2007 State of the Church Address (Excerpt Part 4)
This is the final excerpt from this year's address. I trust that these have been a blessing to you in some way as you have read through them. If something has spiked an interest, please leave a comment in the comment sections under each post.
Call To Service
Ministry. What a powerful word. It often brings frustration, anticipation, anxiety, joy, fear and wonder. Sometimes all of these feelings come at once. It produces a sense of inadequateness and a statement such as, “Who, me? What do I have to offer?” While all at the same time a deep peace that only comes from being and doing what the Lord Jesus Christ wants! I believe that ministry is not just a thing we do. It is more than preaching, teaching, singing or serving. I see ministry as a life style, which includes these things along with who we are day by day outside of these activities. So when asked about ministry, instead of asking yourself what I can do, ask, “What am I already doing in my life now and how can I use them to further the Kingdom of God?” There is not one of us that are not already in some form or another, involved in ministry now. However; I believe that there is not one of us, who could not do more for the building of the Kingdom of God. There are so many more people who need the Lord, and God has given to us the opportunity and responsibility to reach them. We are a T.E.A.M.: Together Everyone Achieves More. Let’s lock arms together in prayer, service, worship, prayer, surrender, fellowship, dreaming, laboring, prayer, ministry, reaching out, contacting for an impact to connect and prayer. Most of all PRAYER!
The time has come for all believers in and disciples of Jesus Christ, that we can no longer be consumer based Christians. By this I mean, receiving more from the ministry of the church than we put into it. Sitting back and saying: Feed me, teach me, serve me and meet my needs. This type of Christianity will spiritually and emotionally bankrupt a church. You can withdraw only so much before there is nothing left. Just as the world needs to be an industrialized people, so does the church. By this I mean, just as the world needs goods produced, the church needs to have goods produced. As we minister to lost people around us, we must be producing goods (ministries) for them to consume. In today’s society and culture, whether it is right or wrong, people will not just come to church because it is the right thing to do. Just as people shop at certain stores for various reasons for getting their personal needs met, they also judge their church attendance with in the same criteria. Just as people decide as to their return to a store if their needs are being met or not … they need to know and experience their true need, not felt needs, are being met. What is this need? Are they coming into a personal, vibrant, soul cleansing, life empowering relationship with Christ Jesus? As we reach out and reach in the church walls with the ministries of the church, we must positively answer this question. Once again if we do not ask this question or do not make the required adjustments to do this for our ministry community, we have failed them miserably. To do this, we must be focused on the Kingdom of God.
“A kingdom-focused church is clear on two points: stewardship and ministry. Stewardship is vertical in the sense that a local church is under the authority and commission of the Father. It is His will, His truth and His work that we do. We focus on Him; we serve Him and not ourselves. Ministry is horizontal in the sense that a church focuses on people. We focus not on ourselves but on our stewardship under God to serve his people. We preach God’s Word to God’s people. We equip God’s people for God’s work. We take God’s gospel to the people in our community. It is about Him (God) and them (God’s people).”
“A true focus begins with God and moves to people whom God loves and desires to be in relationship with Him. Methods, programs, worship services, events, activities and the like all come after a kingdom focus in a church. Only with this order of focus will other priorities and programs be successful.”
“A local church is a kingdom community of believers in dynamic fellowship under Christ’s lordship. Its purpose is to establish the kingdom as it fulfills the Great Commission with a passion to see every person complete in Christ through making disciples, maturing believers, and multiplying ministries. While being faithful in fulfilling the Great Commission we must focus on living out the Great Commandment. For through the great commandment those in the church and those outside will display the love that Christ has.”
“Our church is a kingdom agent, placed here at the will of God to be salt and light to people without a clue or a hope. It is a dynamic body of believers who exists to exalt the Lord and labor for his causes. It is a family of God building relationships among people and pointing them to the Heavenly Father.”
“Our success as an individual church isn’t going to be determined by the plans we have. It’s going to be according to the decisions we make and what we do to act upon those decisions.”
(Gene Mims)
“We can make our church an infirmary in a sin-sick world. But the goal of this church is not to be the infirmary. I’m glad the army has field hospitals where we can take our wounded and take care of them. Maybe you have been wounded and somebody has taken care of you in a field hospital. Still, the point of the army is not to have field hospitals but to have soldiers engaged in battle. The point of a church is not only to be a Christian critical care center but a spiritual army teeming with well-trained soldiers of the cross doing battle in the world.”
