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Pray for Peace 

"Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants."
(Lev. 25:10)  

Rev. Stephen D. Shields
The Alliance Church
725 Susquehanna Ave.
Curwensville, PA 16833
236-1876

Important Concepts Regarding 
Our Ministry Wing Building Program 
– Philippians 3:12-16

There is a church building near my parent’s home that I find interesting. You have probably seen church buildings like it. It’s in a small town. It is white. You walk in the door, and you are in the sanctuary. There’s no lobby to chat in. There’s no place to hang your coat, except a small rack in the back of the sanctuary. There’s no nursery. The basement has a few damp rooms for Sunday School to meet. The rest rooms -- last I knew -- were outside.

In spite of these things, that church has had a significant impact. One year I went to Vacation Bible School there as a child. Another time I went to a Bible Study there as a teen. We met in a dark room in the basement, if I remember correctly. Even though the ministry there is small, God uses it. Does it remind you of anything?

Does it take you back about 15 years to a building on Filbert Street where a group of Christians met and ministered? The place many of you were in before you built this building was small. I have heard that the basement was dark and sometimes wet. Is it true that a creek ran through it? That building was used by the people in it to accomplish great ministry. Lives were touched. Yet, the people there pressed for something higher. Something greater. That’s what I want to talk to you about today.

The title of this message is Stretching Forward. A subtitle might be: Important Concepts for us to Grasp Concerning our Ministry.

This morning, I want to again draw your attention to Philippians 3:12. And I want you to see this, not simply as a message to the individual, but to the Saints at Curwensville -- to us as a congregation.

This passage speaks to us about our personal lives. But it also applies to our life as a Body of believers. Let’s try to see how this speaks to us as a group of believers with a ministry building before us.

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Do you know of churches who feel like they have already arrived? They are just where God wants them, or so they think. EVERY church struggles with that. I struggle with that. Everything in my flesh says, "Steve -- Curwensville Alliance doesn’t need that building. It’s going great. Don’t do it!" But that’s not biblical. And it’s not what the Spirit of God says.

A. Just as God calls us as individuals to press on, he calls us as a group to move forward.

Just as there is more growth for us personally, there is more growth for us corporately.

Frequently, I hear people say, "Pastors always want their churches to grow." No. It’s not pastors who want the church to grow. I am happy where it is. It’s GOD who wants the church to grow. Don’t believe the lie of Satan that church growth is not on God’s agenda. It is at the TOP of his agenda. Don’t be confused: I am not caught up in a numbers game. I am caught up in a serving game. We are called to serve Christ. If we can expand that service and we don’t, then we are not following the spirit of this passage. God calls us to press on.

B. When we are satisfied with our ministries, we are in danger.

This is a hard fact, but in 15 years of ministry, I have seen it repeatedly. Often when a Christian stops serving God, he takes them home. They die. And in studying church history, you see it is true of churches as well. When they stop serving God, they die. Liberal churches that have stopped working to win the lost die. In Western Pennsylvania, approximately 10% of the Alliance churches cannot find a pastor. In a more historically liberal denomination in the same area, that percentage is inflated four times.

NEVER be satisfied with where we are as a congregation. ALWAYS press on, regardless of what your flesh says. I believe this building is one of the ways God is calling us to press on.

A. Paul says to forget it.

1. Now understand, we should never forget God’s faithfulness.

In the celebration of the Passover, Israel was given explicit instructions on the importance of remembering God’s past faithfulness. We would do well to do the same.

Let’s talk about God’s past faithfulness. Curwensville Alliance entered the program to build this sanctuary in a time when the cheese factory closed. But God was faithful. And he made it happen as we followed his lead. Never forget that. But…

2. We should never rest on past laurels.

Ever been with people who are always remembering the good times? I want to remember good times. But I want to have more good times ahead. Even better times. So did Paul. That’s why he said…

13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

That doesn’t merely apply to us as individuals. It applies to our church.

B. NOT pressing on, is a failure to share God’s passion for ministry.

15All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. ¹⁶Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

Just as not moving toward personal growth is a sign of immaturity, not moving toward corporate growth in terms of implementing new ways to reach people for Christ is a sign of corporate immaturity.

Some people object to the "NEW STUFF" churches do. When they do that, they demonstrate that they don’t understand that almost EVERYTHING we do in what we call church is new. The first century Christians didn’t have many of the things and ministries we have. No stained glass. No pews. No carpeting. No building. They had no Sunday School. No youth ministry. No Children’s Church. These "new" things are God-driven inventions of the church. They are inventions of congregations who believed that they should forget what is behind and strain heavenward in their ministries. That’s who we are. That’s what we are doing. Let’s regard the past with an eye toward the future.

A. With humility concerning ourselves.

Look at Paul’s humility.

13aBrothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it....

The building project we are undertaking will be like nothing we have ever done before. It’s a big building. It’s a costly building. At over 11,000 square feet, the estimated price is about $850,000. It’s frightening.

As I sat before the District Properties and Building Committee this week, they asked, "How do you feel about this, Steve?"

I said, "I would like to RUN!"

They all laughed. And they understood. Still, they indicated that, pending DEXCOM approval, we can begin construction when we have 25% of the cost on hand and a plan for paying the remaining amount. They felt very confident this is the path God has for us and that this Ministry Wing is good.

Although I don’t have an arrogant feeling that we can do this, I know in my heart that this is where God wants us to go. I have seen him open the doors. I have seen him pave the way. I have heard his quiet voice saying to us, "Step forward." We must do so with great humility, knowing that we can only do it with him. We all need to regard our ability to build this building in this manner: With humility concerning ourselves. And…

B. With confidence in Christ.

That’s what Paul had.

13bBut one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

1. You see, God never calls us to do something and then leaves us unable to do it.

He never asks us to step out on a limb and then cuts it off. But he always asks us to step out on a limb. Maybe that’s where all the good fruit is. Since he has called us to build this ministry facility, he will enable us to do it.

2. He never simply does it for us.

Don’t you wish that you could go to bed and wake up with the Ministry Wing completed? It won’t happen. Building this building will require sacrifice of time and money. It will take hours of prayer -- even more than has already gone into it. It will take flexibility of ministry. It will require patience. But because of Christ, it can be done. It is something to which God has called us.

So this morning, I am asking you to consider our role. Are we ready to follow God, not merely as individuals, but as a congregation?

If you live alone, all this week, every night or morning -- whenever you get alone with God -- talk to him about your willingness to be a part of what this congregation is doing.

If you have a family, talk to them and with God. Pray together about what your part will be. At meals, pray for the food -- and for the Ministry Wing at church and the part you will play. At bed time, pray for the ordinary things -- and for your part in this congregation.

As we conclude, let’s unite our hearts together in prayer concerning this Ministry Wing. Let’s let God know we are ready to follow his lead. Let’s let him know of our heart commitment.