Own the Vision
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Announcements
Announcements
Introduction
Introduction
Open your Bibles to Acts 2:42.
Today is going to be a little different than a typical message but I the intent is for it to be strengthening and challenging to you as an individual in your walk with the Lord, edifying to our church as a whole, and applicable to each person who is in the room.
Today I want to talk to you about something that is very personal to me and I pray is or becomes personal to you about our church.
I want to discuss with you the vision for Liberty Baptist as we go forward for the Kingdom of God.
Before I do, I want you to consider your life…Do you have a vision for it? Or are you just winging it?
No matter what life stage you are in, without a vision for what your life is to be for the Glory of God, you’ll never fulfill it.
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: But he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
I once heard a story of a young man who attended a church that was thriving. During its hey day the seats were full, the fellowships were plentiful, and people were involved in ministries they were passionate about.
He moved away after graduation and came back 20 years later to that church building only to find that the seats were now empty and rotting because of the whole in the roof that allowed the rain in. No one fellowshipped at the church because of it’s sad condition. No people were passionate about ministries because the ministry itself had been shut down.
Behind the pulpit an old banner hung that read “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”
What was the problem? How did this church that seemed to be thriving come to be in such a sad state of affairs?
There was no vision. The people in the seats were not there for a common purpose, they were there for themselves. Their family had always attended, it’s just what they did on Sundays, or they liked what the preacher said.
The fellowships were only for those apart of the church and never about those who could be invited to know Jesus and become part of the church.
The ministries were ran by people with their own agendas and were not working together to accomplish a common goal. Personal agendas began to play a part in the operations of the ministry, finances began to be bickered over because everyone wanted money for their pet project or ministry.
Why? Because where there was no vision…the people perished.
PRAY
First, let’s talk about what a church is.
I. The Church is about God, not you
I. The Church is about God, not you
We often say the church is the people....I believe it’s better stated that the church is made up of people.
The Greek word for church is ekklesia, a called out assembly. Called out of the world to salvation by faith in Jesus Christ, Baptized in obedience to His Word to proclaim publicly their faith in Jesus, and organized together.
Some would say they don’t like organized religion…that’s ok…I don’t like disorganized religion. I believe the first church here was organized.
Why is this an important distinction? Because I’m afraid that when we don’t make a distinction between what responsibilities we as individuals have toward the Lord and the responsibilities of the church are, we can begin to think we can delegate our responsibilities to the church and we are ok.
Now, What happened when there was disorganization in the early church?
1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.
2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.
3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
The Apostles, the leaders of the organized body of believers in that day delegated the work and the church flourished.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Here is the first church in Jerusalem. The first organized body of believers. What did they do when Assembled together?
A church is a called out body of believers organized to, According to Acts 2:42,
Teach Bible Doctrine
Provide a place for biblically based fellowship
Observe the Lord’s Supper
Promotes prayer, teaches prayer, and participates in prayer
(Not in Acts 2:42)Promote the gospel by organizing ways for the body of believers to share the good news of the death burial and resurrection of Christ and show the love of Christ to the community.
That last ones stems from the Great Commission
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
While not completely wrong it’s also not completely right.
Stay with me.
It’s understood that Jesus is talking to the Apostles here and some make the argument they are the church because they are a called out assembly…ok…I won’t fight about it but I do believe we should consider the idea that they are just a group of individual beleivers at this point and Jesus is speaking to them as individuals rather than a group.
The responsibility of evangelism is on each of us. Some would teach that evangelism is a gift of the Spirit. I believe it’s a command of God.
I don’t mean lifestyle evangelism either, I mean literally speaking to people about Jesus and His death burial and resurrection. Asking them, if they have ever trusted Christ as their Savior.
That’s on us, on you, on me, AND on the organized body of believers.
So what is the church?
The Church is a called out body of baptized believers organized for the purpose of fulfilling Christ’s will on Earth.
While you will be encouraged by your church, it’s sole purpose isn’t to encourage you.
While you will be blessed by your church, it’s sole purpose isn’t to bless you.
While you may find community and acceptance at your church, it’s sole purpose isn’t to provide that.
The sole purpose of the church is to bring believers together to glorify God with their individual and corporate lives.
We hate to hear this in 21st century America, but it’s not about us.
It’s about Him.
Now, in doing this we will find love, acceptance, blessings, life change, community, but that cannot be our purpose.
When we finally accept and understand that our lives, our church, isn’t about us, it’s about Him then we will be on board to reach others for Him because His last command is our Great Commission.
