Well, I think an amen is due after the singing
of the choir and the hymn that we've just sung,
for we've spent this time in prayer, our thoughts
and hearts being directed to the Lord. Would
you now open your Bible, please, to 1 Corinthians
chapter 3, to the verse that we've been using
as a starting point, a touchstone, through these
four weeks of January, as we've thought about
our church in the 90s. I'm looking especially
at verse 10 that says, according to the grace
of God which was given to me, as a wise master
builder I laid a foundation. Another is building
upon it, but let each man be careful how he builds
upon it. One of the noted characteristics of
our culture as we enter the 90s is an increasing
tendency toward individualism. I believe that
this is an indication of societal degeneration.
An example of that is in the way that we view
liberties or rights as a people. Traditionally
and historically, our liberties were viewed in
reference to the good of the whole of society.
But in the last 25 years or so, the liberties
or the rights that people talk about are merely
personal rights without any respect to the welfare
of society or of others. This same tendency toward
privatization is seen in the Church of Jesus
Christ. We are a private people. We tend to have
difficulty relating to others, whether in small
groups or large. We talk about personal salvation.
And of course we should, because salvation is
personal. One is saved as a person. But on the
other hand, we are called of Jesus Christ to
be the people of God, not the persons of God.
Schaefer put it this way, salvation is individual,
but not individualistic. People cannot become
Christians except one at a time and yet our salvation
is not solitary. God's people are called together
in community. I believe that to the extent that
we allow ourselves to withdraw from others and
practice our faith unto ourselves as individuals
alone. We are worldly. We need to recover the
sense of corporate identity that God wants us
to have as his people. God has called us to be
a part of something that is far bigger than we
ourselves alone. Let me suggest this morning
four aspects to the church that God has called
you to be a part of and to share in. In the first
place, there is the cosmic church. You are identified
with all believers from the first century, the
day of Pentecost, until the present. That is
the cosmic aspect of the church. And then there
is the global church, for you are in the same
body with Christians in every culture and every
nation in the world right now at this time. the
global church. And then there is the regional
church. For you and I are one with other believers
in this region. Let's say for illustration sake,
the Twin Cities region. However you may define
that. We who believe in Jesus Christ in this
region are a body of people. And then fourthly,
there is the local church. For you and I are
joined in heart and purpose with others with
whom we regularly meet for fellowship and worship.
It is the local aspect of the Church that is
the emphasis in the New Testament, though the
others are also clearly seen. It's hard for us
to identify with the cosmic reality of the Church,
to think of being one with those who've already
died, who lived generations or centuries ago.
It's somewhat easier, at least in our day of
fast communication and transportation, to think
of the global church and how we relate to others
in other parts of the world. It's still easier
to think of the regional church, but perhaps
the most important, the most real aspect of the
church to us and to any people is the local church.
It is in the local church that God has called
us primarily. to invest our energy, our time,
our money, our gifts. And God has designed us,
each of us, to make a contribution to the good
of the whole local church. There are no exceptions
to that. Dr. R .G. Lee, who was for decades one
of the greatest preachers of America. A pastor
at a great church in Memphis, Tennessee, related
a story during his ministry regarding tools in
a tool room of a master carpenter. Late at night,
the tools were wrangling and quarreling among
themselves, says Dr. Lee. Brother Hammer had
the floor, but the other tools were shouting
for him to leave because he was so noisy. Worse,
they said. If he wasn't banging around, he was
always clawing at things. Well, if I am to leave
the carpenter's shop, then Brother Punch must
leave too. He's so insignificant that when he
has finished his work, he seems to have made
no impression at all. Well, Brother Punch saw
the point and said, If you wish I go, I will
do so, but Brother Screw must go with me. You
have to turn him around and around again and
again to get him into anything." Brother Screw
said, well, turn me out if you wish and I'll
go, but Brother Plane has to leave also. He seems
to be doing a lot of work around here, but it's
all superficial, surface work with no depth to
it at all. Brother Plane responded thinly, I'll
glide out if you wish. but Brother Ruhl must
get out too. He's always laying down on the job
and measuring others by his own standards. Brother
Ruhl said he'd not get out of line, but he added,
if I go, then Brother Sandpaper must go with
me because he's always rubbing things the wrong
way, never leaves things as they are, but always
tries to smooth things over. Well, Sandpaper
said, if I go, I'll go, but Brother Rasp goes
too, since he likes to trim edges and cut corners."
