Building Faith, Family and Future
by Pastor Don Griffin

When Jesus Christ walked this planet, he had a dream, a vision of something that was to come. The religious climate of that day was very bad. The Pharisees and the Sadducees had distorted the pure faith of Israel's God and had turned it into meaningless ritual that didn't do anyone any good. On the other hand, the pagan religions of the Gentile world were atrocious. There were many, many false gods. There were such things as temple prostitutes, demon worship and all kinds of paganism. Jesus saw beyond all that and envisioned a group of people who would follow him and form his church. When Christ began to call out believers to himself, he taught them a new way of life and living. The ritual of Judaism was removed, and the filth of paganism was replaced with holy and righteous living.

The intention of Christ for his church is perhaps best summed up in the word discipleship. Jesus' vision for the church was to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28: 18). Jesus did not say go and make church members because that would have simply been a return back to ritualism. He said go and make disciples. What is a disciple?

"Disciple" means "follower". So, for instance, a psychiatrist might be called a "disciple" of Freud if he follows Sigmund Freud's theories and methods. A jazz trumpeter might be called a "disciple" of some great trumpet player because he imitates his playing style. In medicine, we don't call it "discipleship," we call it "residency". Residents learn the practice of medicine by observing and imitating a more experienced physician. Another example would be a beginning electrician or plumber who learns their trade by becoming an "apprentice". They become a disciple of a more experienced electrician or plumber.

The word "disciple" is used in the gospels and in Acts to refer to the dozen men whom Jesus selected to travel with him. "Disciple" is also used in the Bible as a synonym for "Christian". Disciples of Christ are people who are modeling their lives after his. Our task is a church is not only to see people sharing a worship service with us. Our task is to help them to learn the ways of Jesus and to live out his life as a disciple. In order to try to do that better, we have sought to come up with a purpose statement that would help us as a church to remember how it is that we're wired to do ministry for the Lord. If you are a part of our small-group studies on Wednesday night probably remember Tom asking your group questions with regard to our church. Here are some other ways you described our church.

• Bible studies, interacting with each other
• Everyone knows everyone and cares about each other
• Feel like you are walking into a relative's house
• Very welcoming, God centered worship
• Family centered church, teaching-equipping church, application oriented, helping the whole person, ministry driven, casual/contemporary, biblically sound
• One big happy family
• Teach God's word in a fun way

Our task has been to come up with a statement that will both describe us and at the same time remind us of will were to be doing. The one that we finally came up with is as follows: Fellowship Bible Church Building Faith Family and Future. That may seem like a simple concept, but each one of those words explodes into deeper meaning, and that's what I want to talk with you about.

Fellowship Bible Church Building Faith

When you see the word faith, the first thing you probably think of it is your faith in God or someone else's faith in God, but that is only one meaning of the word faith.

Acts 6:7, "So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith."

Acts 14:21-22, "They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, ²²strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith."

In those verses and many more, the scripture is using the words "the faith" to refer to the content of what the scripture teaches. There is a system of truth found in the Bible, and it is called "the faith." That being the case, when we say Fellowship Bible church building faith, what we're saying is that we are a Bible teaching church. One of our major tasks is to teach you what the Bible says and what it means by what it says. I remember attending a church years ago where the pastor was getting a degree in psychology, and when he got up to preach, that is exactly what he taught -- psychology. If that is what you're looking for, you will not get it here. As long as the Lord gives us grace to do so, we will seek to teach his word. What will the word of God do in the lives of people?

1. We expect people to be changed by the teaching of the word of God

The Bible tells us that its words are God's words and that God's Word imparts life. 

Psalm 19:7-8, The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.  The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes

In 1787 the English ship bounty, commanded by Lt. William Bligh, started for the South Pacific.  Sailors signed on with Bligh considering the voyage a trip to Paradise.  The bounty stayed in Tahiti six months, and the sailors enjoyed the island paradise to the full.  When it came time to leave, some of the man wanted to stay behind with their island girlfriends.  On April 28, 1789 many of the sailors mutinied against the captain.  Captain Bligh and his supporters were sent adrift on a lifeboat which they navigated to another island hundreds of miles away.  The mutineers aboard the bounty traveled with the remaining crew 1000 miles to an uninhabited island, but the group began to disintegrate.  They distilled whiskey from a native plant, and drunkenness and fighting marked their colony.  Disease and murder eventually took the lives of all the men except for one, Alexander Smith, who found himself the only man on the island, surrounded by women and children.  Then an amazing thing occurred.  Smith found the Bounty's neglected Bible.  He took it, read it and was changed by.  He then began instructing the little community in the ways of the Scriptures.  The message of the Bible so transformed their lives that 20 years later in 1808 when another ship landed on the island, it found a happy society of Christians living in prosperity and peace.  There was no crime, disease or murder.  That is the power of the Bible to change lives.

In the last two weeks, we have heard the testimony of Mike and of Robert who have been changed by the power of the word.  They've been changed because the word of God imparts life to those who receive it.  In the years which follow, we expect people to come to a personal knowledge of God through Jesus Christ. 

2. We expect people to be protected by the word of God

In our world today, we are finding attacks on the Bible to become more and more regular.  For example, one of the most popular books in recent years is the DaVinci code.  They have now made it into a movie starring Tom Hanks, and it's becoming a bigger and bigger thing all the time.  The book suggests that there was a sinister, global organization in the first century after the time of Christ that suppressed the truth about Jesus' marriage Mary Magdalene.  It goes on to say that their union produced children who were taken to France to suppress the myth about Jesus' deity.  That kind of thing causes  people who do not know the word of God to have a lack of confidence in the truthfulness of the Bible.  We are in a war that is becoming bigger and bigger.  In the midst of that battle, we plan to help protect people by teaching them the truth so that they will be able to identify and reject the false.

