Plane ticket to Turkey $1,200
Luggage $ 800
Passport and bugspray $ 250
Ready to go? Ready to raise your kids in a foreign country? Ready to learn new cultures and new languages? Ready to exchange comforts of home for uncertainty and bare necessities? Will you be ready to love those who might reject or even hate you and your message? Are you ready? Are you called? Will it be YOU? You can play a role!
Missionaries reaching Turkey with the Gospel Priceless
In leading up to our Love Offering for Jesus, I have been highlighting each of the areas where our money is going. 30% of our total missions giving will go towards our Lottie Moon Offering. This offering will go to directly help the foreign mission efforts of our missionaries throughout the world. We, as God’s people, are called to do all we can to carry forth the Gospel to those who are without Christ. Every Trinity member can not go to every part of the world, but we can help send those who have a heart for a particular area and people group. According to the International Mission Board website, there are approximately 1.5 BILLION people who have not heard the Good News of saving work of Jesus Christ. This offering will directly help our Southern Baptist Missionaries to go to the “uttermost” parts of the Earth - we have the opportunity to invest in this amazing venture! I know we are in time of financial uncertainty, but when America holds the majority of the world’s wealth, I believe it is incumbent upon each of us to do what we can to help the Good News of Jesus Christ go throughout the World. There has never been a day that more desperate than ours – we live in a day that we are not just dealing with the destiny of souls, we are dealing with the destiny of the entire world. Take a moment and watch the video below and try to put a price tag on the necessity of evangelism.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Our Annie Armstrong Offering:
Ten percent of our Love Offering For Jesus will go towards our North American Missions. This will be an offering that will greatly impact our “Judea”. There tends to be a common “lackadaisical” attitude many times when dealing with missions in North America - but I want to encourage you to look closely at the fields for “they are white with harvest.” You may not believe this to be a true mission field - well, the NAMB says that there are 251 million unbelievers in the United States, Canada and their territories! This is not including the scores of people who fill our churches, week in and week out, that sing the songs and claim the name of a believer, but in truth have no relationship with Christ whatsoever. Do I need to remind you that we have a President who has proclaimed that: “America is not a Christian nation”…? Now I believe the President could not be more wrong - if he were to simply study the history of this great nation he would see evidence of a Christian base, but I don’t believe he is far off if he were to ignore the history and only look at us today. Today we have a government that pays for abortions, teaches our children that evolution is an irrefutable fact, adultery is rampant and there seems to be little reverence and fear of God even in many churches.
Our Annie Armstrong Offering will go to help battle against the great darkness that permeates our culture. It is used to help church planters, it is used to help the disaster relief teams that will go in and help when catastrophes hit our homeland, and other important aspects of ministry. During these times of distress, when people may be more open to hearing someone tell them about the love of Christ – these mission teams are showing them the love of Christ. We have the opportunity to invest in this Kingdom work! Please use this time to pray for those that are in North America – those that are daily ministering in places and to people we may never come across but we have the joy of enabling the Gospel to be delivered to them. What a great joy!
Our Annie Armstrong Offering will go to help battle against the great darkness that permeates our culture. It is used to help church planters, it is used to help the disaster relief teams that will go in and help when catastrophes hit our homeland, and other important aspects of ministry. During these times of distress, when people may be more open to hearing someone tell them about the love of Christ – these mission teams are showing them the love of Christ. We have the opportunity to invest in this Kingdom work! Please use this time to pray for those that are in North America – those that are daily ministering in places and to people we may never come across but we have the joy of enabling the Gospel to be delivered to them. What a great joy!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Important Dates Coming Up for our Trinity Family!
