Walking in the Dark: Isaiah 50:10-11

In the Summer of 2007, God introduced me to a term I was unfamiliar with. Looking back, it was something I prayed for but didn’t fully grasp what I was praying. The prayer, “Lord, do whatever it takes to make me more like you.” The answer, “The dark night of the soul.” The answer came not from a class or a book, but through personal experience.  

If you have ever gone through a season of spiritual dryness and darkness when God seemed silent and far away no matter how hard you tried to reconnect, then you have experienced a “dark night” experience.  This experience can be long and hard, especially for the many Christians who don’t understand it or how to handle it. 

Since the summer of 2007, I have experienced more occasions of this dark season, the most recent being within the last five years. And each season seemed darker than the season before. I would love to tell you that each season is easier to handle and understand than the previous, but that’s not the case at all.  We find the reason in God’s purpose for the experience. 

The Lord uses the dark night of the soul experience to grow us and conform us into the image of his Son.  It makes us more aware of his grace and mercy, while also revealing sinful patterns and beliefs that hinder our growth.  As painful as the experience can be, it is one of the prominent ways God grows us in holiness and wholeness.  

The dark night experience for God’s people is inevitable.  You find it in the scriptures. Read the prayers in the book of Psalms and you will find King David struggling with this season. The first verse of Psalm thirteen reads, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” Read the biographies and testimonies of Christians throughout history and you will find the same inevitable experiences.   

The dark night is also unexpected. And because it is unexpected, many of God’s people don’t understand it or know exactly how to handle it.  So, what do we do when the Lord knocks the props out from under us and caused the lights to go out?  The prophet Isaiah gives great truths for walking through the dark.    

In the fiftieth chapter of Isaiah, we find two verses, nine and ten, talking about the inevitable and unexpected experience of walking through the darkness, “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant? Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.”  

The Hebrew construct of verse ten suggests that the person who fears God and obeys his voice is the one who continues to trust in and rely on the Lord, even though he is walking through a time of darkness.  In fact, the verse implies that we know the person following God more, not by how they walk in the light, but in the darkness. What do we know about the person following God in darkness First, we know that they keep walking when the lights go out.  

Keep walking when the lights go out and you can’t see.

One Sunday morning early, during my first pastorate, I received a knock at the door of the parsonage, waking me up from my sleep. It was a church member letting me know that the neighbor’s son across the street passed away in an automobile accident.  He was driving down an unlit country road, and his lights went out. Instead of stopping, he tried to navigate the road, causing him to miss a curve and rolling his truck.  In a situation like this, it is wise to stop and pullover. It is the right thing to do.  

However, what is true of the physical realm is not for the spiritual. You should, you must stop going in the physical ring, but it is a terrible mistake to stop walking in the spiritual realm.  

Think about it. When darkness comes upon us and there is no light, you're not sure where you are going, you're not even sure where you are.  You can’t see the obstacles in front of you.  You have no spiritual feeling, and you can’t see what God is doing. This is not the time to stop.  You must keep walking with the Lord through the darkness.   

The man or woman that fears the Lord and obeys the Lord doesn’t stop walking with the Lord because there is no light.  They keep on walking.  They keep on obeying.  They keep on seeking.  They keep on praying.  They keep on giving.  They keep on witnessing. They keep on keeping on even though it’s dark.  

One of my dear friends, who also served on staff in my last pastorate, is a licensed pilot. One day we were talking about the training he went through to secure his license.  It intrigued me when he told me about learning to fly by the instruments, something that every pilot must learn before they receive their license.  When a pilot flies into darkness, such as a dark cloud, he will lose his points of reference. It becomes very dangerous to trust in one’s physical perception. Even though it might feel like he is flying straight, he could descend to the ground, not knowing it. He must learn to read and trust the instruments, and not his thoughts or feelings.  

In the same manner, the Christian must learn to follow the instruments of God’s word when walking through the darkness. We see this truth in verse ten, “Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant?” The servant that Isaiah is referring to is the servant in the previous verses, four through nine.  The servant of the previous verses is Jesus. We keep walking even though it’s dark because we are looking to the instruments of God’s word and it becomes the lamp unto our feet, and light for our path.  Second, people who follow God in the darkness know that they should not make their own light to dispel the darkness.

