This week, we have been looking at a section of an
account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the gospel
of Matthew. As part of perhaps the most famous sermon that Jesus ever preached,
which we know today as the Sermon on the Mount, paint a word picture for the
crowds listening to Him what the world should see when they come into contact
with His followers. And it is this word picture that provides for us a timeless
goal that we should strive towards, both as individuals and as a church.
Jesus explained to the crowds listening to Him that
those who follow Him are the light of the world. Jesus point is that as the
light of the world, followers of Jesus are to reveal and reflect Jesus and help
provide the guidance and direction necessary for people to be able to navigate
life here on earth.
Jesus continued to challenge the crowds by providing
two additional word pictures that revealed the reality that for the light to
fulfill its purpose to reveal, display, and to provide the opportunity for
those in the house to navigate an otherwise dark environment, the light needed
to be in the right position. After painting these two word pictures, challenged
the crowd by stating that just like a city on a hill; just like a lamp that is
placed on a lampstand, His followers were to live their day to day lives in a
way that revealed and reflected Jesus to those around them.
We discovered that the church is the only organization
that does not exist for the sake of its members? The church has been divinely
designed to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world.
And God places the local church in distinctive environments to be distinctively
different. God has placed City Bible Church in Bullhead City to be a city
within a city that loves and serves those around us. And when we love and serve others in a way
that reveals and reflects Christ, the result is that we glorify God in Heaven.
And this morning that is why we believe and are
focused on the goal that God has given us as a church to be a city within a city
that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city. We
believe that as we live life together in community with a focus on engaging
those in this city in a way that reveals and reflects Christ by loving and
serving those in the city, we will be the vehicle that God uses to advance His
kingdom mission and bring Him glory.
Now you might be wondering “well that’s great Dave,
but how do we reach that goal as a church? And how do I get to a place in my
life where I am following Jesus is a way that reveals and reflects Him to the
world around me”? If you are asking those questions, I just want you to know
that they are great questions to be asking. And my answer to those questions
would be this; when we read the letter that make up the Bible, we consistently
see that followers of Jesus who are involved in a growing and maturing
relationship that reveals and reflects Christ invest their lives in three
specific ways.
First, we see that those who are involved in a growing
and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their time with other Christians
as they gathered corporately for regular weekly worship gatherings and as they
scattered to experience community in homes throughout the week. Second, we see
that those who are involved in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently
invested their talents serving God by serving others through the exercise of
their spiritual gifts. Third, we see that those who are involved in a growing
and maturing relationship with Jesus consistently invested their treasure to support
God’s kingdom mission through regular and proportional giving.
And we believe that as individual followers of Jesus
consistently invest their time by being involved in a regular worship gathering
and a community group; as individual followers of Jesus consistently invest
their talents serving God by serving others through being a part of a ministry
team; and as individual followers of Jesus consistently invest their treasure
in order to help create environments where people can explore and grow in their
faith while experiencing community, we will continue to be a city in a city
that is striving to reveal and reflect Christ as we love and serve the city.
Our vision as a church is to create environments where
people are able to move on a spiritual journey from being consumers who view
the church as a place where they receive spiritual goods and services to being
investors who embrace and invest their time, talent, and treasure to advance
the kingdom mission that God has given us. And, because followers of Jesus grow
and mature in their relationship with Jesus when they are investing their time in a community
group, their talents in a ministry, and their treasure in a way that reveals
and reflects the generosity of Jesus, as a church, we believe God has called us
to plan for the future with three specific, strategic goals that will help you
grow in your relationship with Jesus from being consumers who are searching and
shopping when it comes to Jesus to owners who own a genuine and authentic
relationship with Jesus to investors who reveal and reflect Christ in their
character and conduct and who have fully embraced and are fully engaged in
God’s kingdom mission.
First, we have set as a strategic
goal that everyone who attends City Bible Church is investing their time,
in addition to consistently attending a worship gathering on Sundays, in a
community group. We feel strongly about this goal because we believe that
transformational spiritual growth occurs in circles, not rows. And community
groups create those transformational environments where people can develop
loving and supportive relationships that challenge us to take that next step
when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. In 2019, 71% of our average
Sunday attendance at City Bible Church are involved in a community group.
Second, we have set as a strategic goal that everyone
who attends City Bible Church is investing their talents serving God by serving
others as part of a ministry team. We feel strongly about this goal because we
believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging
the spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given us in a selfless
way that serves others. We encounter God as we use the spiritual gifts we have
been given to help others encounter God. We experience God’s transformational
activity in our lives as we help others experience God’s transformational
activity in their lives. In 2019, 55% of our average Sunday attendance at City Bible Church invest their
talents serving God by serving others in a ministry
Third, we have set as a strategic goal that everyone
who attends City Bible Church is investing their treasure in a way that reveals
and reflects the generosity of Jesus. We feel strongly about this goal because
we believe that transformational spiritual growth occurs when we are leveraging
the treasure that we have been given to create environments where people can
explore faith, grow in their faith, and experience genuine and authentic community.
In 2019, the average adult attender
gave $43 per week.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we
are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous. And when we reflect the
generosity of Jesus by being generous, we reveal and reflect Jesus to others. So,
as a church, we are inviting you to partner with us in the kingdom mission and
vision that God has given us by planning for the future in three specific ways
with three specific goals. As a church, we are not inviting you to commit to
more than this, but we are not inviting you to commit to less than this.
We are inviting you to partner
with us in the kingdom mission that we have been given as a church by investing
your time in a community group, your talents in a ministry, and your treasure
in a way that reveals and reflects the generosity of Jesus. So here are some
questions for you to consider: Where are you at when it comes to a relationship
with Jesus?
Are you a consumer
who views the church as a place where they receive spiritual goods and
services? Are you a consumer who is shopping when it comes to a relationship
with Jesus because you are searching, seeking, or skeptical? Are you an owner
who owns a genuine and authentic relationship with Jesus but is simply treading
water when it comes to your relationship with Jesus and are not investing in
the mission He has given us? Or are you an investor who is embracing and
investing their time, talent, and treasure to advance the kingdom mission that
God has given us?
And based on where you are at when it comes to your
relationship with Jesus, what is the next step that you need to take in order
to take the next step in your relationship with Jesus? Is that next step to
invest your time in a community group? Is that next step to invest your talent
in a ministry? Is that next step to invest your treasure in a way that reflects
the generosity of Jesus?
Because it is when we invest our time, talents, and
treasure into the kingdom mission that we have been given that we become a
community of faith that is a city within a city that reveals and reflects
Christ as we love and serve the city…
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