CAPTIVATED BY THE CALL 1 Timothy 6:12

A sermon preached at Hebron Baptist Church, Denham Springs, Louisiana, Sunday, October 11, 2009 by Pastor Joe Alain.

Focal Verse:1 Timothy 6:12
“Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses”

Review of Our Building Project
I want to take a few moments to give a report of our last business meeting where we discussed our building project. The following comes from my thoughts published in our monthly newsletter, The Vision.

After providing a brief historical overview of our building campaign, Jerry Harris reported that (1) A topographical survey has been completed, (2) Soil boring tests have been performed, (3) Building plans are being finalized, and (4) The committee has met with Livingston Parish officials.

It was reported that “Estimate of Giving” cards have been received totaling – $736,000. Our Building Fund now stands at $248,101.42. The Steering Committee has met with a financial institution representative, and based on our current estimates of giving, we could borrow in the area of two (2) million dollars, approximately two (2) million dollars less than is needed to build our original project. The committee has met with Allen Construction to develop several cost-reducing options, one option came in at 3.5 million and the other at 2.5 million. Conceptual drawings of the two options were shown to the congregation at the recent business meeting.

After much discussion about the various options, their was unanimous support for continuing with our original plans, even if it might take a little longer to see them fulfilled. Several key areas came out of the comments presented at our meeting that we will be pursuing.

1. A renewed emphasis on securing “Estimate of Giving” cards.
Many people were not aware how important the “Estimate of Giving” cards are in securing funds from a financial institution. Because this is essential to our borrowing funds, more information about this needs to be shared with the church. Some people are giving to the building program but have not completed an “Estimate of Giving” card. We will be sending out a letter to the church explaining the importance of the “Estimate of Giving” cards to our campaign and asking for people to prayerfully considering completing one if they have not.

2. Increased communication of the work the project.
I will be asking the Steering Committee to make a brief report (3-5 min.) and offer a prayer for God’s blessing and direction once per month on a Sunday morning. In this way, the project will be kept before the congregation not only as a matter of information but also for prayer. Continued efforts will be made at publishing building program updates in the newsletter, bulletin, and online.

3. Using visuals to communicate our giving status and goals.
We will work on creating some type of visual that will easily communicate to the church each Sunday where we stand in reaching our various financial goals.

Based on where we are now, where do we go from here? What needs to be done? I believe our focus needs to be on our calling as God’s people. We must be Captivated by the Calling that God has placed on our lives! In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul is reminding young Timothy of who he is. Timothy has been saved and called by God and he has confessed that faith and calling before others. Paul encouraged Timothy to not grow weary, to keep fighting the good fight of faith, to “take hold of the eternal life” to which he was called. God is giving us the same message. Be patient, endure, stay focused, fight the good fight of faith, stay on track, be Captivated By the Call because lives hang in the balance of how we live out our calling.

At this time in the life of the church, there are two things that we need. First, we need . . .
1. Patience
It is easy to become impatient in a project like the one that we are undertaking. One of Satan’s tactics to keep us from seeing our dreams fulfilled is that he gets us to doubt the dreams. One of his greatest allies is our impatience, along with fear, worry, anxiety, second-guessing, and frustration that usually accompany it. Remember, God’s timing usually differs from our expectations. Delay of a dream does not necessarily mean denial, it just means we keep working and waiting on God.

Even though we have been working in earnest for about two years, let me assure you that this really is not that long of a period of time, neither is this uncommon in a project of this scope. When I was in Port Allen it took probably a total of six years to go from dream to fulfillment. I’m not suggesting it will take anywhere near that time; however, I do not want you to get discouraged if we hit a few speed bumps along the way. After all, if it was easy, every church in Livingston Parish would be building new facilities! When you look at the big picture, we are progressing very well. Building plans are almost complete, survey work has been completed, and we have almost a third of our pledged amount in the bank.

Don’t grow weary, trust in the Lord! Patiently waiting has always been the standard operating procedure of God’s people. Abraham and Sarah waited and prayed for years before Isaac, the promised son was born. Hebrews 6:15 says, “And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” Delayed blessings are a test of our faith. Will we stand firm, will we endure. Our timing is not always God’s timing. He works according to His divine schedule, according to His sovereign will.

Not only is patience needed, but . . .
2. Unity of Purpose which Brings Unity among Believers in the Church. If we take care of building up God’s kingdom by building up the lives of people, God will take care of building up the facilities. Psalm 37:-4-5, 7, says, “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this . . . Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” The main thing must be the main thing, our delight is to be in the Lord. What is the main thing? What is our purpose? Our purpose is to . . .
(1) Help people encounter the living God! We call that Worship – Providing the opportunity and atmosphere for meaningful worship.
(2) Share Christ!!! We call that Evangelism – Proclaiming the love of Christ so the world might know him as Savior.
(3) Help people to grow so that they can experience God’s best! We call that Discipleship – Teaching, equipping and nurturing persons for spiritual growth.
(4) Give a cup of cold water in His name. We call that Ministry – Meeting the needs of our church, our community, and our world in the name of Jesus.