Don’t make your own light to dispel the darkness. 

This second point is the most important point you need to grasp today because it is a temptation that occurs when we discover ourselves in the dark.  When the lights go out at my house, the first thing I do is look for the light. I light candles and look for flashlights.  However, when the lights go out in our walk with God, the last thing we want to do is to make our own light.  Isaiah says in verse eleven, “Behold, all you who kindle a fire, and who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches that you have kindled! This you have from my hand: you shall lie down in torment.” The Living Bible says, “But see here, you who live in your own light, and warm yourselves from your own fires and not from God’s; you will live among sorrows.”  

The Lord is telling us we make an enormous mistake when we try to make our own light.  Why? It’s a mistake because we are trying to manufacture our own light to fulfill the purpose of God in our life.  We do not want to make our own light.  

First, when we make our own light we don’t realize that God has allowed the darkness in our lives.  Darkness does not dispel light. It is light that dispels darkness. If it is dark in our experience it on account that God has allowed that darkness into our lives.  If you are walking with the Lord and darkness comes upon your walk, it’s because the Lord has removed the light.  

When God made the first day in the book of Genesis, he made day and night. The night is as much from God as in the day. What I find fascinating that there are some things you can’t see unless it’s dark, things like the moon and stars. Likewise, in the spiritual realm, there are things you can’t see unless the lights go out.   

Second, when we make our own light to replace God’s it only makes things worse.  The Living Bible says making our own light will cause you to, “live among sorrows.”  I could pull out a lengthy list of sorrows in my life that resulted from me making my light to replace God’s. But I believe it would have a greater impact if we turned to the myriad of examples in the scriptures. 

Three chapters into the book of Genesis and you will find Adam and Eve making their own light because they wanted to “be like God.”  All of humanity has been living in the sorrows of that mistake.  

Abraham received the promise of a child from God, one that he gladly believed in.  However, when the darkness of waiting on God to fulfill the promise was more than he and Sarah could bear, they lit their own light and the result was Ishmael. Again, a sorrow we still experience to this very day.   

Moses tried to light his own light when he killed the Egyptian soldier, causing him to flee for his life, and setting the deliverance of God back forty years.  And there are many more examples, but I believe this proves the point. Don’t make your own light to dispel the darkness.  It will only lead to sorrow.  Third, the person walking in the dark with God trust and relies on Jesus in the dark.

Trust and rely on Jesus in the dark.  

In verse ten it says, “trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.”  When we trust and rely on the Lord in the darkness, we are following the Lord’s example. Notice verse six in this same chapter, “I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.”  This is a prophecy that was fulfilled at the crucifixion of Jesus. This is the darkest moment of Christ’s life. What did Jesus do? He trusted God to help him and contend for him. He didn’t take things into his own hands but entrusted himself to the Father.    

Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith. He has gone before us and conquered the dark night of the soul.  Therefore, we should trust and rely on him when it’s dark and we can’t see. 

The Hebrew word translated “rely on” can also translate “stay.” It means to lean for support. The person who relies on is God leans on him for support.  The root of that word is found in Psalm twenty-three, verse four, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” They translate the root word, “comfort.” The rod and staff hold me up. They encourage me. They support me. When we are in the darkness, we need a rod and staff to support us, and that rod and staff is Jesus.   

Some things you can only see in the darkness. When you are in the darkness, you need someone to support you as you walk, and that someone is Jesus.  One person has said, “you don’t know how much you need Jesus until Jesus is all you have.” Interestingly, we can see Jesus more in the dark than we can when we are in the light.  

Every spring, when we are working in the yard and flowerbeds, my wife reminds me of a mistake I made a few years ago. I try to forget about it, but she always reminds me I killed one of her favorite flowers, the moonflower.  The moonflower got its name because the beautiful white or purple tubular flower blooms at night and remains open until the morning light touches the flower.  The beauty of the moonflower is dependant upon the darkness of night.  