I want to take some time on this blog and ask you to put some very important dates on your calendar. These will be very “big days” in the life of Trinity and I trust that you will be in prayer, asking God to direct your desires in what area of service you will be involved in:
August 23 & 30: On Sunday morning August 23rd as a church we will be making a commitment to our Love Offering For Jesus. This will cover all of our Missions giving for the year. We will begin our actual giving on August 30 and will give each week until December 27th . At the end of these 18 weeks most of the families at Trinity will probably give more to missions than they ever have previously. Use this opportunity to encourage your children to give and express to them the importance of carrying the Gospel throughout the world. As you discuss this decision in the days ahead, include your children in the discussion – talk about what you spend each week on eating out, coffee at Starbucks, entertainment and/or cell phone bills….then talk about how God can do miracles with ANYTHING we commit to Him….each week let them be a part of the “collection” and discussion of missions in your home! Maybe choose one missions area to highlight each week and discuss the work they are doing and pray for them every night at dinner or before bed! Every member of Trinity should give to this in some way, we must be a church that will put feet and money to the Great Commission. When we receive the total amount we will send it out in the following percentages that the Missions Team had set up previously:
30% Lottie Moon
10% Annie Armstrong
1% Margaret Lackey
1% Farrow Manor Children’s Village
1% Gideon’s
57% Missions Operations (TBC)
September 2: A brand new schedule is underway for Wednesday nights!! As we begin AWANA, it will require some more time to assure everything will get done for our boys and girls in this exciting new adventure. There will be more information on the way but here is the schedule/times for our Wednesday evenings. Please make special notes of the time changes for the areas of service you are in and “be there!”(smiling)….
4:45 – 5:50 - Dinner in Gym
6:00 – 7:15 - Bible Study in Sanctuary
6:00 – 7:30 - AWANA
7:15 – 8:30 - Choir Rehearsal
September 6: A day that we have been talking about and praying about will finally be upon us: we will begin our Peace Maker Sunday School curriculum! Our children, students, and adult classes will all be going through this wonderful series. I will also be preaching on this subject in our main service. This should be a life changing endeavor for Trinity Baptist Church as we focus on honoring Christ and glorifying Him in every area of our life, including conflict!
September 13: We wanted to wait until Labor Day weekend passed, so this is the week that our brand new Sunday Schedule will begin! As you can tell from the following changes, we will be offering our Bible Study classes on Sundays from 4:30-5:50. Now, obviously you can meet another night for Bible study if desired (with the exception of Wednesday), but the classes that normally meet on Wednesday will move to this hour as a general rule. We are doing this so AWANA can be the focal point on Wednesdays and we can allow as many people as possible to serve in this area. Please notice also that Kids' Praise will give our children an area of service while our parents are in their classes as it will meet during this time slot! We will offer separate classes for men, women, as well as a parenting class.
9:00 Bible Fellowship Groups
10:30 Worship Service
4:30 Bible Study Classes and Kid's Praise Classes
6:00 Evening Worship Service
As always, there are plenty of ministry opportunities in the areas of Nursery, AWANA, and Choir! I cannot think of a better time to jump in and get into the swing of things, than now when the new schedule will necessitate some changes! We have moved some times/ministries around in an effort to allow more of our members to be involved in more ministries – this is your chance to get in on it! Now, you can be in choir, do a Bible Study AND help in AWANA – all at the same time! Oops…and keep nursery one time a month as well (I wouldn’t leave that out – everyone should be on that list already!)…And, while you are ministering and growing, your children will be as well as they are involved on Wednesdays in one of the best Scripturally based children’s ministry tools out there, and they will be in Kids’ Praise on Sunday afternoons!
There are many things going on over the next few months - get in on it and expect God to do some great things our church family during this time! Now would be a great time to invite your friends to Trinity and to get in touch with those who have been out for a little while! The fall is a great time to “gear up” and get in motion – there is plenty to do and areas of service for everyone…what a great time to get involved!