(Gene Mims)
This is the final excerpt from this year's address. I trust that these have been a blessing to you in some way as you have read through them. If something has spiked an interest, please leave a comment in the comment sections under each post.
Call To Service
Ministry. What a powerful word. It often brings frustration, anticipation, anxiety, joy, fear and wonder. Sometimes all of these feelings come at once. It produces a sense of inadequateness and a statement such as, “Who, me? What do I have to offer?” While all at the same time a deep peace that only comes from being and doing what the Lord Jesus Christ wants! I believe that ministry is not just a thing we do. It is more than preaching, teaching, singing or serving. I see ministry as a life style, which includes these things along with who we are day by day outside of these activities. So when asked about ministry, instead of asking yourself what I can do, ask, “What am I already doing in my life now and how can I use them to further the Kingdom of God?” There is not one of us that are not already in some form or another, involved in ministry now. However; I believe that there is not one of us, who could not do more for the building of the Kingdom of God. There are so many more people who need the Lord, and God has given to us the opportunity and responsibility to reach them. We are a T.E.A.M.: Together Everyone Achieves More. Let’s lock arms together in prayer, service, worship, prayer, surrender, fellowship, dreaming, laboring, prayer, ministry, reaching out, contacting for an impact to connect and prayer. Most of all PRAYER!
The time has come for all believers in and disciples of Jesus Christ, that we can no longer be consumer based Christians. By this I mean, receiving more from the ministry of the church than we put into it. Sitting back and saying: Feed me, teach me, serve me and meet my needs. This type of Christianity will spiritually and emotionally bankrupt a church. You can withdraw only so much before there is nothing left. Just as the world needs to be an industrialized people, so does the church. By this I mean, just as the world needs goods produced, the church needs to have goods produced. As we minister to lost people around us, we must be producing goods (ministries) for them to consume. In today’s society and culture, whether it is right or wrong, people will not just come to church because it is the right thing to do. Just as people shop at certain stores for various reasons for getting their personal needs met, they also judge their church attendance with in the same criteria. Just as people decide as to their return to a store if their needs are being met or not … they need to know and experience their true need, not felt needs, are being met. What is this need? Are they coming into a personal, vibrant, soul cleansing, life empowering relationship with Christ Jesus? As we reach out and reach in the church walls with the ministries of the church, we must positively answer this question. Once again if we do not ask this question or do not make the required adjustments to do this for our ministry community, we have failed them miserably. To do this, we must be focused on the Kingdom of God.
“A kingdom-focused church is clear on two points: stewardship and ministry. Stewardship is vertical in the sense that a local church is under the authority and commission of the Father. It is His will, His truth and His work that we do. We focus on Him; we serve Him and not ourselves. Ministry is horizontal in the sense that a church focuses on people. We focus not on ourselves but on our stewardship under God to serve his people. We preach God’s Word to God’s people. We equip God’s people for God’s work. We take God’s gospel to the people in our community. It is about Him (God) and them (God’s people).”
“A true focus begins with God and moves to people whom God loves and desires to be in relationship with Him. Methods, programs, worship services, events, activities and the like all come after a kingdom focus in a church. Only with this order of focus will other priorities and programs be successful.”
“A local church is a kingdom community of believers in dynamic fellowship under Christ’s lordship. Its purpose is to establish the kingdom as it fulfills the Great Commission with a passion to see every person complete in Christ through making disciples, maturing believers, and multiplying ministries. While being faithful in fulfilling the Great Commission we must focus on living out the Great Commandment. For through the great commandment those in the church and those outside will display the love that Christ has.”
“Our church is a kingdom agent, placed here at the will of God to be salt and light to people without a clue or a hope. It is a dynamic body of believers who exists to exalt the Lord and labor for his causes. It is a family of God building relationships among people and pointing them to the Heavenly Father.”
“Our success as an individual church isn’t going to be determined by the plans we have. It’s going to be according to the decisions we make and what we do to act upon those decisions.”
(Gene Mims)
“We can make our church an infirmary in a sin-sick world. But the goal of this church is not to be the infirmary. I’m glad the army has field hospitals where we can take our wounded and take care of them. Maybe you have been wounded and somebody has taken care of you in a field hospital. Still, the point of the army is not to have field hospitals but to have soldiers engaged in battle. The point of a church is not only to be a Christian critical care center but a spiritual army teeming with well-trained soldiers of the cross doing battle in the world.”
(Gene Mims)
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