Built for a Mission

Introduction

➟ ➟ ➟ A new / wonderful chapter has opened for our congregational family. Today we extend to God our offering of praise for His great provision and providence.

Before us today is a place far beyond what we thought we would find and such a greater blessing than anything we’ve had before.

But here we are … and it would not be so without our God.

Only 6 weeks ago we exited our old place of worship. On that day we were reminded of Israel’s crossing the Jordan as they entered the promised land.

➟ ➟ ➟ Joshua 3.17; ➟ ➟ ➟ 4.10-11; ➟ ➟ ➟ 18-19.

Can you imagine what it would have been like that first night in Canaan?

➟ ➟ ➟ They had envisioned this moment for so long. They had imagined what it would be like, now their presence there was reality! We made it! We’re home!

It would have been a night of joy. Can you hear the singing and praise that must have filled their camp?

Today, as a family of believers, we have crossed over our own Jordan.

Today, we sit and gaze at the blessing of God - a much hoped for dream many of us have had for a very long time.

A dream planted in our hearts by our God. A dream formed in our minds because of our growing needs as a local church.

Today we consecrate this place for the glory of God.

A place we will use to further facilitate our efforts to reach people locally with the gospel.

A place we will use to serve the needs of our spiritual family.

➟ ➟ ➟ Today, we regard this as the occasion as public affirmation of our confidence in God.

A confidence that is emboldened because of His work that has brought us to this day.

But more so, a confidence in His provision and guiding hand as He leads us into the future.

What is this public affirmation? What is the statement we want to make as we mark the significance of this day? What is the mission we have been built for?

Today we want you to know that all of this is about God.

We want all to know that we will faithfully follow His lead as we move into the future.

Finally, we want to declare that everything here, everything in our work together will center around the vision and the mission our shepherds have laid before us.

It’s All About God

Do you know the story?

Early 2010’s … our growth moved us to expand the Bigger Rd. building to meet our needs.

The growth trend slowed somewhat, but by early 2014 we were out of parking.

In August of that year, the city of Kettering rejected our expansion proposal and our shepherds announced their intention to move or build a new facility.

The search began. Quickly found difficulty because existing properties were either too small or large for our needs.

So we looked at warehouses, office complexes, and retail locations.

Nothing worked … without an extreme amount of money for repurposing and refurbishing.

2018-19 - the congregation continued to grow - reaching again the # of adherents & members we had in the early 2010’s.

As 2020 dawned, things looked daunting. Last year, one of our elders and I had met with a building contractor who specializes in building church buildings. The cost was enormous.

Every Sunday we were packed. Parking was hard to find. Some of us were rutting up the yard as we parked on the soggy winter ground. People were getting restless. And there was no property anywhere that seemed to fit.

In early March our elders met with a member here who specializes in financial planning. It was a good meeting and once it was over - a prayer for God’s help and provision for a solution was offered.

The next morning, a Friday, one of our elders began his day by browsing commercial real estate ads here in Dayton. This had become an almost daily thing.

But on this day, this building appeared in the listings. <just a coincidence?>

none of the links in the listing worked.

He called Cain & me. We drove here to inquire if the building was available. It was.

That night, March 6, a group of us came over for a showing. And we just knew...

The negotiations began and we found out the seller might be interested in buying the Bigger Rd. building. <just a coincidence?>

A deal was struck.

The the financing process began during the time banks were over-loaded with small business loans seeking relief from the pandemic.

Our application got lost in the shuffle .. and things began to drag out … to the point where the deal was headed toward jeopardy.

We get connected with a banker in Columbus who is a member at the Fishinger & Kenny church. Financing approval comes in days. <again, just a coincidence?>

And here we are. Everything with this … if you pause to consider … has been made possible by the providence and direction of God. Look around:

We have ample room to grow. Let’s fill it up.

We have a modern facility that more than meets our needs. The entire look sends a warm and open message as you enter and gather in this room to worship.

We are in one of the fastest growing and sought after areas in Dayton.

We are 60 seconds off the interstate with very high visibility.

Brothers & sisters, if you can’t see God in all of this and how He has worked … then you’re not looking. He is all over this.

So, let this moment speak to us all.

➟ ➟ ➟ Let it remind us of what God told Zerubabbel in Zechariah 4: What we have here is “not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord.

From the very beginning today, with every action that happens, let God be all in this place!

It’s all about Him!

We Must Be Willing to Change if We Want to go with God

On the day Israel stepped foot on the other side of the Jordan, it was a willing testimony of the people to leave what they had known in order to go forward with God.

On that day they made a commitment to challenge their faith. To believe in what they could not see.

➟ ➟ ➟ It was the day they put God’s words to the test: I will be with you, …I will not leave you or abandon you. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go, Joshua 1.5, 9.

And as we make the application for ourselves, we need to know that between where we are today and where God will lead us are some daunting boundaries.

We can’t see you how God will do it, but we believe He is faithful.

It is time for us to venture with God into the future He is creating for us.

Our best days aren’t in the past … our best days are ahead.

It’s All for the Mission

What we dedicate today is for the purpose of declaring God’s holiness, power, and providing care.

We have no mission but Christ and the proclamation of His gospel.

This building is not a memorial to us - but to Him.