Much of the fruit of our spiritual life is dependant upon the darkness of night. Therefore, it is important to keep walking with God when the lights go out and you can’t see what God is doing.  Don’t give in to the temptation of making your own light because you will only regret it. Trust and rely on Jesus. He is the light and support that will keep you going in the right direction.   The darkness of obedience has so much more light than the shining light of leaning on your own understanding.  

In the dark, you’ll find Jesus. When you do, as the old song says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.” 

On Mission with Jesus: Luke 9:1-6

On Mission with Jesus
Luke 9:1-6

I have a confession to make. When my daughters get older and they are on their own, I don't want them to go to church. I know. You're shocked. "How can the preacher say he doesn't want his girls to go to church?" I really want more than that for them. I don't want them to just go to church. In fact, I never pray, "Lord, I pray when they get older that they go to church." I have never, ever prayed that for my daughters.

Here's what I have prayed: "Lord, I pray that they love you and love the gospel more than their own lives." That's more than just going to church. I don't want them to go to church. I want them to desire to reach the world for Christ. I want them to be willing to give their lives, to go to the ends of the earth with the good news of Jesus Christ. Some parents are afraid their kids will go on the mission field. I'm afraid they won't. I'm afraid they'll just go to church.

So here's what I pray. I say, "Lord, I want them to love you more than life, and I want them to be on mission for you." Christy and I don't teach them to just go to church. That's important, obviously, but it's not. Not in the way we understand it. I want them to see every aspect of their lives as a mission field. I want them to see every relationship they have, now and for this side of heaven, as an opportunity to reach someone with the gospel.

Therefore, I want my kids to build relationships with people who are not following Jesus Christ. Yes, I do. Now I don't want them to be influenced. I'm just like any other parent. But I do want them to have such a heart for lost people that they will build relationships with them. So what's important now is that the parents are on mission with Jesus. It's important that we build relationships with people who don't know Jesus so we can reach them with the gospel.

Let me tell you, it's really easy to do that when you have kids, because they get involved with soccer. They get involved with band. They get involved with a lot of things. All of those are opportunities to build relationships with people who do not know Christ Jesus. I'm thankful to God that God has used my wife's bus driving to build relationships.

We had a birthday party for Caroline in June, and it blessed my heart to see all of the people who were there. Except for one or two, they were there because they built a relationship with Caroline on the bus, and none of them go to church. That's what I want my kids to be. I want them to be on mission for Jesus. I don't want them to just go to church. I want them to be the church.

We're starting a new series called Sent. This whole idea of being on mission with Jesus, just so you know, wasn't something the Southern Baptist Convention just developed. It's really the biblical requirement of those who follow Jesus. Whether you know it or not… You may not be one who follows the statistics like I do. I do. I like to know what the church is doing today.

Let me tell you, there are churches that are dying. I would say "closing the door," but that would imply the building is the church. It's not the church. The people are the church. They're dying at a rapid pace. On the other side of that, there are churches being planted right now, and there are multisite campuses that are increasing and multiplying at a rapid pace. Believe it or not, I can count probably at least six church plants in the Bryant and Benton area that are happening right now.

Now the temptation… I know. We're human. "Oh my gosh, they're getting on our turf." Do you know what I've found out? That's a good thing. If we're not going to be the church, God is going to raise up people to be the church. That's why these churches are dying, because they're not being the church; they're going to church, and as you go to church, God is going to lift up laborers who may not be you. He can work around us.

God is not really concerned about our preferences. He's really not concerned whether we sing off the wall or from a hymnal. He's not as concerned about contemporary music or hymns as you are. In fact, I've never seen him weep over a church service, but I've seen him weep over people who were going to hell. He's weeping today, and he's raising up people who will not just go to church.

There are churches that are going to church and they're dying left and right, but guess what? God is lifting up people who want to be missional, who want to impact our culture and reach the lost community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's what this is all about. This is what Community Groups are all about. It's really being on mission with Jesus. We often say as Baptists, "We are people of the Book." Well, if we're people of the Book, let's live by it. Let's actually do what the Bible tells us to do. Let's actually do what Jesus has laid out for us.

So we're starting this series. It's called Sent, and it's called Sent for a reason. If you were to ask me to define what it means to be on mission with Jesus in one word, I would use that word. Sent. Here's why: it all begins with Jesus. Jesus said in Luke, chapter 4, verse 43, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose."

