Whittier Area Community Church
8/4/24 - 53rd Anniversary (Message Only)
- Well, welcome again, everyone, and happy 53rd anniversary today, why? (audience applauds) If we have a metaphor, my name's John, and anniversaries are always those special days where you get to do at least two things. One, celebrate the past, and celebrate all that has come, and then to imagine the future, and what might still be to come. And today, I think we wanna just spend some time doing both of those in this message. One of them is, first off, to celebrate, there's so much that we can thank God for, that He's worked in this community the past 53 years. One of the things I think I always wanna celebrate when I think about how our church began is that it began on that hot August Sunday in 1971 when there was, it wasn't dependent on some pastor or staff team, it was a little church of people where everybody said, "I'll be a minister." Every one of them said, "God, use me." And that's why one of the mottos of the church in the 1970s was, we are gonna be the church with over 700 ministers. Every one of us has a gift to use. And I think we get to celebrate that God continues to use each one of you wherever God's place you, you're a minister. And then we get to celebrate the way God has moved throughout reaching kids and youth over the years. The best estimates, over 30,000 kids and students have learned about Jesus' love in kids ministry, youth ministry, sports ministry over the years. We get to celebrate that continues today. Over 4,000 people have been baptized into the family of God in this church family and we got to celebrate some incredible kiddos doing that today. There have been over 36,000 people who have been part of a small group or a Bible study or Sunday school class where they've grown in their faith. Over 12,000 people have served in their community through things like Go Serve Love and Serve Whittier and Love Whittier, it's pretty amazing. And then we get to celebrate that this church family has supported 120 different global partners or missionaries that have gone out long term in the world, we've got the commission and pray for them and support them financially. You all have given over $20 million to the global mission of God, which is incredible to me. (audience applauding) So God has been faithful over the past 53 years and I think every single one of our lives could probably attest to that in a different way. And at the same time, again, anniversaries are when we get to imagine what do we want the future to look like? And that's what I wanna do for the remainder of this message today is we study God's word. I wanna ask, how am I God? How when Jesus wanna work through his church in the next 53 years? And when I say his church, some of you're thinking, this is my first Sunday, I get that. But if you're in the family of Jesus, if you've accepted his grace, this is a question of how do you want God to work through you in the 53 years ahead? And if you don't have 53 years, it's whatever you got left. (audience laughing) The way I wanna approach this is, I wanna start off by presenting a clear picture of where are we today before we talk about the future. Where is the church in America in the present? I don't know if you know, the sociologists and pollsters today tell us that if you're alive, you're experiencing the largest and most rapid religious shift in the history of our country. It's what some people call the great d-churching, or tens of millions of people nationwide who used to regularly be a part of some sort of church have decided I no longer wanna be a part of a church. This some group is sometimes called the d-church. And it's about 40 million adults. That's about when the study was done that I was reading this week, got 16% of the population in the US of adults. So this is not a gradual shift we're seeing in our day. It's a seismic staggering shift. There have been three main periods of rapid growth in the Christian faith in the United States of America. So the first great awakening, 1730s to 1740s. And then there was the second great awakening if you fell asleep in history class during this part, a 1790 to 1840. A third shift that's not always talked about is was the four decades following the Civil War from 1870 to 1906 rapid growth of the church in America. I share this because you are living in what could be thought of as the fourth great shift. You see, the past 25 years could be compared to those other religious movement times. Only it's in the reverse. So read a book this past week called the great d-churching where Jim Davis and Michael Graham explain this. They point out this, more people have left the church in the last 25 years than all the new people who became Christians from the first great awakening, the second great awakening, and the Billy Graham Crusades combined. So 40 million people have walked away from a church congregation, not to go to the other congregation down the street. They've left to attend no church community anywhere. But as staggering as the sheer size of that might be, I think what's even more impactful is, you and I know these people. We love these people. These, these are our kids and our family members. These are the grandchildren that you brought the church and they don't want to come anymore. These are the siblings that when you talk about your church, they kind of get really quiet. This is the friend that you used to be in a group with and now they don't want anything to do with any sort of church. Many people feel like the late author and Rice who wrote an interview with a vampire and a number of other vampire books. She became a follower of Jesus. And then 10 years after that, actually 10 years ago as well, she wrote this on Facebook. She said, "For those who care, "and I understand if you don't, "today I quit being a Christian. "I'm out. "I remain committed to Christ as always, "but not to being Christian or to being part of Christianity. "It's simply