Every month, the president of the Alliance denomination sends out a video that covers a number of topics. These topics range from what is happening in missions, to what is happening in local ministries, to what is happening in the denomination as a whole. This past week his video was on vision. One of the things he looked back on was how at this same time last year pastors were sharing their visions for 2020. The president then made the remark that, how many of us could have envisioned the year we had?
This stopped me for a moment to think and look back on the different series we have done at the beginning of the last two years. Two years ago we did a series on the legacy that we are leaving behind. One year ago the series was on being commissioned for God’s work. In both cases, those could be seen as visions for the year, but in both cases, they were focused on eternal work.
Now looking back on the year that we’ve had, visions that are two narrow in their scope never account for years like 2020, but visions that focus on the eternal, always account for times such as these.
And it’s this idea of eternal vision that brings us into our second mini-sermon series of January, where we’ll be looking at two sides of the vision that God has given us here at the Alliance Church. This series is following our Not Political series, because in times such as these, when uncertainty is all the more prevalent, we need to make sure our focus is in the right spot.
In Hebrews 12:1-3, the writer of the book tells us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
In the context, the Hebrew writer just got done talking about those that had come before us. Those mighty men and women that had proceeded us in their following of God, and who have give us a standard by which to represent Christ to the world. It’s in that context, that the Hebrew writer tells the people of his day, and by the Holy Spirit us today, that we are to persevere in the race that has been set out before us. That we must keep our eyes on Jesus, and that though we may encounter opposition from the world, we must not grow weary and lose heart.
We have done a similar context. In our last series, we looked at those that were the first writers of the Church. We looked at three areas at which they dealt with, so that we can begin seeing that there are issues we face today, that the early Church also faced. And so, we must take the same stand as they did. Now, I know some of you were disappointed that we didn’t continue that series, looking at other non-political issues, but I hope that it motivated you to look into it for yourself. And as I stated in that series, I try very hard only to speak on things that God directs me to, and I try not to go outside those parameters.
Yet, as we move into our second mini-series this month, I hope that we will see how we are to live out our lives in the coming months and years, as we move ever closer to the day when Jesus returns to fully establish his kingdom on earth, as it is in heaven.
Now, in 2015 Pastor Jeff and I attended one of our denominations general councils. Through that council time, Jeff felt God’s leading to step down as the lead pastor of our church body. In the coming months, he spoke with the elders, and together they asked if I would be willing to step into that position. I spent the coming weeks in prayer and seeking after God if that was the direction he wanted. Eventually, we felt that it was and through that prayer time, God spoke to me about what he wanted from us in the coming years.
God spoke clearly in the vision that he had for our church body. See, the Alliance Church in Quartzsite was established to reach the children, teens, and young families in this town. Does that mean we don’t reach out to others? Of course not, yet this was the foundational calling of this church body. From the first Bible studies, this church body was ordained to do this work. Jeff, carried this torch, and through him and others, greatly expanded the work that was being done. One of those expansions was the hiring of a youth pastor. In communicating to me, God was very clear that this was why he established this church body, and that if we ever moved away from this work, we would be usurping the calling he had given us.
Yet within this calling, God spoke a vision of how we were to move forward. Through Biblical texts like Mark 12, God has grounded the future work of the Alliance Church in Quartzsite for years to come.
But within the context of the world we find ourselves, as we see an increase, not just of political voices, but of Christian voices as well, being pushed out. And as avenues to express our faith continue to be restricted, the question arises, how are we as believers to respond? It’s in this series where we’ll see how the four part vision that God has given us here, and really his people as a whole, we’ll help us engage in the world around us for Christ’s kingdom.
The four part vision the church is stated like this, being loved by God, to lift him up in worship, locating and meeting the needs of people, while pointing back to the life only found in Jesus. This week, we’ll zero in on the first two aspects of the vision, loved by God and lifting him up in worship.
Verses such as John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” And 1st John 3:16, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”, speak to the love of God for us. That we are sinners separated from God because of what we have done in rebellion against God’s created order. We have done things that God has said not to do. We have lied, stolen, corrupted, hated, lusted, and a myriad of other things that have caused this world to be separated from the perfect holiness of God. Yet in that, God loves us still and does everything necessary for us to return to him through what Jesus did on the cross. God the Son comes to the earth, takes on human flesh, lives the perfect life, and yet is killed by his creation. But through that death, God takes all the punishment of sin that humanity has caused and places it on Jesus.
