Sermons - 2008 Week 20 - May Wk 3
Baptist Fellowship Church’s Philosophy of Ministry
Acts 2:42-47
Three questions are asked of ourselves. They are:
Why do we exist?
- Our Vision
What do you plan on doing?
- Our Mission
How will you do your plan?
- Our Values
The Vision statement of the Baptist Fellowship Church is to glorify God by building a New Testament Church to develop genuine Christians in order to fulfill the Great Commission in Singapore, Asia and the rest of the world.
How did the church begin?
Christ established the church. (Col 1:18 “And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.”). He purchased the Church (Acts 20:28,’Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood”). Christ will bless and maintain the church (Matthew 16:18,” And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”)
Who makes up the church?
The church is made up of a group of believers. All believers constitute the universal church. The church is not an organization but an organism (Eph 4:4,” There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling”).
And the metaphor of head and body fits nicely with the church being a living organism. Christ is the Head and all believers are members of the Body. The Holy Spirit is the representative of Christ in the church.
Why is there a need for formal membership in the Church?
Whether members or not, both groups benefit from the church. Scripture indicates that all believers were also church members because it was a time of persecution, a time for collective help as members and they voted collectively too. There is then no question that all believers belong to a local church as well. It is a necessity, not an option. (Hebrews 10:23-25, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”)
Why would anyone stay outside of church membership?
And time and time again, various metaphors are used for the church: the Body of Christ, the Temple of God, the Bride, the Flock, the branches and the Priesthood.
If so, why does anyone still stay outside of church membership?
The Biblical Reasons for joining the Church
Benefits of accountability to Spiritual leadership: Hebrews 13:17, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.” Formal membership gives one the responsibility of voting rights (Acts 6:1-6). There is no such thing as an independent Christian.
How can there be one when Christ is likened to the Head and the members the Body?
There is greater opportunity to use spiritual gifts in a collective “organism”.
What makes Church a blessing?
Psalm 122:1, “I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go into the house of the LORD.”
It is an oasis in a hot desert. The Church is such an oasis in our secular world.
What makes a Church effective?
Ineffective churches stray away from God. The Spirit of God working through the Word of God is one element of an effective church. The Spirit of God works with the heart of the people of God. (Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”)
The effective church is empowered by the Holy Spirit. If the Holy Spirit were taken away from the early church, 90% of what they did would cease. Today, if this happened, only 10% would cease.
The effective church preaches the gospel to all people. The trend today is to build seeker-sensitive churches. There is niche marketing. We should preach the Good News to everyone, not to tailor and dress up the Good News to make it palatable to specific people.
(Col 1:28, “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”)
Finally how can you tap into the Holy Spirit’s Power?
One can tap into the power of the Holy Spirit through our prayer life. The Power is available to believers today. Pentecost does not need to be repeated but needs to be appropriated.
Mr and Mrs ET Chua
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