2020 State of the Church Address

This morning’s message is going to be a little different than normal. I am going to talk to you about the state of our church. The purpose of this message is for us to take a look back at what God has done in us and through us in the past year. Also, we will revisit the vision that we are employing to accomplish the mission that God has set before us as his church. The mission of every New Testament church should be the same because it was given to us by Jesus Christ himself in . Just before Jesus ascended back to heaven, he said

Matthew 28:19–20 CSB

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

. Just before Jesus ascended back to heaven, he said

Isn’t it amazing that some doubted? I wonder how they could doubt Jesus. They knew he was crucified, dead, and buried. He is standing before them resurrected and yet some doubted. Maybe they were confused because they still didn’t understand that nature of Jesus’ mission on earth. Maybe they didn’t understand why Jesus was going to leave them after his resurrection. Maybe they doubted that he would return or that the mission would be able to be accomplished. For whatever reason, they worshipped and some were struggling. Jesus, knowing the struggles of his followers gave them his mission. He told them their job, and by extension our job, is to go and make disciples. The way we make disciples is by baptism and teaching. We express our mission this way:

The Mission

In love, we will go share the Gospel of Christ, make disciples, and build a community of faith that glorifies God!

It is by this statement that we make our evaluation of how we are doing. Are we accomplishing the mission that Jesus set before us? Well, let’s take a look at some of the highlights from last year.

2019 Highlights

1. We averaged 232 people in Sunday morning worship.

12% increase over 2018

2. We averaged 71 people in Sunday children’s ministry.

6% increase over 2018

3. We averaged 118 people in Sunday Bible Studies.

17% increase over 2018

4. We averaged 80 people in Wednesday Bible Studies.

5% increase over 2018

5. We added 36 people to our congregation.

6. 5 people made professions of faith.

7. 18 people were baptized.

I don’t want you to get the impression that we are all about numbers. We are all about people. We are all about families. We are all about making more and better disciples of Jesus Christ. We are all about glorifying God. We continue to reach out and impact people with the gospel through the Laredo’s House of Hope, Laredo Life Pregnancy Center, and on many personal levels. We are reaching out in love to those around us and we are seeing God drawing people to himself. People are being taught the Word of God and lives are being changed as God moves us from where we are to where he wants us to be.

sHouse of Hope, Laredo Life

Of course, we do have some some challenges in front of us. There are things inside and outside our control which can make ministry challenging, but here is what Jesus has promised us.

John 16:33 CSB

33 I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

Also, before we talk about some ideas and concepts to focus on this year, I want to remind you of the vision for FBC Laredo.

The Vision

Ministry + Discipleship + Evangelism = Worship

Ministry – We are inspired by the Holy Spirit and teaching, led by key leaders, to engage in serving others in fellowship with one another.

Discipleship – We are committed to grow and develop in spiritual maturity by learning and applying the things Jesus taught his disciples.

Evangelism – We engage the 4x4 strategy to win people to Christ.

The result of our ministry, discipleship, and evangelism is worship. This vision becomes the “how” as we actively pursue the mission God has called us to in this life. We are going to need the Holy Spirit and each other to actively pursue God’s calling for our church.

This is what I believe. I believe God is leading us and guiding us. I believe it is our job to be obedient to his call and when we are obedient God will bless us as a congregation and God will bless us personally. The blessing is found in obedience to God’s call.

As I was thinking and praying about this message, I was impressed with the ideas of values. What do we value as a church body? What should we value as a church body? Values are about what is important to us. Values are about what we focus our energy and attention on. It is not to say other things aren’t important. Values are about saying these are the most important things. There are four things which I believe need to be the start of our focus.

The Values

The first is the authority of Scripture.

Value 1: The authority of Scripture ()

2 Timothy 3:16–17 CSB

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16 CSB

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,

We value the Bible as the inerrant, infallible Word of God and the absolute authority for our lives. This means that our preaching and teaching are Bible focused and must meet the biblical standard of truth. That as the entire Bible is a testimony to Jesus Christ, He is the head of the Church.

