Sermons
Is Growth In Our Future?
IS GROWTH IN OUR FUTURE?
Sermon Outline By Terry Siverd
Cortland Church of Christ / April 30, 2017
Our thanks to Bob Villers & Vic Rossi and Brian Alfred & Rob Espinosa for teaching and preaching the last two weeks.
For any preacher, it is a genuine comfort to know that you while you away things remain in the faithful hands of others.
I also want to thank all who helped yesterday (22 participated) with the clean-up day at Blue Rock Christian Camp.
Our annual youth retreat is now just 8 weeks away.
This will be our 41st annual SYR. In an age when many things come and go, our retreat continues to be a mainstay.
We cannot say enough positive words about how our church family has been so supportive of this good ministry.
Jeannie & I thoroughly enjoyed our visit with relatives in Yuma, AZ.
We are still recovering from our “vacation”. Yuma is a world away.
We left on a Friday PM at 6pm and arrived around 11:30pm (which was really about 2:30am our time).
On our return trip we left last Sunday at 11am and pulled in our driveway around 2:00m.
The flight from CLE to PHX is about 4½ hours and then the drive to Yuma is another 3 hours from Phoenix.
But I am glad to announce that our travel plans went smoothly.
My biological clock is still out of whack, so if I’m not too crisp and clear this morning, please bear with me.
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I feel quite certain that most, if not all of us, have a great love for our church family.
We love the Body of Christ, the church of the living God - - that which Jesus purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
I want us to think prayerfully today about the future of our church family.
In particular, I want us to ask ourselves a candidly frank question: Is GROWTH in our future?
Will the Cortland Church of Christ grow in the years ahead?
Or will we shrivel up and struggle to stay in existence.
Matthew’s gospel (Mt.16:13ff) records a verbal exchange between Jesus and His disciples.
Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah;
but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.’ (Jesus) said to them, ‘But who do YOU say that I am?’.
Peter answered and said, ‘Thou art The Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I say
to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not overpower it.’
When we encounter this passage we are quick to point out that “the rock” upon which the church was established was not Peter (his name was “petros”, mean “a stone”), but “petra” (“a large bedrock” - - i.e., Jesus / Mk.12:10 & 1Pet.2:6-7).
Any interpretation that argues from this text that Peter is the first pope is simply ungrounded nonsense.
My focus this morning is on the latter part of vs.18 - - the gates of Hell shall not overpower it.
We feel quite confident that God is quite competent to sustain His Church.
Yet, we all know of local congregations of the Lord’s church who have died off.
Some congregations may be dying as we speak, but do not yet realize that their days are numbered.
Will we be a church that GROWS or will we be a church that DIES?
In the years to come will we flourish or will we falter? … Will we increase or will we diminish?
Will we thrive and expand or will we shrivel and shrink?
While I was on vacation I used the early mornings to read on the back porch.
I read a marvelous book by Eric Metaxas on the life of William Wilberforce (see today’s FamilyMatters essay).
Wilberforce confronted with the ever-so-daunting challenge of legally eradicating slavery in England in the 1800’s.
What seemed to many to be an impossible task was strengthen by the voice of Scripture:
With men this is impossible, but WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE (Mt.19:26).
I read to cooing doves. When I came in to join the others, the twins were cooing non-stop. Almost drove me cuckco.
I have to give my niece Sydney Jeanne and her husband, Isaiah, a hearty salute.
When Isaiah goes to work and Mia go to preschool, Jeannie is left with the twins.
She was nursing one of the two almost non-stop throughout the day, and occasionally both of them simultaneously.
Cienna and Charlotte (seven months old) both had colds and were teething and they were pretty demanding.
I know - - we all know - - that God wants us to grow.
We can read The Acts Of The Apostles from various perspectives, but we can’t miss this element of GROWTH.
In Acts 1:15, Luke notes that the early church began as a cluster of disciples numbering about 120.
But what began rather small, with God’s blessings quickly germinates and begins to enlarge itself.
Acts 2:41 – 3,000 souls were baptized and added to the Body of Christ.
