Our Purpose (2)

As youth pastor of South Charlotte Baptist Church, I took the opportunity to write down the goals that I had for the youth of South Charlotte Baptist Church. Each year at about this time, I would take the opportunity to remind our teenagers of those goals.

Again, I recently had the opportunity to reflect on these goals, I realized that these goals and the purpose of South Charlotte Baptist Church go hand in hand. These “goals” are another way to help us understand the practical application of the stated purpose of South Charlotte Baptist Church:

Proclaiming the Gospel and experiencing the miracle of changed live!

It would then stand to reason that these goals are not just for the teenagers but for everyone within our church!

The “goals” which we went over several weeks ago were

Saved

Are you saved? and Do you know it?

Do you know that you've been born again? Do you know that you've been born again? Does the spirit dwell within? Bearing witness that you've been, cleansed from every sin and stain? Are you ready if the lord should come? Or today your soul should claim? Can you face eternal years.. Free from doubt or dread or tears? Do you know, know, know that you've been born again?

And, beyond that, I challenged you: Have you shared that with your family? with your children? with your grandchildren?

Seeking God

Psalm 63:1 KJV 1900

O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: My soul thirsteth for thee, My flesh longeth for thee In a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

Studying God’s Word

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV 1900

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

The word Study that is used here means to be zealous; be eager. We should be eager and zealous to prove yourself to be a man of God who is able to proper handle and use the Word of Truth which is the Bible!

Do you have a good handle on the Word of God?

Now, let’s look at the last four goals...

Serving

Mark 10:45 KJV 1900

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

We see this so poignantly illustrated for us in John chapter 13. Turn to and read John 13:12-15.

Jesus came to serve others. We should follow His example. In fact, we have been commanded to follow His example. Unfortunately we live in a world of “Me first!” It is not natural to serve others.

We - I’m talking specifically to the men tonight - need to be servants and give others an example to follow.

I’d like to give a “shout out” to two of our men this evening. This afternoon, Ms. Jill Jesse’s car would not start. She called Woody and Dwayne and they went to help her - to serve her.

Galatians 5:13 KJV 1900

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Notice, that verses says, “…by love serve one another.” Love is a fruit of the Spirit; in fact, it is the first one mentioned in Galatians 5:22. Therefore, to truly serve we must be surrendered to the Spirit of God. (We’ll talk more about that in just a little bit.)

The words of an old gospel song are very true,

Jesus and others and you What a wonderful way to spell joy Jesus and others and you in the life of each girl and each boy “J” is for Jesus for He has first place, “O” is for others you meet face to face, “Y” is for you, in whatever you do, Put your self third and spell JOY.

Surrendered

Isaiah 6:8 KJV 1900

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

It should be a normal spiritual desire to surrender ourselves to the Lord and follow Him with our whole heart. Ron Hamilton captured this perfectly in a song that he wrote:

Lord I give my life to You Take control each day I will follow anywhere Near or far away

Here am I Lord send me Here am I Lord send me I will serve You faithfully Here am I Lord send me

Romans 12:1–2 KJV 1900

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Jim Elliot, missionary martyr to the Auca Indians in South America, said, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” (I would encourage you to read the testimony of William Borden.)

A Christian cannot be truly used of God until they have first surrendered themselves to God. Notice the testimony of the Apostle Paul regarding the Christians in the churches of Macedonia:

2 Corinthians 8:5 KJV 1900

And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Men, have you surrendered everything to the Lord?

If not, why should we expect our children and the young people of South Charlotte Baptist Church to surrender everything to the Lord?!?!?

For a moment, let’s get really practical. We will often, when speaking with children - and even teens - ask them the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up? of “What do you want to do with your life?” Instead, as Christians, we should ask them, “What does God want you to be when you grow up?” and “What does God want you to do with your life?”

Separated

Turn to and read 2 Corinthians 6:14-17.

Here’s the command: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.” Why?

What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? None

What communion hath light with darkness? None

What concord [agreement] hath Christ with Belial ? None

What part hath he that believeth with an infidel [someone who does not believe]? None

What agreement hat the temple of God with the idols? None?

Our response to all of this should be:

2 Corinthians 6:17 KJV 1900

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

It is not my intention to discuss the intricacies of Biblical separation. Tonight, it is my desire to stress the importance of separation in the life of a believer both personal separation and ecclesiastical separation. And there is no better way to do that than to give examples from God’s Word:

Turn to and read 1 Kings 11:1-10. King Solomon was led down a path away from God as a result of not obeying God’s command to “be ye separate!”

Another Biblical example would be Lot, Abraham’s nephew. We won’t take the time to chart the course that his life followed. We will simply allow God’s Word to give us the sad commentary of a man who is not obedient to God’s command to “be ye separate!”

2 Peter 2:7–8 KJV 1900

And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

Men, is your life an example of Biblical separation?

Again, we do not have the time to fully develop this topic right now. Allow 1 John chapter 2 to challenge you in this matter of separation:

1 John 2:15–16 KJV 1900

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Last...

Soul-Conscious

Matthew 9:36–38 KJV 1900

But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

Why did Christ come?

Luke 19:10 KJV 1900

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Let’s take a little different look at this matter of being soul-conscious.Turn to and read Acts 16:25-34.

Paul & Silas had been preaching the Gospel. They were accused of “exceedingly” troubling the city. God, miraculously opened the prison doors. However...

Paul was more concerned for the spiritual condition of the jailer than he was even of his own personal freedom!

What Paul did was truly an example of Philippians 2:3-4:

Philippians 2:3–4 KJV 1900

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Notice what Paul wrote in Romans 10:1:

Romans 10:1 KJV 1900

Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

Before that, Paul wrote:

Romans 9:1–3 KJV 1900

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

When you go to the grocery store, are you more concerned for the soul of the cashier or making sure that they didn’t double charge you for an item?

When you go to a restaurant, are you more concerned for the soul of the waiter or waitress or making sure that they keep your glass full of sweet tea?

Dads, do your children see you giving out Gospel tracts? Do they see that you are soul-conscious?

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