We value the Bible as the inerrant, infallible Word of God and the absolute authority for our lives. This means that our preaching and teaching are Bible focused and must meet the biblical standard of truth. That as the entire Bible is a testimony to Jesus Christ, He is the head of the Church.

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is the record of Gods revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. It reveals the principles by which God judges us; and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ. Because Scripture is our authority, our core values flow from the Bible.

; ; ; Because Scripture is our authority, our core values flow from the Bible.

Value 2: Prayer ()

1 John 5:14–15 CSB

14 This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.

Notice some key words from the apostle John. We can be confident. We don’t have to worry about God hearing our prayers. He hears us. God loves to answer the prayers of his children that are in accordance to his will. How do you know the will of God?

Well, let me tell you. God is not hiding his will from you. He has told us in his Word what he wills for us. We read and study the Scriptures to know God’s will. We seek God through his Word to gain spiritual wisdom and insight. God hears us when we pray. We have what we have because of God’s answers to our prayers.

Prayer is not just the duty of the pastors and deacons. Prayer is the duty of all believers. It is to be our main business. Nothing happens without the power of prayer. Prayer is where the power is in our lives.

2 Chronicles 7:13–14 CSB

13 If I shut the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on my people, 14 and my people, who bear my name, humble themselves, pray and seek my face, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Notice the conditions. We are to humble ourselves and pray. Prayer and pride are antithetical. A life without prayer is a powerless life. We need to pray without ceasing. We need to pray. If our lives, family, and churches are to be what God wants them to be it is going to because God’s people pray. In 2020 and from this day forward, we are going to be purposeful about valuing prayer.

Value 3: Love for one another ()

John 13:35 CSB

35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

You have heard me say this before, the defining characteristic of Jesus’ disciples is the love we have for one another. This love is a specific type of love. It is agape love. It is a sacrificial love. How do you know if you love one another? What are you sacrificing for the good of other believers? Are you sacrificing your preferences? Are your sacrificing your desires? Are you sacrificing your agenda? Are you sacrificing what you think about what a person wears or does? Are you giving financially to the church as God has called you to give? What are you sacrificing for the benefit of other believers?

Our love for each other cannot be just in word. Our love for one another must also be expressed in deed. What is most amazing is that Jesus isn’t talking about love for people outside the fellowship of believers. He is talking about love for those inside the fellowship of believers. Sometimes I think we express more love for those outside our walls than we do for those inside our walls. Our love for one another should be an attraction to non-believers.

Let me say this. I believe this whole-heartedly. If you aren’t willing to sacrifice something to be present with other believers, there is a problem in your life. Every Sunday morning should be like a family gathering. You love your family and so you go to be with them. Every Wednesday you should make every effort to be here in Bible study with other believers because you love being with other believers.

Hebrews 10:25 CSB

25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

From this day forward, we are going focus on the Scriptures, prayer, love, and unity.

Value 4: Unity ()

Galatians 3:27–28 CSB

27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Do you understand the power of what Paul is saying? We are one. This is counter-cultural, especially in our day and age. Our society is all about fragmenting people and dividing them up. As a society, we are so far away from the dream of being able to judge a person by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin. Brothers and sisters, this should not be true about God’s church!

We are one in Christ. Say it with me. “We are one in Christ.” There was a song I heard entitled “Call me Christian”. From the moment of salvation, no longer are we known as anything other than a disciple of Jesus, a little Christ, a Christian. Do you understand what this means? You no longer have any other identity than that of a Christian, than that of a person in Christ.

In Christ, there is no white, black, hispanic, Asian, or any other demographic. You are a Christian. In Christ, there is no political party. You are a Christian and are responsible to vote according to the principles of Scripture. A day may come where we can’t vote for any major political candidate because of the party platform which they are aligned with because we are Christians first.