August 23 & 30: On Sunday morning August 23rd as a church we will be making a commitment to our Love Offering For Jesus. This will cover all of our Missions giving for the year. We will begin our actual giving on August 30 and will give each week until December 27th . At the end of these 18 weeks most of the families at Trinity will probably give more to missions than they ever have previously. Use this opportunity to encourage your children to give and express to them the importance of carrying the Gospel throughout the world. As you discuss this decision in the days ahead, include your children in the discussion – talk about what you spend each week on eating out, coffee at Starbucks, entertainment and/or cell phone bills….then talk about how God can do miracles with ANYTHING we commit to Him….each week let them be a part of the “collection” and discussion of missions in your home! Maybe choose one missions area to highlight each week and discuss the work they are doing and pray for them every night at dinner or before bed! Every member of Trinity should give to this in some way, we must be a church that will put feet and money to the Great Commission. When we receive the total amount we will send it out in the following percentages that the Missions Team had set up previously:
30% Lottie Moon
10% Annie Armstrong
1% Margaret Lackey
1% Farrow Manor Children’s Village
1% Gideon’s
57% Missions Operations (TBC)
September 2: A brand new schedule is underway for Wednesday nights!! As we begin AWANA, it will require some more time to assure everything will get done for our boys and girls in this exciting new adventure. There will be more information on the way but here is the schedule/times for our Wednesday evenings. Please make special notes of the time changes for the areas of service you are in and “be there!”(smiling)….
4:45 – 5:50 - Dinner in Gym
6:00 – 7:15 - Bible Study in Sanctuary
6:00 – 7:30 - AWANA
7:15 – 8:30 - Choir Rehearsal
September 6: A day that we have been talking about and praying about will finally be upon us: we will begin our Peace Maker Sunday School curriculum! Our children, students, and adult classes will all be going through this wonderful series. I will also be preaching on this subject in our main service. This should be a life changing endeavor for Trinity Baptist Church as we focus on honoring Christ and glorifying Him in every area of our life, including conflict!
September 13: We wanted to wait until Labor Day weekend passed, so this is the week that our brand new Sunday Schedule will begin! As you can tell from the following changes, we will be offering our Bible Study classes on Sundays from 4:30-5:50. Now, obviously you can meet another night for Bible study if desired (with the exception of Wednesday), but the classes that normally meet on Wednesday will move to this hour as a general rule. We are doing this so AWANA can be the focal point on Wednesdays and we can allow as many people as possible to serve in this area. Please notice also that Kids' Praise will give our children an area of service while our parents are in their classes as it will meet during this time slot! We will offer separate classes for men, women, as well as a parenting class.
9:00 Bible Fellowship Groups
10:30 Worship Service
4:30 Bible Study Classes and Kid's Praise Classes
6:00 Evening Worship Service
As always, there are plenty of ministry opportunities in the areas of Nursery, AWANA, and Choir! I cannot think of a better time to jump in and get into the swing of things, than now when the new schedule will necessitate some changes! We have moved some times/ministries around in an effort to allow more of our members to be involved in more ministries – this is your chance to get in on it! Now, you can be in choir, do a Bible Study AND help in AWANA – all at the same time! Oops…and keep nursery one time a month as well (I wouldn’t leave that out – everyone should be on that list already!)…And, while you are ministering and growing, your children will be as well as they are involved on Wednesdays in one of the best Scripturally based children’s ministry tools out there, and they will be in Kids’ Praise on Sunday afternoons!
There are many things going on over the next few months - get in on it and expect God to do some great things our church family during this time! Now would be a great time to invite your friends to Trinity and to get in touch with those who have been out for a little while! The fall is a great time to “gear up” and get in motion – there is plenty to do and areas of service for everyone…what a great time to get involved!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
What Hinders a Community?
There are a few times when I come across something on the internet and I just have to put it to my blog. One of my joys in having a blog is the opportunity to just share my heart with our people. However, I came across two great posts on John Piper’s blog, both of them are from a question and answer time from Paul Tripp. We have a book written by Paul’s brother on the Pastor Picks table entitled “Shepherding A Child’s Heart” (I would recommend any parent with children between 0-10 read this book). Anyway, Paul is commenting on the church in America and he makes some very insightful statements, I thought it would be very beneficial if our people at Trinity took the time to read and contemplate on his words. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.