3. We expect people to be made whole by the word of God

Matthew 22:37, Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself."

Why did Jesus use those terms, heart,  soul  and mind?  Why didn't he just saying you shall love the Lord your God  and do what He says? He said that because man is more than just the body and a brain.  So he uses terms like soul and heart and mind to get across the point that we are to love God with our whole being, not just externally.  Man is a complex and mysterious creation of God. 

Someone said, "maybe to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself -- mankind. Basically, it's made up of two separate words, "mank" and "ind."  What do these words mean?  It's a mystery and that's why so is mankind."

We are complex beings.  We have a material part of us, but we also have been immaterial part of the us.  And the immaterial part of us is just as complex or more complex than the material part.  Jesus is saying, "love the Lord your God with all that you are and do the same for other people." 

The problem is that in one way or another we are all handicapped.  Some handicaps are more obvious than others, but we are all handicapped because when Adam and Eve our first parents sinned, something happened in the human being that damaged it greatly so that their relationship with God was short-circuited.  And what did they do that when they sinned?   They sewed fig leaves to cover themselves, and they hid themselves from God.  And we have been doing the same thing ever since.  We move away from God and people.  We hide the brokenness within and cover ourselves up.  That is seen in the little ritual that we usually follow we see one another.  If someone ask you "how are you doing," you will probably respond by saying "I'm doing fine."  If we were to tell the truth, we would probably say something more like this; "well really, I messed up, confused and a little angry at life, and I don't know what I'm going to do about it.  Thanks for asking."

One of the reasons we have problems emotionally is that we don't see God as God really is.  We live frightened, lonely, insecure lives because we don't understand that we have a loving heavenly Father who is all-powerful.  As we study the scripture, God is placed on his rightful throne, and we can relax because we understand that he is in control.

Fellowship Bible Church Building Family

The Bible uses a number of metaphors to describe the church.  For example, the church is a vine, the church is a building, the church is a body etc. the most common image of the church, however is that of a family.  The church is the visible family of God on earth. We don't meet here from week to week as strangers or as fellow parishioners.  We meet here as family, and that is exactly what people in this world needs.   In our city we have wall-to-wall people, many who are at the same time be incredibly lonely.  And it is getting worse all the time in our automated society.  Someone is said that the American culture has traded in the front porch for a garage door opener.  We re becoming more and more isolated and with isolation comes loneliness, and that s not good.  Research has found that the isolation not only hurts you emotionally.  It also has physical consequences.

John Ortberg said, "Researchers found that the most isolated people were three times more likely to die than those with strong relational connections.  People who have poor health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits, obesity or alcohol use) but strong social ties lived significantly longer than people who have great health habits but were isolated.  In other words, it is better to eat Twinkies with good friends then to eat broccoli alone."

To choose to draw aside from time to time to be alone with God or just to rest is a good thing.  Jesus and his disciples did that often.  But there is a great deal of difference between choosing to be alone and being isolated. Prisoners who deserve unusual punishment are given time in solitary confinement.  They have food, restroom facilities and a place to sleep.  What's the punishment?  No relationships. 

We were made to be involved in relationships with other people, and our church has done a fairly good job at doing that.  Many people in our church would agree that we are more than just friends -- we have become family.  In the years to come, we want to include more and more people into this great family.

Fellowship Bible Church Building Future

As people join with us in our attempt to live as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, they have a future that they would never have otherwise.  They learn the principles of scripture that will protect them from the destruction of this world system.  They develop relationships with other people that become deep and lasting, and they get to see the blessing of God upon their lives that comes only with being obedient to his ways, and they have a place to serve.  So we say to the Katy community, come join with us will help you to develop faith, family and a future.

Final Thoughts

1. We must depend upon the power of God

The work that we're talking about doing is not a hard thing; it is an impossible thing without the power of God.

1 Thessalonians 1:4, "For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction."

The number one indispensable requirement for building our church is the power of the Holy Spirit upon us.  We can do without a lot of things and still be successful in God's work, but we cannot do without the power of God.  God alone can do is spiritual work in the lives of people.  And these each one of us needs to be much in prayer asking God to bless those things that we do for him, and if God is with us, there's no power on earth they can stop us.

2. We must check ourselves continually

I want you to picture yourself sitting down with your family one night and having a discussion on how things are going to be run in your family.  You're very careful to clarify the responsibility of each person in the home.  When the meeting is over, you feel very good about the whole thing.  For the first week or two things run more smoothly than you ever thought possible.  There are a few bumps, but overall, things have drastically improved.  But what is going to happen if you there is not some kind of oversight on your part so that they are reminded, things will begin to go back to the way that they were before you had that meeting.  In fact, what you see going on in your home is very different from the planned that you had initially set forth for the family.

That is the way things happen.  Left to themselves, things begin to go in a different direction than you had planned.  The same thing has often happens to the church.  If we don't continually remind ourselves of what are mission is, we will begin to drift away from God's plan and become nothing more than a religious social club.  We cannot let that happen. 

3. We must offer ourselves as living sacrifices

God's work is done by his power, but his power flows through empty vessels.  Building something that is eternal for God requires much of our time, our energies and our money.