by, David B. Curtis
Matthew 5:13-16 & Psalm 16:11
Have you ever asked yourself the question, "Why am I
here?" I don't mean why are you "here" in this meeting of Berean Bible
Church this morning. I hope you're not asking that. What I mean is, "Why
do we exist?" What is the purpose of our existence. Do we exist to work?
To have fun? To gain possessions? Why are we here? What is our goal in
life? What is our mission? Do you know? If someone
asked you what your goal or mission in life was, what would you tell
them?
Is it really that important that we know what our
mission in life is? Yes. If we don't know what our mission is, how will
we ever accomplish it?
Ralph Jones is the president of Jones Manufacturing
which employs the largest number of people in the county. Several years
ago at a high school football game the person sitting next to Ralph, who
was from out of town, asked him, "What does your company do?" Ralph's
answer was simple: "We make yarn -- for everything from mops to Polo
sweaters."
Ralph's answer was short, simple, clear and to the
point. This very successful man summed up his life's work in 10 words.
This could have been his mission statement. What is your mission
statement? You can't accomplish anything if you don't know what you're
trying to accomplish. That's the purpose of a Mission Statement.
Having a mission can make an amazing difference in
your life. When you know where you're going, and you take steps to get
there, a miracle occurs: you begin to make progress!
Rich and I, as elders of Berean Bible Church, feel
that it is important for us as a church to have a mission statement. We
wanted to clarify where we were going so we could take the appropriate
steps to get there. After much prayer and study, we have come up with a
mission statement for BBC. We feel that this is our mission or goal as a
church and your mission and goal as a Christian. We boiled it down to
twenty two words.
OUR MISSION:
To influence friends who are living in spiritual
darkness,
that they also may know the joy of loving the Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe that this is why we exist as a church and
this is also why we exist as individual Christians. We believe that if
you understand this to be your mission, that you will live in such a way
as to carry it out.
Deep in the heart of every believer there is an
awareness that we are on this planet for purposes greater than having a
career, paying the bills, loving our families, and fulfilling our role
as upstanding citizens. The primary reason we remain on this planet is
to help others in their spiritual walk. We see this principle set forth
by two passages in Philippians:
Philippians 1:23-25 (NKJV) For I am hard
pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ,
which is far better. 24 Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more
needful for you. 25 And being confident of this, I know that I shall
remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy of faith,
Paul's desire was to depart this planet and be with
Christ, but he knew that his remaining here would benefit the
Philippians. Thus, he saw that his purpose for living was to help others
in their spiritual walk. To live for Christ was to live to help others
in their Christian walk.
Philippians 2:3-4 (NKJV) Let nothing be done
through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each
esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only
for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
We are to esteem others better than ourselves and
thus live to see the best interest of others fulfilled. The whole Bible
bears out the fact that Christianity is "others"
oriented. This is why when people live simply to promote their own
interest and desires, they live empty lives, void of any real meaning.
Understanding that Christianity is others oriented
let's see if we can explain our mission statement in such a way as to
make you grasp it as your own.
Our Mission: to influence friends
who are living in spiritual darkness, that they also may know the joy of
loving the Lord Jesus Christ.
The first thing I want you to see is that this is the
mission statement of those who are living in the joy of loving the Lord
Jesus Christ. We are all called to this end. When Jesus was asked what
the greatest commandment was, He responded:
Matthew 22:37-38 (NKJV) Jesus said to him, "
'You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your mind.' 38 "This is the first and great
commandment.
God, as our creator ,commands: we are to love Him.
This is the greatest command. What does it mean to love God? Jesus put
it this way:
John 14:15 (NKJV) "If you love Me, keep My
commandments.
Our love for God is demonstrated in our obedience to
His commands. The first of which would be to believe in Him.
Acts 16:30-31 (NKJV) And he brought them out
and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 So they said, "Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your
household."
This is a command. We are to believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ. This is more than simply believing that He exists. It is
trusting that He is the Lord, the savior of all who put their trust in
Him. It is understanding that apart from trusting completely in His
finished work on calvary for my sin, I will pay for my own sin
throughout eternity in Hell.
