sons of God” sang together and “shouted with joy” as God continued His work of creation. Even before God created humankind, He was being glorified.
And then God took on a special project, for “God created man in his own image.” The Psalmist says that God created mankind “a little lower than the heavenly beings” and then crowned him with His own glory. That Hebrew word for “crowned” means to encircle or surround.
Yes. You heard that right. In the garden, Adam and Eve were surrounded by God’s glory.
And if we understand God’s glory as a bright light like the one that reflects off of Moses’ face when he comes down from meeting with God on Mt. Sinai, we might think of Adam and Eve being clothed in the glory of God—that they are wearing His radiant brilliance.
In fact, some scholars believe that it is the reflection of God’s glory that surrounds their bodies—that they are bathed, or clothed in, God’s glory, and that this is the reason that they don’t realize that they are naked until after they disobey God and His glory is removed from them.
You see, it is their desire to take what they want and glorify themselves that ultimately separates them from their Holy God. In chasing their desire to choose for themselves, they have expelled themselves from the garden.
And every day that human imagers of God live rooted in their selfishness, they choose open rebellion to that Holy Creator God. They choose to be eternal separated from Him.
All because they have refused to fulfill their purpose in creation: to bring glory to their Creator.
And this pattern of giving God glory isn’t just set out in Genesis with creation, but it is explicit in the law of God’s chosen people. Look with me to the first four commandments—from the ten—in Exodus chapter 20. Commandment number 1:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
“You shall have no other gods before me.
Why not? Why shouldn’t human imagers have other gods? Because humans were created with the purpose of providing worship. And worshipping anything other than the Almighty Creator God is failure to fulfill their created purpose.
Commandment number 2:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.
God tells them not to make images of creation—idols of any created thing. But why?
Because mankind is not created to worship creation, but the Creator.
And no created thing can properly image God except for the one thing that He created in His own image—humankind. You and me. We are God’s image on earth.
Commandment number 3:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
The word “take” means to “lift up” or to “bear” the name of God. This commandment is not referring to cursing or foul language. Instead, the covenant people of God are to carry His name to the world. And doing so without “lifting up” that name in glory mars not only God’s name, but His imagers.
It is through fulfilling mandate and mission that God’s covenant people bear His name high. It is through practicing holiness and obedience that they testify to the world the truth of humanity’s created purpose.
And those who bear his name without living accordingly will be held accountable, for they carry the guilt of Adam and Eve’s sin—choosing to glorify the self instead of God. And those who live this way will always reap the just reward of separation from Him. They choose separation from God in favor of their own glory.
And commandment number 4:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE]
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.
The pattern of Sabbath rest is designed by God for humankind to rest and reflect on their Creator and their created purpose. The practice of slowing down from the busyness of life on the seventh day should remind us to pace ourselves and be intentional in living every moment for the purpose we were intended—to bring glory to God.
The Greek word for glory is doxa, which means “honor.” But, as it is used to translate the Hebrew word kavod in the Septuagint—the Greek version of the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, kavod means “glory” in the sense of “weight.” It can refer to the honor connected to someone’s social status, wealth, or power.
But in connecting the dots to Jesus, it should call us to think of the weight that followers of Christ carry. What is that weight? In Matthew 11, Jesus says “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” So what is that light burden?
It is the weight of His glory.
That is all that His followers have to carry: only His glory. So, what does that mean?
It means that you don’t have to do all the hard work of earning salvation because Jesus has done it for you. You only need to rest in Jesus’ work and then carry His glory to the world. That is what it means to bear the name of Christ. The author of Hebrews tells us:
Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
Jesus is the brilliance of God’s glory. He carries it to you and you reflect Him when you glorify God.
We bring Jesus glory by believing the truth about who He is, by bowing to Him as King, and by being obedient. And then we carry His name and His radiance to the world. Just like Moses, the radiance of Jesus should shine from our faces. And that reflecting radiance is our “light burden.”
Like Paul, we learn to be content in all circumstances. Sometimes we bring Jesus glory by proclaiming Him to the world, and sometimes we bring Him glory by enduring through trials and persecution. But regardless of what comes, we keep our eyes firmly affixed on the King.
(beat)
Before we move on, let us get practical for a minute. What does it look like to bring Jesus glory at every moment of every day? Paul says “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
Can we bring God glory in every situation? Can we reflect the radiance of Jesus during our most boring of routine tasks?
The answer is yes. You can glorify God when you brush your teeth and when you drive to work. It is all about heart posture.
Are you focused on Jesus as you do those things? Are you intentionally caring for the body that He has created as you brush your teeth? Are you intentionally caring for your neighbors as you drive to work?