impossible for me to belong "to this quarrelsome hostile, disubutacious "that means combative. "If you write books about vampires, "you can use words like that. "And deservedly infamous group, for 10 years I've tried, "I've failed, I'm an outsider. "My conscience will allow nothing else." And Rice said, "I'm quitting the church. "Why? "My conscience will allow anything else." And I don't think she's the only one that feels this way and you have to ask how did we get to this place? Jesus, he told his followers in John chapter five. He said, "Hey, you're the salt of the earth." Next verse, he says, "You are the light of the world. "You're supposed to be like a town on a hill "that can't be hidden." Jesus, he said to Peter, "Hey, on this rock, "I will build my church and the gates of Hades "will not overcome it." Jesus told his disciples, "By this everyone's gonna know "you're my disciples if you love one another "and yet millions of people today like Anne Rice "have walked away from the church "because they didn't experience salt and light, "they saw scandal and lies. "They didn't see a city on a hill, "they saw an obsession with Capitol Hill. "They didn't see disciples loving one another, "they felt division and judging of others "and this led them to disillusionment "and to resignation." And if you're wondering, "John, this is our anniversary, "why are you talking like this today?" Here's why. It's because if we don't understand where we are today, I don't think we're gonna have a clear picture of the calling God has for us in the future. And I bring the sobering reminder of where the church in America is today because it reminds us what our calling is. Our calling as we bring Jesus to people to Jesus is to return to what saved us in the first place and that is the perfect grace of God. You see, we are imperfect people. The church is always gonna be imperfect, but what we're supposed to be leaning on and turning to and embodying is the grace of God. 2 Corinthians 4-7, the Apostle Paul says this, "But we have this treasure in jars of clay." In other words, God's given us His spirit, God's given us His grace, He's given us this mission. Who are we? We are fragile, earth and vessels. We are imperfect people with inadequacies. And yet what God's plan is, is when you humble yourself and you receive my grace and you make your life about my grace, then you are gonna be a broken vessel that shines in a dark world. And friends, that's what I think we're called to. You see, how might Jesus want to work through you in the next 53 years? I think the future of the church really flows from this, returning to the truth and power of the good news of Jesus, returning to the gospel of His grace. And so that's what I want to spend our final moments on is how for the next 53 years could this church or however long you live, actually return and live for His grace, be someone as a broken person who brings the grace of God to others. And the way we're gonna study God's word and discover this is, I want to turn to a survey that was given years ago in America and ask people this question. What word or phrase would you most like to hear spoken to you sincerely today? So think about that for a moment. If you had to answer that question, what word or phrase would you want spoken to you? What do you think the number one answer is? I love you, I love you as number one. Number two is this, you're forgiven. And number three is a little bit more surprising. Number three was this, supper is ready. (congregation laughing) And here's what I want to suggest to you today that you could summarize the gospel of Jesus that we are called to live out with these three phrases. I love you, for God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son. I love you, that's the gospel message. Secondly, you're forgiven. Jesus, He came to die so all could be forgiven. If we confess our sins, John says He is faithful and just to forgive us. And then the final one, supper is ready. You see, the kingdom of God is a banquet. And Jesus told the story where people were invited who no one thought would be invited to a banquet, to a relationship with God, the wedding feast, the supper of the lamb. Jesus, if anyone will let me into your life, I will come and eat with you. And you'll be in a relationship with me forever. Here's why I share this because I believe the future of the church of Jesus is meant to be shaped around a gospel like this. God wants us for the next 53 years to be a church that doesn't just speak these words or read these words or know these words, but to embody these words. And I want to talk about our challenge to do it. So first off, what would it look like if we were a church for the next 53 years that lives out, I love you to those around us? Eugene Peterson, pastor once wrote this. Jesus' best known command, one another, is also the least obeyed. It's the most difficult thing Jesus asked us to do. And yet it's the most important thing Jesus asked us to do. Philip Yancy, he said, I doubt God keeps track of how many arguments we win, but God may indeed keep track of how well we love. Because God has a stake in how well his church loves. Because the church loving is supposed to be the manifestation of who God is. John writes this in 1 John 4, 12. No one's ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. So here's a question church. How would a world around us see that God says, I love you to me? Well, it could come in forms like this. When you listen to the people around you attentively, or when you encourage them verbally, or when you comfort the hurting, you don't try to fix them, you don't try to explain away their pain, you're just with them. When you give generously or unexpectedly to somebody in need, when you show hospitality, you invite someone, they come eat with me, when you serve others humbly. Friends often, when you do these things, I don't know if you've noticed, people wanna be with you. A really simple