20 Year Anniversary
Hebrews 6:19
We normally teach verse-by-verse here and we don’t do that many topical or special messages. And so, as I begin to write this message – it was really cool to me – that it was Special Message #200 – on our 20th Anniversary.
We’ve got some awesome testimonies to share with you as we roll through our service today, so I’ve got a very short time with you.
So, let me tell you who we are as a Church.
After 20 years, this church is who we (as a body of believers) are.
This Church is not – what we are
This Church is not – where we are
This Church is – who we are
And who we are is determined by how we live, each one of us individually and together making up this part of the Body of Christ.
Ultimately, how we live becomes who we are.
So, here is how we live as a Church. These are the foundation pillars of our life together as a Church.
WORSHIP – PROCLAIM – DISCIPLE
These three words define how we live as a Church and so, they define who we are as a Church.
1). We live to WORSHIP Jesus Christ as LORD in everything we do (we live to worship).
In John Chapter 4, Jesus offers a Samaritan woman the True Living Water, and when he gently points out her sin, she immediately tries to change the subject to where is the correct place to worship.
In John 4:21, Jesus tells this woman “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter WHERE you worship.”
The Church is not a “where.” The Church is not a “what.” The Church is a “Who.”
And then, in John 4:23 Jesus says, But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.
And we want to live worshiping Jesus in spirit and in truth.
Romans 12:1 is one of the greatest foundation scriptures there is on worship.
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
We want to present our entire lives to God as an offering of worship in every circumstance.
Abounding or abasing
Succeeding or failing
Having plenty or suffering need
We want to learn to be true worshipers of the Living God, and we want to help other believers do the same.
2). We want to PROCLAIM Jesus Christ as the only real and eternal hope in this world.
Hebrews 6:19 (NKJV) (our foundation Scripture)
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast . . .
We want to proclaim that hope to the people around us. We want people to know that the hope God gives us is a sure and a steadfast hope. It is an anchor that will hold fast through every circumstance and every situation.
Speaking of Jesus, it says in Matthew 12:21,
Matthew 12:21 (NLT)
21 And his name will be the hope of all the world.
But how can the world hear of this great hope unless we proclaim it to them?
Romans 10:13–14 (NLT)
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
We want to proclaim that real and eternal hope to all who are lost and hopeless. We want to tell them about Jesus first, in this community, then, as far as the Lord will take us. We want people to know the hope we have in Jesus Christ is an anchor for the soul.
3). We want to DISCIPLE every person who chooses to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord.
Way back in January 2009, we made a radical commitment to stop all activity in this church that wasn’t (in some way) teaching others how to follow Jesus. We completely refocused our efforts on Discipleship… and we lost one-third of the Church because of it. And maybe it was because of the way we handled it. But one thing I know – the Bible commissions us to help one another follow Jesus in a very real way. We decided that the last verses in Matthew were not The Great Suggestion – but were indeed The Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What a great promise – what a great commission!
Discipleship is: Us helping one another follow Jesus so closely, that our lives are actually transformed by him.
The Bible never calls anyone to follow Jesus alone. The new life of following Jesus is always done in community.
We want to help one another WORSHIP Jesus as LORD in everything we do.
We want to PROCLAIM TOGETHER that Jesus Christ is the only real and eternal hope.
We want to GROW and MATURE as Christ-followers together.
WORSHIP – PROCLAIM – DISCIPLE
That’s how we live as a Church. So that’s who we are as a Church.
We’ve got some awesome testimonies to share with you as we roll through our service today, so I’ve got a very short time with you.
So, let me tell you who we are as a Church.
After 20 years, this church is who we (as a body of believers) are.
This Church is not – what we are
This Church is not – where we are
This Church is – who we are
And who we are is determined by how we live, each one of us individually and together making up this part of the Body of Christ.
Ultimately, how we live becomes who we are.
So, here is how we live as a Church. These are the foundation pillars of our life together as a Church.
WORSHIP – PROCLAIM – DISCIPLE
These three words define how we live as a Church and so, they define who we are as a Church.
1). We live to WORSHIP Jesus Christ as LORD in everything we do (we live to worship).
In John Chapter 4, Jesus offers a Samaritan woman the True Living Water, and when he gently points out her sin, she immediately tries to change the subject to where is the correct place to worship.
In John 4:21, Jesus tells this woman “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter WHERE you worship.”
The Church is not a “where.” The Church is not a “what.” The Church is a “Who.”
And then, in John 4:23 Jesus says, But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.
And we want to live worshiping Jesus in spirit and in truth.
Romans 12:1 is one of the greatest foundation scriptures there is on worship.
Romans 12:1 (ESV)
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
We want to present our entire lives to God as an offering of worship in every circumstance.
Abounding or abasing
Succeeding or failing
Having plenty or suffering need
We want to learn to be true worshipers of the Living God, and we want to help other believers do the same.
2). We want to PROCLAIM Jesus Christ as the only real and eternal hope in this world.
Hebrews 6:19 (NKJV) (our foundation Scripture)
19 This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast . . .
We want to proclaim that hope to the people around us. We want people to know that the hope God gives us is a sure and a steadfast hope. It is an anchor that will hold fast through every circumstance and every situation.
Speaking of Jesus, it says in Matthew 12:21,
Matthew 12:21 (NLT)
21 And his name will be the hope of all the world.
But how can the world hear of this great hope unless we proclaim it to them?
Romans 10:13–14 (NLT)
13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
We want to proclaim that real and eternal hope to all who are lost and hopeless. We want to tell them about Jesus first, in this community, then, as far as the Lord will take us. We want people to know the hope we have in Jesus Christ is an anchor for the soul.
3). We want to DISCIPLE every person who chooses to follow Jesus Christ as their Lord.
Way back in January 2009, we made a radical commitment to stop all activity in this church that wasn’t (in some way) teaching others how to follow Jesus. We completely refocused our efforts on Discipleship… and we lost one-third of the Church because of it. And maybe it was because of the way we handled it. But one thing I know – the Bible commissions us to help one another follow Jesus in a very real way. We decided that the last verses in Matthew were not The Great Suggestion – but were indeed The Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19–20 (ESV)
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What a great promise – what a great commission!
Discipleship is: Us helping one another follow Jesus so closely, that our lives are actually transformed by him.
The Bible never calls anyone to follow Jesus alone. The new life of following Jesus is always done in community.
We want to help one another WORSHIP Jesus as LORD in everything we do.
We want to PROCLAIM TOGETHER that Jesus Christ is the only real and eternal hope.
We want to GROW and MATURE as Christ-followers together.
WORSHIP – PROCLAIM – DISCIPLE
That’s how we live as a Church. So that’s who we are as a Church.