Brother Rasp laughed, saying, if we both go,
then Brother Saw must go, since he works against
the grain most of the time. Brother Saw didn't
see it that way. He said, it's all Brother Nail's
fault. He drives himself into things sharply
and has a piercing way about himself. Brother
Nail was bent out of shape over that cut. Soon
the tools had wrangled away the night, and the
master carpenter arrived for his day work. He
put on an apron and went to the bench and regarded
his plan. He had a pulpit he wished to make that
would last through the ages of the world and
would be used to proclaim the message of his
love and grace to men. He took the rule and measured
some boards, and then he used the saw to cut
them to length. He reached for the plane and
the rasp to trim them properly. He used the hammer,
the screw, and the punch. He finished his pulpit
by smoothing it with sandpaper. By day's end,
the master carpenter completed his pulpit, and
it was perfect. After he had gone, the tools
were silent. They had discovered that the master
carpenter had a work for each of them to perform,
and that when each of them worked together with
the others, the work was accomplished. The master
carpenter's will was done, and the work was perfect
because each tool submitted itself to that which
it was brought into existence to do. I think
from that parable you can see the point, can't
you? In all of our diversity and differences,
God has called us together to build a local church,
a pulpit if you please, to proclaim the grace
and the glory of God. He has called us together
to build a local church that is consistent with
His Word. using principles that are effective
and God -honoring. But what kind of a church
is that? What are those principles? And what
will our church look like in the 90s if we use
them? Well, we've talked about seven of them
thus far this month, and I want to close out
this series this morning by pointing out an eighth.
I believe that God would have us to be in the
90s a church where everyone feels a sense of
ownership and commitment to the mission that
God has given us. Now a mission is a specific
assignment that God gives to us. It is a task
He wants us to fulfill. It is our reason for
being called into existence. On our worship folder
we have printed for you a mission. You may want
just to take a look at that. It's there every
Sunday. In fact, it's there so much that maybe
we've forgotten it's there. But on the back of
the, not the worship folder, but the newsletter,
you find at the bottom a listing of the staff,
but just above that it says, Grace Church Roseville
is a community of believers. We're not individuals
only. We are a community of believers. whose
purpose is worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ,
evangelizing the lost, and edifying its members
through teaching the Word, service, and fellowship.
We believe that that statement gives the broad
sense of purpose for us as a congregation. I'd
like to compare that statement this morning to
an arrow, at least to the shaft of the arrow.
the shaft that must be straight and well formed
in order for that arrow to hit its mark. But
there is another part to an arrow besides the
shaft, and that is the point. It is the head
of the arrow. It is the tip that is sharp, so
that when the shaft is let go by the bow, it
flies straight and punches the target and sinks
in. because it has that sharpened edge on the
front of it that we call the head or the tip
of the arrow. If this is in fact, this statement
is in fact our shaft, what is the point, what
is the tip that will cause our arrow to sink
in and strike home at the target? I'd like to
suggest to you that our more specific mission
That sharpened head of the arrow can be described
in terms of the cultural keys that we have talked
about now for a number of months. Some time ago
I drew up a statement regarding cultural keys,
trying to explain the need for them and to define
them. I'd like just to read a couple of sentences
from this for you. Many of you have seen this,
some of you have it in your hands and materials
given to you in your leadership positions. But
here is what cultural keys is all about. We live
in a time when traditional methods of evangelizing
are of questionable effectiveness. People in
our generation are generally distrustful of institutions
and that includes the religion and the church.
Many have low tolerance for verbal witness that
is not undergirded with this demonstrable faith.
They want to see religious conviction and profession
fleshed out. and practical, meaningful ways.
