Life Ministries

A Look at the Church - 3

Look with me for a moment at a day in the life of Moses; a day that would change his life forever, a day when he became the steward of the vision of God….Exodus 3:1-12…

    “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
    When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
    “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
    The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
    But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
    And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
    Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
    God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
    Moses came to the realization of three things in this passage that we as the Church need to come to today if we are to become stewards of God’s vision….

A) - Moses realized that He was Called - Moses is invited to become a part of the plan and vision of God for His people. God could have done this without Moses but He invites Moses to be a part of the action. In a wonderful moment God calls Moses to become the voice of God to Pharaoh and to his people.

    I believe that you and I take the idea of being the church too lightly. We are a people called by God. 1 Peter 2:9 says “you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.¨…We are the Church, a people called out of darkness and into His wonderful light. We live with purpose; we walk with direction; we stand in promise; because we have been called by God. We like Moses have been invited to be a part of the plan and purpose of God in the world.

B) - Moses was Appointed - Moses had a job to do. He hemmed and hawed about it but finally accepted. God had called him and He appointed to Moses a task. Moses would dedicate the rest of his life to the accomplish-ment of that task. He set himself to the purpose and plan of God. God has called us to a task as well. Moses had His burning bush but we have the fire of the Holy Spirit! 

    Our vision as a church of called people is #1. To provide a place and an atmosphere for people to meet the living Christ. ( And, to do it with excellence! ) #2. To train and support believers in carrying the ministry of Christ into the world. In short it’s called spiritual growth. (“He gave some to be…to equip God’s people…”) This vision is summed up in three primary tasks to which we have been called: First, is Reaching Up - As a church we have been called to be Great Commandment Centered. Jesus great commandment to the church is that YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.¨ We are called to reach up to the living God in worship, in devotion, and in love. We are called to reach up to Him for power, strength, direction, and hope. And, we are called to live, love, and minister with Christ as the center of all that we do. As we do this we become a place where people meet the living Christ because when they are here they can’t help but meet Him. When our hearts are so engaged with Christ, people will be drawn to Him simply by walking into this place! That’s what is meant when we say a church is “alive”! Second, is - Reaching Out - As a church we are called to reach outside of our own experience, to reach outside our own limitations, and grow into the people that God has called us to be. Spiritual Growth is at the heart of who and what we are. The church is called to be a place of training and support, so that people can become all that God has called them to be. That includes helping people discover their spiritual gifts and how those gifts can be used within the ministry of the church. (“As each one does it’s part”) Third, is Reaching People - As a church we believe that we are called to be Great Commission Driven - Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”. We are not called to the task of building a big church or having the most programs, or even being the most talented... and put on the biggest show! We are called to build the kingdom of God. We are called to the task of changing lives. Christianity is about changed and transformed lives. It’s about finding peace in this life and about finding life in Christ for eternity when it’s over. Three words stand out in the Great Commission - “GO, MAKE, and TEACH”. We are to go into the world sharing the love of God in such a compelling way that people become believers; and then teach them about living life in the fullness of the Spirit of God as disciples. Nowhere in my Bible does it say “if they come”…!

    (C) Moses was Anointed - When Moses was called he was also anointed for the task at hand. We also have been anointed for the task. We are empowered by God. Through signs and wonders God worked to empower Moses to bring the most powerful government of the earth to its knees. A man, who considered himself a living god, finally came to submit to the one true God. God has empowered us to be His witnesses in the world around us…our community. It is only through His power that the strongholds that fill the lives of people in your comm-unity will be torn down. We must pray for our community, and pray for our families and friends, and most of all, we must GO and bring them in! ( invite them! )
    Jesus said to his disciples - “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, (home town) and in all Judea ( home state ) and Samaria, (home country) and even to the remotest part of the earth.” (world). Even as the apostles were empowered for the early church, that enabling power is now ours through the Holy Spirit of God.
    When we are obedient to the vision of God, we will be blessed by God.  Moses walked in the provision and blessing of God. From the parting of the Red Sea to the provision of Manna for food, to the Divine guidance of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, God provided for Moses and His people, and He will provide for us!

D) Moses was effective for God. Moses led his people out, not by his own ability but in fact, despite it. Effec-tive does not mean big. Just because a church is large does not mean it is effective. Many of the largest churches in our country are drawing great crowds and they are not necessarily highly effective churches. Effective also does not mean wealthy, or prosperous…Churches can sit on tons of money literally tens of thousands of dollars in the bank all saved for a rainy day…but they are not necessarily effective churches. Effective means that lives are changed, eternity is impacted, and the kingdom expanded as a result of living in the calling of God with the vision of God.  Proverbs 29:18 says; “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

    God has called us, God has appointed us, and He has anointed us, and enabled and empowered us to do the work.