We show our love for the Lord out of a delight to
obey His commands.
1 John 5:3 (NKJV) For this is the love of
God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not
burdensome.
Loving God is not a burden, when you really love
someone you delight in doing things for them. Loving God is finding our
joy, our delight, and our satisfaction in Him.
Psalms 16:11 (NKJV) You will show me the path
of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are
pleasures forevermore.
The God who created us created within us a desire for
happiness that is only fulfilled in Him. Only as we live in a love
relationship with Him will we know the fullness of joy.
Loving God brings full joy to our lives and it is our
calling to share this great joy with others that they also may live to
the end for which they were created.
Our Mission: to influence friends
who are living in spiritual darkness, that they also may know the joy of
loving the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we walk in the light of God's fellowship
experiencing full joy, we desire that others also may experience this
joy, so we reach out to those who are living in spiritual
darkness. Darkness is used in Scripture in several different
ways. It is used to refer to those who don't know God, the lost:
Acts 26:18 (NKJV) 'to open their eyes, in
order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance
among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'
Colossians 1:13 (NKJV) He has delivered us
from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son
of His love."
1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) But you are a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people,
that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light;
As believers, we have been delivered from the power
of darkness. We are children of light. By our faith in Jesus Christ we
have eternal life.
But the Scripture also uses darkness to refer to
believers who are walking in ignorance or disobedience.
Romans 13:11-13 (KJV) And that, knowing the
time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our
salvation nearer than when we believed. 12 The night is far spent, the
day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of
darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. 13 Let us walk
honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in
chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Paul says, "let us cast off the works of darkness,"
which would be speaking of believers living in disobedience.
Notice what John writes to believers in:
1 John 1:3-7 (NKJV) that which we have seen
and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us;
and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus
Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you,
that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we
have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not
practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His
Son cleanses us from all sin.
As believers living in the joy of loving the Lord
Jesus Christ, we are to be an influence on those who don't know God and
those who do know Him but are not walking in obedience to Him.
We are to "influence friends." Let's look at these
words individually. Influence - this is our mission. We
are to influence the world in which we live. This is clearly what Christ
meant in:
Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV) "You are the salt of
the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?
It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot
by men. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill
cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a
basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the
house. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
As salt and light, we influence our world. Notice
that the ultimate purpose is found in verse 16. "...that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." God is glorified in
us when we thank him for all we have, trust him for all we need, and
obey his revealed will. We glorify God when we find our delight in Him.
We are to influence our friends that they may come to know the joy of
loving the Lord Jesus Christ and thus bring Him glory.
How do we influence our friends? Two ways; by how we
live and what we say. What is to come
first? Example. People aren't interested in committing their lives to
Christ unless they observe attractive and consistent patterns of living
in the Christians they know. Joe Aldrich, author of the book,
Life-Style Evangelism, puts it like this: "Christians are to be
good news before they share the good news."
Richard Cross has an amazing story. At the age of 25,
he had spent more than 15 years in prison or reform school. He never
considered going straight, so he accepted the notion that prison would
always be his second home-if not his first. As a career inmate, he
worked hard in prison to earn the respect, and fear of the other
prisoners. He was in more than his share of jail yard fights, and he
could take any punishment the guards dished out. One day, Richard did
something unexpected. He listened to a preacher who had come to preach
at the prison. To his surprise, what the preacher said made sense. It
wasn't long before Richard gave his life to Christ. Overnight he
experienced a radical transformation. He was asked by a Christian, "How
did the other prisoners treat you when you gave your life to Christ? Did
they lose respect for you?" Richard's answer may surprise you. He said,
"My fellow inmates respected me even more after I gave my life to
Christ. They respected me because I walked the talk."
Then he said, "After a while, when they saw that I meant business about
following Jesus, they began to listen to what I had to say. Eventually,
I was able to win many of them to Christ."