Jesus was sent to proclaim the kingdom of God, and now he sends out his people. He sends out the church. He says, "I send you out." Of course, Jesus became the good news of the kingdom of God, but now he says, "You're my disciples, and now I'm calling you. I am sending you out to proclaim the good news of the kingdom."

So as we begin in chapter 9… Chapter 9 gives us timeless principles. They are meant to be applied to the church throughout the ages. Though the times have changed, the principles do not change. What chapter 9 teaches us is if you follow Jesus, you will be on mission with Jesus. Look at the very first part of verse 1. This is Jesus. It says he called the Twelve together.

Obviously, if you know your Scriptures, the Twelve he's talking about are the twelve apostles. He is calling them not to follow him. This has already taken place. The call to take up their cross, the call to follow him and leave everything, has already happened. This is a call to mission. It's a call to action. It's a call to become fully functioning followers of Jesus Christ. But what precedes that is the call to follow.

Go back to chapter 5. We see Jesus calling some of his first disciples. It says in the first 11 verses of chapter 5 that Jesus is teaching the multitudes, and he asks Peter to get in his boat. They set out a bit from the shore, and Jesus continues to teach. Then Jesus looks to Peter and says, "I want you to go out into the deep waters, and I want you to throw your nets over." That's when Peter said, "Well, Rabbi, we've been fishing all night, but at your word I will do what you say."

We can't see it there, but here's what Peter is thinking: "Lord, you don't know what you're doing. You're not a fisherman. But I believe you. I'm going to trust you." They go out, and he throws his net over, and there's a miracle. That's when Peter realizes Jesus is more than a rabbi; he is Lord. Then Jesus says to him, "'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.' And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him."

They started following Jesus, and then in chapter 6, Jesus actually appoints twelve of them to be apostles. It says in verse 12 of chapter 6, "In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve…" Which means there were more than just twelve there, but he chose twelve specific men to be his apostles.

Their names were (verse 14): "Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor." Jesus is calling these twelve together, and now he's going to send them out on mission.

Now there's an interesting truth here that when it comes to being on mission with Jesus… By the way, Jesus says, "If you're following me, I will make you…" What? That's why the first point. If you're following Jesus, you'll be on mission with Jesus. You see, you can't follow Jesus and not be on mission with Jesus. You can go to church and not be on mission with Jesus, but you can't be the church and not be on mission with Jesus. Do y'all understand that?

You can't follow Jesus and not be on mission with Jesus. But I want you to see here, as soon as he called them, notice he didn't immediately say, "Okay, go. You're on mission." There was this process of spiritual growth. They have now witnessed the power of Jesus. They have seen his miracles, and now Jesus is saying, "It's your turn."

There is a point in our spiritual lives where we begin to multiply ourselves. We actually become parents, and we actually begin to see people come to Christ. Then we actually mentor them in Christ, and then we send them out to multiply. This is what's happening. This is where many churches are dying, because most Christians are stuck in this area called a child, and they're not reproducing themselves. They're going to church, but they're not being the church.

He calls them, and he's going to send them out on mission. Now here's the truth. We want to think, "Well, that's the apostles. Of course. They're supposed to be on mission." But every Christian is called to be on mission with Jesus. You know that, right? If you don't, today you do. Every Christian, everyone who says, "I am going to follow Jesus…" If you are following Jesus, you will be on mission with Jesus.

That's what we see here. It says he called the Twelve together. Notice he didn't say, "I want you to hang out with me." No. "I'm calling you together because I'm eventually going to send you out. I want you to go out into the world, and I want you to go and tell people about the kingdom of God." Every Christian is called to be on mission with Jesus.

People who want to be the church will be on mission with Jesus. People who go to church… Well, it's very possible to go to church and not be on mission with Jesus. That's why I tell you I don't want my kids just to go to church. As a pastor, I know that's most of the problem with the church today. We have too many people going to church and not enough people being the church.

Now here's some good news. You think, "Well, I can't do that." Yes, you can, because Jesus equips every believer for the mission. Do you know that? He does it for the apostles. It says in verse 1, after he called them together he gave them power. He equipped them. He gave them everything they needed to do the ministry God had called them to. It says he gave them power and authority.