How does the church do that?
II. The Church and the Christian should always take the next step
II. The Church and the Christian should always take the next step
To be a church that reaches 10% of its community and develops disciples who Love God, Serve Others, and Make an Impact
To be a church that reaches 10% of its community and develops disciples who Love God, Serve Others, and Make an Impact
That’s our visions statement. Where did that come from?
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
We exist to develop disciples they obey the Great Commandment and the Great Commission.
It is by loving God that we live for Him, It’s because of who He is we serve Others, so that we may share with them the gospel which is what has the ultimate impact on their lives.
Where do we find those people to develop?
I will tell you where we do not find them…Other churches.
Now, don’t be offended if you came here from another church. I’m thankful for you. I love you and don’t want you to leave. I want you where you believe God would have you serve Him.
However, we can’t reach people that don’t know Jesus by only interacting with saved people. We find those to develop by reaching out into our community. You find them at your work, at the grocery store, at the gym, at the school and wherever there are people there is a need for the gospel to be preached.
How do we accomplish this?
Well, that’s our mission
We exist for the purpose of Connecting people to God, Growing closer to Him and each other, Serving the Community, and Sharing the Gospel locally and worldwide.
We exist for the purpose of Connecting people to God, Growing closer to Him and each other, Serving the Community, and Sharing the Gospel locally and worldwide.
Connecting our community to Christ, sharing the gospel. That great commission.
Now remember, that is not just a command to an organized body, it is a command to each individual person here.
Growing closer to Him and each other is through a personal commitment to the Lord to grow each day closer to Him and through a commitment to each other to
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Exhorting one another, Strengthening, supporting, doing life together, whichever phrase you want. When you become apart of LBC that is the commitment you are making to God and to each other.
Serving the community of believers here and Serving the community at large in ways that allow us to show the love of Christ and Share the gospel.
That’s us as an organization. But what does that look like in your personal life?
At Liberty we believe the Christian life is about taking your next step of faith.
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
I believe, a next step of faith is your next step of spiritual growth. walking by faith, living by faith is about growing in your faith in God. That only comes as you get to know Him more.
Just like your spouse, the longer you are with them the more you know them. And it’s not just because you read letters from them or talked to them. Now, reading your bible and praying are important parts of your Christian walk but you don’t truly get to know someone until you’ve had life experiences with them.
You learn how they respond to situations, you learn their character, you learn their hopes and desires by seeing what they do.
The same is true with God. I do not believe you can truly know God fully by just reading your Bible and praying. I believe you must live for Him, by faith, and in doing so you see how he takes care of you. You see how He chastises you. You learn His mercy and forgiveness as you experience it firsthand.
Most of the time, your next step of faith will involve one of the following:
Connecting to God, Growing closer to Him, Serving others, or Sharing the Gospel.
And you’ll never perfect any of those.
There will always be a next step of faith. What we are establishing at our church is this: If you are pursuing to grow in faith in one of those areas, you are a well-rounded Christian living for the Lord.
That’s why starting in June I will begin teaching through our Next Step Seminars (Connect, Grow, Serve, Share) during the Bible Study hour every other month. And, to become a member of LBC you will be asked to attend at least the Connect Seminar. We’ve designed it so that it will introduce you to who we are and allow us to get to know you as well.
The others will be optional but will be a great opportunity to learn about growing closer to the Lord, Serving in the church, and sharing the gospel.
Let me ask you a couple questions now...
What’s your vision and mission for your life? have you ever thought about it?
let me tell you, it may change as the Lord wills. But what is it right now?
How are you accomplishing it? What is your next step of faith?
Are you growing your faith daily? Are you seeking Him and His kingdom, daily.
Is your life dedicated to the glory of God and the proclamation of the gospel?
This church is.
And it is those two reasons that we are about to undertake the biggest upgrade this facility has ever seen.
What does a facility upgrade have to do with the glory of God and proclaiming the gospel?
III. The Gospel in Context is key
III. The Gospel in Context is key
What does it mean to contextualize the message of the gospel?
Let me read a few statements that sum up this answer
Contextualization involves an attempt to present the Gospel in a culturally relevant way.
‘culture’ itself is not evil, but a composite of good and evil (as understood biblically) values and vocations, customs and creations, beliefs and behaviors that characterize a particular people in a particular place.
Proper Contextualization is presenting the unchanging truths of the gospel within the unique and changing contexts of cultures and worldviews.
What is contextualization about? Sharing the gospel.