Richard Cross is one of those people who undoubtedly
has made a big influence in the world. Many men have left a life of
crime to become followers of Jesus Christ and productive members of
society due to the influence and impact of Richard Cross. There is no
way to tell how many murders weren't committed, how many children and
wives weren't abused, how many people weren't robbed, how many cars
weren't stolen, how many random acts of violence didn't take place
because of the impact of this one man. Richard Cross has truly made a
difference.
The early church made a difference in its world, too.
In just a few short years, they turned the world upside down. People
were drawn to their message. Why? Because, like Richard Cross, many
early Christians were committed to walking the talk. Their lives lived
up to their message.
If we want to have an influence in our world as
individuals or as a church, we, too must be committed to walking the
talk. The world is not interested in hearing intellectual arguments
about Christianity, they want to see it in action. They
have no use for religious hypocrites, but when someone walks the talk,
they pay attention. This is why people like Mother Teresa, Billy Graham,
and Jimmy Carter are treated with such respect even by our cynical,
liberal, and biased media. You just don't hear many people criticize
these individuals. You may not agree with Jimmy Carter's politics or
Mother Teresa's theology, but you cannot help but respect their
integrity. When a person walks the talk, the world is ready to listen.
People of integrity, that's what we must be if we're
going to make a difference in our world. That's what holiness is:
walking the talk. If we do it, people will listen. If we don't, they
won't. When what we say doesn't measure up to what we do, people find it
difficult to take us seriously. When our lives don't measure up, we lose
impact. Unless we live holy lives, we cannot make a difference.
You may not be Mother Teresa or Billy Graham, but you
can make a big difference in the lives of others. We must begin to hold
ourselves to a higher standard. We must say, "I will not settle for
mediocrity in my spiritual life or any other area of my existence. I am
God's child and I am going to live up to my potential."
The importance of really living the Christian life is
illustrated in the life of the famous author Mark Twain. Church leaders
were largely to blame for his becoming hostile to the Bible and the
Christian faith. As he grew up, he knew elders and deacons who owned
slaves and abused them. He heard men using foul language and saw them
practice dishonesty during the week after speaking piously in church on
Sunday. He listened to ministers use the Bible to justify slavery.
Although he saw genuine love for the Lord Jesus in some people,
including his mother and his wife, he was so disturbed by the bad
teaching and poor example of church leaders, that he became bitter
toward the things of God.
As a very young Christian, I was greatly influenced
by a man named, Bill Gable. He befriended me shortly after we started to
attend the church he went to. I saw in him a man who was 100% committed
to following the Lord Jesus Christ. When my father died, we flew to
Pennsylvania for the funeral. I had asked several Christians what
happens when a person dies, and got no real answer. As soon as we got
back to Virginia, I went to Bill and asked him, "What happens when a
Christian dies?" He opened his Bible and began to show me what the
Scripture had to say. I was greatly comforted by the truth he showed me.
That happened over twenty years ago and I still remember that day very
well. I decided that day that I was going to be like Bill, I wanted to
know the Word of God in such a way that I could help those who needed
answers. I feel that my devotion to study was caught from this man's
influence. My life was changed by his friendship.
We influence our friends by how we live and what we
say. Having a godly Christlike example is not enough. We have to
articulate the gospel to them. We have to tell them why
we live like we do. We must tell them the damage that sin brings, and
the joy of living in an obedient relationship with Jesus Christ.
Now who are we to influence? Or let me put it this
way, on whom do you have the greatest influence? Your friends!
Aren't you uncomfortable when someone outside your circle of friends
tries to influence you in spiritual matters? We naturally gravitate
toward people we know and trust. Friends listen to friends. They confide
in friends. They let friends influence them.
Proverbs 27:6 (NKJV) Faithful are the wounds
of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:9 (NKJV) Ointment and perfume
delight the heart, And the sweetness of a man's friend gives delight by
hearty counsel.
Proverbs 27:17 (NKJV) As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 22:24-25 (NKJV) Make no friendship
with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go, 25 Lest you learn
his ways And set a snare for your soul.