What Hinders Community?
May 21, 2009 | By: Abraham Piper
Category: Commentary
Here is the final question from our interview with Paul Tripp.
What is the greatest hindrance to cultivating community in the American church?
The first thing that comes to mind is frenetic western-culture busyness.
I read a book on stress a few years back, and the author made a side comment that I thought was so insightful. He said that the highest value of materialistic western culture is not possessing. It's actually acquiring.
If you're a go-getter you never stop. And so the guy who is lavishly successful doesn't quit, because there are greater levels of success. "My house could be bigger, I could drive better cars, I could have more power, I could have more money."
And so we've bought an unbiblical definition of the good life of success. Our kids have to be skilled at three sports and play four musical instruments, and our house has to be lavish by whatever standard. And all of that stuff is eating time, eating energy, eating money. And it doesn't promote community.
I think often that even the programs of a local church are too sectored and too busy. As if we're trying to program godliness. And so the family is actually never together because they're all in demographic groupings. Where do we have time where we are pursuing relationships with one another, living with one another, praying with one another, talking with one another?
I've talked to a lot of families who literally think it's a victory to have 3 or 4 meals all together with one another in a week, because they're so busy. Well, if in that family unit they're not experiencing community, there's no hope of them experiencing it outside of that family unit.
We have families that will show up at our church on Sunday morning with the boys dressed in their little league outfits, and I know what's going to happen. They're going to leave the service early. Now what a value message to that little boy! Do I think little league is bad? I don't think it's bad at all. I think it's great. But they're telling him what's important as they do that.
You can't fit God's dream (if I can use that language) for his church inside of the American dream and have it work. It's a radically different lifestyle. It just won't squeeze into the available spaces of the time and energy that's left over.
And I'm as much seduced by that as anybody. We have sold our four-bedroom house because our kids are gone, and we've bought a loft in Chinatown, Philadelphia. And we're amazed at how simple our life has become. We're grieving over how we let our life get so complicated.
Last year, for example, I put almost $2,500 worth of gas in my car. This year, I've put $159 in the first quarter. It's because we're walking places, and that slows our life down, and we're near the people in our church because we're within walking distance of the church. And we've had so many natural encounters with people because of that.
We're living in a much smaller place. We got rid of most of our stuff. As we went through it, we laughed about how we just collected stuff. All that stuff has to be maintained. It grabs your heart, it grabs your schedule, it grabs your time. It becomes a source of worry and concern and need to pay.
So we've just been confronted with how all of those things that aren't evil in themselves become the complications of life that keep us away from the kind of community that we need in order to hold on to our identity.
* * *
What Hinders Community?
May 21, 2009 | By: Abraham Piper
Category: Commentary
Here is the final question from our interview with Paul Tripp.
What is the greatest hindrance to cultivating community in the American church?
The first thing that comes to mind is frenetic western-culture busyness.
I read a book on stress a few years back, and the author made a side comment that I thought was so insightful. He said that the highest value of materialistic western culture is not possessing. It's actually acquiring.
If you're a go-getter you never stop. And so the guy who is lavishly successful doesn't quit, because there are greater levels of success. "My house could be bigger, I could drive better cars, I could have more power, I could have more money."
And so we've bought an unbiblical definition of the good life of success. Our kids have to be skilled at three sports and play four musical instruments, and our house has to be lavish by whatever standard. And all of that stuff is eating time, eating energy, eating money. And it doesn't promote community.
I think often that even the programs of a local church are too sectored and too busy. As if we're trying to program godliness. And so the family is actually never together because they're all in demographic groupings. Where do we have time where we are pursuing relationships with one another, living with one another, praying with one another, talking with one another?
I've talked to a lot of families who literally think it's a victory to have 3 or 4 meals all together with one another in a week, because they're so busy. Well, if in that family unit they're not experiencing community, there's no hope of them experiencing it outside of that family unit.