test if you ever wanna know how well am I loving people is ask this question, are other people really glad to spend time with me? Because I'd suggest Jesus was the most loving person who's ever walked the planet, and people were drawn to him. Somehow Jesus managed to attract and draw the people that all the other religious leaders repelled away. The religious rejects relished in their time with Jesus. I mean, think about the woman who worked and was known as a prostitute in her town. When Jesus was at a dinner party in her town, she crashed the dinner party so she could wash Jesus's feet with her tears and her hair, and anoint his feet with perfume. Think of Zacchaeus who was pushed away by his people because he was working with a oppressive Roman government as a tax collector, and what does Jesus do when he sees him? He says, I would love the honor of eating at your house today. People were drawn to Jesus. Friends, there is a human tendency for people to be drawn to those who express love to them. And friends, we are called to be a people who proclaim the love of God, and it changes people. Can I just remind you, it's not just people you like, and it's not even strangers, and it's not even sinners that Jesus loved. Jesus, in Matthew 544, commands us to love people that no other religion will tell you to love. He says, I tell you this, love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. You want to live out like the church's mission over the years ahead. What would that look like for you? Well, Philip Yancey, he was, after September 11th, he was preaching a message once to a church on loving your enemies. And here's what he said in his sermon. He said, what would happen if every church in the United States adopted a member of Al-Qaeda, learned to pronounce his name and pray for him? Can you imagine preaching that like soon after September 11th? I mean, people were like, raise some eyebrows. But one man who was an army reserve chaplain, his name was Thomas Bruce, he took that challenge seriously. And he was about to be deployed to Iraq, but before he was deployed, he launched an online prayer movement called adopt a terrorist for prayer. And the website, atfp.org, on it, he posted photos of the most dangerous terrorists on FBI and state departments, watch lists, and invited people, hey, adopt them and pray for them daily. Some people did, many people objected to this. They thought, how outraged, how could you pray for people like that? And yet, this is the calling. Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you. And I'll tell you, I think Jesus knew the world would be surprised by this type of love. That's why he explains why to do it. He says, love your enemies, verse 45, that you might be children of your father in heaven. He causes his son to rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. The other gospel, another gospel writer, Luke records when Jesus also said, love your enemies. Here's the reasoning in Luke 635, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Friends, the more you love, and the more unlikely people that you love, the more you resemble God. And the more people are gonna wanna know that God. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. knew this so well. One time, he was writing a sermon titled "Loving Your Enemies." He was writing this sermon from a jail cell where he should not have been in. And in the sermon, here's what he wrote to our most bitter opponents. We say, due to us what you will, and we will continue to love you. We cannot, in all good conscience, obey your unjust laws because non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as cooperation with good. Throw us in jail, we shall still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our community at midnight, hour, and beat us and leave us half dead, and we shall still love you. But be assured that we will wear you down by our capacity to suffer. One day, we shall win freedom, but not only for ourselves. We shall so appeal to your heart and conscience that we shall win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory. Friends, the church of Jesus is meant to manifest radical love like that. Someone in the early church who understood this his name was Stephen. Stephen was the first one, the first martyr, the first one to be killed for his faith in the early church. A group of kind of zealous religious terrorists, essentially, were throwing stones at him, and as he's being killed by these rocks, he cries out, "Lord, don't hold this sin against them." Did that make an impact? Well, I think it did, because one of the guys who was standing there watching everybody's cloaks while they were killing Stephen was a man named Saul. And not too long after this, Saul would come and have an encounter with the resurrected Jesus, and his life would be transformed, and now today we know him as the Apostle Paul, and I wonder how much did Stephen's prayer? And Stephen's example softened Saul's heart to be ready for what Jesus would do when he changed him. The church needs to be a community that proclaims and demonstrates, "I love you." Secondly, we need to share that message you are forgiven. There's a comedian named Kathy Ladman. She once said this, she said, "All religions are the same. "Religion is basically guilt with different holidays." But, friends, that is not the message of Jesus. Jesus did not come with a message, "I condemn you." Jesus came with a message, "I forgive you." In Matthew 9 to 13, he said this, "Go and learn what this means. "I desire mercy, not sacrifice, "for I have not come to call the righteous. "I've come to call sinners." And Jesus came to die for sinners. Eugene Peterson and John 3, 17, he paraphrases Jesus' words, "God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his son, "merely to point an accusing finger, "telling the world how bad it was. "He came to help to put the world right again." See, the good news is that Jesus didn't just come