The point here is that friends influence us. I think
that you all would agree with that. So, our mission is to influence
friends.
Now, am I saying that those who aren't our friends we
don't have to worry about? Absolutely Not! What I am saying is those who
aren't our friends, we have to work at making our friendsso
we can have an influence on them. We have to work at getting close to
people so they can see that we genuinely care about them and that we
have their best interest in mind. Over time, we will become their
friends and thus be able to influence them.
Making friends is not something that happens over
night or that we do in mass quantity. It takes time and energy. There is
a world of people out there who need a friend so if we are truly
interested in making friends, we can do it.
Loneliness is a growing problem in our society. A
study by the American Council of Life Insurance reported that the most
lonely group in America are college students. That's surprising! Next on
the list are divorced people, welfare recipients, single mothers, rural
students, housewives, and the elderly. To point out how lonely people
can be, Charles Swindoll mentioned an ad in a Kansas newspaper. It read,
"I will listen to you talk for 30 minutes without comment for $5.00."
Swindoll said, "Sounds like a hoax, doesn't it? But the person was
serious. Did anybody call? You bet. It wasn't long before this
individual was receiving 10 to 20 calls a day. The pain of loneliness
was so sharp that some were willing to try anything for a half hour of
companionship."
As you make friends and share the joy of loving the
Lord Jesus Christ with them, you are truly meeting their deepest needs.
You are being a real friend.
Dale Carnegie once said, "You can make more friends
in two months by becoming really interested in other people than you can
in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. Which is
just another way of saying that the way to make a friend is to
be one."
John Wesley said, "Do all the good you can, by all
the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can,
as long as ever you can."
I think that all too often we are afraid to associate
with people who are living in spiritual darkness because they cuss, or
drink or live immorally. But isn't that the very type of person we want
to influence for Christ?
Luke 7:34 (NKJV) "The Son of Man has come
eating and drinking, and you say, 'Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a
friend of tax collectors and sinners!'
Jesus was a friend of sinners, and so should we be.
As we have seen, the vantage point of friendship gives us the highest
possibility of influence in the lives of others. Where ever we go we
should be attempting to make friends that we may share the gospel of
Christ with them. Friends listen to friends, so become one.
A recent poll by researcher, George Barna, showed
that about twenty-five percent of the adults in the United States would
go to Church if a friend would invite them.
So our mission is: to influence --
we do this by how we live and through the proclamation of the gospel
message. friends-- those who know that we love and care
about them, those we have spent time with building relationships.
Who are living in spiritual darkness -- those who don't
know Christ, they have never trusted Him for their salvation. And also,
those who are Christians but are not living in obedience to the Lord.
That they also may know the joy of loving the Lord Jesus Christ
-- please note that the word "also" implies that you know the
joy of loving the Lord Jesus Christ. As we said last week, everybody
wants to be happy. And the only way for man to truly be happy is to live
in fellowship with the God who created him. Our happiness and joy comes
for God and God alone.
Once you adopt this as your mission,
you need to memorize it and then evaluate all you do by it. As you go
through life looking to make friends that you may influence for the
Lord, life becomes exciting. There is nothing in life as exciting as
befriending, loving, and influencing those who are living in spiritual
darkness toward the joy of loving the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the bottom line of all that we do. We want to
influence people to live in the joy of an intimate relationship with the
Lord. As we do this, it will fill up the measure of our joy.
3 John 1:4 (KJV) I have no greater joy than
to hear that my children walk in truth.
When we delight in God, we delight in helping others
delight in Him also. Because God is our delight, we take joy in helping
others to delight in Him also.
Who's life are you influencing by your friendship?
Are you living a life of honesty, integrity, and love that attracts
others to Christ? Loving the Lord Jesus Christ bring the happiness the
world is looking for. Let's show them and tell them about the joy of
loving Jesus. We are on this planet for a reason, let's get busy.
This message preached by David B. Curtis on April 26,
1998
