There is no Plan B
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Good morning, I am so thankful this morning to be able to open God’s Word with you this morning. Thank you Brother Steven for allowing me the privilege to open the word of God with and lead you to see what he has laid upon my heart. So, as we begin this part of our service I’m going to ask you to do something different. In just a moment we are going to pray. As a sign of unity and a symbol of cooperation I am going to ask us to Join hands in prayer. I know it’s different, but lets all stand and join hands. Lets Join our hands and hearts in prayer.
Let us pray; Heavenly father, God of wonders and majesty show us your glory, Jesus you are our rescuer and hope. You change hearts and lives. Holy Spirit fill this place be here now. Lord make us one by the power of your love. Father You made us one body in Christ to work for your Kingdom. We praise you for what you have done on the cross and in our lives. We praise you for what you are doing in the restoration of this campus. We praise you for what you will do in through this church for our neighbors, our city and the world.
Right now as we study you word I pray that I decrease and you increase. we pray that you will change hearts and lives because of the preaching of your word.
It is you lord we seek. We pray your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. It is in the name of Jesus and for his glory that we pray. Amen
Truths we Hold
Over the last six weeks Pastor Steven has lead us to examine Truths we must hold in common we have looked at 1. Jesus is the only way to salvation.2. Jesus is the truth. 3. Jesus is Lord. 4. Jesus Name the name by which we pray 5. The Cross was the only way 6. The Resurection is real and proves Jesus’ promises true. Steven is a sharp guy and I appreciate his leadership. There is a very distinct theme among these topics. Do you see it? 1. Jesus is the only way to salvation.2. Jesus is the truth. 3. Jesus is Lord. 4. Jesus Name the name by which we pray 5. The Cross was the only way 6. The Resurection is real and proves Jesus’ promises true. Who sees the common factor in all of these? Jesus.
The name above all names. Messiah, Savior. The common factor is Jesus. Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus, The Logos, Son of God and Son of Man, Lamb of God who takes away our sins, Jesus. Light of the world, Son of David. The common factor is Jesus.
He is holy the none like Him. He is the reason we are here. Amen? He what unifies us. He is the cornerstone of the church. If we build anything let it be upon him. Jesus is a firm foundation. If we Trust in anything let it be him. In Jesus our trust will not be shaken.
Even before I get started today I’m going to tell you where I’m going. Now, That doesnt mean it’s nap time, or time to work on your grocery list. I’m going to tell you because it is important.
There is no plan B. God’s plan for reaching the world is the church. There is no Plan B. The church is plan A to reach people for Christ. We are responsible to share the gospel in our families, comunities, in our city and with the nations.
Turn with me in your bibles to the book of Isaiah 43. It is printed on the sermon notes and will be displayed on the screen. Lets look in Isaiah 43 with Bible app or your paper bible at Isaiah 43:8-13
Bring out the people who are blind, even though they have eyes, And the deaf, even though they have ears. All the nations have gathered together So that the peoples may be assembled. Who among them can declare this And proclaim to us the former things? Let them present their witnesses that they may be justified, Or let them hear and say, “It is true.” “You are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. “I, even I, am the Lord, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God. “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
There is no Plan B.
There is no Plan B.
Why am telling you my point up front? Well, because there is a problem. I’m not standing up here in front of you to point fingers or place blame. I’m not here to stir up descention; that is why we prayed for unity. I’m not saying there is a problem to step on anyone’s toes, but There is no Plan B. The Church is to be God’s witnesses. We are the salt and the light. You may be saying what is the problem. Are any of you curious? Is there someone among you who would ask what is the problem?
What is the Problem?
What is the Problem?
I’m glad you asked because it is a big problem. It is a problem that impacts many, many churches.
Church Attendance Is Declining According to an extensive survey by the Pew Research Center, the share of adults in the US who identify as Christians fell from 78 percent to 71 percent between 2007 and 2014. The corresponding increase in those who identify as “religiously unaffiliated” (meaning atheist, agnostic, or “nothing in particular”) jumped by almost seven points, from just over 16 percent to 23 percent.
Powell, Kara; Mulder, Jake; Griffin, Brad (2016-09-20). Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church (Kindle Locations 177-181). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Even more alarmingly in the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Baptisms have declined by over 124000 (-30%) in just 15 years. They were the lowest they have been in 68 years.
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SBC Baptisms 1990-2015
SBC Baptisms 1990-2015
here’s what it looks like as a diagram
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SBC Baptisms 1845-2015
SBC Baptisms 1845-2015
This is after 100 years of growth.
And for the first time in southern baptist history Children are not the group with the largest number of baptisms
Piechart
Piechart
The problem is we are not reaching people for christ especially children.