Such give credibility in their thinking to the
witness of the gospel message proclaimed. Cultural
keys are those means by which believers can gain
the privilege of presenting the living Christ
to the lost. They create the possibility of relationships
that allow the unconverted to see and feel the
reality of God's love so that they can hear and
believe the truth of his love. These keys especially
focus on felt needs. Our challenge is to uncover
the needs of people that can be addressed by
our God -given resources and develop means or
keys. that can be employed by the people of Grace
Church, Roseville to unlock the hearts of secular
people. Once the heart is opened, the gospel
can be effectively communicated. The other evening,
I went down to see the Timberwolves play. They
may not have a winning season this year, but
they're sure fun to watch. But in between some
of the action, I was looking around at the crowd
that was there, almost 25 ,000 people. And it
struck me as I looked at them, big and short
and tall and large and beautiful and not so,
and quite a variety. And as I looked at them,
I thought, you know, here are the sons and the
daughters of Adam. And their lives are wrapped
up in so many different things. And the development
of our culture has shut the door to their lives.
And again, I thought to myself, what are the
keys that will allow us to open the door to their
lives? So that we can gain entrance and have
a credible meaningful witness to them for Jesus
Christ. I believe that God wants that to be the
mission, the more specific tip of the arrow for
Grace Church Roosevelt. There are other churches
who are doing similar things. They may use different
kinds of language to describe it. I would like
for us to think in terms of cultural keys. In
fact, I was thinking last night, maybe it would
be good for us to have a display somewhere, talking
about keys, and then listing there the various
cultural keys that God leads us in the church
to develop. As we said last week, those keys
are going to be developed as a result of personal
vision of people in the church. It's not a matter
of the church starting a ministry. It's a matter
of you and me feeling released to do that ourselves
by God's blessing and guidance. To say, I have
a burden for this group or for this need or I'd
like to see this happen. And then begin to pray
and say, God, how could this need be met? How
could this happen? And ask God to send us some
co -laborers, perhaps another person or a group
of people or a flock. And we could together labor
on that specific cultural key. There are some
of you that are already using a cultural key
of your home. And you're starting Bible studies.
You've had Bible studies in your home. Evangelistic
studies, or perhaps some of you have had the
video tape series on family and you've used that
to invite neighbors in, to begin building a bridge,
opening the door to their lives. I believe that
that is the mission that God wants us to have.
It's proclaiming Christ to our generation and
finding by the Holy Spirit those forms of ministry
that unlock the cultural doors I believe if we're
going to be the church God wants us to be in
the 90s, we must be a church where everyone feels
ownership in that. Where together we are committed
to that mission. What do I mean by ownership?
What do I mean by commitment? Using those terms,
I'm saying that my attitude reflects this. This
is something I buy into and I will therefore
give myself to it. We as a church will be what
God wants us to be in this decade to the extent
that I and you and you and you and you buy into
this mission. and say if that's what God wants
us as a corporate body together to do, then that's
my mission too. And we commit ourselves to it.
We've been primarily looking at Paul's epistles
to the Corinthians as we've talked about this
theme. I believe in Corinthians the Apostle Paul
describes to us in meaningful terms, what commitment
is. Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 9 and
look at his language beginning in verse 19. Let's
ask the Apostle Paul, Paul, what is commitment?
What does that mean to you? How should that be
seen in my life, Paul? In verse 19, 1 Corinthians
9, Paul says, For though I am free from all men,
I have made myself a slave to all, that I might
win the more. To the Jews I became as a Jew,
that I might win Jews. To those who are under
the law as under the law, though not being myself
under the law, that I might win those who are
under the law. To those who are without law as
without law, though not being without the law
of God, but under the law of Christ. that I may
win those who are without law. To the weak I
became weak, that I might win the weak. I have
become all things to all men, that I may by all
means save some, and I do all things for the
sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow
partaker of it." The Apostle Paul is saying to
us here essentially that commitment means establishing
priorities. Establishing priorities reflecting
Christ's lordship. Paul says, my priorities are
to be all things to all men. That means to those
who are slaves, I become as a slave. To those
who are under the law, I become as under the
law. To those who are free, I become as one who
is free. He says, I am under the law of Christ.