Paul would tell the Colossians:
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”
We were designed and created for the purpose of bearing His name and of bringing Him glory. And our one response to the goodness and grace of Jesus should be to reflect His glory back to Him and to our fellow human imagers.
[POINT 2 SLIDE]
The Horizontal Axis: Stewardship (vv 32-33)
And that brings us to our second point this morning: that beyond glorifying God, He has given us a task. And that task involves imaging Him well in helping Him care for creation. In Genesis 1:28, God tells Adam—who represents mankind—to “subdue” the earth and to “have dominion” over creation. In short, God’s human imagers are to work as middle-management to steward His creation well; to govern it with care as we would if we created it ourselves.
And proceeding the Fall, that stewardship extends to our fellow humans. Those who are part of God’s loyal assembly are called to care for those who are not. We are to bear God’s name to them as His ambassadors, to proclaim to them the truth of created order, and to call them to obedience to their Creator.
This is clearly evident in the second half of the ten commandments as given through Moses. The last six commandments set out an expectation of honoring father and mother, and a prohibition on murder, committing adultery, stealing, giving false witness, and coveting. These are all guardrails in how we should treat each other.
We should not wrong each other, but seek the good of our neighbors—for they too are created in God’s image.
Look with me to verses 32 and 33:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.
Let us spend some time digging in here, because it might sound like my job as a follower of Christ is to make everyone happy. But as we break this down, you will see that the end goal of pleasing others is not their happiness, but their reconciliation with God.
I think that most of us—as Christian parents—understand what our goal is with our children.
Our goal is not to be their friends and make them happy.
Instead, our goal is to utilize love and discipline to shape them into thoughtful and loving stewards of creation, who understand that God has created them for a purpose, and that purpose should guide every choice that they make for the rest of their lives. This training will help them to be well-adjusted and contributing members to society even if they never willingly bow the knee to Christ.
But our goal is to help them see the truth about who they are and who Jesus is. And then we pray our butts off that they will submit their lives to Christ.
And we see a similar ideal in Paul’s thinking here. He tells the Corinthians to “give no offense” to those around them, both outside and inside the church. A better translation might be that he tells them to “become blameless” to those around them.
We see a similar idea in the qualifications of those in the church offices of Deacon and Elder. They are to be blameless. The idea here is that you live in such a way that if the world were to put you on trial, they would not have enough evidence to convict you of being a murderer, adulterer, robber, liar, or a coveter. Instead, our lives should reflect the holiness of Jesus—that we look different than the world.
But this is not just a qualification of those in a church office. This is the goal and expectation of every follower of Christ. Paul writes to the Philippians:
Philippians 1:9–11 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
And so, Paul tells the members of the church at Corinth to “become blameless.” But then he uses himself as an example by saying that he tries “to please everyone in everything” he does. Well, if you have read the book of Acts, you will know that Paul is not a people-pleaser. If anything, he seems to be stirring the pot—introducing chaos into these Greek cities.
So what does he mean by this statement?
Let us remember back to chapter 9, where Paul explains:
1 Corinthians 9:19–23 “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”
In today’s passage, when Paul says that he pleases everyone in everything that he does, he means that he tries to adapt to his environment and live at peace with all people. And he does this, not for his own benefit, but that many would come to Christ and “be saved.”
That word saved there in Greek is “sozo,” which means deliverance. In other words, it is Paul’s desire to glorify God by stewarding well those that are lost. He is trying to be gentle and loving as he calls them to the knowledge of Christ, so that he may “deliver” them from the consequence of eternal separation from God.
Look what he writes to the Romans:
[SCRIPTURE SLIDE x2]
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. (/) For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
Jesus is our ultimate guide for how to live as a good steward of creation. He not only came and sacrificed Himself so that we could be reconciled with God, but He discipled us—He showed us how to walk as a loyal imager of God.
So then, should Christians be people-pleasers? No.
Should we risk offending others with the gospel? Yes. And regularly.
For sharing truth with others is the only loving way to care for their soul.
We cannot “deliver” the lost by affirming them in their sin.
We cannot “deliver” the lost by allowing them to continue believing lies.
The reason that it looked like Paul was bringing chaos into these Greek cities was because he was being a faithful steward of truth. He was re-introducing order to Pagan places ruled by the dark forces of chaos. And to the uninitiated, order is something to be feared.
This is why, in Acts 17, Paul and Silas are accused of turning “the world upside down.”
Church, let me remind you this morning that we live in a fallen world ruled by those dark forces of chaos. But Jesus has been crowned King. And if we are going to introduce order and steward creation well, we have no choice but to turn it upside down.