2:47 / the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved
4:4 / the number of the men came to be about 5,000
5:14 / multitudes of men and women were constantly added to their number
6:7 / the word of the Lord kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the (Jewish) priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
9:31 / the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria…continued to increase
9:42 / many believed in the Lord
11:24 / Barnabas & Paul taught considerable numbers in Antioch
12:24 / the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied
14:1 / In Iconium a great multitude believed
16:5 / the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily
17:4 / In Thessalonica a great multitude of God-fearing Greeks and a number of leading women became discisples
19:20 / the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing
The books of Acts closes (28:30-31) with the apostle Paul under house arrest,
but even then, over of span of two years Paul welcomed all who came to him,
preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness and unhindered.
What began as a cluster-group of 120 snowballed and swelled into thousands upon thousands of disciples.
What started in an upper room in Jerusalem spread throughout all of Judea, Galilee, Samaria and into the uttermost parts of the vast Roman empire. Indeed, every region of the empire was blanketed with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
When Paul wrote to the church at Colosse, he noted (Col.1:6 & 23) - -
The gospel, which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing…
(this) gospel, which you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven…
It is easy to read the book of Acts and say, “Well…that was then, but this is now.”
I know that things were different back then (in a host of ways), but we must not become complacent.
COMPLACENCY IS A DEADLY FOE OF ALL SPIRITUAL GROWTH (Tozer).
And perhaps equally deadly, if not more so, is CYNICISM.
If we come to possess this “whatever” attitude or an attitude that fails to affirm, re-affirm and continually
proclaim the dynamic power of the gospel of Christ then we will die as a church, and perhaps rightly so.
One of the greatest text from the writings of the apostle Paul has to be Rom.1:16 - -
I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…
The Brazles, our Camp 2:52 directors, have chosen as the theme of this summer’s youth retreat: I AM NOT ASHAMED!
What a profound theme for young people to ponder in their - - and for all of us to contemplate as we grow older.
I want to speak about this theme over the next few weeks in advance of our SYR, as I typically do.
The implementation of this theme can be eye-opening and life-changing. Not only personally, but congregationally.
One more important note and then we will close in prayer.
Next Sunday, during our morning worship (this is a change from what has been published), we will have a Think Tank.
This will not follow the morning worship, but will be a part of our morning worship.
We are eager for as many as possible to take part in this - - if not vocally, at least by listening in.
We will have a slightly abbreviate worship followed by a ten-minute sermon.
I know some of you think that’s not possible, but remember, “all things are possible with God”.
And then we will Think Together.
We will Think Together out-loud about how we as a church can revitalize our efforts to GROW.
Some of you may be unnerved by this plan.
What if somebody thinks out-loud about a thought with which we are uncomfortable.
In preparation for next Sunday, I want us all to resolve to come with an open mind and an open heart.
This will require great patience and longsuffering on the part of all of us.
The strong will have to bear with the weak and the weak will have to bear with the strong.
It will demand of us that we show one another mutual respect, even if and when we might disagree.
Then will be no room for hyper-ventilating or over-reacting.
Please don’t read this as a kind of heads-up about a some bombshell idea that’s forthcoming.
I know of no bombshells … no hair-brained ideas … no wild notions in the making. Not a one.
And we must all resolve to approach this Think Tank with maturity.
While every idea will be heard, not every idea will be implemented.
We have two good shepherds, four good deacons, a dedicated preacher and lots of committed disciples.
This commitment is not only to Christ Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but also to the written Word of God.
While none of us should have any desire to go beyond what is written (1Cor.4:6),
all of us should recognize that there is great freedom (liberty) in Christ Jesus (Gal.5:1).
So let’s be thinking in advance all week long. In particular, let’s focus on how we can reach people with the gospel.
We want to reach out to all ages - - older & YOUNGER. Some churches are experiencing a dangerous dearth of youth.
We’re looking for positive ways that we can increase traffic here at the church as well ways to be a beacon of
The Light of The Word in our everyday lives and with through period outreach efforts on ongoing ministries.
Some of you may prefer to write out you suggestion(s) and funnel them to me or Vic Rossi next Sunday.
And let us give due diligence to immerse our thoughts in prayer in advance (Philp.4:6 & Col.4:2).
Let us sift and filter any ideas that we might have through the screen of Scripture.
Heavenly Father, we come to You with an earnest desire to grow and enlarge the borders of Your Kingdom.
We desire this not for our own gratification or applause, but for Your Glory, Your Praise and Your Honor.
Guide us in our thoughts and help us to think seriously about how we might grow the precious body of Christ.
Through Christ, the chief cornerstone, who redeemed us with His own blood we pray. Amen.
