a. For the past few weeks we have been emphasizing Missions in our worship

b. Today I want to focus on our responsibility as a body of believers called FBC

c. It is important to note that missions is both my job and your job and OUR JOB - It is both and individual and corporate responsibility

d. In the moments we have today let me draw from our scripture some traits of a mission minded church as seen in the commitments it has:

I. COMMITMENT TO THE LORD

a. Everything begins with a commitment to the Lord

b. We must be born again into God's family

1. God loves us

2. We are sinful and cannot experience God's love

3. Jesus is God's provision for our sin - thru Him we experience

4. We must individually receive Jesus as Savior and Lord

c. We have neglected to tell people about the awfulness of Hell - Many think hell is here on earth or something like that but let me tell you it is the presence of evil and the absence of God - You can take the evil we saw in Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, add to that Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahlmer and Susan Smith and multiply it by 1000 and you're still not close - I thank God for the opportunity to live in His presence forever

d. A Mission church will have a strong commitment to evangelism and each person's relationship with the Lord.

II. A COMMITMENT TO PEOPLE

a. People are more important than things in God's economy and in ours too if we are following Him

b. The programs and activities are directed at people and their needs in order that they might come to faith - Paul called it the ministry of reconciliation

c. A Sunday School teacher, a Mr. Kimball, in 1858, led a Boston shoe clerk to give his life to Christ. The clerk, Dwight L. Moody, became an evangelist. In England in 1879, he awakened evangelistic zeal in the heart of Fredrick B. Meyer, pastor of a small church. F. B. Meyer, preaching to an American college campus, brought to Christ a student named J. Wilbur Chapman. Chapman, engaged in YMCA work, employed a former baseball player, Billy Sunday, to do evangelistic work.

Billy Sunday held a revival in Charlotte, N.C. A group of local men were so enthusiastic afterward that they planned another evangelistic campaign, bringing Mordecai Hamm to town to preach.

During Hamm's revival, a young man named Billy Graham heard the gospel and yielded his life to Christ.

Only eternity will reveal the tremendous impact of that one Sunday School teacher, Mr. Kimball, who invested his life in the lives of others.

d. When we are Christ centered we go out of our way to meet people where they are and bring them to the Lord we serve

e. A commitment to people means that we think of them first -

1. Dr. Findlay Edge, a scholar in the area of renewal asks this question "Is your church a hotel or hospital"

a. A Hotel exists to please and wait on the paying guests

b. A hospital exists for those who come to it in need of healing

2. If we get it right then we are here for those in need and we do things to help them find forgiveness in Christ

f. We have hired our Youth and Children's Directors in an effort to provide the best we can for those groups of people - We, I expect, in a couple of years will have the best in the area because we are committed to people

g. The fact that the fastest growing segment of our population in Wheeling is the Sr. Citizen makes our expansion plans - the elevator and air delivery and pew cushions, all the more important - why - not just for comfort but to make this place accessible

h. We have things in place now it is time for us to go after people

We must be thinking of people

III. COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE

a. God is never pleased with mediocrity but demands our best

b. In this passage Paul want them to be proud of him because of excellence not vanity

c. We should strive for excellence in:

1. Our Service

a. We work, prepare, and deliver the best we have for the job we are given

2. Our Person

a. Excellence in our selves is something we are afraid to talk about for fear it may seem conceited or self serving or seen as a put-down to others

b. We are told continually in scripture to bring our best to the Lord and that is in all areas

1. Our time, talent, treasure, our dress and our speech should all be the best we have to offer to God

3. Our Facility

1. Our place of worship should be clean, and accessible and usable for all who come

2. Why should the church facility be any less than the home we have - If this is God's House does it not deserve the best we have without being gaudy or oppressive to the people

4. Our Love and Fellowship

1. We should be a place of acceptance and grace where people can come and find refuge from the world and build meaningful relationships and deep friendships after all we are a family

d. Live churches are constantly changing.

Dead churches don't have to.

Live churches have lots of noisy kids.

Dead churches are fairly quiet.

Live church's expenses always exceed their income.

Dead churches take in more than they ever dreamed of

spending.

Live churches are constantly improving for the future.

Dead churches worship their past.

Live churches move out in faith.

Dead churches operate totally by human sight.

Live churches focus on people.

Dead churches focus on programs.

Live churches are filled with tithers.

Dead churches are filled with tippers.

Live churches dream great dreams of God.

Dead churches relive nightmares.

Live churches don't have "can't" in their dictionary.

Dead churches have nothing but.

Live churches evangelize.

Dead churches fossilize.

e. It is up to us

HYMN # 227 "I SURRENDER ALL"

SHARE THE BREAD

SHARE THE CUP

HYMN # 359 "BLEST BE THE TIE"