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Walking in the Vision – 8.5.7
Presentation for new building commitment campaign
A HUGE thank you...
Three years ago, we asked ourselves to commit to give to the Building to
Share the Love campaign, which produced this building. That campaign was
officially completed with last Sunday's offerings:
We committed to give...482,832
We gave...529,210
That is something to celebrate and about which to say "Thanks".
And that wasn't the first giving...the 17 acres (as I mentioned last week) that
we paid cash for...that $ was in the bank because people here were giving for
years to the building fund, knowing that we HAD to do something, giving even
before we knew what we would build or whether we personally would like it.
A new house
18 months ago, MHCC moved into a new house.
Many of you have had that experience in your family life. You graduated HS and
got a job or went off to college or to the military and you went through a
transitional time where you sort of lived with your parents and sort of lived on
your own; and then the day came when you made the separation and got your own
place; many of you did that when you got married. Most of us here have gone
along the same road; we started our family in a tiny apartment, then bought a
small home, and then kids came along and a few cats and dogs and eventually you
took out a larger mortgage and bought a bigger house with a few more bathrooms
and bedrooms and a larger yard.
How important is that house to your family? It's very important in many ways,
but it isn't the most important thing about your family. It's important because
it keeps the rain off, and the heat out and it shelters you and yours; but
everyone knows that you can lose the house and keep your family because your
family is the people, the love you have for each other, your shared experiences
and your values, the things you are becoming together.
MHCC has been through the same experience. Our first house was a little brick
church building you see as you drive in. It housed this family when 8-9
families started the church in 1965. We added on to it in '71 and again in
'93-94. Eventually we just outgrew it. We went to two services, then three and
we probably waited longer and squeezed more use out of our old buildings than
any church I know. But finally in 2004 we took out a mortgage and built this
new home. The price tag was 2,250,000 which is a lot of money, but divided
among 300 of us is 7,500 per person. We'd have to have 7 kids to achieve the
same ratio with the price we paid for our home, and that was 9 years ago! My
point with these numbers is that the price was high, but the value is pretty
reasonable, and it will get even more reasonable the more faithful we are to the
Great Commission of Jesus Christ to go and make disciples... Yet like your home
mortgage and mine, ours places limits on us. There is a lot we can do to
minister to our community in Jesus name and there is a lot we ARE doing. But
the obligation of a mortgage is a demanding one. It's an obligation we accepted
to gain the space we need to carry on in the vision. And that brings me to...
Vision:
During the entire eight-year process that finally produced this new home, I
never once heard anyone say: Let's build a mighty church building with a
steeple that reaches to the heavens so that we can make a name for ourselves and
not be scattered across the face of the earth, and forgotten - which was the
pride that led to the ill-fated tower of Babel and many other building projects
throughout history, including church buildings! And I never once heard anyone
say: "You know, we've worked hard for 40 years - we DESERVE a nicer church
house (which many folks DO say when they build their own place). And I never
heard anyone say: "We need a nicer building to let people know that we're
higher class people than folks might think." Instead, everyone talked about
things like the Great Commission and our need to have a home that wouldn't be a
barrier to it.
We express this vision in a number of ways: The little motto "Love Worth
Sharing" that appears on our logo. The Christian love we find here is ours
to enjoy, and it's a love that produces the most joy when we don't hoard it but
we share it, leading others to Jesus Christ so he can do for them what he's done
for us.
Or the saying "No one left behind", which speaks to taking the Gospel
message of forgiveness from sin and deliverance from slavery so that, as far as
it depends on us, no one is left behind ensnared by Satan's lies.
The way I want to express the vision today is according to the words on your
bulletin insert: Our vision, the vision that gets us out of bed and into this
place on Sunday morning, the vision that sends us into ministry seven days a
week, and the vision caused us to build this new home as a tool is a vision of
MHCC as a fully-functioning Biblical community...
...where...the Purpose statement and the seven Rs - objectives and
expectations...
That's a fully functioning Biblical community, and really I have said nothing
that is unique - these should be the same for any church.
But our vision extends beyond this. In a few moments, some guys are going to
get up and tell you why they come to MHCC or what they love about it. Well
here's what I love about this church, what makes it special, things that set us
apart, a vision we have that is NOT true of every church...
We want to be a fully functioning Biblical community, free to grow as big as GOD
wants us to grow (not limited by our complacency, our own desire to maintain the
status quo, or our lack of space), characterized by FREEDOM in Christ,
sacrificial ministry, artistic variety in worship, and room to grow and space to
share with others.
