.jpg)
MISSION
To offer Christ to all through the development of new churches and the transformation of stagnant and dying congregations into fruitful and spiritually faithful dynamic mission posts of the advancing kingdom of God ________________________________________________________
The Urgent Need
We have the same urgent need today – people are hurting and lost; longing for a relationship with the Lord
Our culture and nation is becoming increasingly less Christian
The pain of injustice and the aguish of emptiness cry out for God’s presence and healing.
The Wesleyan movement and UMC need to rediscover and reclaim our evangelistic passion; this is the call and claim of Christ upon us today.
The Call and Claim of Christ Matthew 28:16-20
The Risen Christ gives us a great commission, our marching order and purpose for being (this is not optional for the faithful)
The imperative command is make disciples
To people to obey the Lord’s commands and baptize
The Lord promises to be with us always
Over a hundred years ago a man named C.C. McCabe was riding out west to help start some more churches. In fact McCabe was in charge of church extension for the Methodist Church. ‘As C. C. McCabe was riding out on the train he picked up a newspaper. As he started to read it, he opened it up to bold headlines that said, "Churches dying across America, the last will soon be dead.’ And he went on to read that Robert Ingersol the brilliant agnostic and very articulate spokesman had just addressed the Free Thinkers Association. It the speech he said that churches were dying across America, that they would soon be dead, and that this country would be much better off. C. C. McCabe was a kind of a feisty fighter. He got off the train at the next station; went into the telegraph office and sent Robert Ingersol this telegram.
"Dear Robert: All hail the power of Jesus' name. We're building more that one new Methodist Church every day of the year and propose to make it soon two a day." Signed C. C. McCabe.
Now the word got out about C. C. McCabe's telegram to Robert Ingersol and some Methodist's wrote a song. It was sung in the camp meetings and the revivals and the brush arbor meetings in the little backwoods chapels and places; and it went like this:
‘The Infidel a motley band in counsel met and said that churches die throughout the land the last will soon be dead. When suddenly a message came, it filled them with dismay. All hail the power of Jesus name we're building two a day.
We're building two a day dear Bob, we're building two a day. All hail the power of Jesus name we're building two a day.’”[1]
We are not building two a day. We are not even building one a day. But we do propose together to build new churches and transform existing churches for God’s new day. This is what it means to live our mission of offering Christ to all. ]
One crucial element of faithfully offering Christ to all is to rediscover the Antoich strategy.
Rediscovering the Antioch Strategy Acts 13:1-3
They didn’t make excuses because of their size or other good works
They worshiped and prayer for guidance from the Holy Spirit
They set aside their best for the work and supported them
They sent them off to carry the gospel to new people
The Antioch Strategy was John Wesley’s strategy in founding the Methodist movement. [Wesley writes at one point in 1781, “About a hundred and thirty of my fellow-labourers are continually employed in the same thing. We all aim at one point, (as we did from the hour when we first engaged the work), not at profit, any more than ease, or pleasure, or the praise of men; but to spread true religion through London, Dublin, Edinburgh, and as we are able, through the three kingdoms.”[2]]
The Antioch strategy brought your church into existence.
Now it is our time to do the same for others in faithfulness to the call and claim of Christ.
[1] a paraphrased verson of Joe Harding’s lecture, “Actions that Enable Evangelism,” Evangelism
Cassette Mini-Course, Tape #9
[2] John Wesley, Works, Vol. 8, pp. 380-381
"Dear Robert: All hail the power of Jesus' name. We're building more that one new Methodist Church every day of the year and propose to make it soon two a day." Signed C. C. McCabe.
Now the word got out about C. C. McCabe's telegram to Robert Ingersol and some Methodist's wrote a song. It was sung in the camp meetings and the revivals and the brush arbor meetings in the little backwoods chapels and places; and it went like this:
‘The Infidel a motley band in counsel met and said that churches die throughout the land the last will soon be dead. When suddenly a message came, it filled them with dismay. All hail the power of Jesus name we're building two a day.
We're building two a day dear Bob, we're building two a day. All hail the power of Jesus name we're building two a day.’”[1]
We are not building two a day. We are not even building one a day. But we do propose together to build new churches and transform existing churches for God’s new day. This is what it means to live our mission of offering Christ to all. ]
One crucial element of faithfully offering Christ to all is to rediscover the Antoich strategy.
Rediscovering the Antioch Strategy Acts 13:1-3
They didn’t make excuses because of their size or other good works
They worshiped and prayer for guidance from the Holy Spirit
They set aside their best for the work and supported them
They sent them off to carry the gospel to new people
The Antioch Strategy was John Wesley’s strategy in founding the Methodist movement. [Wesley writes at one point in 1781, “About a hundred and thirty of my fellow-labourers are continually employed in the same thing. We all aim at one point, (as we did from the hour when we first engaged the work), not at profit, any more than ease, or pleasure, or the praise of men; but to spread true religion through London, Dublin, Edinburgh, and as we are able, through the three kingdoms.”[2]]
The Antioch strategy brought your church into existence.
Now it is our time to do the same for others in faithfulness to the call and claim of Christ.
[1] a paraphrased verson of Joe Harding’s lecture, “Actions that Enable Evangelism,” Evangelism
Cassette Mini-Course, Tape #9
[2] John Wesley, Works, Vol. 8, pp. 380-381
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment