Trusting the One who alone is trustworthy

Wow! I haven't blogged in a few years. And no one missed me. I guess I'm not as important as I thought!

Anyway, I just finished reading another blog, by David Peters, about preaching to yourself and it reminded me of what I had been talking about in my sermon on Sunday. The topic (yes, I actually preached a topical sermon) was The Church: Who we are and What we do. I wasn't completely a good Baptist, because I only made 2 points and they weren't even alliterated. But the gist of the sermon was that the Church has been founded on and by Jesus Christ and it was founded and continues to develop according to God's divine timetable.

This is, honestly, a troubling reality for us self-centered humans that make up this divine institution known as The Church. We like to at least think that we are in control and that the whole thing is about us. But, in studying Matthew 16:16-18 and Acts 2, we find that it really isn't about us at all. It's all about God and His glory as displayed through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It's all about the Gospel.

And because Christ created the Church and builds the Church as he sees fit, He is the one in control. But, here is where the good news comes in: because Christ is also sovereign and good, He can be trusted to build the church in the best possible way. See, if building any church were up to the pastor or the congregation, we would surely mess it up. But, since building the church is ultimately up to Christ, then we can be guaranteed that the final outcome will be exactly what He wants.

Let's put this into perspective. The church which I pastor, Grace Baptist Church, has been in existence for a little over 10 years. In that brief time, we have seen some great things happen. We have seen the Gospel change people's lives. We have seen marriages healed. We have seen those who had been under discipline from other churches reconciled with those believers and growing in their faith. We have been able to send out missionaries.

But we have also seen some "not-so-great" things. In our 10+ years, we have made some stupid decisions. We have not always pursued families as we should have. We have not always functioned the way the Body of Christ is supposed to function. And we have suffered for it. We have struggled at times and grown discouraged (especially me). But, in preaching this sermon Sunday to myself, one thing I was able to come out with is a confidence. Not a confidence in myself or in my abilities. But a confidence in God and His goodness. God is in absolute control over the development of any church, just as He is in absolute control over everything that happens in our world. Our job, as His children, is to trust Him as we serve Him.