Do You See What I See?
Why are you here? I don’t mean that in an existential sense—why are you on this planet—but why are you here this morning participating in a worship service at Grace Church. I am sure you realize you have 21 other options to choose from? Maybe we should be like the airlines. I could say this at the end of each service: Thank you for worshipping with us this morning. We know you have many worship options, so we thank you for choosing Grace Church. So I ask again, why are you here?
The average church evaluates itself against the ABC’s—Attendance,
Building and Cash. 
So
how are we doing on these three items? In regard to attendance, if you look at
this chart you can see that we are not in any danger of becoming a megachurch!
How about the “B” category—a building? Well, thanks to your generous giving we
now own ten acres of corn, but as far as our own building goes, it seems to be
along way off. Finally, we all know by now how we are doing in the area of
cash—we have a little setback in terms of cashflow. If we were to grade our
church by these ABC’s, we would probably receive something like a D+. So I ask
you a third time—why are you here?
I hope you are here because you recognize the God-given potential of the people and ministry of Grace Church. What I want to do this morning is paint a picture for you of what our church looks like now and what it might look like in the future. I believe God is painting a beautiful picture on his canvas of creation and you and I are part of that work of art. I am asking you to take a closer look at this picture and dream with me this morning. When we are done looking at this dream, my prayer is that when I ask you the same question a little bit later—why are you here?—you will be able to answer it with clarity and excitement.
In your bulletin outline you will see the skeleton of this dream we are calling a Christ Transforming Community. If you haven’t already, allow me to read this for you.
Christ Transforming Community
Our dream is not to build one local church, but to be ambassadors for Christ
by serving as a catalyst to transform our entire community.
Many Christians pray for revival, but seem to limit their prayers for revival to their local church. If God were to bring revival, it is unlikely that He would limit it to a single church. We believe that the social crises in our community are directly related to the spiritual malaise of its churches. If God allows us to succeed in this dream, we believe that we will see the birth of a Christ Transforming Community that will…
· Restore honor to the name of Jesus Christ and proclaim His gospel with renewed vitality and integrity.
Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, to make his mighty power known. Psalm 106:8
· Allow all Christ-centered churches in our community to increase in spiritual depth and numerical growth.
7 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matt. 22:37-40
· See like-minded churches engage in shared, effective ministry to one another and the community at large.
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20-23
· Watch the slow, but sure transformation of the community resulting in large numbers of new converts and disciples and a reduction in the socio-economic problems.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matt. 28:18-20
The wording and the work of this dream is clearly a work in progress. I want to flush out the possibilities of this dream by looking more closely at these four parts.
1. Restore honor to the name of Jesus Christ and proclaim His gospel with renewed vitality and integrity.
I believe that the name and honor of Jesus Christ has been maligned and dragged through the dirt. There are at least three ways in which this has been done. First is the evidence that the gospel has been watered down and stripped of its power. We would rather build a big church than worship a big God. We would rather attract people with our programs than to watch God convert their soul. Many so called Christians no longer believe in absolute truth. Once this happens you might as well drain the baptismal, turn out the lights and go home—you no longer have a church. We stand on the absolute truth of the word of God. It is true for all people for all times in all places and we are willing to die for it. The power and primacy of the gospel must be our priority.
The second way the name of Christ has been dishonored is by the abuse of churches and church leaders. I think everyone of us here knows at least one lone-ranger Christian. These are believers who have left the church, most of whom have been turned off by the rampant hypocrisy of other believers. Instead of spending Sunday morning with Pastor Pillow, these lone-ranger Christians could be healed and harnessed for the work of the Christ. Just last week I spoke with a young guy who was literally kicked out of a church. He had graduated from Bible School and was planning to enter the pastorate. In his former church the pastor called he and his wife to the front of the church and told them to leave and not come back. My heart increasingly breaks for these lone-ranger Christians, but we must understand that every church, including ours, has the capacity to cause great harm to the name of Christ in this same way. If we are committed to the gospel, we must be men and women of great integrity.
The third way Christ’s name has been dishonored is by becoming irrelevant and distant from the world—the very people for whom the gospel was sent. I have told you one or two brief stories about the diversity dialogue I have been apart of, but please allow me to tell a few mores stories. I think they illustrate the dream of a Christ Transforming Community. If you recall, this diversity group was formed last April after the Diversity Days controversy. The regular attenders include a Buddhist, an atheist, an inter-faith minister and two lesbians. God has allowed us to have wonderful times of sharing, including giving me the opportunity to share the gospel many times over.
