Alex Cosio
Hispanic Pastor
I heard a story of a missionary in a remote area who was writing some letters. A child from the village was intrigued by those symbols being put on a piece of paper. He asked the missionary what he was doing. The missionary knowing the child could not possibly understand the term letters he said; “I am putting my thoughts in this paper.” The child responded: “oh I know… you are putting your thoughts in prison.” The missionary said: “No, on the contrary I am setting my thoughts free.”
Paul was in prison because of the work of the Gospel. Those chains (which probably bound him to a roman soldier), those walls, and the hardships he was facing could not stop the spreading of the gospel. The religious and civil authorities of his day considered him a threat to their established systems; they thought they had put Paul out of business. Satan must have been leaping with joy, like a child with a new toy. “Paul is out!” “Paul is out!” was the news in the spiritual realms. But Paul was not out at all, he was too much in! The Lord used that time in prison for him to write several letters, which have transcended frontiers, cultures and eras. Today we can still read what Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote to the church, that is, to you and me.
What made this man so effective in the ministry? Saul was a very religious Jew and was very much against Christianity, he even persecuted the church and consented the stoning of Stephen. Religiosity can stand in the way of the work of God. Saul learned that there was only one correct way of doing God’s work; either Saul did it his way or God’s way. Can you identify with Paul? I can. I was against Christianity and made fun of Christians. You see, I was brought in the established religion of Latin America and was taught not to trust “Christians.” Praise God who had mercy and dealt with my heart just as he did with Saul’s.
The first attribute that made Paul so effective in the ministry his personal encounter with the resurrected Christ. In his famous Damascus road experience, Paul gave his life completely to his God and Savior Jesus Christ. For Paul the words of that great hymn “I surrender all” were true. He did not surrender ten percent or fifty percent, not even ninety five percent. He surrendered all to the Lordship of Christ. My dear brother & sister in Christ, this can only make me question myself how much have I surrendered to Christ. Are my interests set before God’s intensions?
Secondly, not only did Paul have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, but also his obedience to his call. The Bible says that immediately he began meet people in the places where they gather to worship preaching Jesus and proving that Jesus is the Christ. (Acts 9:19-22) I praise the Lord for the renewed vision that He has given to Apex Baptist Church. We want to be the type of believers that go to share the good news.
Thirdly and many times overlooked Paul was effective because of his co-laborers in the ministry. Paul was never alone in the ministry; he never acted independently and authoritatively. In all of his letters, except 1st, 2nd Timothy and Titus, he mentions several people who co-labored with him in the service of the gospel. In Romans (16:21), he mentions Timothy, Lucius, Jason and Sosipater. In 1st Corinthians (16:17-19), he mentions Aquila and Priscilla, Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus. In 2 Corinthians (1:1), Timothy. In Galatians (1:2), “all the brothers with me.” In Ephesians (6:21), Tychicus. In Philippians (1:1; 2:25), Timothy and Epaphroditus. In Colossians (4:10-15), Timothy, Aristarchus, Mark, Justus, Epaphras, Luke and Demas (whom will abandon Paul going after the world instead of Christ -2 Tim. 4:10). In 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, Timothy and Silas. In Philemon (1:1), Timothy.
In the book of Acts we find several people co-laboring with Paul in the establishment of the churches in Asia Minor and Europe. Barnabas, Mark, Silas, Luke, Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Tychicus and Trophimus.
All of these men and women and many other whose names, though are not recorder in Scripture, are recorded in God’s book of memories (Mal.3:16). What a privilege you and me have to serve and co-labor in the ministry so that the work and the people of God continue to grow. I want to encourage you to join in the worship of God and the work of the ministry. Let us gather, grow and go to make His Glory great among us. Remember the three attributes that make the ministry effective. First; we need a personal encounter with Jesus Christ (our personal relationship with Him). Second; we need obedience to our call. Thirdly; join in as co-laborers in the ministry.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 21, 2008
Vision Sunday
Phil Qualls
Senior Pastor
This past Sunday we looked at 3 core values for our church that are biblical and simple. Gather. Grow. Go. I conducted an experiment last week: Did you know my 3 year old grandchild can remember Gather, Grow, Go and a senior adult, an elder statesman, can remember it as well? It’s simple and clear and describes the three dimensions in our lives that can make us an active and dynamic fellowship which God uses to impact our community.