This is our purpose! When worship, evangelism, discipleship, and ministry forms the main content of our conversation, when this becomes our passion, there will be a spirit of unity in the church because there will be unity of purpose. “When we are Captivated By the Call of God, we will walk in patience and unity of purpose.” So how do I know when I am Captivated By the Call of God? There are at least four (4) indicators in the life of a believer that is Captivated By the Call.

The first indicator of being Captivated By the Call is . . .
1. Desperate Praying
Jacob was desperate when he cried out, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Gen. 32:26). The Psalmist expressed a heart that was desperate for God when he said, “My soul thirsts for the living God . . . my tears have been my food day and night” (Ps. 42:2-3). Desperate praying is praying that says, “Your will be done above all else.” Desperate praying is offering prayers of repentance for unkind words and actions. Prayers of repentance for erecting barriers to the love of God. Prayers of forgiveness for our unloving and backbiting attitudes. Prayers that say “God, do whatever you have to do, but move!” Prayers that go beyond praying for sickness, but prayers that ask God to heal the sin sickness in our lives and in our land. The spiritual problem for most of us is that we are just not desperate enough. Believers who are Captivated By the Call our believers who pray desperate prayers, urgent prayers, heartfelt prayers.

The second indicator of being Captivated By the Call is . . .
2. Greater Faith
Faith is believing and acting upon God’s Word. How do you have greater faith? We need three things: (1) A bigger concept of who God is. We don’t really know God! And because we really do not know God fully, we live in fear and confinement to a small vision. We live as if God is not going to come through. But we have a God that is bigger than any of us could ever even imagine. Scientists estimate that there are 125 billion galaxies in the visible universe! Don’t settle for a small concept of God, He is the King of the Universe!

(2) We need to ask God to increase our faith (Lk. 17:5). (3) We need to act on what God tells us. We need faithfulness to live out the life we already know. Faith grows in proportion to your exercise of faithfulness. Jesus said that if you are faithful in the few things, God will make you ruler over many things (Matt. 25:21). Are you doing what God has told you to do? He’s not going to give you a greater task until you are faithful with the task He’s already given to you.

The third indicator of being Captivated By the Call is . . .
3. Abounding Love
Spoken to a church that was self-seeking and divided, Paul said the greatest virtue is love (1 Cor. 13:13). Jesus said that people will know us by our love for one another (Jn. 13:35). Do we really love one another, or do we just tolerate one another? We can only love others because He first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19). It’s not our beliefs, not our sermons, not our music, not our buildings, not our programs, but our love! And this love is to grow and abound like an overflowing river in our lives (1 Thess. 3:12).

So how do we know if we are abounding in our love? Here are some questions to use as a spiritual evaluation.
1. Do you acknowledge others in your presence? Do others feel acceptance by you? Sometimes the most powerful way to love someone is to make them feel welcomed, like they belong.
2. Do you greet and speak to others?
3. Would others consider you friendly?
4. Are you considerate of others? Do you think about what you say and how you say it?
5. What practical things have you done lately that would show someone that you cared about them? Have you told someone that you loved them? That you appreciate them? Have you made someone feel special?
6. What’s your attitude toward those outside your circle of friends? Do you love the strangers, the foreigners (Deut. 10:19)? Others as yourself (Matt. 22:39)? What about loving the people that God sends to us each week and throughout the year? Do they feel welcomed? Loved? Accepted? A part of us? When we love the strangers among us, we are loving Jesus (See Matt. 25:35-45). We are showing that we are indeed Captivated By the Call!

The fourth indicator of being Captivated By the Call is . . .
4. Dying to Self
John the Baptist said, “He [Jesus] must increase, I must decrease” (Jn. 3:30). Is that happening with me? In the church? To keep your life is to lose it, to lose it is to gain it (Lk. 17:33). Do I really believe that? The seed must die in order to bring forth fruit (Jn. 12:24). Am I daily dying to self so that my life can be fruitful and filled with purpose?

We are to be living sacrifices, totally consumed, on fire with God’s passion (Rom. 12:1-2). Paul said “I am crucified with Christ” (Gal. 2:20). This means we really believe the words, “It’s not about me.” To die to my self means that my will is His will. My purpose is His purpose. My time is His time. My finances are His finances. My life is His life. I cannot get my feelings hurt because I’m dead. I am not going to be dominated by my sinful nature anymore, I’m dead. I do not have any selfish agendas, crucified people do not have agendas. I do not need the praise of men, I’m dead. I do not live to get my needs met, I’m crucified and dead men have no needs. When I die to my self, I show that I am Captivated By the Call! Then I’m ready to “Fight the good fight of faith . . .”

For His Glory!
Pastor Joe