"A Contrast of Pilgrims and Strangers"

The following are excerpts of a message I preached recently called "A Contrast Between Pilgrims and Strangers". I just kind of had it on my heart while thinking about the future of the Apostolic Church... and individual congregations at large:

**************

Hebrews 11:13
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

A CONTRAST OF PILGRIMS AND STRANGERS

I’m standing in this pulpit tonight craving an answer to a question that drives me every day that I live. There’s something in me that desires to know, in the depths of my soul, that this is the kind of Church that God can bless.

Because I know that I have to give an account for this Church my heart and mind is consumed with making sure that this is the kind of Church that God can bless. What kind of Church is it that God can bless? Well, I stand assured according to scripture that God can bless a…
• Doctrinally sound Church. I thank God this congregation is on a solid foundation of Apostolic doctrine.
• Holy Church. I’m honored to be the Shepherd of a congregation that wants to be holy. Some of you would live just as holy if it was never preached in this pulpit again.
• Sensitive Church. I think we can all agree that a move of God is futile if there’s not someone sensitive enough to react to the prompting of the Spirit.
• Passionate Church. I’ve seen God bless ‘passion’ when there were other elements that weren’t exactly right. God loves people who are passionate and blesses them, oft times, in spite of personal struggles.

But in the midst of all that there is another attribute that I think God marks and determines to pour out His blessings on. We sometimes overlook it but I think it’s important to know that God blesses a ‘progressive’ Church! In fact, I think it goes without saying that the day we cease being progressive is the day we start dying as a congregation!


******************

That’s why progressive Churches are growing Churches! God loves a progressive Church so much that God said, “I’ll bless you if you’ll just be willing to follow after my purpose! I’ll honor you if you’ll just be willing to pursue my presence and chase after the things that I love!”

I’m convinced that God intended this church to be a progressive church. In fact, I can go all the way back to the Church in the wilderness and show you that God was always willing to bless a progressive Church! Look with me and consider that…
• After 400 years of slavery to Egypt God told Israel, “Get ready because tonight I’m going to lead a Church out of Egypt!” How? It was going to be called a ‘Passover’ and a death angel was going to pass over the land and kill the firstborn of every household. The only way to escape, according to God, was to…
o gather your family together,
o slay a lamb,
o put blood on the doorposts,
o eat the lamb until you be filled
 oh, and by the way, put your shoes on and a staff in your hand because you’re going to make a journey that takes you forevermore out of the bondage of this land!

Get your shoes on because God blesses a progressive church!

• Shall I remind you that the Red Sea opened up to provide a one way path for them to cross over but, just as importantly, it closed up behind them. It was more than a journey for which there was no return; it was God’s blessing on them for being a progressive Church!

Don’t fear the journey because God blesses a progressive church!

• It was called the ‘Church in the wilderness’ but don’t forget that in that wilderness there was a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was there to signal when it was time to journey yet again if they were going to stay in step with the Will of God.

Keep following God because God blesses a progressive church!

When you read your Bible you find that as long as they stayed a progressive Church it seemed God would…
• Honor and bless Israel time and again
• Make exceeding great promises to Israel
• Quickly rise to the defense of that wilderness Church.