OUR PASTOR'S STEVE'S SERMONS   

 

 

Offering Christ Today for Tomorrow

[Preached April 27, 2008; Based on Psalm 78:5-7 and Acts 13: 1-3]

 

Words of Meditation - “Hungry souls are everywhere.  Be watchful.  Remain open. God will fill your eyes with compassion, your words with wisdom, and your heart with mercy.  Introduce the world to love.  Introduce the world to Jesus.” (Kathy Troccoli, God Always Has a Plan B, 71)

 

 

It was the turn of the 20th Century and there was no Methodist Church in Harlingen, Texas. Methodism had swept over the United States the previous Century: starting 2-3 churches per day at the height of our fervor.  In 1910, 98 years ago, a Methodist Church was founded in Harlingen. We are here worshipping God today because of the sacrifice and commitment of those earlier Christian pioneers, some of them forbears to current members.

 

There is today a vital need to begin new churches and so, we are Offering Christ Today for Tomorrow.  At stake is the issue of whether our children/grandchildren will be Christian.

 

Now, 100 years ago was a different time period; however the need for Christ’s Church then was the same as the need for Christ’s Church today!

 

  • People today are hurting and lost; longing for a relationship with the Lord. 
  • Our culture and nation is becoming increasingly less Christian.
  • The pain of injustice and emptiness cry out for God’s presence and healing.

 

It is up to us to rediscover and reclaim our evangelistic passion; this is the call and claim of Christ upon us today.

 

I remember a time I tried to keep a secret, but no matter what, the news got out and everyone, including their mother and dog, knew that I had fallen off the ladder at the church.  Everyone seemed to be EXCITED with this latest news. “Did you hear the pastor fell off the ladder at the church?” The fact of the matter is that bad news travels fast.  No matter how much we conceal it, it breaks free for the world to know!

 

Imagine what it would be like if The Good News traveled that fast.  Imagine what it would be like if everyone was so excited, they couldn’t contain the Good News of Jesus Christ and His life changing power.  Why is it we tend to put more effort into spreading bad news than the Good News? The problem is we treat the Good News as Old News. 

 

The Good News may be Old News to you, but our job as Christians is to get that News to someone who for whom it is New News.  All of us have the ability to make that News New News for someone else.  Think back to when you first experienced God’s love in Jesus Christ. How did you feel right at that moment? Did you want to tell someone? Listen to the final verses from Matthew’s Gospel:

 

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:16-20)

 

When did Jesus give this Great Commission? Was it in the beginning of his ministry at the Sermon on the Mount? No, this was after his resurrection and just before his ascension – it was the Risen Christ who gave our marching orders. So, this is not optional for the faithful. It is an imperative command for all of us to make disciples.

 

Apparently, in God’s mind, each generation is responsible for the next generation. That’s a daunting thought! God has gone to great trouble to teach us how to love and how to live, but clearly God’s plan for us is greater than just to absorb a blessing. We are supposed to make some disciples!  We have a mandate to proclaim the good news.

 

Over a hundred years ago a man named C.C. McCabe, who was in charge of church extension for the Methodist Church, was riding out west to help start some more churches.  ‘As he was riding out on the train he picked up a newspaper.  As he started to read it, he opened it up to bold headlines that said, "Churches dying across America, the last will soon be dead.”  He went on to read that Robert Ingersoll, the brilliant agnostic and very articulate spokesman, had just addressed the Free Thinkers Association.  In the speech he said that churches were dying across America, that they would soon be dead, and that this country would be much better off. 

 

C. C. McCabe was a kind of a feisty fighter. He got off the train at the next station; went into the telegraph office and sent Robert Ingersoll this telegram: "Dear Robert:  All hail the power of Jesus' name. We're building more than one new Methodist Church every day of the year and propose to make it soon two a day."  Signed C. C. McCabe.

 

Now the word got out about this telegram and some Methodists wrote a song that was sung in camp meetings, revivals, brush arbor meetings, in little backwoods chapels; and it went like this:
           

‘The Infidel, a motley band in counsel met and said that churches die throughout the land, the last will soon be dead.  When suddenly a message came, it filled them with dismay.  All hail the power of Jesus’ name we're building two a day.


We're building two a day dear Bob, we're building two a day. 

All hail the power of Jesus’ name we're building two a day.

 

Ingersoll’s prediction amounted to “fighting words” for Methodists of that day. I wonder what it will take for us to take up the challenge today, because we are not building two a day; we are not even building one a day. 