In other words, he is saying the lordship of
Jesus Christ causes me to establish priorities
in my life, and I live by those. He explains
this further as he goes on. He talks about the
importance of discipline. He warns us to avoid
the self -indulgence of the age, the first part
of chapter 10. He tells us to flee from idolatry,
whether that idolatry be a physical idol or it
be something else in the heart that takes the
place of Christ's lordship. Then he concludes
chapter 10 and verse 31 by saying, whether then
you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to
the glory of God. Give no offense either to the
Jews or to the Greeks or to the Church of God,
just as I also please all men in all things,
not seeking my own profit, but the profit of
the many, that they may be saved. Be imitators
of me, just as I also am of Christ." The Lord
Jesus Christ was a man who lived by priorities.
His number one priority was the cross. And he
set his face as a flint with determination and
courage and moved toward that cross, letting
nothing lead him off the track. He had other
priorities, the priority of the Twelve, and among
the Twelve, the three who were closest to him.
He had the priority of going after those who
sensed their need and turning away from those
who were self -righteous and self -satisfied.
Jesus was a man who lived by priorities, and
I want to say to you that I believe commitment
to the mission means first of all I need to struggle
with priorities in my life, priorities that reflect
the lordship of Jesus Christ. Where I say I may
be free in Christ, but I am under law to Christ.
What kind of priorities? Well, it's impossible
to describe all of those because priorities deal
with every area of life. I need to think about
priorities when it comes to my essential needs
as a Christian. We've talked about three of those
these weeks. Worship, relationship, and ministry.
I need to understand what Christ lordship means
with a priority on worship. What Christ lordship
means with a priority in my relationship. What
priority means in Christ lordship in ministry
in my life. I need to think of Christ lordship
with respect to my stewardship of life. my time,
my money, my influence, my energy. What does
it mean to say Jesus Christ is Lord of my purse
as well as my calendar? And believe me, he must
be Lord of both of them, not one or the other,
if he is Lord. What does it mean that he is Lord
of my influence or my energy? I need to struggle
with what lordship means with regard to my decisions
in life. What I'm going to do. How I'm going
to use my life. I need to struggle with lordship
with regard to lifestyle decisions. The way I
choose to act and to live. I believe that we
don't take seriously enough what God expects
of us in these areas. We are very creative with
excuses as to why this or that doesn't apply
and Jesus Lordship doesn't apply to this point
of my life or that point. But in fact, if I am
committed to Jesus Christ and to the mission
that he's given us as the people of God in this
church, it means I must deal with Lordship in
every area of my life and establish priorities
according to that. Is not it thought -provoking
to consider that our children, those of us who
have children, are following our example? What
will your children think of the meaning of worship
with God's people by following your example in
attendance in worship? And remember the tendency
is for the next generation to feel less commitment
about things than the present one. And so as
your children see your attendance pattern in
worship, what do you think their pattern is going
to be in 10 years, 15 years, 20 years? And what
about the mission of the church then that they're
a part of? Will they contribute to it? You set
the pattern now for them. As your children see
the way you spend your money, the way you give
to God, what is their response going to be when
they're old enough and they have an allowance
or they're earning their money? What will their
sense of stewardship be by your example and mine?
You just talk about every area of life in that
regard and it is sobering. Commitment means establishing
priorities which reflect the lordship of Jesus
Christ in our lives. I'd like to turn now to
2 Corinthians chapter 8 where the Apostle Paul
is talking about a specific issue of giving.
But I want to pull out of this a principle rather
than talking about the immediate context of giving.
You may recall that the Corinthians had promised
a number of months before Paul writes this letter
to send an offering for the relief of the saints
in Jerusalem who were in persecution. And as
yet they had not done that. That is the reason
for chapters 8 and 9 of this letter. Paul wants
to stir them up to remind them to keep their
commitment. Basically what he is saying to them
here is this. Commitment means keeping my promises.
