What Kind of Church- Part 3

Correct Doctrine and Mission must be followed by passionate Christian love. When Jesus was asked which is the great commandment in the law, he answered “Thou shalt love the Lord the God...and the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:36-40. Jesus tells us that Love is the cornerstone of every command God has given. John 3:16 gives the motivation for God to send his Son, Jesus, and for Jesus to come and die; Love. If the church loses this quality, it is as doomed to failure as if it lost its Doctrine or Mission. In Revelation 2:5, Jesus told the church of Ephesus to repent of this leaving love “or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of this place,” Love is like oil to an engine or grease to a bearing. Things cannot run well, smoothly, or long without love. Love is what unifies the body like tendons and nerves connecting everything. Love is essential to strength, and our public witness. John 13:35 “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples”

What Kind of Church- Part 2

Besides the "gold Standard" of holding correct Bible Doctrine, the church must embrace the MISSION. Our mission is not something the church decides, but what Jesus Christ himself commanded.

1. Evangelize

1. 2. Baptize

3. Teach

Even the order is correct; supported throughout scripture. We evangelize first, baptize second, teach God's way third. Jesus promised his presence and power to fulfill His mission. The church that fails His mission will die; history is undeniable. By nature we are social creatures, tending towards socialization of the church; we can easily lose sight of His Mission. The only way the church can truly please the Lord is to follow His Mission. Christ is the "head of the body, the Church:" Colossians 1:18, he "...gave himself for it;" Ephesians 5:25 Ownership of the church is Christ's. Bible Baptist must continue to embrace and fulfill Jesus' revealed Mission to survive and thrive. "Ye shall be witnesses unto me" Acts 1:8

What Kind of Church- Part 1

The Church must have a firm stand on what it teaches, called doctrine. The church must hold truths that are non-negotiable; the eternal truths of God. That God is a Trinity; Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. That God is Holy, All-powerful, All-knowing, Everywhere present at once, Eternal. That God created everything. That the Bible is without error. That Jesus was born of a virgin, sinless, died bearing our sin, and rose again the third day, and is coming again to earth. That Salvation is wholly a work of God's grace, received by faith in Jesus. That true believers are eternally secure in Jesus. Actually, Bible Baptist holds 20 "Articles of Faith", copies are available in our church library. These articles are widely held by Baptist churches globally. For the Church to be on a rock solid foundation, these are the first things the Christian should look for in a church. Be assured that these Doctrines of Scripture will never be compromised. We stand on the bedrock of truth that has not and will not change. Matthew 5:18 & John 17:17

Mother's Day

What a joyous occasion every year to honor our mothers. If you are blessed to have your mother still, or if mother is in Heaven, she is not forgotten especially today. My Mother is a phenomenal woman; I appreciate and honor her for all she did in care for me. She fed me, worried over me, and even tried to discipline me at times. I was not easy, yet she thinks I was a good son, indicating she didn't know everything. I know this, God knew my Mom when he gave me to her, and God knew me when he gave Mom to me. I love you Mom! Thanks. Ephesians 6:2

Christian Service

Jesus has such a gentle yet powerful way of saying things, mostly because of who he was and the degree to which he loves us. Matthew 20:27 "And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:" Jesus recognized "will be chief among you" as a human reality, which we understand when we reflect upon our own need for appreciation and recognition. John 12:26 "if and man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be:" See the role of ministering as service to the Lord and not a way to promote self. Our heart's struggle to be appreciated can only be fully realized when we are motivated more by our love for Christ (II Corinthians 5:14) and desire to please him than to meet our need for appreciation. Our humility in service accomplishes God's plan, damages no one, and ultimately God wonderfully meets our need for appreciation. See Galatians 1:10 and Philippians 2:7-9. Christ is our example "God highly exalted Him"!

A Cheerful Giver

The sowing and reaping principle is brought to bear on the subject of Christian giving in II Corinthians 9:6-7. How you sow is how you reap, either bountifully or sparingly. Both are direct results of giving. Yet there is an overriding principle the Apostle refers to in this passage which is purpose of heart. The heart is what God sees (II Samuel 16:7) and what God is truly interested in. Don't let your giving be grudgingly, nor of necessity! the fear of the Lord is part of the equation in giving, but the thing that God loves about Christian Giving is cheerfulness. we are instructed "God loveth a cheerful giver," Personally, I am thrilled that we cheered during last week's offering. Let's do it every week! Cheerfulness is a thing that God loves in our giving. cheering is an appropriate way to express cheerfulness. Both grudging and cheerfulness reflect what is in the heart of the Christian giver. Proverbs 4:23

summer

Jesus told us that we know summer is nigh when the trees begin to put forth leaves in Matthew 24:32. The climate in Israel is unique in that they have desert, tropics, mountains, seacoasts, Galilee and the Dead Sea; it snows in places and in other places it never gets cold. All of this in a very small geographical area. Michigan is not like that. We have three months of mostly summer weather, three months of extremely iffy weather, and the rest mostly nasty weather. Spring is exciting because we look forward to summer, and the time to plant...not quite yet, due to the danger of frost and the cold ground. Then it gets warm and we are way past ready to spend time out of doors. Hallelujah! as you plan your summer with all its activities, joys and pleasures, be sure that you don't leave out the Lord. Apparently, Jesus us aware when it is summer, and He, I'm sure, knows Michigan's weather seeing He made it. Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves"