Isaiah wrote that our desire as believers should be God’s name and his renown. The focus should be on him and when we gather to worship and to study his word our worship should be about his name and his renown. When that happens there will be a transformation in our gatherings! We will hunger and thirst for more of God! Can you imagine what it would be like if we gathered together on Sunday mornings and sought after him with all of our hearts and our souls? If our desire as the body of Christ when we gathered was for God to be glorified? There’s no telling what could happen!
As a fellowship we need to understand the significance of gathering. That when we gather rightly we then desire what God desires for the church. In Ephesians 5 God tells us that his desire for the church is that she would be spotless and holy. And he has given us the Holy Spirit to help us grow. As we study and teach God’s word our lives become transformed and we take our eyes off of ourselves and fix our eyes on Christ. Not only that, but we begin to love one another as a fellowship and community. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a part of a local church filled with believers that put others’ interests above our own?
Finally, we respond to God’s desire for the lost. Personally. Not just intellectually. God isn’t willing that any should perish, but that all should come to salvation. Can you imagine a body of believers with that kind of passion? We are privileged to be God’s representatives or ambassadors. We get to love our neighbors and associates. That’s what it means to go! To reach out to the nations and to our neighbors. To plant churches and to see those churches plant churches.
We’ve been able to be involved with church planting in New Hampshire, Fuquay Varina and Holly Springs. And that’s just a beginning! We’ve gone to Mexico, Ukraine, India and are excited to partner with IMB in reaching a city in East Asia in the coming years.
Would you be willing for a few weeks to trust God and to go on a journey with us? Ask God to speak to you and imagine what God can do through our church if we all lived three dimensionally! Gather. Grow Go.
Senior Pastor
This past Sunday we looked at 3 core values for our church that are biblical and simple. Gather. Grow. Go. I conducted an experiment last week: Did you know my 3 year old grandchild can remember Gather, Grow, Go and a senior adult, an elder statesman, can remember it as well? It’s simple and clear and describes the three dimensions in our lives that can make us an active and dynamic fellowship which God uses to impact our community.
Isaiah wrote that our desire as believers should be God’s name and his renown. The focus should be on him and when we gather to worship and to study his word our worship should be about his name and his renown. When that happens there will be a transformation in our gatherings! We will hunger and thirst for more of God! Can you imagine what it would be like if we gathered together on Sunday mornings and sought after him with all of our hearts and our souls? If our desire as the body of Christ when we gathered was for God to be glorified? There’s no telling what could happen!
As a fellowship we need to understand the significance of gathering. That when we gather rightly we then desire what God desires for the church. In Ephesians 5 God tells us that his desire for the church is that she would be spotless and holy. And he has given us the Holy Spirit to help us grow. As we study and teach God’s word our lives become transformed and we take our eyes off of ourselves and fix our eyes on Christ. Not only that, but we begin to love one another as a fellowship and community. Can you imagine what it would be like to be a part of a local church filled with believers that put others’ interests above our own?
Finally, we respond to God’s desire for the lost. Personally. Not just intellectually. God isn’t willing that any should perish, but that all should come to salvation. Can you imagine a body of believers with that kind of passion? We are privileged to be God’s representatives or ambassadors. We get to love our neighbors and associates. That’s what it means to go! To reach out to the nations and to our neighbors. To plant churches and to see those churches plant churches.
We’ve been able to be involved with church planting in New Hampshire, Fuquay Varina and Holly Springs. And that’s just a beginning! We’ve gone to Mexico, Ukraine, India and are excited to partner with IMB in reaching a city in East Asia in the coming years.
