Summary and Reflection
“Harvest of souls, revival, great outpouring
of the Holy Spirit, church will rise up;
grow spiritually; time for a fresh start;
time is too short to play church.”
Passionately Dr. Clayton Ford prayed before he preached. After two months of being the interim pastor at Faith Chapel, Pastor Clay summarized his thoughts on where FC needs to be as we approach this next chapter.
Our church needs to be Christ centered. FC should not be about programs or the worship team or the pastor. The only priority is Jesus Christ..John 8:12 states
“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I
am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will
never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” (NIV)
Also in John 14:6 Jesus answered,”I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” These two verses indicate that Jesus Christ needs to be our first priority, and nothing should inhibit our relationship with Him and our growth in Him. Pastor Clay reminds us to not “let the trappings of church get in the way of Jesus.” It is easy to get busy “doing church” instead of focusing on who Jesus is and how we need to be more like Him. An example of prioritizing Jesus is Dave and Lynette Kiplinger co leading the “In Christ’s Image Training,” which has a theme of Him increasing and us decreasing in our lives.
Second, our church needs to be Spirit filled which means more than theology and routine but letting the Holy Spirit guide and direct our individual and corporate lives. Ephesians 5:18 states “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” Let’s be saturated in the Holy Spirit and invite Him into our lives each day.
Next, our church needs to be Biblically grounded. We need the Word. If an idea or theory or action does not coincide with the Bible, we need to let it go or change directions. The Bible is the standard by which we can measure whether our attitudes and actions line up with the LORD’s will and purpose. The psalmist wrote in 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (KJV) When the Bible guides you in your daily walk, you depend on Him more and the world less. Also
“All scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
Why would we avoid the God-inspired word to give us direction? That way we can love, know truth, and see His power; our time can be spent in the “Upward, Inward, and Outward” directions.
Also our church needs to be aware of our identity and authority through Christ. I have a t-shirt that says “Daughter of the King.” I love that I can wear that shirt with confidence because He is my Abba Father who sent His Son to save me. 1 John 3:1 states “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” In addition, our authority is explained in Ephesians 1:18-20
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in
order that you may know the hope to which he has called
you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,
and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That
power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he
raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand
in the heavenly realms.” (NIV)
The right hand seat is a place of honor and authority which we receive after accepting Jesus as our Lord.
Five, our church needs to be the “family of God, Body of Christ, community of the Holy Spirit.” Solomon built the Temple in which the LORD was to reside, and now we are His temple. As Christ followers, we were never meant to live as hermits but with others. “As Iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens a friend.” Proverbs 27:17 (NIV) We need each other to hold each other accountable, to encourage each other, to laugh and cry together. God gave us family and friends just for that reason. Friday night the Legacy Builders did just that: ate together, sang, laughed, and tried to identify the pictures we brought in from when we were young. That is community!
Six, our church needs to have “each one doing our part:the Fresnel lens.” Matthew 5:14-16a states,
”You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill
cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and
put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and
it give light to everyone in the house. In the same way ,
let your light shine before others…” (NIV)
What talents and gifts do you have that can enhance the body FC? Let us, each one, do our part to glorify the LORD in this community, the county and the state.
Finally, Pastor Clay asked the FC Elders and Board members to line up in front. The congregants, who were ready to walk “through the door to new beginnings,” were invited to come up and pass between our church leaders to be blessed.
Let’s walk through the door together and sing praises to our King so that we can be light and salt in this troubled and hurting world.
Calendar:
7/26-The Next Chapter meeting at 6:30 in the Activity Center
7/29-Men’s event at the Padre game
By Larry and Annette Linthicum
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