We have families that will show up at our church on Sunday morning with the boys dressed in their little league outfits, and I know what's going to happen. They're going to leave the service early. Now what a value message to that little boy! Do I think little league is bad? I don't think it's bad at all. I think it's great. But they're telling him what's important as they do that.
You can't fit God's dream (if I can use that language) for his church inside of the American dream and have it work. It's a radically different lifestyle. It just won't squeeze into the available spaces of the time and energy that's left over.
And I'm as much seduced by that as anybody. We have sold our four-bedroom house because our kids are gone, and we've bought a loft in Chinatown, Philadelphia. And we're amazed at how simple our life has become. We're grieving over how we let our life get so complicated.
Last year, for example, I put almost $2,500 worth of gas in my car. This year, I've put $159 in the first quarter. It's because we're walking places, and that slows our life down, and we're near the people in our church because we're within walking distance of the church. And we've had so many natural encounters with people because of that.
We're living in a much smaller place. We got rid of most of our stuff. As we went through it, we laughed about how we just collected stuff. All that stuff has to be maintained. It grabs your heart, it grabs your schedule, it grabs your time. It becomes a source of worry and concern and need to pay.
So we've just been confronted with how all of those things that aren't evil in themselves become the complications of life that keep us away from the kind of community that we need in order to hold on to our identity.
* * *
Friday, July 10, 2009
A Key To Growth
Over the last several weeks I have rejoiced to see the great number of people we have had come to know Christ and I have been excited about the number of people who have come for membership into our fellowship. This year our average attendance is up, our giving is up, and we are getting staff into place! All of this is extremely exciting - however none of the aforementioned things are growth indicators. I mean we serve a God who saves as He wills, not based on how well, or poorly I preach, or how inspiring our services can be. We serve a God who said He will grow His Church. As I stated, what I will be accountable for on that Great Day as your Pastor is how faithful I have been in feeding you the Word of God. I told you that I would worry about the depth of our growth and allow Christ to worry about the breadth of growth in His Church. However, there is one thing that can serve as in indicator of the growth in our church and in our lives - the great hunger to read. A couple of Sunday’s ago I preached a sermon on “Parenting” and recommended a few books - before everyone had left for home, those books were sold out. Because we live in a church culture that tries to sound spiritual by saying things like: “I just read the Bible,” or you have another group that will not read and think at the same time so anything that comes across their eyes they take it as the gospel. Both of those are way off base. I think you know me better than to assume that your Pastor is someone who would recommend that you choose other books over the Bible, but we must be people who are readers and thinkers…and amazingly many times these two go hand in hand! I love the quote by the Prince of Preachers - Charles Spurgeon:
As the apostle says to Timothy, so also he says to every-one, ‘Give yourself to reading.’ ... He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own... You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works….”
I just want to encourage you to continue to read, but be discerning in your reading. I once had a friend that read a lot but never considered the doctrine of what he was reading…and is confused to this day, easily swayed by whatever popular movement comes along. Use the Pastor’s Picks at our book table for your benefit. These books are not there because our church makes money on them or because we are in partnership with any publisher – they are simply there because I want you to be careful what you pick up to read…and these are solid authors and books of great value! Remember our conversation about The Shack and other such heretical reading? This table, this ministry is there to keep us focused on what is quality reading and to guard us from picking up what is at best, trash and at worst, dangerous books. Take some time and thank Mrs. Dody for her faithfulness in keeping track of those books and making sure we can give them to you at such a discounted price. Thank her for taking her ministry to the Lord so seriously - she is always there, always smiling, and always more than helpful. In the coming days we will be bringing in new books, so read what you have and then get more! Turn off the TV and read! In doing this, you will not only be better equipped, but you will be blessed and enabled to bless others! Readers, thinkers, believers—now isn’t that a novel way to grow a church????
As the apostle says to Timothy, so also he says to every-one, ‘Give yourself to reading.’ ... He who will not use the thoughts of other men’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own... You need to read. Renounce as much as you will all light literature, but study as much as possible sound theological works….”