Commitment means keeping promises reflecting
Christ's integrity. Jesus Christ keeps his promises.
And if I claim to be His, then I need to keep
my promises. That's commitment. Our honor is
as good as our word, and whether we keep it.
So Paul writes to them in verse 6, he says, consequently
we urge Titus that as he had previously made
a beginning, so he would also complete in you
this gracious work as well, this gracious work
being their giving. It goes on to say, but just
as you abound in everything in faith and utterance
and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the
love we inspired in you, see that you abound
in this gracious work also, their giving. I am
not speaking this as a command, but as proving
through the earnestness of others the sincerity
of your love also. For you know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich
yet for your sake he became poor, that you through
his poverty might become rich. And I give my
opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage,
who were the first to begin a year ago, not only
to do this, but also to desire to do it. But
now finish doing it also, that just as there
was the readiness to desire it so there may be
also the completion of it by your ability. In
chapter 9 verse 2 he says, I know your readiness
of which I boast about you to the Macedonians,
namely that Achaia has been prepared since last
year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them,
but I have sent the brethren that are boasting
about you may not be made empty in this case.
That, as I was saying, you may be prepared, lest
if any Macedonians come with me and find you
unprepared, we, not to speak of you, should be
put to shame by this confidence." See what Paul
is saying? He's saying, look folks, you promised.
Now keep your promises. That's what commitment
is. When you and I say that we're going to do
something, commitment to the mission means that
we do it. Even if it means that in the process
we don't get to do what we might rather do. Or
something has come up in the meantime that we
would prefer. Or it's going to cost us more than
we thought it was going to cost us. It means
that when we give our word, we keep our word.
That is what commitment is. It means keeping
promises that reflect integrity, the integrity
of Jesus Christ himself. Paul points to Christ
as being the great example in chapter 8 and verse
9. This last fall, we went through a process
of putting together a church directory. I'm looking
forward to that director being out in a few weeks,
sometime here later in the spring. As a part
of that process, we had to sign up just hundreds
of you for taking pictures. and later to come
back and to view the proofs of the pictures.
I want to tell you about this experience because
I think it illustrates exactly what I'm talking
about this morning, though some of you will be
ashamed by it, and frankly I am too. As I talked
with the company that was doing this work, They
told me that the average rate of no show, that
means people who said they would be there for
their picture at a certain time or those who
said they would come to view the proofs at a
certain time, was somewhere between 3 and 11
percent in the average church where they work.
In Grace Church, Roseville, it was 30 percent.
As much as 10 times higher in our church. when
people didn't show up when they said they would
be there. Now there are some reasons for that
and the company understood some of the extenuating
reasons in our particular situation as to why
that was the case. But it's hard for me to think
that there were that many reasons. A couple of
weeks ago we asked people to sign up to come
to Family Night and we had Almost 150 people
indicate they were coming to family night to
play games. Fewer than half showed up. Now I
know in one family that the daughter signed up
the whole family to come and the parents didn't
even know about it. That was mine. So I know
that there are sometimes legitimate reasons as
to why people don't show up when they're thought
to have given their word to be there. But fewer
than half, and some of those had not signed up.
And we could talk about nursery commitments,
or we could talk about ministry pastors. We had
a ministry pastors meeting a couple of weeks
ago and only a handful of the ministry pastors.
The key leaders of our small churches were there.
Now there were some who had good reasons why
they couldn't be. It's hard for me to think all
of them did. You understand my point, don't you?
I'm not trying to be unkind. But I think that
we have to understand that that is a character
defect to the extent that exists in our lives
and in our church. Because you see, commitment
means, according to the Apostle Paul, keeping
our promises. If we say we're going to do something
to do it, if we sign our name on the line to
keep that commitment, that's what commitment
is all about. Commitment means establishing priorities
reflecting Christ's lordship. Commitment means
keeping promises reflecting Christ's integrity.