Would you be willing for a few weeks to trust God and to go on a journey with us? Ask God to speak to you and imagine what God can do through our church if we all lived three dimensionally! Gather. Grow Go.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Life Groups Vision and Purpose
Tim Shaw
Minister of Education
I recall a Sunday morning many years ago, standing before my Sunday School class and noticing a couple in the back I did not recognize. I greeted them warmly and welcomed them as first-time visitors. Big mistake! They had been attending my class for four weeks! How had I missed them before? Could it be that were lost in the sea of the faces in that group? Could it be that no one else had noticed them either? Could it be that were a closed group, a "clique"? The answer to all of these questions is - Yes! Amazingly and thankfully they had continued to come over those weeks despite our neglect!
As a teacher who was extremely passionate about Sunday school ministry and people, this mishap shook me to the core. I couldn’t understand how we had failed. We were great at Bible study and praying for each other. We had weathered many storms together and met needs as they arose among our members. Fellowship was no problem – we knew each other's lives inside and out. We swapped stories often about our long history of memories throughout the years. We had been together a long time…That was the problem! The veil was removed from my eyes at that moment! We were wrapped up in ourselves. We were not reaching new people, we were ignoring them.
God then placed Dan Cook in my life who was the new Minister of Education at my church. He became, and still is today, my dear friend and mentor. He instilled in me the importance of Sunday School being outreach oriented. I took what I learned from him and spent the next months teaching my group the importance of being an outward focused New Testament body. We committed to become an evangelistic Sunday school class. We plunged into outreach in a way we had never known it before. And I mean we plunged! We went out together sharing the gospel and our testimonies with every prospect that we could find. We loved new people like they were family (because we truly wanted them to be). We began to show Christ’s love to prospects, follow up effectively with them, and to share the gospel with them. We discovered the effectiveness of assimilating people into the church, ministering to their needs, and discipling them. We wrapped our arms around them and loved them into God’s family – and it worked!
I cannot find adequate words to write the full results of this transformation. God ignited a fire in the hearts of that original group as they saw how He was using them to bring people to Himself, as they extended themselves in service to reach people for Christ and then disciple those new believers to do the same. Dozens accepted Christ because God’s people opened their hearts and put feet to the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
I could hardly believe what I saw God doing in that place! I wanted to tell every church in the world what could happen through the Sunday school ministry. Not only did I love seeing what God was doing, He called me to devote the rest of my life to teaching people how to transform Sunday School into the “front door” of the church. As your Minister of Adult Education, my passion is teaching people to Gather, Grow, and Go through Sunday school.
Ask most people the purpose of Sunday School, or what they are trying to achieve in Sunday School, and they are likely to respond with answers similar to these: “Teach the Bible,” “Help people know more about the Bible,” or “Build up the fellowship of our members.” While these are all good things and they need to occur in Sunday School, they do not reveal the purpose of Sunday School, why it exists, or what it needs to accomplish.
Then what is the purpose of Sunday School? Sunday School is the foundational strategy in a local church for leading people to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and for building on-mission Christians utilizing small and open groups focused on building relationships with the unchurched and assimilating them into the small group where they can find compassion, hope, and a personal relationship with Christ. Sunday School is a strategy. It is a plan – a way for the church to do the work of the Great Commission.
When a church sees Sunday School as a strategy and not just an organization or program, Sunday School becomes a seven-day-a-week plan for involving people in seeking the kingdom of God and fulfilling the Great Commission, not a one-day-a-week study period. Understanding this makes a Sunday School worker realize that he is not filling a position, but is part of a great strategy. When one reads John 10:10, Luke 14:23, 19:10, and 2 Peter 3:9 he sees that Jesus’ number one priority was outreach and evangelism. If outreach and evangelism was Jesus Christ's first priority; then the first priority of Sunday School, the largest ministry of the church, must be the same.
In seeking God’s direction for the Sunday School ministry, starting January 3rd I will be holding Sunday School worker’s leadership meetings the first Sunday evening and Wednesday evening of each month. I will be sharing overall vision, purpose, and direction for the Sunday School ministry for ABC. Though this is designed for the adult workers, anyone may and is invited to attend. The Sunday and Wednesday meetings will be same each month so you may choose either Sunday evening 5:30-6:30 in the choir room or Wednesday evening 6:30-7:30 in room 209.
