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WHAT KIND OF
CHURCH IS FIRST BAPTIST, ROSWELL?
Matthew 16:18
On this rock I will
build my church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against
it.
Foundation is the word of Jesus Christ
Inevitable—God is the one who will make it happen
Intimate—my church—it belongs to God—not mine or yours
Invincible—the gates of Hell shall not prevail.
(This is the
transcript of a Sermon by Dr. Ron Bradley delivered from the
pulpit at First Baptist Church Roswell, GA
November 3, 2002 during the
morning service.)
Everyone needs to listen very closely. FBC is a fundamental
church. We believe in the 5 basic fundamentals of the
Christian Faith from which we will not deviate or compromise.
But we are not a fundamentalistic church. Here’s what I
mean. There are 5 Christian fundamentals—
1.
Bible is the
Word of God. Truth without mixture of error. The record of God’s
revelation to mankind—2 Tim.3:16 All scripture is given by
inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof
for correction for instruction in righteousness. Tells us
what to believe and how to behave.
2.
The virgin
Birth of Jesus Christ. Matthew 1:20-21 Joseph, son of David, Do
not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit and she will bring forth
a Son and you shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his
people from their sins
3.
Substitutionary
Death of Jesus on the cross. Heb. 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the
author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before Him endured the cross despising the shame and has sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God.
4.
Literal
resurrection of Jesus. He was not just resuscitated, he
arose. Matt 28:6 He is not here he is risen come see the
place where they laid him
5.
2nd
coming of Christ. If I go to prepare a place for you then
I will come again to receive you unto myself that where I am
there you may be also.
These are our 5 fundamentals that we believe at First Baptist.
But that does not make us a fundamentalistic church. Nor
does that make you a fundamentalistic christian. To
state that everyone must interprete all scripture in the same
way you do, is to be a fundamentalist. There are many
passages of Scripture which are open for different
interpretations upon which our faith does not hinge.
A
FUNDAMENTALIST CHURCH IS ONE WHICH SAYS THAT ALL MUST AGREE WITH
THEIR INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE OR ELSE THEY ARE WRONG.
Not that they are different but that they are wrong. Some
go so far as to say, They don’t believe the Bible. They
aren’t even Christian because they have a different
interpretation.
You can be a fundamental Christian without being a
fundamentalist. The ist makes all the difference in the
world.
Other Southern Baptist Churches may decide to be
fundamentalistic, but that is simply there right to choose.
But all Southern Baptist Churches do not have to be
fundamentalistic to be Bible believing, growing, mission
supporting part of the Kingdom of God. To be excluded when
you are a fundamental church hurts, divides, and polarizes our
denomination and the kingdom of God.
WE ARE A TRUE AND FAITHFUL FUNDAMENTAL SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH,
REGARDLESS WHAT OTHERS CHOOSE TO DO OR WHERE THEY CHOOSE TO GO
OR HOW THEY CHOOSE TO BE GOVERNED. We are fundamental in
our Biblical beliefs and faithful to time honored Baptist
beliefs. The heart of a church is not agreeing with each
other; it is believing in each other. The question is not
how do I fit in, but how do we fit together?
What the Lord wants more than our being right about every
theological doctrine he wants us to be right in our relationship
with each other.
“Make them one as you and I are one” Jesus prayed in John 17
2. First Baptist
church after the model of our Lord Jesus Christ is inclusive
rather than exclusive. Our emphasis is on the fact that
there are only 2 kinds of sinners in the world, there are saved
sinners and lost sinners. We are of the saved variety
thanks to the grace of Jesus Christ. WE come to others as
beggars telling other beggars where we found bread. We are
wounded healers who have been saved only because of the goodness
of Jesus Christ.
When other groups are
targeted as objects of our evangelistic efforts it has a
tendency to make us look arrogant religious snobbery,
sanctimonious, and judgmental. . And because Jesus
was accepting of people just as they are so he could make them
into what he desires them to be so do we.
For it is our cardinal
belief that acceptance does not mean or imply approval.
Our acceptance of
persons does not mean that we approve their sin or their
lifestyle
As apostle Paul said
in 1 Corinthians 9:22. I become all things to all men that I
might by all means save some. Paul accommodated meaning he
walked along side of those who were different Not that he
compromised his beliefs, but that he came along side that he
might win them to Christ.