We exist to know God and to make Him known.

This place is not about our own comfort or pride - but for God’s glory and the gospel’s advance.

It’s the same mission we had at Kettering … and it’s the same mission here as we move forward.

Our shepherds have laid before us a clear and concise definition of who we are.

What are we about at Cornerstone?

What is our mission going forward?

What principles encompass it?

➟ ➟ ➟ SOUL-WINNING

➟ ➟ ➟ We are committed to following the command of Mark 16.15. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

We pledge to make every effort to touch the hearts of others with Jesus.

We want it to be seen in our pulpit preaching, every single bible class, livestream, and social media outreach.

We want it to be seen in the person one-on-one interactions we have with other people in our community.

Sharing Jesus; shining our light.

➟ ➟ ➟ DISCIPLESHIP

The Christians here are committed to coming along side one another to help us all be transformed into the image of Christ.

➟ ➟ ➟ Hebrews 10.23 - first, we are personally committed to the transformation process.

➟ ➟ ➟ Hebrews 10.24 - second, we are personally committed to the lives of others in our Cornerstone family.

➟ ➟ ➟ 2 Corinthians 3.18 - here is the vision of where we’re going in the transformation process.

➟ ➟ ➟ REVERENCE

Today you have seen it. It’s all about God here.

➟ ➟ ➟ Psalm 100.3-4 - we acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are His - his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name.

➟ ➟ ➟ As Cain said earlier: Habakkuk 2.20 - the Lord is in his holy temple; let the whole earth be silent in his presence.

When we worship God we do so in reverence and praise. We exalt God. We praise Him. We honor our king and creator.

➟ ➟ ➟ AUTONOMY

The Cornerstone church patterns itself after the church of the New Testament, whose local congregations were independent and self-governing under the headship of Christ.

➟ ➟ ➟ Ephesians 1.22-23 - God has appointed Christ “as head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.”

Our head is Christ. Therefore:

We are not governed by the opinion of other congregations in the area.

We are not preoccupied with our stance on the divisions of the past.

We are focused on being a church & dwelling with brethren from differing perspectives in harmony.

We are about building bridges not walls.

➟ ➟ ➟ AUTHORITY

As a local church we view Scripture as the authoritative word of God - just as the Thessalonians did.

➟ ➟ ➟ 1 Thess 2.13 - we constantly thank God, because when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you welcomed it not as a human message, but as it truly is, the word of God, which also works effectively in you who believe.

We are committed to following the commands of God and immolating the examples of the apostles as revealed in Scripture.

We will not bend to the shifting demands of secular culture and we will diligently work to allow God’s word to dwell richly within us so that every intention; every action is governed by the word of God.

➟ ➟ ➟ VISION

➟ ➟ ➟ In Proverbs 29.18 Solomon said, where there is no vision, the people perish.

Our shepherds and ministers are committed to designing and implementing a plan of study each year so we may grow more effective and better prepared to handle this life and prepare for the next.

Our vision planning has very much become a part of our mission over the last decade.

➟ ➟ ➟ EXCELLENCE

Today we commit to focusing on the beauty of Christ and strive for excellence in all we do. This is the principle of Philippians 4.8.

This commitment to excellence is easy to see. Look around you today.

The evidence of hard work; diligence, and personal sacrifice is all around.

It’s driven by hearts of love and devotion to God.

I’ve seen this so much over the last 60 days - incalculable hours by our shepherds and deacons, staff, and many, many members.

It’s all for God’s glory and expansion of the kingdom. He has so bountifully blessed us.

➟ ➟ ➟ UNITY

This family is committed to care and love for one another.

We all have our opinions on things - but what must drive us are the principles of Ephesians 4.1-3

➟ ➟ ➟ We are committed to making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

This is our mission. This is who we are. Let’s embrace it as we move forward.

Conclusion

In Joshua 4 after setting the stones up as a memorial in Gilgal, Joshua spoke to the people and looked ahead to a future time:

Joshua 4:21–24 CSB

21 and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ 22 you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over. 24 This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord’s hand is strong, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God.”

Brethren the same thing is true for us.

What we dedicate today is so that all the people of Dayton and the communities around may know that the hand of the Lord is strong, and that we fear the Lord.

What we dedicate here today is so that one day our kids and grandkids will look back and see our faith and trust in the Lord and be inspired themselves to follow in our steps because we followed the Lord.

What we dedicate here today is with the knowledge that what we have here is Not by strength or by might, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts, Zechariah 4.6.

Today as we stand on the other side of our own Jordan, bringing the legacy of the people of the Kettering church established over 60 years, we launch forward into a new, glorious future that God is leading us into.

And God is saying to us: “I will not leave you or abandon you.” “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid of discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Today is our statement of faith and trust in God’s continued provision and blessing.

We launch forward. With a new name. New location. Same identity. Same mission. We’ve built for that mission.

We trust God and we can’t wait to see how He blesses us as we move forward.

Can we help you get on board with God? He has a plan for you. He wants you with Him for all eternity.

To make that possible, he gave his son in your place on the cross.

I want you to see your desperate need for Him today … because if you don’t have him you don’t have anything.

I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No one comes to the Father but by me, John 14.6.

Will you come to Him?