for people who have it all together. Jesus came for people who are willing to admit, we're falling apart and we receive your forgiveness and grace. And, friends, we need this ourselves. If you follow Jesus and if you follow Jesus for years, you still need to admit, "I need to be forgiven still." I think, friends, I don't think our world needs Christians to pretend that they're perfect. I don't think the world needs Christians to be perfect. But here's what the world does need. The world needs Christians to be honest. And the honest truth is that, hey, we still struggle. We're still on a journey of becoming like Jesus. And some of the biggest problems where people get repelled by the church is when the church, people in the church, pretend to be perfect. And then they point fingers at other people's imperfections. And then when that happens, ultimately that double hypocrisy gets shown. So admit, I still need to be forgiven every day. You need to be forgiven every day. And, friends, every person you meet, they're just someone who maybe has yet to receive that forgiveness. Someone who demonstrates this so well to Jesus's life is a Samaritan woman. He meets at a well. John chapter four, Jesus is Jewish. This woman's Samaritan. These two races did not seem to meld together at all. So when Jesus asked this woman for a cup of water, she says, you're a Jew and I'm a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? But Jesus, he sidesteps the question and he deals with a crucial issue. He deals with her need for forgiveness. And he tells her this. And he says, if you knew the gift of God, this gift of grace and forgiveness, and who it is that asked for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. Jesus met this woman who was married five times and lived a lifestyle that would have been scandalous in his culture. And he says, look, I can give you a gift. That is the answer for your guilt. I can offer you grace and forgiveness. And this woman, she accepts it. She shares it with her town. Jesus spends two days sharing about the forgiveness with this town of Samaritan people who would have been considered heretics. And it changed their world. Friends, I think people today thirst for a Christianity that looks like Jesus. One that says, forgiveness is available. Years ago, Henry Nallen, who, writer and priest, was reflecting on the story of Jesus when he was meeting with that Samaritan woman. And he was reflecting especially because he'd spent the week in San Francisco carrying for patients who were suffering from AIDS. This was during a time before there were the anti-retroviral medicines that we have today. So many of these patients' futures, mostly young men, was gonna be more complicating medical issues and death. And so, some of these men, they knew what was coming. And Nallen, he ended up gonna going up and down the ward and just asking patients, do you wanna talk? Can I pray for you? And Nallen said, as he listened to these young men's heartbreaking stories of addiction and self-destructive behavior for many of them, he heard echoes of a thirst for love that they never found quenched anywhere else. And he began to pray differently after that week. Here's what he said, from then on, he began to pray, God, help me to see others not as my enemies or ungodly, but rather as thirsty people. And give me the courage and compassion to offer your living water, which alone quenches deep thirst. I think our world needs a church that prays prayers like that. Before we rush to judgment over someone else's life or sin because it's different than our sin, what if we prayed God, help me to see others as thirsty people and show me how to share your living water? You are forgiven. That's the message the world needs to hear and see from the church. And then the final message just suffers ready. That means, let's eat together. Let's share our lives and I highlight that word together because this is saying you're invited into a relationship with me. You see, according to scripture, when you invite someone to church, you're not inviting them to a building. You're not inviting them to a service. You're inviting them into your life. You're inviting someone to belong. And the difference, this is so important. Belonging is one of the main reasons. Many people leave the church and this is one of the main reasons. Some people say they might return. When de-church people were asked the question, what made you leave church? And when they're also asked the question, what would entice you to come back to church? The common thread is relationship. Relationship is core to both answers. 51% of de-church evangelical people say they would be willing to give church a try again, but they would need someone to extend an invitation. Not just to an event, but into people's lives. And friends, when the New Testament writers, when they write about the church, this is what they're talking about. They're not talking about a building for Christian worship. The apostle Paul never says, "Hey, you should really go look "at that new church they're building over there." Doesn't talk about it that way. When they talk about the church, it was never talked about like it was a spiritual event. The apostles didn't say, "Hey, you all should go to church on Sunday." That's not how they talked about the church. It wasn't an institution. All throughout the New Testament, the church is a community. A community of women and men and children who belong to Jesus and fulfill his mission. And the final passage look at today with you, via your Bible, turn to Romans chapter one seven, tells us what this community is supposed to look like. If you want to know when you say supper's ready, what type of community you're inviting people to, here's what type of community is. Romans one seven, first off, it's a community of the beloved. Paul says this to all in Rome, who are loved by God. The church is a community loved by God. More than 30 times in the New