I just want to encourage you to continue to read, but be discerning in your reading. I once had a friend that read a lot but never considered the doctrine of what he was reading…and is confused to this day, easily swayed by whatever popular movement comes along. Use the Pastor’s Picks at our book table for your benefit. These books are not there because our church makes money on them or because we are in partnership with any publisher – they are simply there because I want you to be careful what you pick up to read…and these are solid authors and books of great value! Remember our conversation about The Shack and other such heretical reading? This table, this ministry is there to keep us focused on what is quality reading and to guard us from picking up what is at best, trash and at worst, dangerous books. Take some time and thank Mrs. Dody for her faithfulness in keeping track of those books and making sure we can give them to you at such a discounted price. Thank her for taking her ministry to the Lord so seriously - she is always there, always smiling, and always more than helpful. In the coming days we will be bringing in new books, so read what you have and then get more! Turn off the TV and read! In doing this, you will not only be better equipped, but you will be blessed and enabled to bless others! Readers, thinkers, believers—now isn’t that a novel way to grow a church????
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Wishing Bro. Brian Wright and Family Well....
In just a few week Bro. Brian Wright will be leaving - beginning a new ministry in Madison, MS. As I stated Sunday night, many of our Trinity Members could give long lists of what Bro. Brian and his family have meant to them and how much they love him. However, I wanted to take a moment and share with you my thoughts about Bro. Brian and use this moment as a teaching time - where we as the body of Christ can learn some valuable lessons from the departure of Bro. Brian.
First, I want to restate what I said Sunday night: I have never seen a staff member love a church the way Bro. Brian loves Trinity. The time and energy he has sacrificed since I have been there displays his dedication to our fellowship…but the attitude in which he does all that he does in ministry, says much more about the love he has for Trinity. He has been a friend to me in the time we have shared together, he has enlightened me on Trinity’s history, and he has shared with me bits of wisdom when he knew it would help my new ministry at Trinity. Over the last six months Bro. Brian has not simply been a good staff member, but he has been a friend and wonderful advisor me. Thank you Bro. Brian - our prayer is that you and your family have an incredible ministry in Madison, MS.
Secondly, I think this will allow us as a church to really think through the way we interact with our staff and other people we love. Bro. Brian has seen Trinity at her worst and at her best, and all of the in between times. We need to make sure in the days ahead that we do not wait until someone resigns to let them know what they mean to us! It is true that Trinity has invested in Bro. Brian, but we must not forget that Bro. Brian has also invested in Trinity. When I first came, Bro. Brian informed me he was in talks with another church, and this seemed contrary to what individuals were telling me… Many had informed me that Bro. Brian had been here too long and that he would never leave. Let’s use this opportunity to remind ourselves that no one will be with us on this earth forever - either they will move or one of us will go home to be with our Lord. Never, believe that someone will always be around just because they have been around so long. God had other plans for Bro. Brian and he and his family will be better for following the Lord, and we at Trinity will be better also, because HIS will is what we all seek.
Last but not least; I have seen written before that “When a man goes to another church he sees it as a graduation (another step in life) and wants people to celebrate, but too often the church sees it as a divorce and wants revenge.” I have spoken with many of you and have not sensed that at all in your hearts; however, don’t use this time to finally “tell him what you think about _______” - use this time to love and serve him. On July 13th we will celebrate with Bro. Brian and his family and wish them well on their new endeavor. We will have a fellowship for him that evening after our services. Use this time to minister to him and his family and let them know how much you love them. As I said Sunday night - pray that this new church will love and honor Bro. Brian as well as Trinity has loved and honored us upon our arrival.