The Greek word dunamis where we get our word dynamite is the same word Luke uses in Acts, chapter 1, verse 8, when Jesus said, "But you will receive power from the Holy Spirit." It's not your power. It's not your ability. It's not your adequacy. It has nothing to do with you except your faith and obedience. It's all about the power of the Holy Spirit in your life.

"You will receive power. He will come upon you in a mighty and powerful way, and you will be my witnesses. In Jerusalem and in all of Judea, in all of Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, you will be my witnesses. I've given you everything you need. Not only that; I give you authority, which means you have the right to do it." Jesus says, "I've equipped you. I've given you power." He has given us all power.

That's why we have to also get past this mindset that it's the preacher's call to do all that. The staff is called to do all that. No, it's not. We are the body of Christ. Guess what? Every member is called to be on mission with Jesus, and Jesus equips every member of the body of Christ to do the work of the ministry. Can I get an amen? Yeah, it's the body of Christ. He equips us. He gives us the power we need.

I was talking with a church member last week. He's going to be teaching one of our Community Groups. When he was asked, he said, "I don't know if I'm adequate enough." Then he realized he doesn't have to be adequate. In fact, that's where God wants him, because it's not about him; it's about God giving him the power to work through him. See, the mission with Jesus is all about Jesus working through you.

So Jesus calls every Christian to be on mission with him. We're all called to be on mission with him. He equips every one of us, and when he equips us, he then sends us out. Jesus will never, ever send you to do something without giving you the ability to do it. Then he sends us out to proclaim the gospel. Verse 2. Here's their commission. He says, "I'm calling you. I'm equipping you, and now I am sending you out."

It says, "…and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal." It's interesting. Here he sends out 12, and then in chapter 10 he sends out 72, and then in Acts, chapter 2, you see them empowered and they go forth. Before, I believe God gave them power and authority for this specific mission and again for the one in chapter 10, but when the day of Pentecost came, they had that power at their disposal. All they had to do was surrender and trust and allow the Spirit of God to empower them. The same is true today. God sends us out with his power.

What I find here is a very interesting principle that we need to really grasp if we're going to understand what it means to be on mission with Jesus as a church. The Greek word sugkaleo is translated called together. Sun meaning together; kaleo, called. Here's what we learn from this, that he calls his disciples together. What we know about them, obviously, is in the Scriptures, but I believe they had opportunities to go home. I believe they had opportunities to get away from the Twelve for a while.

He calls them together. "I want y'all to gather around me." He doesn't say, "Good. This is the goal of life. I just want you to worship me." No. "I am calling you together. I'm calling you from all walks of life to gather together, and when you gather together in my name, then I send you forth into the world, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ."

Oftentimes we feel like this is the end goal. "Let's get people to go to church." No. Let's get the church to be sent out into the world to tell people about Jesus. He says he calls us together, and that's what he does here on Sunday mornings. Most of us think this is it, that what we do here is it. No, it's not. This is just where Jesus puts us all together and says, "Okay, here's the plan. Go. I'm sending you out. I'm sending you to your neighbors. I'm sending you to the people you work with. I'm sending you anywhere you occupy to be on mission with me."

He gives us a message, and the message is, "The kingdom of God is at hand." We've lost that in the church. We've lost this idea that when we leave here, every one of us who knows Jesus, who follows Jesus, in essence is taking the kingdom of God to a people who aren't in the kingdom of God, who need to know there's only one kingdom that lasts, and that is the kingdom of Jesus Christ.

When you're not on mission with Jesus, when you just go to church, you're expecting them to come here. There was a day in our culture when that worked, but times are changing. Those who aren't going to be on mission with Jesus are going to die, but those who catch the vision of the kingdom of God, who believe we have a responsibility, that we are sent out from this place to build relationships with people who need Jesus, are the ones who are going to make a difference.

If you follow Jesus, you'll be on mission with Jesus. Jesus gives a strategy for the mission. Listen to what he says in verse 3: "And he said to them, 'Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.'" There are three things Jesus gives as a strategy.