Minister of Education
I recall a Sunday morning many years ago, standing before my Sunday School class and noticing a couple in the back I did not recognize. I greeted them warmly and welcomed them as first-time visitors. Big mistake! They had been attending my class for four weeks! How had I missed them before? Could it be that were lost in the sea of the faces in that group? Could it be that no one else had noticed them either? Could it be that were a closed group, a "clique"? The answer to all of these questions is - Yes! Amazingly and thankfully they had continued to come over those weeks despite our neglect!
As a teacher who was extremely passionate about Sunday school ministry and people, this mishap shook me to the core. I couldn’t understand how we had failed. We were great at Bible study and praying for each other. We had weathered many storms together and met needs as they arose among our members. Fellowship was no problem – we knew each other's lives inside and out. We swapped stories often about our long history of memories throughout the years. We had been together a long time…That was the problem! The veil was removed from my eyes at that moment! We were wrapped up in ourselves. We were not reaching new people, we were ignoring them.
God then placed Dan Cook in my life who was the new Minister of Education at my church. He became, and still is today, my dear friend and mentor. He instilled in me the importance of Sunday School being outreach oriented. I took what I learned from him and spent the next months teaching my group the importance of being an outward focused New Testament body. We committed to become an evangelistic Sunday school class. We plunged into outreach in a way we had never known it before. And I mean we plunged! We went out together sharing the gospel and our testimonies with every prospect that we could find. We loved new people like they were family (because we truly wanted them to be). We began to show Christ’s love to prospects, follow up effectively with them, and to share the gospel with them. We discovered the effectiveness of assimilating people into the church, ministering to their needs, and discipling them. We wrapped our arms around them and loved them into God’s family – and it worked!
I cannot find adequate words to write the full results of this transformation. God ignited a fire in the hearts of that original group as they saw how He was using them to bring people to Himself, as they extended themselves in service to reach people for Christ and then disciple those new believers to do the same. Dozens accepted Christ because God’s people opened their hearts and put feet to the Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20).
I could hardly believe what I saw God doing in that place! I wanted to tell every church in the world what could happen through the Sunday school ministry. Not only did I love seeing what God was doing, He called me to devote the rest of my life to teaching people how to transform Sunday School into the “front door” of the church. As your Minister of Adult Education, my passion is teaching people to Gather, Grow, and Go through Sunday school.
Ask most people the purpose of Sunday School, or what they are trying to achieve in Sunday School, and they are likely to respond with answers similar to these: “Teach the Bible,” “Help people know more about the Bible,” or “Build up the fellowship of our members.” While these are all good things and they need to occur in Sunday School, they do not reveal the purpose of Sunday School, why it exists, or what it needs to accomplish.
Then what is the purpose of Sunday School? Sunday School is the foundational strategy in a local church for leading people to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and for building on-mission Christians utilizing small and open groups focused on building relationships with the unchurched and assimilating them into the small group where they can find compassion, hope, and a personal relationship with Christ. Sunday School is a strategy. It is a plan – a way for the church to do the work of the Great Commission.
When a church sees Sunday School as a strategy and not just an organization or program, Sunday School becomes a seven-day-a-week plan for involving people in seeking the kingdom of God and fulfilling the Great Commission, not a one-day-a-week study period. Understanding this makes a Sunday School worker realize that he is not filling a position, but is part of a great strategy. When one reads John 10:10, Luke 14:23, 19:10, and 2 Peter 3:9 he sees that Jesus’ number one priority was outreach and evangelism. If outreach and evangelism was Jesus Christ's first priority; then the first priority of Sunday School, the largest ministry of the church, must be the same.
In seeking God’s direction for the Sunday School ministry, starting January 3rd I will be holding Sunday School worker’s leadership meetings the first Sunday evening and Wednesday evening of each month. I will be sharing overall vision, purpose, and direction for the Sunday School ministry for ABC. Though this is designed for the adult workers, anyone may and is invited to attend. The Sunday and Wednesday meetings will be same each month so you may choose either Sunday evening 5:30-6:30 in the choir room or Wednesday evening 6:30-7:30 in room 209.
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