{"id":32148,"date":"2022-09-10T15:58:14","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-ways-churches-can-avoid-living-in-the-past\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:58:14","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:58:14","slug":"3-ways-churches-can-avoid-living-in-the-past","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/3-ways-churches-can-avoid-living-in-the-past\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways Churches Can Avoid Living in the Past"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Billy Walker<\/em><\/p>\n

I have nothing but great memories of my grandfather who started our church 65 years ago. When he passed away, the church asked my dad to become the pastor. He said he\u2019d do it until they found somebody else.<\/p>\n

Thirty-one years later, the church invited me to be the pastor. I live in the shadow of my father and grandfather\u2019s heritage. That has never been more evident than since my dad passed away this past December.<\/p>\n

At times, living in this shadow has been a heavy responsibility. For the most part, however, it\u2019s been a joy and a blessing.<\/p>\n

Heritage has its place, but if we merely look to the past and don\u2019t plan and prepare for what God has for the future, we do those who\u2019ve come before us a great disservice. More importantly, we stand to miss out on what could be while we look at what has been.<\/p>\n

Some Things Must Change<\/strong><\/h3>\n

We\u2019re the ones moving forward, seeking to make a difference in the next generation and beyond. And this pursuit will involve new ideas, new ways of doing things, and new methods of outreach.<\/p>\n

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While the message of the gospel remains the same, the approaches we use today are a lot different than they were at the time of the early church of Acts 2.<\/p>\n

But the same God who gave miraculous results to those early believers still desires for His Church to be on the move and to see similar results. And friends, God\u2019s promise still stands. Nothing will be able to stop His Church (Matthew 16:18).<\/p>\n

Pastors, there\u2019s nothing wrong with remembering the past, but we must not endeavor to re-live it. What happened during the first six-plus decades at my church was excellent, but it happened while the church was moving forward back then.<\/p>\n

To re-live means to move back. And the Church\u2014my church and your church\u2014doesn\u2019t have time to do that. Here are three things leaders can do to make sure their churches continue to move forward into the future.<\/p>\n

1. Raise the Bar of Expectation.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There\u2019s always a step, always a \u201cnext.\u201d We should be looking for what\u2019s next on the horizon\u2014personally, professionally, and pastorally.<\/p>\n

I know I\u2019ve been guilty of wanting to be the likable pastor. I sometimes work too hard at pleasing people rather than helping them understand the responsibility and privilege that comes with being a Christ follower.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not always easy and it takes sacrifice. After all, Jesus said we should \u201ctake up our cross\u201d and follow Him.<\/p>\n

Is it possible that we sometimes lower the bar of expectation so much it turns a new generation off to the prospect of following Jesus?<\/p>\n

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See also  The Group Most Likely to Still Be Missing From Your Church<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Anything worthwhile is demanding at times, and we have possibly become so passive in an attempt to not turn people off that we have actually turned people off in the process.<\/p>\n

Raise the bar of expectation. People may surprise you. You might even surprise yourself.<\/p>\n

2. Raise the Bar of Personal Discipleship.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This may seem contradictory to what I just said, but follow it through to the end.<\/p>\n

When following the example of Jesus, we can see He accepted people right where they were. In fact, He went out of his way to mention He\u2019d not come to condemn.<\/p>\n

He took people where they were, but He never wanted them to stay there. There was always a next step.<\/p>\n

Peter went from being a fisherman safe in the boat to walking on water. His mother-in-law went from sick in her bed to serving Jesus and the disciples.<\/p>\n

A woman caught in adultery was lifted from her remorse and told to get on with life and stop living like that. A young girl was raised from the dead and told to eat.<\/p>\n

Jesus knew people had an enormous capacity for growth in the future, especially those who would trust Him.<\/p>\n

3. Raise the Level of Outward Focus.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When we raise the bar of expectation and step up the personal discipleship, our perspective will almost naturally shift from inward to outward.<\/p>\n

When we\u2019re looking outside the walls of our church, we have our head raised and gain a vision for the lost. That keeps us moving forward in the right direction.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t take care of the needs of the people inside those four walls; that\u2019s a part of our responsibility too. It just means we\u2019re helping our people keep an outward gaze towards what\u2019s ahead and who\u2019s in need.<\/p>\n

The church that sees the future will seize the future.<\/p>\n

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Billy Walker<\/h2>\n

@billyhwalker<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Billy is a 3rd generation pastor of Calvary Church in Southgate, Michigan. He is the vice president of the Billy Walker Evangelistic Association, and is the president of the Pastor\u2019s Conference for the Baptist State Convention of Michigan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n