REACH , BUILD , SEND
Growing The Gospel…
What are we here for? What is my role at Fifth Avenue Baptist Church?
As we continue to live out our churches purpose statement...
“The Church is formed to support public worship and to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through such ministries as may be determined by the Church.”[1]
...we need to be wholeheartedly committed to the gospel ministry. Being located in this area of Rome, as well as blessed with the resources to get involved with taking the gospel to the world, gives us enormous opportunities to share the Christian message
Growing The Gospel at Fifth Avenue
With the above in mind we all have a part to play in the ministry of Fifth Avenue. Starting on July 25th we will have a series of 5 sermons in the morning services called ‘Growing the Gospel’. This series will be a way of providing biblical answers to the two questions mentioned above. We will look at how we can use our time, our talents, and our money to grow the gospel. To ensure that the programme has clear practical application we will have an outline of opportunities for service in the life of Fifth Avenue, on August 22nd. The end result is for everyone in the congregation to talk through things on a personal level and commit to being involved in the life of the church. That could be something low key like writing encouraging scriptural notes to our home bound or taking the gospel to another part of the world where they have never heard about Jesus.
A vision of what we can do
Gospel ministry at Fifth Avenue Baptist Church takes many forms. It is done through paid and unpaid work. It is done on Sunday and on weekdays. It is done in both prominent and quieter ways. It is done among young and old. It is done among people of different nationalities. This work is something that every committed Christian can and must be involved in. First and foremost this is about an attitude of our hearts, but it will be revealed in the way we give, the way we work, and the way we pray.
A quote from John Piper’s book ‘Desiring God’ has something to say to us all (even though the main stress is on money):
Ephesians 4:28 teaches us that there are three levels of how to live with things (1) you can steal to get; (2) or you can work to get; (3) or you can work to get in order to give. Too many professing Christians live on level two. Almost all the forces of our culture urge them to live on level two. But the Bible pushes us relentlessly to level three (see 2 Cor 9:8). Why does God bless us with abundance? So we can have enough to live on and then use the rest for all manner of good works that alleviate spiritual and physical misery. Enough for us: abundance for others.
A great need
According to the 2010 census there are 95, 980 people who live in Floyd County. Only 16 % attend a local church. The Joshua project tells us that out of a world population of 6.7 billion people, 2.7 billion have never heard about Jesus[2]. These figures demonstrate the overwhelming need to grow the gospel through Fifth Avenue. When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians;
1 Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
That is what Growing the Gospel is all about..
All For Him,
Rev’ John Geaney
[1] Fifth Avenue Baptist Church By Laws. P 2 of 17
[2] http://www.joshuaproject.net/