First of all, seek his kingdom first, not your comfort. Did you hear what he told them not to take? "Don't take anything for your journey, no staff or bag or bread or money, and do not have two tunics." By that, Jesus is saying, "I want you to go and proclaim the kingdom of God, and I want you to totally depend upon me. I don't want you to be so bogged down by your creaturely comforts that you allow that desire to be comfortable in your life to become first in your life and you fail to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ."

There's an element to being on mission with Jesus. It's called dying to self. Most of us, if we're honest, allow the creaturely comforts of living to get in our way with being on mission with Jesus. We don't allow ourselves to die to those comforts. Instead, those comforts become preeminent, and we put off being on mission with Jesus. What Jesus teaches us here is you seek first the kingdom. You make priority being on mission with Jesus. You seek the kingdom first, and all of these things will be added unto you.

The second thing he tells us to do is build relationships with people who do not know Christ. You take nothing for your journey, you trust him, you seek him, and then you go house to house, which means you have to build relationships with people who do not know Jesus, people who offend you. I know there are a lot out there, but we have to be willing to build those relationships with people who don't know Jesus, to take the kingdom of God to them.

Here's the third strategy. This is the good news. Leave the results up to God. You can't save anybody. All you can do is plant. All you can do is water. It's God who brings the harvest. That's what he's saying. Verse 5: "And wherever they do not receive you…" They're going to reject you. Christianity is not a popular message. They're going to reject you, but don't worry about that. They're rejecting Jesus.

"And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them." In other words, let God handle them. Leave the results in his hands, because you can't save anybody. There's nothing you can do to convince somebody to follow Jesus. It takes a work of the Spirit of God. Period. The Spirit of God working in their life, the Spirit of God working through your life. It's really not about you; it's about Jesus working through you.

Let me show you verse 6. It's personal, it's practical, and it's powerful. Look at verse 6: "And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere." First of all, it was personal. They had to decide, "Are we going to go out? Are we going to go and proclaim the good news? Are we going to be on mission with Jesus?"

Being on mission with Jesus is personal, because each one of us has a responsibility before Jesus. If we follow Jesus, we're to be on mission with Jesus, and it is a personal choice we have to make. That means we don't seek our own comfort; we seek his comfort first. It means we try to build relationships with people who do not know Jesus, and we leave the results up to God. It's personal. We have to decide, "Am I going to be used by God?"

It's practical, because he says, "I want you to go," and it says they departed and went through the villages, which means wherever they were going, they allowed that to become a mission field to work and to proclaim the kingdom of God. You don't have to go overseas to be on mission. You're on mission right now.

You're on mission when you leave this place today. You're on mission when you go to work tomorrow. You're on mission when you're eating at Cracker Barrel. You're on mission in your family. You're on mission at sports activities, sports games. You are on mission with Jesus. They were going and proclaiming as they went through all the villages.

It's personal (they had to decide), it's practical (it's just as you live your life), and it's powerful. Notice what happened. When they went out, proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ, it says people were healed. Lives were changed, and the change came because they were willing to leave Jesus and go out and be on mission with Jesus.

I'm here to tell you our community can change when we catch the vision of being on mission with Jesus. That's why we're doing Community Groups, because our groups need to be multiplied. If your life group hasn't multiplied in years, I'm sorry; something is wrong. We need to go out into the community and give people an opportunity to come to a place, and that becomes our front door to the church because we built the relationship and we can share Jesus with them.

I'm going to be leading a Community Group in an apartment complex. Let me tell you, there is a mission field. Ask any police officer in Bryant. They'll tell you most of their calls go to apartment complexes. I know Coach Marvel playing golf has seen a couple of domestic disputes in the apartments just playing golf. That's where they need Jesus. They're not coming here. That's why we have to go beyond going to church. That's why we have to be the church.

That's why we do what we're doing, because I believe that's what Jesus would do. I really do. I believe he would be hanging out in apartment complexes. I believe he would be hanging out at Starbucks. "Well, you know they don't like people who hold up traditional marriage." Well, all the more reason we need Jesus at Starbucks. If we're boycotting them that's probably a good sign we need to be building relationships with them.