As Romans 5:18 & 19 states, “18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
Through Jesus, humanity’s separation can be remedied, and all it takes is a confession of repentance, and acceptance of God’s work. Repentance, that we recognize that we have sinned and fallen short of God’s holy perfection (Romans 3:23), asking God’s forgiveness for that sin. Then we accept Jesus’ work on the cross on our behalf, recognizing that there is no amount of work that we can do to earn that forgiveness, but that it is a free gift given to us by God (Ephesians 2:8 & 9).
This is the first aspect of the vision, that God loves us and doesn’t leave us in a state of our sin, which leads to eternal death, but he does everything short of forcing us to accept him, so that we can spend eternity with him.
In the second part of the vision, verses such as 1st Chronicles 16:23-24 & 28-29, speaks to the worship of God. It reads, “Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples…Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.”
Or Psalm 100 verses 1 & 2, “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.”
This responsive worship of God is what follows the love of God. When we reoogninize all that God has done for us, our worship of God must follow. Because, it’s in the worship of God that we are actually transformed into the people God intended us to be. And through worship, we realize just what God wants from us in accordance with his plan.
Romans 12:1-2 states, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
The love of God, that is most notably shown through the work of Jesus on the cross and the worship of God, that we return back to him, are more than ever needed to be recognized and carried out.
There will come a time, when the proclamation of God’s love through the cross will get believers persecuted. We see this throughout the world with our brothers and sisters. Comparing Open Doors World Watch List from 2019 into 2021, it was recorded that in 2019 there were 260 million Christians living in places where high levels of persecution occur. Today, that number has grown to 340 million. Looking back in 2019, 9,488 church or other Christian buildings were destroyed specifically because they housed Christians. 3,711 Christians were imprisioned without formal arrests made, trials being held, or recorded sentences being carried out. And 2,983 Christians were killed specifically for their faith (https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/ ; https://www.opendoorsusa.org/2021-world-watch-list-report/).
This reality is coming home right now. We are already seeing Christian voices being drummed out, and it will only get more frequent as we march towards the return of Jesus. Yet, we cannot stop sharing the Gospel. We must resign ourselves right now to speaking the Gospel even if it will get us persecuted, imprisoned, or killed. Yet on our lips, as we share the Gospel of Jesus, we must remember, the spiritual war we talked about a few weeks ago. We must remember the lostness of humanity. That they really don’t know what they do, as Jesus said on the cross (Luke 32:34). And we must have a heart that breaks for the people, as Jesus did. In Luke 19:41-42 we get this moment of God’s heart breaking. It reads like this, “As he (Jesus) approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, ‘If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.’” We must have the same heart as God. That we weep over the people lost in their sin and who have wandered far.
And as this reality comes closer and closer, we must not stop worshiping God. When King Darius of the Medes and the Persians decreed that he was the only one to be worshiped for thirty days, and a terrible fate would befall those who worshiped other gods, it says of Daniel, in Daniel 6:10, “Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” In the jail cell, after Paul and Silas were arrested for sharing the Gospel, it reads in Acts 16:25, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”
The Gospel being shared and the worship of God’s people need to both continued as we move closer to the return of Jesus. These things are not political, and it is these things that we are called to. We must share the Gospel and we must worship God. No government has say over these things. No human should stop us from accomplishing what God has called us to. And we must make a commitment to stand firm in both. To share the love of God through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, the core of the Gospel message, and to meet together worshiping him.
My brothers and sisters, we face new uncertain times, but the Church and the people of God before it’s establishment, have always endured such times. There is a precedent of faithful men and women to face the word and sword of the persecuting crowds, but we must not falter in our love and worship. Because as God has loved, we must love, and as God has called us to worship, we must worship. In the face of uncertainly and even to the point of death, we must share the love of God, and worship him in front of the world.
Today, I ask that you make that commitment. To make a commitment to share the Gospel. To make a commitment to continue to worship God in the face of both subtle and overt persecution.
And in the face of what is to come we must hold firm to our faith, and proclaim, just as the three young men once did in Daniel 3:16, where they spoke to the king who demanded worship of an idol, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”
Today, in your bulletins there is a piece of paper that reads, “I make a commitment before God and man that I will share the Gospel of Jesus, and I will worship him in front of the nations.”
As you leave today, if you desire to make that proclamation, take that piece of paper and stick it on your door at home so that it can be seen from the outside. Not for you salvation, but as a commitment to the calling on your life. And may we all stand strong as we march towards the day that our great and glorious King Jesus makes his return. Amen.
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