The theme for the week of the 2015 Fall Meeting of the Baptist Bible Fellowship is Revitalization. The first night, Monday, was a great time! The music was powerful and passionate. It is held at the historic High Street Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri. I attended High Street in while I was a student at Baptist Bible College.
We had two great speakers tonight. Dwayne Wright is a missionary to Ethiopia. Brian Moore is the senior pastor of Crosspointe Church in Yorba Linda, California. I have included a few notes I took from their messages.
Revitalize your Passion for the Lost – Dwayne Wright
Dwayne has noticed some changes in mission work. In addition to Faith Promise, some churches are raising in unique ways, such as a 5K run and special dinners. Also, missionaries are moving from raising monthly support to raising for special projects. However, Dwayne has noticed a change in churches throughout the country – the love and concern for the lost is fading away. As our voice gets louder (through social media) our concern for the lost is getting softer.
We need to see lost people the way God sees them.
In Luke 15, Jesus shares the parable of the lost sheep. Sheep are dumb animals. They don’t know it when they’re lost. They need to be led by someone or something. Jesus compares lost people to lost sheep. It shouldn’t surprise us what lost people do, but it is surprising what Christians do to lost people.
“We talk of the second coming of Christ when most of the world have never heard of His first coming” – Oswald Smith
“It is unfair that one person should hear the Gospel twice as long as one person has never heard it once.” – Oswald Smith
Dwayne Wright, his wife, Tammy, and four children, are missionaries to BBFI Ethiopia. His hobbies include bow hunting, fishing, outdoors, and watching the Buckeyes.
Revitalize your Church – Brian Moore
On a trip, Jesus encountered two needs (See Mark 5:34, 36, 42). One was Jairus, the father of a 12 year old girl who was dying. The other was a woman who suffered an illness of 12 years. Jesus healed the woman, but Jairus’ daughter died. Sometimes we might feel like Jairus when he heard of his daughter’s death. It’s over. It may seem like it’s over with our children, our marriage, our church, or our vision. But to see a revitalization all it takes is faith. As desperate as Jairus was to see his daughter revitalized, God wants to come and revitalize our life, family & church.
3 Principles of Revitalization:
- If you step out in faith you can expect to receive criticism. When Jesus went to raise the girl to life, they laughed at Him.
- Focus on building big people instead of building a big church. Jesus just picked 3 disciples to show them the miracle. We need to focus on people who are trainable and spiritually hungry.
- When Jesus revitalizes, people are always amazed.
Brain shared 6 phases of faith: (1) Dream. It is important to dream what God wants to do through you. (2) Decisions. You have to ale decisions to fulfill that dream. (3) Delay. This is God’s waiting room. Trust God. It is easier to do something for God than wait for God to do something through us. (4) Difficulties. Satan works before and after a miracle. (5) Dead End. Most people give up at this point. This is where faith kicks in. This is where you marry the vision, not the plan or process. (6) Deliverance. This is the point where you realize that only God can do these things!
May God blow a fresh wind on your ministry and your life!
Brian Moore is the lead pastor of CrossPointe Church in Yorba Linda, CA since 2006. Prior to that he was campus pastor of Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. His leadership has been instrumental in not only spiritual growth but also in the growth of the community. He is passionate about family and leaderships and has received opportunities to travel and speak at numerous youth camps, retreats, and churches.
You can read my other articles about this meeting at: Revitalization.
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