First, I want to restate what I said Sunday night: I have never seen a staff member love a church the way Bro. Brian loves Trinity. The time and energy he has sacrificed since I have been there displays his dedication to our fellowship…but the attitude in which he does all that he does in ministry, says much more about the love he has for Trinity. He has been a friend to me in the time we have shared together, he has enlightened me on Trinity’s history, and he has shared with me bits of wisdom when he knew it would help my new ministry at Trinity. Over the last six months Bro. Brian has not simply been a good staff member, but he has been a friend and wonderful advisor me. Thank you Bro. Brian - our prayer is that you and your family have an incredible ministry in Madison, MS.
Secondly, I think this will allow us as a church to really think through the way we interact with our staff and other people we love. Bro. Brian has seen Trinity at her worst and at her best, and all of the in between times. We need to make sure in the days ahead that we do not wait until someone resigns to let them know what they mean to us! It is true that Trinity has invested in Bro. Brian, but we must not forget that Bro. Brian has also invested in Trinity. When I first came, Bro. Brian informed me he was in talks with another church, and this seemed contrary to what individuals were telling me… Many had informed me that Bro. Brian had been here too long and that he would never leave. Let’s use this opportunity to remind ourselves that no one will be with us on this earth forever - either they will move or one of us will go home to be with our Lord. Never, believe that someone will always be around just because they have been around so long. God had other plans for Bro. Brian and he and his family will be better for following the Lord, and we at Trinity will be better also, because HIS will is what we all seek.
Last but not least; I have seen written before that “When a man goes to another church he sees it as a graduation (another step in life) and wants people to celebrate, but too often the church sees it as a divorce and wants revenge.” I have spoken with many of you and have not sensed that at all in your hearts; however, don’t use this time to finally “tell him what you think about _______” - use this time to love and serve him. On July 13th we will celebrate with Bro. Brian and his family and wish them well on their new endeavor. We will have a fellowship for him that evening after our services. Use this time to minister to him and his family and let them know how much you love them. As I said Sunday night - pray that this new church will love and honor Bro. Brian as well as Trinity has loved and honored us upon our arrival.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Vision for Trinity: Part 2
This is a continuation (obviously by the title) of my last post, but I want to express to you why I am revisiting these points. There is an idea that as a Pastor, one should really establish a CEO mentality and set fourth a vision of 15 ministries, how many buildings we should have and how many members we should be running in Worship. The truth is, my desire is to have a biblically healthy church. That is my goal now, and by the grace of God that will be my goal in 15 years. If we are healthy, we will have ministries that develop, just as a healthy child develops physically. What I am trying to do in these blogs is take some time and paint a picture as to what that should look like. I love this next point because we have seen great steps in this area recently and as time goes we will see even greater steps:
Biblical Understanding Of Conversion:
When are healthy when we get away from “praying the prayer” and we understand salvation as more than a prayer and a group of facts – but rather that it is a turning from sin to faith in Christ. This faith is more than believing facts… that is where it begins - but it moves much deeper than head knowledge to a heart love and dependency on Christ. It is a faith that finds all of its satisfaction in Christ. Like He told the woman at the well (that she “would never thirst again”) it is that Christ is my highest delight and supreme treasure. If it is true salvation, I will “endure to the end” and I will not abandon the faith. When a church understands this, their counseling looks different and the way they present the gospel sounds different than much of today’s easy belief-ism. They way they see missions is different. This growth is never fully completed in a church because there will always be wolves and goats - and a true church trumpets the pure picture of what biblical conversion looks like, and they do this from the children to the senior adults.
If our understanding of conversion is correct, our evangelism will be correct. If we understand what conversion is, we will be able to articulate that properly to the lost. My evangelism will not be filled with gimmicks; it will not present Christ as a “value-added” to my life. I cannot, with integrity, present Christ as one who will save you to give you “your best life now”, but rather I will present Him as someone who demands everything when you come to Him. I will understand that the best way to ensure one grows in their faith is that they are plugged in to a group of believers who love one another and teach the truth. If a church does this, they will form relationships with the lost, they will feed the hungry, they will plant churches, they will send out missionaries. This can be done out of God giving burdens to people, families, and Sunday School classes and working under the umbrella of the local church to be more effective and accountable to accomplishing the Great Commission. How will this be accomplished? I don’t know – and that is what makes all this exciting! I have no idea the types of people God has brought, and is bringing, to Trinity who are not using their gifts and talents in a way to carry out Kingdom work. But as God continues to do a work of sanctification, new ministries and opportunities will be born out of the hearts of His people and we will be astounded to see how He uses us.