There is no rich or poor in Christ. Socio-economic divides are erased in Christ. There is no national allegiance which should be prioritized over loyalty to the kingdom of God. The things which the world uses to divide people are erased in Christ.

Frankly, the part about “there is no male and female in Christ” puzzled me quite a bit. As I studied, I realized what Paul was saying. Men and women are equal in Christ. In Christ, men are not more valuable than women. We are sons and daughters of God. Our status in Christ is not determined by our gender. Our status in Christ is determined by our relationship with the Father. We are one in Christ Jesus. We are family. (Almost just busted out into the song.) Anything that would divide us by nationality, demographic, politics, economics, society, or by culture is not of God.

This is not to say we are uniform. God has called us to unity, not uniformity.

Think about the beauty of unity. We worship God, in the same worship gathering, in three different languages. Our worship gathering is an expression of the unity we have in Christ. We don’t have an English church, a Spanish church, and a Mandarin church. We have one church, one faith, one Lord, and one baptism because we are unified under the banner of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We don’t have to be uniform. There are things you will think and do that are different than what I will think and do; however, our unity, our bond is found in what we believe according to the Scriptures. If you are unfamiliar with what these things are, check them out on our website under “what we believe”. In these doctrines and teaching we find our unity. In any other matters, we find our freedom. In all matters, we exercise love.

I am sure we will add to this list of values in the coming days, but for now, let’s focus on valuing four main things: the Scriptures, prayer, love, and unity. This is not a complete list by any means, but it is a start. These are things which will bond us together as a diverse and unified body of believers.

Before we close, I recognize that there are some of you here this morning and really nothing I said impacted you. As a matter of fact, you might even be thinking that it was a mistake to come or that you wasted your time. Listen to me for just a moment and hear this: with God there are no accidents. You are here this morning because you were meant to be here this morning. Maybe you are carrying the weight of your life experiences all on your own. You have done things that you are not proud of; things that make you feel dirty and ashamed. Perhaps you have even thought that after all the things you have done that God can’t love you. The reason you think that is because you don’t understand how good God is. You don’t understand how much he loves you. You see, there is nothing you can do to make God love you more and there is nothing you can do to make him love you less. Maybe you are carrying a weight in your life and you feel constantly overwhelmed. Maybe you came to worship this morning and you realize your life is a mess. The truth is at one point in time, all of us had lives that were a mess. Without a personal relationship with God, we all stray away from what’s right. We stray right into danger. We are all bent towards sin. We never had to be taught to do wrong. It is just natural for us. Naturally, we are all sinners. Our sin separates us from a holy God. The evil one will try to convince you that you have to deal with your problems on your own. He will try to convince that you got to get your life straight by your own power. He will try to tell you that after what you have done, God probably doesn’t want you.

At the same time, you are here today and you feel something drawing you towards God. God is drawing you by his goodness and by the Holy Spirit. You are not here by accident. You are here today because God wanted you here today. This is a divine appointment. Today, your life can be changed. You can be forgiven. No longer will you be known by the title of sinner. You will be known as a child of God. Jesus came to earth, lived without sin, and died in our place. Then, he rose from the grave. Why? So that you could have peace with God. So that anyone who calls on his name will be saved, will be forgiven.

There are those of you here today who need God’s grace in your life. You are ready to be made new. Today, by faith, when you call on Jesus, your sins will be forgiven and you will be made new. 

If that is you, will you pray this prayer with me, “Heavenly Father, forgive me for my sins, make me new. I ask Jesus to be my Savior and to be the Lord of my life, first in every way. My life is not my own, I give it to you. Thank you for new life. In Jesus’ name, I pray.”

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, would you raise your hand?

Pray.

If you prayed to receive Jesus, please come to the front of this worship center and let us pray with you and celebrate your new life in Christ. If you want to pray for someone you know who needs to receive God’s gift of salvation, you come and get on your knees asking God to reach into that person’s life. Maybe you need to come in rededication of your life to God as we are on the verge of a new year. This is a time for you to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit in your life.