We will never give up
what is right for what sells. To move from being
reactionary to being constructive—in a culture standing on an
empty stage with an open microphone. This postmodern age is
massive opportunity to make a difference.
3.
First Baptist
Church is a purpose-driven church not a program promoting
church. We are a great commission church. Jesus
said, Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father the son and the Holy
Sprit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command
you, and low I am with you always even to the end of the age.
The church’s future is based on her mission. This is our
mission statement printed on the front of your worship guide.
Sharing Jesus Christ with those who don’t know him, nurturing
and growing those who do. It is a threefold mission:
Helping people to believe, to belong and to become. People
are asking three questions in this world, “Do I matter to
God?” Do I Matter to You? Do I matter to Others? We
build on people, not programs. Not just what kind of things are
we trying to do? But what kind of people are we trying to build?
We are less concerned about making church full of people and
more concerned about making people full of God.
In a summary statement: we are staff led, we are deacon
served; we are committee organized, and we are congregationally
approved.
II.
In a few words
is who we are, now where are we going? What is our vision?
Bill Hybels defines vision as a picture of the future that
produces passion. The Benefit of vision is that it provides
focus
We have the vision of reaching people for Jesus Christ who
fervently, urgently, with zeal and passion seek to reach our
community, state, nation, and world for Jesus Christ.
Those who will be involved on mission purpose-filled lives of
serving others in the name of Jesus Christ.
Nothing neutralizes the redemptive potential of a church faster
than trying to be all things to all people. It is
impossible for any one church to do it all.
We can’t include everything. If you want a romantic dinner
tablecloth and candlelight and clothe napkins it’s not
McDonnalds. It’s not part of their vision.
We are not attempting to be all things to all people. One
mistake churches make is trying to be like everyone else.
We don’t need to be clones. We’ve got to be authentic…to
reflect who we are, who God is calling us to be. WE are
committed to building on our strengths and working on our
weaknesses.
We have one essential product: a changed human being.
Different from business—goal is not to change the customer, not
to educate the customer, it is to satisfy the customer.
The power of business is limited. All they can actually do
is rearrange the yard markers on the playing field of life.
They can’t change a human heart. Can’t heal a wounded
soul. Can’t turn hatred into love. They can’t bring about
repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation, peace. Hospitals
change the sick into well, school the uneducated into the
educated, church lost into found, dead into alive. Perishing
into the living.
Only one power exists on this planet that can do that.
It’s the power of the love of Jesus Christ, the love that
conquers sin and wipes out shame and heals wounds and reconciles
enemies and patches broken dreams and ultimately changes the
world, one life at a time. And what grips my heart
everyday is the knowledge that the radical message of that
transforming love has been given to the church.
This means that the future of the world rests in the hands of
local congregations
A
church that measures its success by the dirt on our members
hands. Jesus act of worship was washing dirty feet
providing the key model for us. Look at our hands.
How dirty are they? We are not committed to keeping our hands
clean, but getting them dirty in redemption work. We can
be no better than Jesus.
b. We are a church that will reach those who desire to worship
the Lord in a positive, relevant, creative style of worship.
A
church filled with those who come to worship expecting to give
rather than to get. We resist the idea that the basic point of
worship is to come and get what I like or what I want or to be
entertained. We come in response to what God has already
done for us by saving us in sacrifice and grace of our Lord
Jesus on the cross. Where worship is not about style but
about having a true encounter with a living Jesus Christ.
Where we know we are helpless before God and we know we are
nothing without Him. When God’s people choose deliberately
to stand before God, what happens? God sees, God hears, God
responds and the outcome is awesome. Worship is not a
static experience. It is dynamic. It is changing and
growing. God is worthy of the finest worship any of us is
capable of offering to Him. A human skull is set in size
by the age of 10, but our ears never stop growing until the day
we die.
Worship is not about me…worship is about God.
Those who believe in the power of traditional hymns, inspiration
of a choral anthem, thrill of a pipe organ and a church
orchestra and ringing of handbells, and sounds of a children’s
choir. Those who love a church that looks like a church, a
church where they are not afraid to unashamedly pass an offering
plate, The best analogy is the popularity of the new Volkswagen
Beetle and the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Best of the old and
the freshness, sharpness of the new.