Missions

The great commission is so much more than just a command. Matthew 28:18-20 reveals God's heart to us! God loves all the people of the world John 3:16. God expressed this love when He sent his only begotten Son into the world to save people from their sin. In the mession ideal, we become the channels through which God's love flows to the world. God committed the Gospel of Jesus' death, burrial, and resurrection in trust to us. This trust compels us to obedience. In II Cor. 4:3-7 we see the battle to bring the light of the Gospel to people in darkness, that battle is won through God's servants, who have the light of the Gospel shining in them. This "treasure in earthen vessels" is God's battle weapon to reveal Salvation to people in spiritual darkness. What a privilege we are given to have this light in us and to be servants through witness and giving to "give the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God" through "the Excellency of the power of God."

Faith Promise Missions

Bible Baptist doing Missions! Churches use several methods to commit funds to missions. Some churches give 10% of their income to missions, other methods are used varying from church to church. What God has led our church in is Faith Promise, a principle by which a Christian promises to give regularly to missions above their tithe and other offerings. Last year our church gave over $38,000 to missions. This would have been $27,000 had we given 10% to missions. II Corinthians 10:15-16 speaks of increased faith that results in increased support for mission work. As faith grows so does giving. Faith Promise is a promise made to God to give, through your church, an amount that you by Faith believe God wants you to promise. How you arrive at this amount is simply by asking God to lay a burden upon your heart for Missions. Ask, in prayer, for God to lead you to the amount he desires for you to commit to regular mission giving.

Missions

Mission means "the act of sending" and "the duty on which one is sent." Believers in Jesus are sent ones as Jesus told his disciples in John 20:21"...As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." when we read the history of the Church in Acts we see the Holy Spirit ask the Church to separate from them Barnabus and Saul (Paul). The Church prayed and fasted, laid their hands on them and "sent" them. This we read in Acts 13:2-4. "So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed..." What we are seeing here is an organic partnership between the Church and the Holy Ghost in the work of Missions. Our mission as a church is spelled out by the Word of God. Acts 1:8 "...ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." As the Holy Ghost leads our Church so we are to go into all the world and preach Christ's gospel to every person. Mark 16:15

At the core of the Lord's intent for missions is his value for people. "People need the Lord." That, in essence, is what missions means. In Mark 16:26, Jesus speaks of the valus of a soul. This value of the soul is so great, it is God's purpose in saending Jesus into the world. this is the love value God has for every soul. God is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). when you think of Missions, think of souls. think of people who need the Lord. Our world population is fast approaching 7 billion souls. We, who know the Lord, have a message to tell. This is the heartbeat and core of the Lord's intent. Jesus died to save every soul from their sin. You become a Christian with "beautiful fee" as you invest and engage in reaching people for Jesus (romans 10:15). How do your feet look to the Lord? Billions are still awaiting a clear presentation of the Gospel (Romans 10:17)!

~Pastor Smith~

Missions Vision

Jesus said "...Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest." John 4:35. In Matthew 13:38 we are told the field is the world. The axiom "out of sight, out of mind" applies here for us. God sees the world, loves the world and gave His Son for the whole world-John 3:16. God wants us to catch His vision, to see what He sees; this is crucial based upon Proverbs 29:18 "where there is no vision, the people perish:" When we consider this truth, then it logically follows what the Lord Jesus tells us repeatedly to do "...Go into all the world, and preach the gospel..." Mark 16:15. Do we see the world as God sees the world? The book of acts is the record of the Church commissioned, empowered and going into the world; a record that continues to this day. "Preaching the kingdom,...no man forbidding him." Lord, open our eyes. Help us see our world as you do!

~Pastor Smith~

Missions

Jesus is interested in our treasure. I find it incredible that he stood with his disciples and watched as people came by and put things into the offering. He even went so far as to comment on what was given and who gave. Mark 12:41-44 No doubt Jesus observes our giving in every service, and while our church never publishes personal giving, Jesus observes it and knows. The reason for Jesus interest is simple enough to understand, Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Jesus knew that the two things; our treasure and our heart, could not be separated; and he desires that we love him with all our heart. This is the “first and great commandment” Matthew 22:36. It is easy then, to conclude why the interest. He wants us to love him, and our giving is a true expression of this love, II Cor. 8:8. Giving is just one part of Missions.

~Pastor Smith~