One highlight occurred recently when a newcomer attempted to summarize what she thought to be my thinking. She assumed I believed that all homosexuals are going to burn in hell. When I tried to respond to this assumption, one person interrupted me and said, “No, that’s not what he believes—this is what he believes.” After they finished summarizing my views, a second person immediately jumped in and said the same thing, “No, that’s not what he believes—this is what he believes.” Incredibly, a third person did the exact same thing. Even though I completely disagreed with each of these three people on the topic of homosexuality, they each tried their best to defend me against a caricature of intolerance and hatred. I can’t take credit for this group because God just dropped it in my lap. All I have done is to respond by speaking the truth in love. I dream of a church where we can help restore honor to the name of Jesus Christ and proclaim His gospel with renewed vitality and integrity. Do you share this dream with me?
2. Allow all Christ-centered churches in our community to increase in spiritual depth and numerical growth.
Are we so arrogant as to think that God can only work through Grace Church? If genuine revival were poured out on our city, would the Holy Spirit only be welcome here? A Christ transforming community must entail the revitalization of many churches, not just one. Obviously, I passionately believe in starting new churches or I would never have come to Viroqua. Someone has said that when it comes to churches, it is much easier to make new babies than to raise the dead. That may be true, but this baby church of ours is not the only vessel of the Holy Spirit in Viroqua.
Let me share what I think are the seeds for such a revival. I have mentioned before that many pastors get together once a month for sharing and prayer. In the last few months I think the group has begun to hit a deeper level. We have begun to practice confession of sins and a more intense time of prayer with one another. Something special happens when pastors from a wide variety of backgrounds, share our failures and sins with one another, and then lay hands on one another and pray for one another. Repentance is the key to any revival.
Recently my former church printed 350 church newsletters with this verse on the front cover.
“If my people, who are called by my name, will BUMBLE themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” They caught the error before it was mailed out, but this is exactly what we need—we need to admit that we are bumbling fools for Christ who are constantly in need of his sufficient grace. Many of you know retired pastor John Eumarian. John prays for all of us pastors every single day! The knowledge of his prayer has encouraged me more times than I can count and I am certain his prayers have been the seedbed for our renewed prayer time. I want these men to succeed. I don’t want to steal the sheep from their pens. Without ever compromising the purity of the gospel, we must also learn to work together for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. I dream of a church where we can help all Christ-centered churches in our community to increase in spiritual depth and numerical growth. Do you share this dream with me?
3. See like-minded churches engage in shared, effective ministry to one another and the community at large.
This dream is a natural link with the previous one. As you probably know, on Tuesday eleven states voted overwhelmingly to support a definition of a marriage as between one woman and one man. We can confidently say that this was a great victory for the Biblical ideal of the sanctity of marriage. I want marriage to be reserved for one man and one woman, but what about those millions of marriages? Are these marriages happy? Are these families successful, happy and God-honoring places? Just because you have one man and one woman in a marriage does not mean it will be a good thing. We need to do more than fight against gay marriage.
For about two years, many of the churches in Viroqua have been working together on a Community Marriage Policy. Probably sometime next Spring, we hope that two dozen or more pastors will sign on to this agreement, which elevates the sanctity of marriage and promotes healthy marriages. It is by no means a quick fix, but a good sign of how we can cooperate with other churches. The dream of shared ministry also matches well with the distinctives of the EFCA, three of which are listed on the back of your bulletin insert (see below). I dream of a church where we can see like-minded churches engage in shared, effective ministry to one another and the community at large. Do you share this dream with me?
4. Watch the steady, but sure transformation of the community resulting in large numbers of new converts and disciples and a reduction in the socio-economic problems.
It is good to grow a healthy church. It is better to have outreach into the community. But it is the biblical ideal for a church to be a catalyst to transform the community through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Is such a dream even possible? Even though I accurately predicted a landslide victory for Bush, I am no prophet!
Let me give you a few more reasons why I think this dream is possible. I admit I was a little discouraged when the financial difficulties our church is facing were first discovered. The Lord helped me to see that this problem was for our own good and for his glory. I was very proud of the way you responded to the bad news. Despite the setback, I thought the attitude of the congregation was outstanding last week. It was a great encouragement to see one person stand up and remind us to hang in there and that God will prevail. Did you see the offering from last week? Excluding donations to the land, it was the biggest offering in the history of our church!! I realize that one week’s offering will not solve our problems, but I take it as a positive work of God in our lives.
I also heard another awesome story related to our financial crunch. One couple had been giving to our church, but, like so many of us, had a lot of monthly bills and not a lot of money to go around. They had been thinking about upping their giving, but could not push themselves to do so. After reading the letter we sent out last week, they talked about it and decided to immediately start tithing. You know what, even if our church runs out of money and has to shut the doors, this couple will be tithing for the rest of their lives. They responded to God’s promptings and decided to step out in faith. That is pure discipleship. Do you think God will honor their step of obedience? There is no question he will.