When it comes to modernizing and updating the facilities God has given us…it’s not about having the newest and coolest look, equipement, or style, it’s not about being trendy.
It’s about being relevant to the culture we serve so that we are better equipped to share the gospel with them.
Can I show you a couple way that churches have contextualized over the centuries?
INSERT CONTEXTULIZATION PHOTOS HERE in proclaim and worship guide
Box pews: Pews came around in the 1400’s, about the time of the reformation. Box pews, then bench pews, and now....chairs
Single elevated speaking podium: Can you imagine if we installed one of these?
OOOO…what about this one?
Drive in Church: We had to meet the needs of the culture. Live Stream is another way. There were many pastors that would not just have a bad opinion of live streaming but preach against it. Then a pandemic hit and EVERYONE loves livestream.
Or this one....Horse: Ok…this wasn’t necessarily contextulization…but it was fun.
For centuries the church has adapted to the culture it serves in. In foreign fields missionaries are not trying to Americanize…or at least they shouldn’t…the culture. They are there to preach the gospel not western philosophy.
A relationship with Christ by faith in His Son transcends Culture.
Culture is a means by which we preach the gospel.
Facilities are a means by which we use to preach the gospel.
With Cultural Relevance and Facilities not being the goal, then they are a vehicle. When the vehicle begins to prevent you from reaching the goal, then you need to fix the car.
Was this a problem faced by the first century church? Yup.
Look what Paul wrote here
12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Paul was writing to the church at Corinth where they had a number of issues. In verse 12 he says “Suffer all things lest we hinder the gospel”
The context of this verse is in regards to Paul being paid by the church and is telling them he hasn’t exercised that right because he didn’t need it and he would hinder the gospel.
Paul was willing to forgo pay to not hinder the gospel. Are we willing to forgo anything for the glory of God and the sake of the gospel?
In verse 22 Paul said “I am made all things to all men...” Why? “That I might by all means save some.” Why was he willing to be weak? In v 19 he says “I have made myself a slave to everyone in order to win more people”
19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
Now what do we do?
Well a couple things.
Most importantly: As an individual, determine your heart to live for God’s glory and the proclomation of the Gospel. Determine that you will live a holy lefe separated unto God and that there is nothing your unwilling to hold back. You won’t hold back a clothing style that is immodest because we are called to be modest, You won’t hold back a location because we are called to serve wherever whenever God calls, You won’t hold back any socially accepted things that can cause a brother to stumble or hurt your testimony.
I’m asking you if you would prayerfully consider how you could first and foremost: be praying for our church and be involved our efforts at reaching at least 10% of Bristol with the gospel.
I have some men that are going to walk around and hand out a little card I want you to have. Today we are beginning our Next Step campaign to modernize and update our property, starting with our auditorium. I’d like for you to take that card home and pray over it the next few weeks. On June 6th I’m going to ask you to write on that card what you would be willing to commit to the Lord, by faith, to give towards the Next Step campaign.
These funds will be use to add an updated piece to the sound system, remove this lighting system and put a more effective one in place, replace the carpet in the auditorium, remodel the platform to have stairs all around and be put towards other needs the ministry has like parking lot repair and begin saving for a playground upgrade.
Let me stop talking about finances for a moment and talk about something more important. Because let me tell you this, I’m not here to take your money, I’m not here to guilt you into giving, that’s not God’s calling on my life.
I’m here to preach the gospel.
So let me ask you, have you trusted in Jesus as your savior?
Time of Response
Time of Response
Would you take a moment and respond to the message? Not with a financial decision.
Would you respond to the fact God has called you as a Christian to preach the gospel by any means necessary? Are you?
Is His glory your focus or do you find yourself living for self?
Christians, would you decide to live your life for Him and allow Him to live through you?
Are you hear this morning and don’t know Jesus as your Savior. If you’d like to make the decision and cause for a party in Heaven and here on earth to take place as there is celebration and rejoicing.
The Bible says in
John 3:16
KJV 190016 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Romans 3:23
KJV 190023 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Ephesians 2:8–9
KJV 19008 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Romans 6:23
KJV 190023 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 10:9
KJV 19009 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Romans 10:13
KJV 190013 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
“Dear Jesus, I know I’m a sinner, I believe you came to die on the cross and rose from the dead. I put my faith right now in you and ask you to come into my life and change me from the inside out. Amen.”
If you made that decision today I encourage you to fill out our digital connection card and let us know. Fill out paper next step card in the back of the chair in front of you or email me directly at pastor@lbcbristol.org