12 Witnesses

During a recent conversation, I compared the SBC President’s job after the election to that of someone running for the US Presidency prior to the election. They travel constantly, fit their job in as they are able and deliver a stump speech wherever they stop. I’ve heard a couple of stump speeches from Dr. Page, and, to his great credit, he keeps them as fresh as possible. They are never exactly the same and it is clear that he believes what he is saying. Below are the notes from the sermon delivered at the TMABC’s annual meeting on Sunday, October 7, 2007. I’ll give more detail to the introduction and then outline the sermon.

80% of churches in America, regardless of denomination, are plateaued or in decline.

When I arrived at FBC Taylors, they were among the 80%. They had never split or had any major catastrophe, but they had nto done anything of much note either. They had never started a church, either intentionally or unintentionally. Now they start one new church a year. Now they are 2 1/2 times what they were when I came. Last year was the greatest year in baptizing, ever, and that was with me gone all the time. I think I found the secret, it’s for me to be gone more.

We started a free medical clinic - FREE. Everything that happens there is free. We have a Hispanic work and several of the first families the we reached through that start came from the free clinic.

We have a partnership in Calgary, Canada. We have a partnership with the 18 (?) SBC churches in Maine.

I’m here to tell you, that God can resurrect a church.

I don’t play golf. If you want to waste your time, you are welcome to do it. I did hear a great joke, though, recently. A guy was playing golf and rared back to swing. He swung so hard he missed the ball entirely, but hit the ground - in fact he hit an anthill. Thousands of ants met their doom. The man got frustrated, rared back again and swung even harder. Again he hit the anthill, killing thousands more innocent ants. Before he could swing again, one of the two surviving ants looked at the other and asked, “What are we gonna do?” The other ant replied, “If we don’t get on the ball, we’re gonna die!”

If we don’t get on the ball, we are going to die!

Referenced Luke 13 where Jesus cites two horrific stories and then the question if their suffering was because of their sin? It was common at the time to assume that where there was much suffering, there was much sin. Also referenced Job’s friends, who baited Job, asking for a confession. Referenced his daughter’s cancer last year (doing fine now) and asked, was it because of sin?

No.

Nevertheless, I say to you, repent or you will perish. We must repent or we will perish.

A recent projection shows that 40 -50 percent of our churches could be gone in just 20 years.

We need to get on the ball.

Luke 13:6-8 The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

6 And He told this parable: ^(F) “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He came looking for fruit on it and found none. ^(G) 7 He told the vineyard worker, ‘Listen, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! ^(H) Why should it even waste the soil? ^(I) ‘

8 “But he replied to him, ‘Sir, ^[b] leave it this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ^(J) 9 Perhaps it will bear fruit next year, but if not, you can cut it down.’ ” -HCSB

The fig tree was planted, not volunteer (in a vineyard, not wild on the property)

• It was there for a purpose
• It was not ornamental
• It was not for shade
• It was there to bear fruit

The result of failure was drastic

• It was to be cut down and cast out
• It was useless
• The greatest condemnation is not for those who do wrong, but for those who do nothing
• It took up resources that others could have used (KJV - It cumbereth the ground)
• It was a hindrance

Though it deserved to be cut down, it receives one more chance

• The vineyard worker intervened
• It was spared not for the value of the tree
• It was spared not for the Master’s inbility to evaluate it’s worth
• It was spared at the intervention of the vineyard worker
• Praise God, we have a vineyard worker, Jesus, who is ready to dig out and fertilize the roots, prune what is dead, and draw fruit from unproductive trees

We are in the midst of God’s resources and, though we don’t often recognize it, He surrounds us with all that we could ever hope for, if we would be obedient and trust in Him.

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