What if God...

Right now our church is going through a season of change. In October God moved our Senior Pastor to Texas. By the end of July our Executive Pastor will begin a new ministry as Pastor of a church in New Mexico. Without question God is moving the troops around.

He’s prone to do that, you know. He puts His people in exactly the right place at exactly the right time in order to accomplish His purpose. He’s done the same thing with you. Wherever you are right now, God has a plan that involves you. You’re not there by accident. How will you accomplish the mission God has given you where you are today?

There’s a broader theme here as well. While, in terms of leadership, our church is going through a season of change there are some things that will never change. Colossians 1:28 expresses well the mission of the church,
“[It's Jesus] we preach, warning every one and teaching every one, in all wisdom, that we might present every one perfect in Christ.”

At FBCO we say it like this, “We’re leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ.” We’re doing this because, “We believe Jesus Christ is the hope of the world and the Church is His plan for sharing that hope with the world.”

Our belief and our mission is something that will never change. You see, LEADERSHIP MATTERS, but our future as a church is not simply about the leadership of man. It’s about the lordship of Christ. Will we submit to and follow the leadership of God? Leadership matters, but so does what it means to be a godly follower of Christ.

A godly leader without godly followers will wander in the wilderness for 40 years.
Godly followers without a godly leader get thrown into lion’s dens and fiery furnaces.

In order to be a church that really lives out Colossians 1:28 it takes great godly leaders and great godly followers. In case you’re wondering what I mean by ‘godly’ think of it like this: godliness is the evidence of God in you. What evidence, what proof is there that you belong to Jesus? How does anyone know that you are a Christ follower? Answers to questions like these will tell you if you’re a godly person or not.

We need to recognize that God is our leader. Leadership matters. Whoever God brings to this church as Senior Pastor, or to any other staff position, represents another one of the troops God is moving around in order to accomplish His purpose in this place at this time. Most of us are familiar with Matthew 28:19-20. It tells us to “Go and make disciples…” but we often forget Matthew 28:18. Jesus says, “All authority has been given to me…” Did you catch that?

Jesus has the authority.
We have the responsibility.

As my friend, Walker Moore says, “Jesus has all authority over all things!” And somehow, within that authority He has decided to involve me and you. He says, “All authority has been given to me, now go, therefore, and make disciples.” In God’s sovereignty He doesn’t need anyone or anything, but by the authority given to Jesus Christ, he chose you. He chose us. He chose us to fulfill His purpose in this place, at this time, with these people. He has the authority and we have the responsibility.

Change is inevitable. But there are some things that will never change.
With that in mind, last night we discussed a few things that will never change. Our conversation revolved around questions we could ask about God’s authority. The answer to these questions helped us identify our responsibility.
It looked like this:

What if God…Answered Prayer?
We know He does. So it begs the question, “What are we praying? James 4:2-3 says, “You have not because you ask not and when you ask you don’t receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures.” What if our prayers were less about how we could use God – to make our bad life good or our good life better – and more about how we could be used by God to bring His kingdom? What would those kinds of prayers look like? When was the last time you asked God to do the impossible?

What if God…Opened Doors & Added Daily
In Colossians 4:2-6 Paul asks the church at Colosse to pray that God would open a mighty and effective door to the gospel and that he would boldly step through and share the good news with everyone God gives him opportunity. At the time Paul had a plan. He was in Rome planning to share the gospel with the Roman Emperor. He also planned to ask the church at Rome to help him go on mission to Spain. The trip to Spain never happened because Paul was arrested. At the time Paul writes this he’s chained to a Roman Centurion and under house arrest. Paul had big plans. Plans that would take him to Spain on mission, but those plans changed. They were interrupted by God and, according to Philippians 1, it became evident to the entire palace guard that Paul’s chains were in Christ.

The point!? Regardless of circumstance Paul was praying and looking for open doors to share the gospel. If you’ll look, they’re all around you. Some of you are paid to be missionaries. There’s so much darkness in your place of employment. So many hurting people doing and saying so many hurtful things. The business that employs you is paying you to be a missionary to your coworkers and colleagues. It’s about more than where you work. It’s where you live and play too. God is opening doors. Will you boldly speak the truth of the gospel in love to those around you.

Acts 2:47 tells us that after the Day of Pentecost God added to the church daily. That should be our goal as a church, that daily we would hear stories of people coming to faith in Christ because of the life and story of His people at FBCO.

What if God…Provided for His People?
Philippians 4:19 says, “…my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory.” We know that God provides. How has He provided for you? Our perspective on money is all about awareness. I’m never more aware of how little I have than when I’m driving through the high end neighborhoods of Owasso, surrounded by massive houses and palatial estates. I’m never more aware of how much I have than when I’m standing near a 16×20 shed built on a trash heap in Mexico that someone calls their home. What drives your awareness? Are you focused on how little or how much you have? God has provided. Have you been responsible for the resources He’s entrusted to you? Luke 12:48 tells us that to whom much is given, much is required. God has blessed you so you can be generous to others.

What if God…Healed & Restored Families?
Malachi 4:6 says that God will turn the hearts of the children to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers to their children. A church starts with individuals; who come together to form families; who come together as the church. Healthy families make a healthy church. When will we understand that our relationships with one another are worth fighting for – dying for? Philippians 2:1-11 make it clear that Jesus willingly gave up his rights so we could have a right relationship with our Heavenly Father. What rights do you need to give up in order to have a right relationship with your spouse? Your child? Your friend? Your coworker? Your church?

Is it possible that FBCO could be known as a place where relationships are restored, families are healed and marriages really last a lifetime? Can we be the church that’s known for being more interested in loving people than running programs? Can we be known as a place where people come together, where all are welcome and can find freedom through forgiveness?
Partnering members of FBCO have said, “This is the place and these are the people I want to learn from; be accountable to; and partner with in ministry.

God has all the authority. We have the responsibility.

God is able to answer prayer – How will you pray?
God is able to open doors and add daily – Who will you tell?
God is able to provide for his people – Who will benefit from your generosity?
God is able to heal & restore families – When will you repent? Who will you forgive? How will you love?

As partnering members of FBCO here are some of our commitments to one another:

We will not be the church that prays small prayers. We will ask God to do the impossible and we will recognize that if God doesn’t come through, all is lost.

We will be the church that goes out of its way to reach people with the love of Jesus. We will go places we’ve never been and do things we’ve never done in order to share the gospel with people we’ve not yet met.

We will be a generous church. We will give more than we think we can afford and trust God to provide. We will recognize that we are tremendously blessed and that because we have been given much we can give much. We will not shy away from trying to meet the needs of as many people as God entrust to us. We will be the church that serves people and serve other churches.

We will be the church that beats the odds. We will value our relationships more than our own rights or opinions. We will be quick to repent and quick to forgive. Like John 13:35, the world will know we are His disciples, and partnering members of FBCO, because of our love.

God Bless,
Chad

Created 12 months ago