As most of you know, our church owns ten acres of land on County B. While we would hope to build a church on that site in the near future, humanly speaking, it does not seem that it will happen anytime soon. Despite this apparent lack of funds, the elders have appointed a committee to explore various construction options for a church building. Where will we get the money? I have no idea, but if it is the Lord’s will, he will provide. Maybe he will send the money through wealthy people that we don’t even know. Does that sound far-fetched? I would have thought so myself a month ago, but in the last four weeks the Lord led me to two different multi-millionaires and I asked them to consider donating to this very vision you are holding in your hands. I told them that I believed this vision could be best accomplished with our own building—a ministry center. Both of these people have expressed an interest in our vision—right here in little old Viroqua. Neither of these people lives in the area, one I have never met in person and the other I just met last week. I am not a wealthy person and I am not in the habit of accidentally bumping into multi-millionaires. I have never in my life asked for such a large donation, and here I asked two people in one month.
I tell you this not to brag that I found these people—God clearly led me to them. I tell you not to get your hopes up—I have no idea if they will actually give us any money. But I tell you the story as a reminder that God can do whatever he wills. He could bring us the money in a flash. He could give us a building tomorrow. Maybe it will happen here similar to what happened at the Free Church in Montello. They were given 4 acres of prime land and $250,000 by someone that did not even go to their church. Maybe it will happen like it happened in Monroe. They owned a 100-year old church building where you had to snake down a back stairway just to use the bathroom. There was another church in town that decided to close its doors and they gave their building to the Free Church. They renovated it and it is being used 7 days a week as a ministry center. The story of Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, IL is a bit out of our league, but no less a work of God. They were given a building valued at $30,000,000! You may recall that dozens of Christians outside of our church have pledged over $200,000 to Grace Church over the past four years.
God could give us a building tomorrow, but even if it were that easy, what would we do in this building? I am suggesting we would use it as a catalyst to transform our community. You’ve probably noticed that this vision does not include anything about specific ministries to children, teens, adults, unbelievers and so on. We can and have been figuring out those ministries all along, but first we must see the big vision. I dream of a church where we can watch the steady, but sure transformation of the community resulting in large numbers of new converts and disciples and a reduction in the socio-economic problems. Do you share this dream with me?
I have never been more encouraged about the current situation and future potential of our church. I have never felt such a keen sense of calling as I do to this community and to this vision. I can see this vision being worked out in our lives. Can you see it? Do you see what I see? God could give us a building tomorrow—that’s the easy part, but a vision like this does not happen overnight. We are talking about years of sacrifice, service, sweat and tears. It will take not just a commitment to a vision like this, but a radical commitment and submission to Jesus Christ.
When I dream, I don’t dream of building one big, local church, but I dream of a Christ-transforming community that would serve as a catalyst to transform our entire community. A church that would restore honor to the name of Christ and would preach the gospel with vitality and integrity—where hurt Christians are healed—where unbelievers are converted—where ministry is multiplied—where submission and obedience to God is normal—where families are strengthened—where God is magnified above all things. This is the kind of church I dream about. Do you share this dream with me? I will ask you for the last time—why are you here?
Rich Maurer
November 7, 2004
Distinctives of the EFCA
"In essentials, unity.
In non-essentials, charity,
In all things, Jesus Christ." -- Chrysostom
1. The Evangelical Free Church of America is inclusive not exclusive.
The great heritage of the Evangelical Free Church people around the world includes the fact that fellowship and ministry opportunities in the local church are based solely on one's personal faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, trusting in Him alone for salvation. Membership requires commitment to sound doctrine as expressed in our Statement of Faith. However, a person is not excluded from membership because he or she does not agree on every fine point of doctrine. Within the Evangelical Free Church, there is allowance for legitimate differences of understanding in some areas of doctrine.
2. The Evangelical Free Church is evangelical but not separatistic. The Evangelical Free Church was born out of a heritage of commitment to the authority and inerrancy of Scripture. We have deep convictions based on the authority of God's Word, but we do not draw battle lines over minor points. Nor do we make minor issues of doctrine a test of fellowship in the local church. We are evangelical. We believe in separated living and personal holiness. But we are not separatistic.
3. The Evangelical Free Church of America is ecumenical in spirit though not in structure.
We believe in the spiritual unity of the church, though not necessarily in structural union. We join with other Christians and other denominations of like precious faith in common goals and ministries to accomplish the Great Commandment and the Great Commission. But we believe that there is strength in diversity and that it is important to preserve our Distinctives. We recognize that union in structure does not guarantee unity of spirit. Our foremost concern is unity of spirit with our Lord, with each other and with other Christians.