Now, I am a family ministries pastor so I’ll own it -I am not an effective witness for Christ. I’m not doing all I should. We can do more as a Southern baptists and as Stevendale Baptist Church. The problem is Baptisms are have been declining. Especially, children’s baptisms. So how do we fix the problem? What is the solution?
There is no plan B, but the church doesnt have any problems that discipleship doesn’t solve.
Isaiah 43:8-13
Isaiah 43:8-13
In our passaage this morning The Lord called his people to gather the people who weren’t seeing and hearing and to proclaim what He has done in their life.
God is to be known and glorified in our homes, our neighborhoods, in our city and in the world. He builds his church and equips his be his witnesses
God has no rival
God has no rival
Verse 10b says “ I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. Verse 12b-13 says; “there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the Lord, “And I am God. Even from eternity I am He,” We witnes to the fact that that God has no Rival.
God is Soverign
God is Soverign
God acts and no one can reverse his actions V13 “ Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
We are witnesses to these great truths!
We are witnesses to these great truths!
In other words, the sovereignty of God is good news because it supports a sovereign salvation. Verse 11: “I, even I am the Lord, and there is no savior besides me.” Fill that out with the words from verse 13: “Even from eternity I am He, and there is none who can deliver out of My hand.”
There is no Plan B.
There is no Plan B.
So, I’d like to take a moment and lay out a vision and strategy for family ministry here at Stevendale Baptist Church
Isaiah 26:8 Vision
Our vision as to build a ministry that strives toward Isaiah 26:8 Here is a paraphrase
Isaiah 26:8 Vision
Isaiah 26:8 Vision
Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your truth, we wait eagerly for you; for your name and renown are the desire of our souls. ISAIAH 26: 8
Love God Above All - Because are created by God and for His glory, we desire to make knowing and enjoying God the passionate pursuit of our lives.
Build up the church - Because Christ established the church for God’s glory, I will invest the gifts He has given me in the life and mission of my local church.
Love One Another - Because God’s fame is amplified when believers love each other, we will strive for unity among all Christians our lives.
Share Jesus where I Live - Because many around me are separated from God, I will share the story of Jesus where I live.
Share Jesus with Everyone - Because God is seeking worshipers of every group and language, I will spread His fame among the world. We will participate in Christ’s global mission.
Our strategy Is as simple as K I D S
Our strategy Is as simple as K I D S
K - Kairos
K- kairos - kairos is a special moment in time, or a God Moment Kairos is when God shows up and connects the dots and a life is changed forever.
I - Interconnection
I- interconnection - experiencing God together. Developing leaders
D - Discipleship
D- discipleship - systematic Bible learning. Teaching theological concepts, applications
S - Small Groups
S- small groups - learning side by side that fosters community and accountability.
These are the high level things we are doing as Stevendale Baptist church. This morning I am asking you to pray about how God is leading you to be a part of these family ministries. There is no plan B. Discipleship is the only way to grow the kingdom. We have to invest in to the lives of people and share the gospel and disciple them.
Specifically children.
Spending time with Kids and Teenagers is one of the most important things you can do. If you are a dad, mom, coach, aunt, uncle, leader, pastor, grandparent you are probably already making kids a priority in your life. You already know what you do this week matters alot. It may not seem like it does sometimes But it does. We want to illustrate something visually so you can see how much time maters. There are 936 weeks between the time that a child is born and the time that they graduate high school. By the time that their first year of school ends you only have 572 weeks left. lets represent those with marbles. Each week is represented with one marble. 572 marbles. As a child grows and gains independence he starts middle school and begins those awkward years they need you more than ever as they near the end of sixth grade you only have about 312 marbles left. As they start high school you get 4 more summers to spend with them before they are off to college. As a child finishes up her freshman year of highschool you only has 156 marbles left and if you are a sunday school leader in one year you have at most 50 marbles because you get one hour once a week most weeks to spend time with them. As a child goes to prom and finishes his senior year you only have a few weeks left and one thing is clear. You are loosing your marbles but let not take that as a negative. Play for keeps. Maximize the time you have with them each week. Because there is no Plan B. Its our, the church’s responsibility to reach our family, our comunity, our city and the nations with the gospel of Christ.
We are going to give you a chance to respond to the message today. Pastor, will you and the praise team come forward for our time of invatation. Today we’d like to open the altar for prayer. If the lord is leading you to make a difference in a childs life each week or if you are a mom or dad or coach or uncle that already invests into a young life and you want to start making your weeks count. come spend some time in prayer. The pastoral staff will be here to recieve you need to make a decision. Brother Steven