Hoddesdon Baptist Church

• Hoddesdon Baptist Church
• Burford Street
• Hoddesdon
• Hertfordshire
• EN11 8HX

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Year Text 2012

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vision 2012

 

Isaiah 40:6-9 (NIV)

A voice says, Cry out. And I said, What shall I cry? All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever. You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, Here is your God!

First Grass = people

Second Flowers = the glory of human achievement

People and their achievements come and go.  What is lasting? The word of our God.

Why do they fall?  The breath or Spirit of the LORD blows on them. 

What should our response be?  To take good news that is God’s words, to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah – that is those nearby and our surrounding community.

1 Peter 1:23-25 (NIV)

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands for ever. And this is the word that was preached to you.

The words of God do not simply inform they have the power to bring about transformation in us and in our community.  They have the power cultivate in people the nature of His word – which is living and enduring.

Russ will spend more time next week putting the year text into its wider context.  Primarily this morning I am going to focus on how this verse speaks prophetically into the year ahead by applying it to our vision statement.

We face some very real challenges in 2012.

How can we adequately resource our Children’s work?

How do we allow space for response to God in our services?

How can we most effectively reach out to our community?

How should we make the most of the opportunity of the Olympics and build for the future?

How do we become more effective in reaching out and strengthen our fellowship within?    

By God’s grace and power

God’s word comes to us free and full of power.  He takes the initiative and invites us to join Him in His transforming work.  Everything begins with God’s great love for us and for His world.  We begin the year listening to hear God’s life giving word to us through our year text – the means of God’s grace and containing transformational power. 

We need to hear God’s word of Grace and power personally if we are going to be able to build something that will endure in our community. 

Gathering to hear God’s word: preached, prophetic and sung must remain central for a people who seek to draw their strength from living word of God. 

Our first two series in 2012 will look at the big themes of God’s word: What is the Bible all about? and God’s Desire for Relationship.  In our wholeness and healing services we will be considering Forgiveness, Repentance and Acceptance. 

We aim to be a worshipping people.

Our first response to the gift of God’s life giving word must be worship.  In 2012 I urge you to make gathering for worship a priority as we seek to respond to God’s word to us together.

Our year text is a call to our church to build with materials that will last.  To build on the foundations laid by those who have gone before with using gold, silver, costly stones, rather than wood, hay or straw – to build with the life giving words of God and not the worthless words of human wisdom.

In worship we hold our fading lives up to the true colours of the Lord’s glory.  We recognise our need of resurrection power as we bring our withered lives to the creative power of God’s living word.  Yes worship must be more than gathering with God’s people – but it should not be less than that.  

We aim to be a serving people.

I do not believe in retirement for Christians.  If you are still breathing then you are here for a purpose!  The potential of our church will only be fulfilled if everyone gets involved in serving others.

Since I have arrived I have encouraged deacons to take sabbaticals.  Time to be refreshed and to reflect on what the Lord is calling them to do now.  I don’t believe that agreeing to do a task once should mean you are stuck with that role forever but I do challenge you to get stuck in.

The Olympics is a great example of all men being like grass and their glory falling like flowers.  Men and women dedicating themselves to compete for a fade crown.  A great opportunity then to demonstrate the enduring nature of God’s word through the faithful service of His people.

committed to following and becoming like Jesus
I am passionate about seeing believers grow to maturity in Christ.  God’s word is the best guide to the follower of Jesus and His prophetic word alone has the power to transform us from the heart out. 

At the next church meeting I will be introducing a guided reflection on your discipleship to help you assess how you can continue to grow and to help us as a church reflect on how we can help each other to grow.

During Lent we are inviting the small groups to take part in a course called Freedom in Christ which applies the Word of God to our lives in life giving, inspirational ways leading to transformed lives.  The course works towards a “Steps to Freedom” day where we are invited to review our lives in the light of God’s word and respond in repentance and faith.  If you are serious about allow God’s word to transform your life this course is a must for you.

helping others to follow and become like Jesus.

The response God expects to the revelation that His word is what will endure is that we will take that word out into our community. 

During 2012 we will continue to support overseas mission, and united local mission through Young Life, Cafechurch and Street Pastors.  Our unity service next Sunday Evening will focus on Street Pastors.  These are great ways to help others to come to know Christ.  We will continue to support these activities and our own community groups – like New Horizons, Oasis, and the Art Group.

But I believe that each of us has unique opportunities to bring the word of God to people that no one else can reach – we each have a mission.

The Word mission has its root in the Latin word Missio - to send

Jesus commanded us to go in to all the world and make disciples – our “mission”, what we are sent to do, is “make disciples”.  If you are a Christian this is your mission – what you are sent to do.  You may not delegate it.  You may not pay someone else to do it for you.  There is no such thing as an unemployed Christian.  No such thing as a retired Christian and no such thing as an honorary Christian.   

Following our day of prayer a Church member’s wrote: It’s easy to pray.  But what should we do?  These issues are huge.  I went home and finished reading a novel, Hoover-ed the house and ordered some Christmas presents.  How trivial! We have just sung “we will go”.  How will we go, when most of us have to stay here?  “we have stayed long enough on this mountain...” What should we do?

First we need to see that going is not geographical.  Jesus’ primary commission to us was not to travel as far as we could, it was – to make disciples.  Our “going” is “going” to make disciples, baptising them and teaching them to obey Jesus' teaching.  What should we do? Be Disciples and makes disciples. 

Reading a novel can be a pointless waste of time or you could enter into conversation with Jesus about what He wants you to learn from this novel and what He thinks about the attitudes and behaviours portrayed in it. You could tell Him what you like about it and thank him for your enjoyment in it. 

The presents you buy could be a waste of money or they could be expressions of love and a reflection of your life of discipleship as you think through what you do in the light of the enduring word of our God.

What about house work?  Surely that is just a trivial waste of time – some things just have to be done.  Being a steward of the property the Lord gives us is part of being a disciple.  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

So where should we go – we should “go” to those we can – to our neighbours, our work colleagues, our friends or enemies.  To do what – to make disciples.  Yes some may be called to go physically – but all are called to make the journey into all the world including the bit right next to us.

In practice our Mission includes:

Being disciples – learners following Christ. 

Worshipping together

Living Christ centred lives in the world

Helping people in spiritual, physical, emotional and practical need

Telling the truth about God and our dependence on Him

Not being ashamed of Jesus

Helping others to grow into fully devoted followers of Christ.

 What steps am I calling the church to take this year?

For each of us to attempt to find ways to “go” into our communities and make disciples.

For some this may start with finding a community to “go” to.  Neighbours, Friendship groups, sporting team-mates, Parents at school, your children’s friends, the elderly, work colleagues.  The possibilities are endless.

Then assessing where that community is in relation to God. 

Engels scale.  Think about where people are and how to help them to the next step closer to being a fully devoted follower of Christ.  I am happy to help anyone who needs help doing that.

 With prayer and discussion with other believers develop a plan to help the community or person take that next step.

Let me know what you are planning so I can pray and help to coordinate and may be even offer advice.

So:

Plan it

Do it

Review it – did it achieve the aim?

Where are the community now and what is the next step?

You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, Here is your God!

You who bring the gospel to England, find a place you can make yourself heard. You who bring the Gospel to London, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Hertfordshire, Here is your God!

This is my vision for 2012 – every member following Jesus and becoming like him and helping others to do the same.  If you are prepared to join with us to help make that vision a reality why not come along next Sunday?

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands for ever.