Think with me for just a moment about what these mean:
Freedom in Christ - ask unchurched people why they don't go to church and
they'll likely mention that they grew up in church or they tried visiting a few,
and they found a lot of legalism, and a lot of traditions carried on for
traditions' sake. That isn't who we are. We want to be faithful to the Bible
AND free in Christ to find joy in this life and reach as many people as we can.
Sacrificial ministry - scratch the surface of MHCC, and you'll be surprised at
the things people do for Jesus Christ. In just the past six months, I've been
amazed at the way various people among you have laid your hearts and resources
out there for the Refuge, for the Lakota people you met on the mission trip, for
some folks right around here with some deep needs, just to name a few things.
But then again, can we really ever SACRIFICE for Christ? He always outgives
us...
Artistic variety in worship - this is a huge part of who we are and it is SO
important for reaching the lost people of today who don't know the language of
church everyone in the culture once spoke. Not only that, but it glorifies God
when people put to use the talents he's given.
And then of course room to grow, space to share. We've got the space to share,
and we're sharing it. We've got the room to grow...and if there is any "downer"
to be proclaimed today, it's that we haven't grown. Maybe you need better
leadership from me. Maybe there's just a complacency that has settled on us
having finished the building. Perhaps it's partly due to some personality
issues and some forgiveness and tolerance that needs to take place. Certainly
we have seen people leave who decided who we are and where we're heading wasn't
really for them. But now...let's throw off everything that encumbers and the
sin that so easily entangled, and run with endurance the race set before us...
But this is who we are and who we aspire to be: A fully-functioning Biblical
community free to grow as big as God wants us to grow, characterized by freedom
in Christ, sacrificial ministry, artistic variety in worship, and room to grow
and space to share with others.
Last week I recounted for you some of the events, some extraordinary, that
brought us here. We've come a long way with God already. We're not at the
beginning of the vision, and we're certainly not at the end. We're at a place
where we need to continue Walking in the Vision.
Some other members (who have come here in the recent past) are going to briefly
share with you why they're here and what MHCC means to them:
Levitte Cox
Josh Hensley
Tim Green
John Maschino
Bob Silvera
Dean Hollingsworth
DM:
We're at a crucial point in our history. We've done some hard work, some heavy
lifting. We have paid a price. The temptation Satan often uses against
churches at our point in the road is the temptation to complacency, to say:
"We've got what we wanted for ourselves. Let's take life easy and enjoy the
fruit of our labor." And churches in our place have fallen away from their
vision, and chosen comfort over the Great Commission - and that's when they
begin their decline and death.
Let it not be so for us.
The card. Take it. (Read it) Don't turn it in today (no empty emotionalism, no
decision without prayer and even fasting); take it to God, hear from him, and if
it's the widow's mite, he'll honor that. Fill it out (individuals or families,
and anonymously) bring it back next Sunday or the Sunday after.
Maybe you've heard the story about the time the king announced a visit to a
certain village in his realm. The people there were poor, and yet they wanted
to pay homage to their king in a fitting way, and in their country, that meant a
great feast and a toast with fine wine. Now the feast was no problem, but the
wine in the area was hard to come by and very expensive, and buying enough to
give a ceremonial glass to everyone in town was way beyond their means, but the
mayor came up with an idea. He said: "In our homes, we all have a little wine
for ourselves. We paid dearly for it, but this is for the king. Let's all
bring in our personal stash and pour it into this great stone jar, and when the
king comes we'll have a fine toast."
Problem: There was one little cheapskate in town like me who figured that if
3,000 other dimwits poured their wine into the jar, he could get away with
bringing a bottle full of water for his offering. As long as he poured it in
quickly, no one would notice (but this was risky because the king had a
legendary ability to identify fine wine). So the guy did exactly that.
On the day of the feast the king arrived and they sat him at his place of honor
and brought him the stone jar filled with everyone's offering of their best
wine. The king dipped a ladle into the jar and took a sip...and he turned to
the mayor and said: "This is only water. You've brought me water!" You see,
EVERYONE in town took the low road and figured that if 3,000 other men and women
were making a sacrifice, at least I can get away with doing nothing.
God has blessed us with much more than water. Indeed, he has given us, among
many other blessings, the most precious of all fruit of the vine. Our duty and
my appeal to you is to seek his will in this matter, and then respond in the way
he leads you.
Dismissal prayer
Morrison
Hill Christian Church
P.O. Box 59 - 1008 E.
Race St.
Kingston, TN 37763 (865) 376-5205