Let's go back a couple of pages now to chapter
5 and see another way that Paul seems to talk
about commitment. In chapter 5 and verse 14 he
says, for the love of Christ controls us Having
concluded this, that one died for all, therefore
all died, and he died for all, that they who
live should no longer live for themselves, but
for him who died and rose again on their behalf."
Wonderful words. Why are we to live? For Christ.
Because he died for us and rose again. And so
in chapter 6 he goes on to say in verse 1, and
working together with him, We also urge you not
to receive the grace of God in vain for he says
at the acceptable time I listen to you and on
the day of salvation I helped you behold now
is the acceptable time behold now is the day
of salvation giving no cause for offense in anything
in order that the ministry be not discredited
but in everything, commending ourselves as servants
of God in much endurance, in afflictions, in
hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments,
tumults, labor, sleeplessness, hunger, purity,
knowledge, patience, kindness, in the Holy Spirit,
in genuine love, and on and on he goes. And he
describes the kind of tests that he went through.
I believe that Paul is saying here, look, Jesus
Christ died for us and rose again that we might
live for Him. Now that commitment means showing
perseverance. It means establishing priorities.
It means keeping promises. And it means showing
perseverance, reflecting Christ's love. That
kind of love bears all things, says Paul in chapter
13 of 1 Corinthians. That kind of love endures
all things. That kind of love never fails. It
perseveres. One thing that you and I can know
beyond any shadow of doubt, and that is that
any commitment that we make is going to be challenged.
It is going to be put to the test. And it's only
right that that's the case. because our commitments
are to be made by faith. And faith is exposed
through tests. I believe that God wants us to
be the kind of a church that is committed, where
everyone has ownership in the mission that He's
given to us. Now why is this commitment, why
is this ownership so important? because of what
he says in chapter 5 verse 10. We must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, that each
one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body
according to what he has done, whether good or
bad. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord,
we persuade men. Paul says, here's the reason
that I am so committed to my apostleship. Here's
the reason that I persevere in the sufferings
that I've endured. The reason is that one day
I'm going to appear before Jesus Christ and there
I will be examined for my commitment. And that
examination is going to be a searching one. It
is compared to fire that burns up the chaff and
that which is worthless in my commitment. All
the holes in it will be exposed. But that which
I have genuinely committed, that mission that
I have sold myself to, that which I have purposed
to do for the glory of God, that's going to pass
the test. And for that we receive reward. Why
is it worth it to be committed? Because we'll
pass the judgment seat of Jesus Christ. I've
tried to outline during this month in broad statements
the kind of church that I believe God wants us
to be in the 90s. What we look like 10 years
from now will be determined by your response
and my response to the challenges. Now, we can't
expect a perfect church to emerge from all of
this. There is no such thing in this world. Someone
handed me, I think it was last week, a little
thing called the perfect church, a little poem
that goes like this. I think that I shall never
see a church that's all it ought to be. A church
whose members never stray beyond the straight
and narrow way. A church that has no empty pews,
whose pastor never gets the blues. A church whose
deacons always deke, and none are proud and all
are meek. Where gossips never peddle lies or
make complaints or criticize. Where all are always
sweet and kind and to each other's faults are
blind. Such perfect churches there may be, but
none of them is known to me. But I'll still work
and pray and plan to make my church the best
I can. For Grace Church Roosevelt to grow toward
the goal that we've laid before us, each of us
must be willing to do our part as that tool that
God has made us to be. That is going to require
from each of us a willingness to evaluate our
lives and a willingness for us as a church to
evaluate what we're doing now. Is it the best
that we can do? Is it effective? Is it on the
cutting edge? What might work better? It means
that we're going to need to discipline ourselves.