The world needs to be remade. It needs to be re-shaped into its original design. And God’s human imagers need to remember that they accomplish this by bringing Him glory and by stewarding creation well. And that as they realign themselves with King Jesus and learn to walk and talk and think like Him, they are being molded into His image.
[POINT 3 SLIDE]
Molded into the Image (v 1)
We talk about being molded into the image of Jesus a lot. But let us discuss a little deeper what that means. Look with me to chapter 11, verse 1. Paul tells the Corinthians:
[PASSAGE SLIDE]
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Have you guys ever met a mime before?
You know, they weird guys who don’t speak and always seem to get themselves stuck in boxes?
By their makeup, they look like they just flunked out of clown school…
They’re pretty creepy.
The word mime comes from the Greek word mimos, which is where we get the English “mimic.” It speaks of an actor who would imitate another person. Great impersonators do this. They not only learn to speak like the person they are pretending to be, but they adopt their mannerisms.
This is the word that Paul uses here. He is telling the church members to mimic him—to adopt the way that he acts and speaks and treats others. He tells them to “become imitators of me, just as I Christ.”
In other words, because Paul is already mimicking Christ, if they learn to mimic Paul, they will begin to look like Christ.
He reminds the Corinthian believers that they are in a discipleship relationship with him and that he is their disciple-maker. If the members of the church are shaped to look like their leaders, who look like Paul, then they should all end up looking like Jesus.
This is the idea: that each of us has one calling and one goal—to be molded into the image of Jesus. And we learn how to do that by walking through life with someone who is imaging Jesus well. This is what we call discipleship. Jesus discipled the Apostles and the Apostles disciples Elders and Elders discipled their church members, who in turn made disciples of their children and others who were outside of the church.
And in every generation of the church, there were those who were discipled as church members who God raised up to be Elders. This is the pattern of discipleship laid out by Jesus when He was on earth. And it continues today.
Many of us in the church seem to have forgotten this.
The church will not continue to grow without discipleship.
It is through discipleship that we are shaped into the image of Jesus, because disciple-maker and disciple both have the same goal: to look and think and talk and walk like the King of Kings.
It is only through discipleship and being molded into the image of Jesus that the church becomes holy. And it is only through faithful churches dedicated to holiness that the kingdom of God will continue to grow on earth.
So, the pattern is this: that every one of us should be able to say, “imitate me as I imitate my disciple-maker who imitates their disciple-maker and on and on back to Jesus.”
For we all have one goal: to be shaped into His image.
And it is only when we are shaped into His image that we can truly bring God glory in every moment and begin to steward creation well.
(beat)
So, let us be self-critical this morning as we ask ourselves a few questions:
How am I being molded into the image of Jesus?
Would it be a good thing for the kingdom if others imitated me?
How am I helping others be molded into His image?
[PREVIEW SLIDE]
Application
Regardless of where you are at this morning, we are all in need of improvement. For we are sinners in need of grace.
And while Jesus gives all the grace we could ever need, we must put forth the effort to be actively discipled by those around us and shaped by the Holy Spirit into His holy people.
Let us be resolved, today, to make intentional progress toward imaging Jesus well. Let us respond to His salvation with thankfulness and let us reflect His glory to all of creation.
We are a church on Mission. And that means that we are called not only to make disciples, but to raise up leaders and to plant churches and save dying churches.
Are you ready to go wherever God calls you?
Some of you are being called to be church leaders: teachers and Deacons and Pastors. Others are being called to be missionaries at home or abroad. Where is God calling you?
Recently, I met with a young Pastor revitalizing a church in Council Bluffs. That church has now joined the convention, which means that we have 16 Southern Baptist churches in Western Iowa. But there are many more needed.
Friday, I learned that there is an empty church building in Sidney, Iowa, down near the Missouri border. The man in charge of that building is the only member left. And he is willing to donate that church to the BCI if we can put together a pastor and team to go and plant a church there.
I am not saying that this is your opportunity, but will you live missionally and pray about it? This church plant will not only need a pastor, but it will need faithful members who are ready to engage a small community. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Moving forward, there will be many opportunities like this to step out in faith. Will you be willing to submit your life to God’s call?
So, church member, this is your next step this morning: pray about what God is preparing for you and your family to do. And then reflect on your heart. Will you be willing to go if He calls?
Invitation
Now if you are here this morning and you have not yet submitted your life to Jesus, I invite you to come and be a part of His family. You were created for a purpose and their is meaning for your life. Come and see all that God has in store for you.
CLOSE IN PRAYER
CLOSING HYMN
CONGREGATIONAL BLESSING