I think he would be at Chick-fil-A. I think he would be in the community trying to tell people about the kingdom of God. That's why I don't want my girls just to go to church. I don't want the generation that comes behind me to get a false impression about what it means to be on mission with Jesus. I want them to understand that Jesus calls us together on Sunday mornings to send us out.

See, our goal isn't Sunday morning. Our goal is what we do in between Sundays. When we make that our goal, these gatherings we do on Sunday will grow. It's just natural. When you reach people where they are, then you bring them. That's the culture we live in. That's what it means to be on mission with Jesus.

We want to define that a little bit more over the next several weeks. What does it mean to be in community? What does it mean when Jesus says, "The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few"? What does it mean to us? This is one of the challenges I'm praying for. "Lord, make us a church that wants to be the church." It's a challenge. Of course, it all begins… If you're going to be the church, you have to be a part of the church.

I find it very interesting that Judas went on mission with Jesus. You can be a lost person and tell people about Jesus. I think it's important that we understand that to be the church, for me to be on mission with Jesus, I have to be a follower of Jesus. I have to give my life to Jesus. That means I understand I'm a sinner and I can't save myself, that Jesus died for my sins, and I turn to him and place my faith in his saving work and commit my life to him and follow him.

For some of you, being on mission with Jesus begins right there, giving your life to him and following him. For others of you, it begins right here. We have to get over that mentality of going to church. We have to allow God to make us people who are the church, who want to be on mission with Jesus. Let's bow our heads and our hearts before God.

In a moment we're going to sing a song of invitation. It's an invitation for you who do not know Christ to say, "I need Jesus. I want Jesus. I want to follow Jesus. I need to be saved from my sins." If that's you today, we're going to stand, and I'm going to invite you to walk forward and just grab me by the hand and say, "Pastor, I need Jesus."

But the invitation is to us as a church to really allow the Spirit of God and the teachings of Jesus to formulate our hearts and formulate our thinking and to help us, as a church, understand what it means to follow Christ. It means we're on mission with him. It means we make his kingdom priority, not our comfort. It means we build relationships with people who need to know Jesus Christ, and we leave the results up to God.

We plant and water but allow him to bring about the harvest. He is the Lord of the harvest, but what he needs are laborers. What he needs are people who claim to follow him to be on mission with him. He's inviting us, church. He's inviting you. He's inviting me to be the church. How will you respond this morning in your heart? How will you respond when you leave here this morning? Will you heed the voice of Jesus and go forth proclaiming the good news? How will you respond? Take some time to make that commitment to Lord Jesus right now.

Father, these decisions are being made by all of us, and I just pray that they glorify you. I pray that your Spirit moves in a mighty and powerful way. In Jesus' name, amen.

FSBC Testimonies: Life-Change

In the last few days, I have received several testimonies that God is changing lives at 
FSBC. God's work is easily missed, if our focus is wrong (Elijah is a perfect example). 
Therefore, I think it is important to share these testimonies, so we don't become 
discouraged and depressed.   

I am a result of your work in Gods name.! It's the little things in everyday life that come back to you and show the result of God's work in your life. You are working and it is seen every day. Nothing spectacular to men, but spectacular and magnificent to me and Lord God. God answered a prayer and made sure I came to FSBC 10.27.2013 to hear your spectacular message re Elijah and depression, and unbelief and faith, hope, love. One thing remains .. God, your love never fails; It never runs out on me! You and family are cherished, loved, held in high esteem and your work, your ministry is working spectacular things in Gods name and peoples lives. Please never forget this and dont be weary. Thank you for all your time, support, advice, listening and prayers. I will never forget you ever! Patrick Mead is loved. Prayer for you and FSBC. Al McCullough.