Testament, that word beloved is meant to describe the church community. Aga Petos is the Greek word. And friends, this just tells us at the most fundamental basic level. Whenever you want to understand what type of community is the church, it is an imperfect group of people who's supposed to be defined by love for God and love for each other. The church is the people who are beloved. And this is again not because we did anything to deserve it. Second Timothy, Paul says God sent Jesus, not because we deserved it, but because this was his plan long ago before the world began to show his love and kindness to us through Jesus. There was nothing lovely that caused God to welcome us into his family. And that means we welcome others into the church family and to our lives, it's not because they're so lovely, it's because God loves them. Secondly, it's supposed to be a community of the called to all in Rome, Paul says, who are loved by God and the church is called. That means the church has a purpose, this community does. We are not here by accident. We're called by grace and what are we called by grace to? We're called to be a community of saints. It says called to be holy people. That is the word you could translate that, we are called to be saints. And let me tell you, if you're here today and you think I don't feel like a saint, man, some of the stuff in my life right now, it doesn't look very saintly. Brendan Manning puts it well when he says, "A saint is not someone who is good, but someone who experiences the goodness of God." God's love is what makes us holy and set apart in this community. But you're in a community, friends. There are no solo saints, there are no super saints, there are only stumbling saints who are living with others. You need each other, Rich Mullen said, "I'm a Christian not because someone explained the nuts and bolts of Christianity, but because there were people willing to be nuts and bolts of Christianity." And that means you're not just a community of saints, you're a community who's a family. Again, Paul goes on grace and peace to you from God, our Father. If God is our Father, that means we're brothers and sisters. We're adopted family together. That means we support one another. It's not just about what your last name is anymore, it's about you're united by Jesus' name. And then finally, you're a community who's not just a family, but we're a body. We're interdependent. Grace and peace from God, our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. You are the body of Christ. Friends, the church isn't a building, a program, a political interest group, it is the beloved. So when we say supper's ready, we're inviting people to a community where we love each other 'cause we're loved. We're inviting people to a community that's called so we don't doubt that anyone's welcome here. We're a community of saints, so we grow together. We're a community who's a family, so we support one another when our backs are against the wall. It is the body of Jesus, so we need each other. (congregation applauding) And friends, we can't be that body if we don't stay connected to Jesus, each and every one of us. Let me close with this. Years ago, there was a pastor named Sky Jithani. He spent a couple hours with Dallas Willard, who was a Christian philosopher. He taught at USC for years. And they were talking about the church and the problems in the church. And at one point, Sky Jithani asked Dallas Willard. He said, "Hey, do you ever get discouraged "when you look at how off-track the churches, "do you ever just throw up your hands and despair?" And Dallas Willard smiled at him and said, "Never." And Jithani asked, "Why not?" And Dallas Willard said, "Because I know "Christ is the head of his church "and Christ knows what he's doing." Friends, the church faces a lot of problems in our culture today, a lot of them we've brought on ourself. But the solution, friends, is not fancy new programs. It's not grasping for marketing strategies. It isn't aligning with political candidates. It isn't appointing, accusing fingers at others. The answer is for us to be so connected to Jesus that we live out his gospel message in this world, a message that says, "I love you and you're forgiven "and supper's ready." Would you bow in prayer with me? Jesus, we thank you for the ways that you've shown your grace to us and to those who came before us in this church family for the past 53 years. And now we pray, would you help us to be so shaped by your love that that message would just flow out of us or the people around us? God, we pray that in the next 53 years, so many more people would know your grace and love and their eternities would be changed. And just with your head bowed and your eyes closed if you're here today and you feel like, "Man, I need that message from me. "Before I can give it to anybody else, I need it. "Today, just tell God in your heart, just say, "God, "I believe you love me. I believe you sent Jesus "to die for my sins on the cross. "I'm so ashamed of what I've done, but I believe Jesus, "He wasn't ashamed to die for me. "And so today, forgive me of my sins again. "Would you put your Holy Spirit in my life "so that I can bring love to those around me? "We pray this in Jesus' name." And everybody said, "Hey, men, all right. "Hey, everybody, before you leave, "I know you're gonna start walking "and you can totally start walking, "but I have a couple announcements. "Number one, when you're leaving today, "if you need prayer, there's a team at the front "and online who would love to pray for you. "Secondly, if you want a way that you can find connection "as you find, how do I make this church my community? "I'd really encourage you to look at those men's "or women's conference coming up "and get connected that way. "Third is because it's our anniversary "as you're leaving today, we are having popsicles. "So enjoy a popsicle on your way out. "Have a great week, everybody." [BLANK_AUDIO]