I am attending the 2017 Spring meeting of the Baptist Bible Fellowship International in Springfield, Missouri. Due to some repair work needed at Baptist Bible College, the meeting is being held at Seminole Baptist Church. This is a beautiful building that is located on a strategic corner of the city, Republic Road & National Avenue, near James River Freeway and next door to Twin Oaks Country Club. What a great location!
Alex Himaya, The Church At in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Pastor Alex Himaya encouraged us to make sure our church was at a more strategic location….. at the gates of Hell. Let me explain.
Alex Himaya is a pastor in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His church grew from 120 to 7,000 weekly attenders. At the beginning of his pastorate, a new name was needed. So they simply called themselves The Church at Battle Creek (neighborhood of Tulsa). As they went multi-site, they simply became The Church at ? (whatever the location).
From Matthew 16:13-19, Alex shared about the church. Jesus took His disciples up to the top of Mt. Hermon, to the city of Caesarea Philippi. This location is a rocky mountaintop where many idol altars were built to Baal and Pan and included immoral idol worship. It also included a place called ‘The Gates of Hades’ (Hell) which was worshiped as the location where demons traveled through to and from the underworld. It was from this location that Jesus taught that His church would storm the ‘Gates of Hell.’
“Jesus did not run from messy people. He ran toward them.” – Alex Himaya
A church that is doing God’s work is going to bring in some spiritually immature people. Alex was reminded that never one time when his children were young did he go into his bedroom and cry so his children would come running to see if they could take care of him. It is the role of the mature to give up for the immature.
“We gotta give up before we can go up.” – Alex Himaya
Jesus asked a risky, scary question. Asking, ‘What do you think?, is always scary. He asked, ‘Who do you think I am?’ Many thought He was a good man, even a great man. But Jesus was more, He was the God man. Simon spoke for the disciples and explained that Jesus was the son of God. This was the foundation of the church.
Upon this Rock (Jesus), He would build His church. Notice the pronouns Jesus used: “I will build my church.” Many church leaders think it’s their church and they are responsible to build it. But the church belongs to Jesus and He will build it.
The word Jesus used is Church is interesting. He did not use the word for Temple or Tabernacle. He used the Greek word ekklesia, meaning “the called out ones.” Though the church is called out to meet together, they are surrounded by a lost community that needs the Gospel.
Jesus promised that His church would tear down the Gates of Hell. Gates are not weapons. Gates are to meant to keep people in or out. We were not meant to put gates around our church to protect us against the world. We were meant to tear down the gates of Hell and deliver people from their prison of sin.
“The church was never meant to play defense. We were meant to play offense.” – Alex Himaya
Jesus presented the ‘keys to the kingdom.’ Keys are for opening and locking doors. Keys represent power and authority. The church’s assignment is to let people into the Kingdom of God. The church’s location is to be near the Gates of Hell as a search and rescue mission station.
Chris Highfill, Grace River Church in O’fallon, Missouri
In addition to Alex, Chris Highfill encouraged us. He did not grow up in church. But he would sit in his backyard in Springfield, Mo and watch people to go church next door. He asked his mom, ‘Why don’t we go to church?’ His mom replied, ‘Because we’re not church people.’
But as a 19 year old, Chris found himself sitting in Seminole Baptist Church and heard about Jesus. He he heard about Jesus and trusted Him as Savior. He became a junior high interim pastor, then a youth pastor, and a few years ago a church planter near St. Louis.
Chris said of Seminole Baptist, “I felt like I belonged before I believed.”
I hope you are part of a church that is tearing down ‘The Gates of Hell’. And I hope you are part of a church that people fell like they belong, because it won’t be long until they believe.
You can read the other posts about this meeting here: BBFI 2017