Biblical Understanding Of Membership, Discipline, Growth and Leadership:
All this can fall under one heading. When we at Trinity get our membership roles under control and as we are setting up more extensive membership classes - and as we as a Church are living under covenant with one another, then we will be going full steam ahead in the right direction. This will take time, it will take staff being in position, and it will take leadership walking with us through this. But when we see what being a member is, and we know we are accountable to one another and I am not an island to myself, and that I am growing and helping others grow because we are body, and that I have a vested interest in your testimony and growth because we are all in this together, then we will begin to grow as a biblical church! Through time, as this is accomplished, it will be astounding to see what all God will do at Trinity. If we have a biblical church and biblical leadership, God will honor and bless His Word. When these biblical principals are put into practice, churches become what God wants them to be - not what man wants them to be. They impact the World for the Gospel…they understand church isn’t about what they want, but what God wants.
Biblical Understanding Of Conversion:
When are healthy when we get away from “praying the prayer” and we understand salvation as more than a prayer and a group of facts – but rather that it is a turning from sin to faith in Christ. This faith is more than believing facts… that is where it begins - but it moves much deeper than head knowledge to a heart love and dependency on Christ. It is a faith that finds all of its satisfaction in Christ. Like He told the woman at the well (that she “would never thirst again”) it is that Christ is my highest delight and supreme treasure. If it is true salvation, I will “endure to the end” and I will not abandon the faith. When a church understands this, their counseling looks different and the way they present the gospel sounds different than much of today’s easy belief-ism. They way they see missions is different. This growth is never fully completed in a church because there will always be wolves and goats - and a true church trumpets the pure picture of what biblical conversion looks like, and they do this from the children to the senior adults.
If our understanding of conversion is correct, our evangelism will be correct. If we understand what conversion is, we will be able to articulate that properly to the lost. My evangelism will not be filled with gimmicks; it will not present Christ as a “value-added” to my life. I cannot, with integrity, present Christ as one who will save you to give you “your best life now”, but rather I will present Him as someone who demands everything when you come to Him. I will understand that the best way to ensure one grows in their faith is that they are plugged in to a group of believers who love one another and teach the truth. If a church does this, they will form relationships with the lost, they will feed the hungry, they will plant churches, they will send out missionaries. This can be done out of God giving burdens to people, families, and Sunday School classes and working under the umbrella of the local church to be more effective and accountable to accomplishing the Great Commission. How will this be accomplished? I don’t know – and that is what makes all this exciting! I have no idea the types of people God has brought, and is bringing, to Trinity who are not using their gifts and talents in a way to carry out Kingdom work. But as God continues to do a work of sanctification, new ministries and opportunities will be born out of the hearts of His people and we will be astounded to see how He uses us.
Biblical Understanding Of Membership, Discipline, Growth and Leadership:
All this can fall under one heading. When we at Trinity get our membership roles under control and as we are setting up more extensive membership classes - and as we as a Church are living under covenant with one another, then we will be going full steam ahead in the right direction. This will take time, it will take staff being in position, and it will take leadership walking with us through this. But when we see what being a member is, and we know we are accountable to one another and I am not an island to myself, and that I am growing and helping others grow because we are body, and that I have a vested interest in your testimony and growth because we are all in this together, then we will begin to grow as a biblical church! Through time, as this is accomplished, it will be astounding to see what all God will do at Trinity. If we have a biblical church and biblical leadership, God will honor and bless His Word. When these biblical principals are put into practice, churches become what God wants them to be - not what man wants them to be. They impact the World for the Gospel…they understand church isn’t about what they want, but what God wants.
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