Those who believe in the value of a family worshiping together
in the same service. Where children are not segregated
into another part of the facility for age appropriate services.
There are some things learned more by experience than by thought
process. A child watching mom and dad sing, bow their
heads, pass the plate, take notes on the sermon, listen to the
choir, hear the organ and handbells and orchestra, feel the
power of the Holy Spirit present in an hour of worship. To
worship as one family in one place—is that easy? No! Is it
important? Supremely.
We will reach those who believe in intergenerational
church—where grandparents worship with grandchildren.
Young adults with empty nesters.
Singles with married. Those in wheel chairs with teens.
Pastor can’t lead at the pace of the fastest sheep in the
flock—leaving behind the aged weak, or sick. We lead the
slowest sheep as well. We are not going to be the church
of what’s happening now!
Our vision is to reach those who value small individual Sunday
School classes where children/youth, everyone is taught by lay
people who love enough to give their Sunday morning to teaching
the future generation—not to entertain but to teach—to
interact—to love.
Our vision is to reach those who believe in the importance of
each individual being known by name by the ministerial staff,
and volunteer Sunday School teacher and other members.
We are a church that believes in being involved not just being
spectators. High touch/low commitment. But that is
not First Baptist Roswell.
Jesus said, If anyone would follow me let him deny himself take
up his cross daily and follow me. To take up our cross is
to do the will of God even at the expense of ourselves.
To personally start a mouth to mouth epidemic of the gospel of
Jesus Christ.
Where the pastor who is not your CEO but who is your shepherd,
who leads you walks along side of you, sometimes pushes you,
leads you, always heals you who dedicates your baby, performs
your daughter’s wedding, who baptizes your teenage son, who
memorializes your grandmother, who visits in your home, who is
available within days for spiritual counseling, who teases your
teenager.
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Personally
reaching a changing world with timeless truth and
progressive, evolving traditional worship.
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We are seeking to
be a church of people
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Radically devoted
to Jesus Christ
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Relentlessly
dedicated to reaching those outside God’s family with the
Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Irrevocably
committed to each other
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It would be a
church against which the gates of Hell could not prevail!
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It would be an
unstoppable force for good in the community
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An inspiration to
other churches and a testimony to God’s unfailing grace.
Bill Hybels.
An entire world out there of people whom we come in contact
every week, longing searching, hoping praying to find a church
like this—Where they can hear the world of God proclaimed in a
compassionate, challenging, accepting atmosphere of grace.
Personally in a changing world the timeless truth in an
exciting, progressive, accepting, compassionate, relevant
manner.
This is the picture of the future we believe God has given us;
this is what we’re going to do; this is why we’re going to do it
and we will be developing how we’re going to do it. And if
we all pray like crazy and link arms together and stay focuses
on our mission, we will be a different and better church one
year from now. And 5 years from now and 10 years from now.
Bill Hybels had just finished presenting weekend message at
Willow Creek, talking to people. A young married couple
approached him placed a blanketed bundle in his arms and asked
him to pray for their baby.
Just as he asked the mother, the baby’s name, the mother pulled
back the blanket uncovering the infants severely deformed face.
My knees began to buckle and the father steadied him. All
he could say was Oh my…oh my…oh my. Her name is Emily the
mother said. We’ve been told that she has about 6 weeks to
live. We would like you to pray that before she dies she
will know and feel our love.” They prayed.
As he handed bundle back, Is there anything we can do for you,
anyway the church can serve you during this tough time?”
Bill, we’re okay. Our Bible study class knew our pregnancy had
problems. Several members came over the night we learned the
news, they were at the hospital when Emily was delivered.
They helped us absorb the reality of the whole thing. They even
cleaned our house and fixed our meals when we brought her home.
They pray for us constantly and call us several times a day.
They are even helping us plan Emily’s funeral.
Just then 3 other couples stepped forward surrounded Emily and
her parents.
“We always attend church together as a group.” A tightly
knit huddle of loving brothers and sisters doing their best to
soften one of the cruelest blows life can throw. After a
group prayer, they all walked up the side aisle toward the lobby
of the church building. Where would that family be, where
would they go, how would they handle this heartbreak, without
the church?
There is nothing like the local church when it’s working right.
It’s power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. No
other organization on earth is like the church. Nothing
even comes close.
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