If, in fact, we simplify expectations of ministry
and create more free time, are we willing to
discipline ourselves to use that freed up time
for the glory of God rather than upon our own
pleasures and leisure? It means discipline. If
we're going to be this kind of a church, it means
we're going to need a new way of thinking about
what ministry looks like. Instead of saying,
worship looks like this, and anything beyond
that is not worship, we've got to change. Or
instead of saying a ministry looks like this
and that's it, we've got to change our way of
thinking about that. Ministry can take many different
forms. Instead of saying, relationship to me
is just this, and that's all it can be to anybody
else, we need to see that relationships can take
many different appearances and forms and accomplish
the purpose. We need to get out of the boxes
that we've put around our minds and open our
eyes to see that ministry can look different
than it does now and be God -honoring. But the
bottom line to it all is commitment. For none
of the possibilities that I've talked about,
none of the principles that we've laid out this
month will ever be realized unless each of us
is willing and actually does do his part to bring
it to pass. One Sunday morning, Carlos walked
slowly up toward his church. a church that was
located in the jungles in Columbia near the Venezuelan
border. As he walked along, his Bible under his
arm, he hummed some of his favorite hymns, anticipating
the worship. After a lengthy walk, he came to
the little hut where they worshipped, and stooping
down, he entered in. There was one lone gasoline
lamp that cast eerie shadows. But soon his eyes
became accustomed to the dark and as he sat there
on the third bench, he looked up and he saw people
sitting in front of him and he saw the pastor.
And then Pastor Martinez got up and approached
the pulpit to begin the service. And the music
began to be heard as people burst into joyful
singing and then the sermon began. And as it
did, Carlos noticed some stranger slip in the
back, but he paid no attention to them. And then
suddenly in the middle of the sermon, it was
all interrupted. The men who had come in late
pulled out automatic weapons and took strategic
places in the room. They went to the front and
grabbed the pastor and dragged him out the side
door. Everyone was shocked. and silenced. The
air was thick with fear. Then the leader of the
group returned, leaving the pastor in charge
of one of his men, and addressed the congregation.
Those of you who believe this God stuff, come
forward. For a whole minute, nobody stirred.
And then from the third row back, Carlos got
up and walked toward the front. And as he went
toward the front, some of the others in the congregation
joined him. Brusquely, they were all herded out
the side door. When no one else came forward,
the guerrilla leader then looked at the remainder
of the congregation with contempt. And he said,
out! Out, all of you. You have no right to be
here. Only those with courage to stand up for
what they believe can stay. And with that everyone
else was driven out of the church. And the amazed
pastor and those who had joined him came back
in and were seated. And the guerrillas said,
now continue with your service. And they left.
Commitment is what it takes to get the job done.
Why should we become a part of the church that
I've just described in these four messages? Why
should our church look like that? Because I believe
that we're living in the twilight of the Western
civilization, for one thing. As we have known
our culture, It is soon to not exist anymore.
The lights are almost out in our civilization,
and we are called upon to be God's people at
a time like this. As Esther was called to the
kingdom for such a time as this, so you and I
are called to be His people, God's people, in
such a time as this. And we need commitment to
do it with effectiveness. I believe that only
the kind of church that I have broadly outlined
in these principles that we've talked about is
going to be that kind of a church in the 90s
and beyond. If we are going to penetrate the
increasing darkness, if we are going to bring
hope to individuals that are in despair, if we
are by the grace of God perhaps going to delay
judgment to this civilization, then it's going
to take the cutting edge kind of a church. described
by the eight principles we've laid out during
these messages. There are lives that hang in
the balance. There are needs crying to be met.
There's a culture out there whose doors are shut
but which is empty and desperately searching.
Oh, God, give us hearts that are broken and wills
that are broken before Jesus Christ. So the putting
away our silly excuses, we make Him Lord and
we seek those cultural keys that will allow us
to open the door and make a difference in the
generation He's called us to serve. Let's pray.
Well I hope that your heart responds positively
to this challenge. And that you sense commitment
and an increasing ownership in the mission that
we've talked about. That we might be the kind
of church that we've described by the grace of
God, for the glory of God. That we might build
as wise master builders. Oh God, break our hearts
with what breaks your heart. Fill us with love
and compassion to serve you as your people in
this age And as a result of that may we build
a church that will stand the test The test of
time and the test of the judgment seat of Christ
So that we can give good account of ourselves
on that day in Jesus name Amen