 

The United Methodist Church has been losing members for the past 40 years – and in biblical terms, that’s a generation! What will we do to reverse this trend? Starbucks has responded in a major way because a study showed they suffered a 4% loss of the market! They spent millions to redesign their approach and reverse such a trend.

 

The Southwest Texas Annual Conference proposes to build new churches and transform existing churches... so we can live our mission: Offering Christ to All.

 

One crucial element of faithfully offering Christ to all is to rediscover the Antioch strategy, because in Antioch:

 

  • They didn’t make excuses because of their size
  • They worshiped and prayed for guidance from the Holy Spirit
  • They set aside their best for the work and supported them (perhaps due to the order listed, they sent the most respected, Barnabas, and the least respected, Saul, for training).
  • They sent them off to carry the gospel to new people

 

The Antioch Strategy was John Wesley’s strategy in founding the Methodist movement, and thus: The Antioch strategy brought our church into existence. Now is our time to do the same for others.

 

Why start new churches? Here are a few of the most compelling reasons:

 

  1. Biblical faithfulness demands it. Christ said, “Go and make disciples...” so that the next generation will be Christian! 
  2. New churches reach new groups of people – new immigrants, those turned off from conventional church, those seeking a different style or form of worship.
  3. Men are more likely to be attracted to a new church start.  And, I would add, youth are also attracted. What would it be like if we didn’t lose youth in high school and not regain them until they were married with children?
  4. Existing churches are motivated when new churches come to their community.  They begin to think, “We can do our part to reach the lost also!”
  5. Denominations as a whole are “renewed as the percentage of new churches in their total numbers of churches increase.” If 10% of the UMC are new churches, that’s twice as hopeful as 5% new churches. (See Steven C. Compton, Rekindling the Mainline: New Life Through New Churches, p. 39)

 

With all this as background, the Southwest Texas Conference voted to hold a capital campaign Offering Christ Today for Tomorrow to resource the starting of new churches and to help transform existing congregations; it is not an either/or but a both/and strategy.

 

What is at stake is whether or not our children/grandchildren will be Christian. The Psalmist tells us to teach our children the ways of the Lord... so they can “Rise up and tell them to their children.” Why? “So that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments.” To offer Christ to all... involves something greater than ourselves; God is at work in this project!  

 

Vickie and I recognize the importance of sharing Christ with others:

  • Somebody shared Christ with each of us individually while we were in high school and our lives have never been the same. We met in college through the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ: a ministry whose goal is to train believers to share Christ with others!
  • The Lord used us and others in the church to share Christ with both of our daughters!

 

So, we have made what is to us a sacrificial commitment beyond the tithe to Offering Christ Today for Tomorrow. For the next four years, an amount will be withdrawn from our checking account on the 10th of each month until our commitment amount is given.

 

Both Pastors Aaron and Jet have made commitments, as well. Does this mean that we will cease efforts sharing Christ here in Harlingen? No way, but we will pray for and equip others who are reaching into un-reached areas!

 

Please watch this video about the purposes of our campaign.  (Video 3:45)

 

Harlingen First is a leading congregation in the Conference. Is it easy to branch out from the traditions and patterns of the local church to try something different? You know it is not. Many churches are finding it too difficult to do but they can contribute to this Conference effort. Some churches support the general thought but don’t want a new church in their neighborhood. A handful of churches have given it a try, as we have.

 

All the money we have invested in Valley Praise counts as a part of our church’s pledge, plus whatever money we commit as individual members and families. I ask you to ask God what you could give and return a pledge card by Sunday, May 11th – Mother’s Day. This year, a great Mother’s Day gift would be to help our Conference begin to give birth to new congregations! In order that the next generation might know, let’s go!!

 

We have the BEST NEWS to share with the world.  Let’s choose to share that news with a generation in need of Christ.  Some of us are timid to share with others. Some of us feel intimidated by the world.  When the disciples had seen Jesus transfigured before them, when they witnessed just how awesome Jesus was, they were sprawled on the ground – have you ever felt that way spiritually?  Jesus said to them, "Get up... Don't be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. (Matthew 17: 7-8)

 

My prayer is that when we look up, we will see no one except Jesus and that vision puts a fire in our hearts that generates excitement to go and tell the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Let’s go and make the Good News of Jesus Christ, New News for someone... and I pray you will prayerfully make a sacrificial pledge to extend the kingdom of Jesus Christ – not a one-time offering but a pledge over the next 3-4 years! In fact, I challenge this church to continue to respond in a sacrificial way to Christ’s call: The Great Commission. Could anything be more important?  I can’t imagine what it would be.