ADVENT DAY 11 (I Belong to Jesus): Raising Up the Church

We have been brought into a relationship with our Savior, the Son of God, and we have been called children of God. Out of that sense of belonging can come a satisfying Christian life. Romans 14 says:
7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Romans 8 tells us that we have a spirit of adoption that has been placed in our hearts, and that we can call out, "Abba, Father."  God is our Heavenly Father, and Jesus has made things right between Himself and us. We have been brought near to Him, and the Lord lives in our hearts.  Isaiah 41 says that we have been redeemed and called by His name.  During this season, we can rejoice that we belong to Him - and that has a profound effect!

+++++

Welcome to the 11th day of our 25-day spiritual "Advent-ure" from Faith Radio. This year's Faith Radio Advent Guide, found in the center of the Faith Radio Ministry Magazine has, as its theme, "Because of Jesus...," and we are reflecting on what He has done for us - we have been saved, sealed, and forgiven, and we have been given the resources that enable us to live a life that glorifies God. The Bible tells us in 1st Corinthians 6:
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

We were bought with a price, we have been redeemed because our Savior paid the ultimate price by giving His life on the cross - we should keep that meaning at the forefront of our celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas.  And, not only did He come to earth in the form of a child, live a perfect life, and die on a cross, but He has been raised to new life and we have been raised up with Him.  His resurrection power resides in our hearts. We can be reminded of today's theme: "I belong to Jesus."

Jesus is the One who makes old things new.  And, He expresses that new life through His Church, described as the Body of Christ.  

McFarland Hill Baptist Church is located in Dalton, Georgia - that is just over a half-hour south of Chattanooga in the foothills of the North Georgia mountains.  Over a decade ago, the church almost died, according to The Christian Index, which reported recently that just after the church had turned 70 years old:

...the congregation had dwindled to about 35 regular attendees, and they were shouldering some $330,000 in church debt. They had cut off electricity to the gym and canceled the insurance on the church vans to save money. They didn’t see a path forward. They were considering shuttering the church permanently.

That, says current Pastor Charles Rogers, is when God showed up in a big way, restoring the church and touching off a wave of thankfulness that is still sweeping across the congregation.

The article notes:

Darey Kittle, mission strategist in the Conassauga Baptist Association based in Dalton, said McFarland Hill was in serious trouble before Rogers arrived.

“They probably would have dissolved the church,” Kittle said. “They were having a difficult time, and the church just wasn’t going anywhere. People were leaving, as they’re prone to do. Now all that debt is paid off, and the crowds are back, sitting shoulder to shoulder in that sanctuary.”

Church attendance has grown to 250 people on average, and there have been 250 baptisms in the last dozen years. Pastor Rogers, in a recent sermon, reflected on God's faithfulness, saying: “I don’t know what God has in store for you...But I can tell you this: You can trust God.”  The pastor still wonders how it happened, but as The Christian Index states: "It's a testament, Rogers said, to what God can do when people put their trust in Him." The article adds:

The church has created ministries geared toward every age group and has beefed up the music ministry with a worship team and a choir that have brought a renewed vibrance to worship services.

In the past 12 years, more than a dozen young men from the church have been called to ministry, which, denominational leaders say, is a sign of a truly healthy church.

“We try our best to get people to answer God’s call on their lives, whether it's a call to salvation or a call to serve,” Rogers said. “And we allow people to exercise their gifts.”

Writing for The Baptist Paper, George Bullard offered observations about struggling churches looking for answers and he used references to the Lone Ranger.  He writes:

Struggling churches often want a silver bullet, a simple solution that will restore them to past glory or a program or event that will bring spiritual revival to the church.

Often, the silver bullets for which churches are looking are things that worked in the past when their situations were different.

Silver bullets are not the answer for churches. No guaranteed short-term fix will work for churches that are struggling.

Instead, churches who struggle need deliberate efforts, Bullard writes:

Struggling churches are not well served by focusing on a Lone Ranger or a silver bullet organizational approach.

Instead, they need to get ready, shoot and aim.

They get ready by acknowledging they need to try new and different ways for their churches to have fresh, vital and vibrant ministries. This is the toughest step.

They shoot by seeking outside guidance for strategies and ministry practices in which they have the capacity to engage. This is a humbling step in that they admit they need help.

They aim when trying new strategies and ministry practices and hear the voice of God speaking clearly to them about His focus for their next seasons of ministry. This is the most important step.

We recognize that Jesus loves His Church and its people.  We belong to Him, and He specializes in making old things new, in raising up new things in place of what is old and stale.  That applies to a church and it applies to a person.  If our walk with Christ isn't fresh and vibrant, that is not due to His lack of desire to bring that about in our lives.  Our hearts have to be right before Him and we must develop the desire to see God move in a profound way.

It's perfectly acceptable to have goals and strategies in our Christian life.  But, we have to be avoid being trapped in legalism and attempting to be a good Christian in our own strength.  We need the Spirit of God to provide us with the direction and the strength to carry out what He has called us to do. During this Advent season, we can gain a fresher sense of our belonging to Him and draw closer to Him in the dynamic relationship that He desires.