Share Testimony : I wish there was a talk button on this thing. It sure would make it so much easier but since there isn't here it goes.... I wanted to say how very thankful I am to be here at First Southern with all of you. I also wanted to be sure to say thank you to all the leaders of our church and the many others who are behind the scenes doing so much. I'm in awe when I think of how God led my family to this church. I think about it often because its so encouraging to me. I know that we are right where God wants us to be. I also think how blessed we are at our church to have a pastor who preaches the word of God exactly like it is. Wow!! I'm in awe of how great God is to us! Listening to the pastor's messages each week has sparked a desire for me to read my bible more. There's nothing more important in this world to me then that. John 1:1 I also wanted to say how thankful I am for the new sanctuary. I think it's beautiful!! I know it's a change to get used to for some who have been here for a while. There's a great parable Luke 5:36-39 (Our church programs and ministries should not be so structured that they have no room for a fresh touch of the Spirit, a new method, or a new idea. We too, must be careful that our hearts do not become so rigid that they prevent us from accepting the new way of thinking that Christ brings. We need to keep our hearts pliable so we can accept Jesus' life- changing message.

Share Testimony : First of all I just want to say how very grateful I am that God led us to this area and to this church. This has truly been a blessing to our family. The people here are so genuine and caring. It's so exciting to be a part of it and also to see what God does next. It's so encouraging to see the leaders of the church walk by faith. It just encourages me so much more to do the same. To keep my eyes on Jesus and trust Him fully. Thank you so much from my entire family!!! : )

Share Testimony : I wanted to share another testimony about the wonderful things God is doing in my life. I met an elderly woman back in November on a walking trail in Benton. We struck up a conversation and from that time since a wonderful friendship emerged. Who knew but God that a 46 yr old and an 81yr old could have so much fun together. Since she's been in my life I find myself thanking God almost on a daily basis for bringing her into my life. I know in my heart this is all apart of his plan. I've told several people already about her because I'm just so thankful and excited about it. Her name is Ruth. We spend quite a bit of time together and she likes to call me Gertrude which I love. She's one of the funniest persons I have ever met. Anyway, I'm throwing that out there because I believe God has a wonderful sense of humor too. The other day we were walking out of a restaurant and she said come on Gertrude. As we were driving out and preceeded down the road I missed a turn and had to go down another road to turn around. As I came up to the stop sign I looked up and saw the street sign which read Gertrude. I pointed it out to Ruth and we both started to laugh. Just yesterday morning I was headed by myself to a another walking trail that I go to sometimes for exercise. As I was driving I was thinking about Ruth and thanking God for bringing her into my life. I was overwhelmed with joy and just so grateful. As i was driving I happened to look at the street sign where I was about to turn and it was Ruth Dr. I knew in my heart this was no coincidence that I saw that at that very moment. It was a gift from God and I also knew a confirmation to me that our friendship is from him. It's funny because I've traveled that same path at least 10 times never once paying any attention to the street signs. Anyway, my life has been so blessed by God thru all this in so many great ways and I'm so thankful!! My overall family has been truly blessed too.

Share Testimony : I just wanted to say how very thankful I am for our church!! God has been so good to me and my family and I love him so much!! He brought us to this wonderful church full of loving people!! Wow!! What a blessing it is!! I'm in "AWE" of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and how much he loves us! I heard a great song for the very first time today and wanted to share it. It's called "Your Grace Finds Me" by Matt Redman. It's beautiful!!!

What's A Core Group?

I am one blessed pastor. I work alongside three pastors who are passionate about Jesus. In fact, I would say that they are obsessed with Jesus. Each one brings unique gifts to the team. Kirk Stewart's passion is discipleship. He loves to see life-change in Jesus Christ through the process of discipleship. He understands that discipleship is not a program, but a life-long process of transformation. He has spent hours studying ways to help people grow in their relationship with the Lord. Below, is an explanation of our new core groups on Sunday Morning. "As you may know we have incorporated a Core Group into the 9am Life Group hour here at FSBC! This is a place where you can call your home Life Group and if you would like to take a Semester-Based group, you can leave your Core Group for a few weeks, take the course and return when its complete. Click here for a video explanation of Core Groups! That said, our sign-ups are underway for this upcoming semester that starts September 8! It's not just Sunday morning groups, it's Tuesday morning ladies' study, Thursday night men's and women's studies, etc! Check it out and sign up ASAP! We need to know you are coming so we can reserve your spot and have your materials purchased! Click here for information or to sign up for our new semester! Discipleship is a life-long commitment. I encourage you to take it seriously! God has a tremendous plan for your life. Discipleship is the way to uncover that plan and find out more about who God is and how to apply that knowledge to your life! Don't miss out!!"