Jim Davis
It is hard to stand still. It seems that either we are taking a step forward in life or moving backwards. Sometimes we take two steps forward and immediately take three steps backward. Sometimes I would like to stand still and enjoy the moment, but life usually doesn’t afford us many opportunities to do so. I find this true in preaching. If you preach a good sermon, you realize that the next one needs to be better. If you cook a good meal, you would like for the next one to be better.
There is always that nagging feeling that we must press on. The same is true in the church and in our spiritual lives.
Philippians 3:13-14 says, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:
but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (KJV)
The great apostle realized his need to move ahead. Most things that stand still become stagnant. A reservoir of water that has no fresh water flowing into it and no water flowing out of it becomes stagnant. The Dead Sea has no outlet. Water flows into it but none flows out. That is why it is called the Dead Sea; it can support no life.
The same is true with our lives. We must move ahead or we become stagnant and fail.
The church must think about what it must do to move ahead. We must never be satisfied with the past, or believe that what we are doing in the present is all that we can or should do. To achieve God’s purposes for our lives we must move forward to meet the challenges of the future. We must believe that the challenges before us are there because God wants us to do something about them.
The Challenge of Making a Difference
Sometimes all our effort goes into being different. But it is much easier to be different than it is to make a difference. The challenge is to make a difference in our world. Making a difference in our world comes as we live rooted in and founded upon the word of God.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:13-16, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
Too many times Christians have been silenced and made to feel unwelcome and unwanted by the world. I’ve got news for you—you are unwelcome and unwanted by the world, and it probably won’t get any better. I’ve noticed, and I don’t begrudge it, that we are ignored and unwanted until the world needs our prayers. But we must remain the salt of the earth and light of the world, even if the world doesn’t appreciate it.
People would like to shut us up. That would allow them to preach their views without being challenged. The news media is preaching everyday; through newspaper, television, radio and any other way they can get their message out. They would like to be unchallenged. We must not let them shut us up, shut us down, shut us out, or shut us in.
We can change the world the same way God’s people have always changed the world—by teaching and preaching the gospel of Jesus and changing the hearts and minds of those who live around us.
The Challenge of Evangelizing
Most Christians think that their community is not open to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those beliefs are not the result of having well planned and well financed efforts to evangelize the local community. It is not because we have tried and failed. It is not because there was so much opposition or animosity to the church that no one would listen. It is not because we are so hated. It is not because God is hated. It is mostly because the local church has not made an effort to reach others.
A preacher said that he worked for a large church that had seven missionaries in the fields. Each mission point had a 3, 5, and 10-year plan. Each point was well financed. Each mission point used a variety of media to reach people. Yet this church had no local plan of work, no budget for local evangelism, and used no media outreach in the community.
Something is wrong with that kind of thinking.
The Challenge of Leadership
Who will lead the church in 10, 20, or 30 years? 2 Timothy 2:2 says, "And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."
Paul invested himself in the training of Timothy. Timothy was to do the same with other faithful men who would in turn invest themselves in yet others.
We must develop future leaders. We must accept the responsibility to train leaders. There is a responsibility of followers to become trained. Great leaders have always had good followers. Good leaders, most often, first learned how to be good followers.
We have a great challenge to develop male leadership. The women are already doing a great job. I certainly do not want to diminish anything they are doing. I must also hasten to say that if many of our men quit doing what they are doing at present this place would fall apart.
My concern is whom are we training to teach and impart the word. Bob Beadling was baptized here about four years ago. I am proud of Bob Beadling. He took it on himself to study the word and begin trying to make a difference in our world. Most of you may not realize how much of an influence this church had on Bob. The most encouraging thing to me was when Bob told me that he was looking for a church in New Orleans that would allow the men to teach. Hopefully he has found such a congregation. Bob realizes his need to keep growing as a Christian. None of us can stand still and accomplish anything for the Lord.
It should be a time of rejoicing when we see others taking an interest and looking to the future. Who’s going to lead when you are gone?
We must accept the challenge of developing male leadership!!!!!
The Challenge of Following God’s Word
In moving forward, we must not abandon God’s word as the foundation of our authority for what we do. Many think that changing our worship and our way of doing things will make the church grow. This usually keeps God’s people in constant turmoil. Some think that if we de-emphasize what the Bible teaches this will make it easier for us to reach the world. It’s an attempt to make Christianity more appealing to the world.
There was a man who had just gotten his real estate license. He went out to show a house. The people loved the house. It had beautiful shade trees and shrubs. They were admiring the place, and in the midst of this serenity the salesman said, "If you don’t mind raking all these leaves and trimming all these shrubs this would make a great home." The irony of this was that it was his own house that he was showing. After the people had left, the man’s wife asked him, "Why would you want say something negative about any house you are wanting to sell?"
He could have emphasized the positive. When they admired the trees and shrubs, he could have said, "You know this shade really cuts down on the utility bills. This house is so shaded that it actually saves me money every month." And it would have been a true statement.
We don’t emphasize baptism to be different. The emphasis is that when a person comes to Christ, that person must die to the world. It is at baptism that one buries the old self and arises to follow Christ.
Romans 6:3-4 says, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
Jesus said, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." It is not until we are willing to be crucified that Christ becomes meaningful.
Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
We must preach the truth. God will allow people to see. There are very positive reasons we do what we do. We do not have to apologize. We must not think that people will not be interested because we do certain things.
This Point is Crucial.
A man that was fed up with a church trying to win people through worldly ideas presented A Sure Fire Stewardship Program designed to increase contributions and increase membership. He devised three simple steps to explosive giving: When the ushers bring the offering plates to the altar the they will place all the offering envelopes in a big round tumbler on the altar. One of the members will step forward and draw out one of the offering envelopes from the big round tumbler on the altar. The ‘winner’ (person or family whose offering envelope is drawn) will receive DOUBLE THEIR MONEY BACK!!
As you begin doing this more and more members will begin using offering envelopes. When you make the offering envelopes available only to members, you will be astounded at how your membership will grow. Members will naturally put in more money because they know that if their envelope is drawn they will get more back (never underestimate the intelligence of your members). Your worship service will reach new heights of excitement.
You can imagine the excitement and drama each Sunday as the winning envelope is drawn. You will have no trouble lining up members to help because of the excitement, honor, and prestige that comes with the job.
Your finance committee will never again have to worry about buying those expensive offering envelope boxes. When this new program catches on, members will be more than willing to buy their own. You will also discover that many will buy more than one set of envelopes. I call this the "bingo syndrome."
Preachers will no longer have to work quite so hard on their sermons, as that will no longer be the ‘main event.’ This seems ludicrous but is not far from what some are doing. There is no doubt that you would attract more people. But wouldn’t the truth have power to change more lives.
Deuteronomy 12:32 says, "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it." (KJV)
Revelation 22:18-19 says, "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book." (KJV)
Those who are going to believe that the Bible is the word of God must also believe that God has put in it all that we must believe and do. Beyond that, people simply add or subtract their own ideas and desires in place of God’s.
We must face the challenge of being rooted in the book. We must know what God’s will is. We must not be so tied to traditions or customs that we fight God’s will. We must not be so quick to look for new answers and methods that we neglect what God says.
Conclusion:
Going forward must involve every member. The church is made up of people.
The church moves forward only as its people move forward. All these challenges
are personal challenges.
Therefore, with God’s help, I dedicate myself to the task of being All these things I want my church to be.
(Author unknown via—Ohio Union Reminder)