When I came to pastor this church nearly nine years ago, I walked the campus one day and thought to myself with appreciation and excitement, “I can’t believe the Lord has allowed me to pastor this church.” Now, here I am all those years later thinking, “I can’t believe the Lord has called me to leave this church.”
Indeed, though we’re excited about the future, it’s difficult for me and my family. However, I know it’s difficult for many of you as well.
Today, I want to talk less about me and more about the church. What is the church to do? How does a church thrive when their pastor leaves?
Well, in part one of this series, we’re going to see that the church thrives by fighting for unity.
Before we go any further, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us.
(prayer)
I experienced a really special God moment on Friday. I picked up the flowers that were placed in here today for worship. As I was getting out of my car to bring them into the sanctuary, another man was getting back into his car and started to leave. He started to pull away in his car, and he rolled down his window and asked, “Do you know the pastor here?” I said, “Yes sir, I do.” He then asked if anyone from our church remembered Dr. Charles Stanley, and I told him there were some people who remember his time here. He then asked if there was any way that he could get in the building. I told him that I knew the pastor very well and I thought I could probably get in the building. I then told him that I was the pastor, and he started to cry. Here’s why he cried. The man is African American, and he grew up dirt poor on the west side of Bartow. He said when he was a boy some ladies from the white neighborhood had the courage to come to his part of town and teach children the Bible and songs about Jesus. When that man was just a young boy, he gave his life to Jesus. Then, as he grew older, he wanted a chance to come inside the historic First Baptist Church and see the building where Dr. Charles Stanley was pastor. However, because of his ethnicity, the young man was turned away. He never got a chance to walk inside First Baptist Church. That man would go on to be a church planter and pastor who planted and served churches all over the world. He now lives in California. He came back to Polk County because his brother died and he had to come to Lakeland for the funeral. However, he wanted to take one more opportunity to see First Baptist Church Bartow. He had just finished taking a photo of our historical sign out front, then he was on his way, but God changed everything. That man was crying tears of joy in our sanctuary because he finally got a chance to see First Baptist Church.
Here’s what I want you to catch about that story. God worked it all out, but the man still had to pursue his desire to see First Baptist Church. God was the one who blessed the situation, but the man still had to drive in his car to 410 E. Church Street.
Friends, if this church is to be united, it will be because God is blessing it. However, He will not do so without the church purposefully pursuing unity.
So, let’s look now at three pursuits the church can make to fight for unity.
First, . . .I. Pursue positivity.
Friends, habitual negativity is not from God.
God’s people have joy. God’s people have hope. God’s people have light, life, and love.
As the people of God, we are to pursue positivity.
Here are a few ways you can pursue positivity.
First, express gratitude.
When you’re grateful for the Lord and His blessings, it’s hard to be negative.
The Apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Church, it is God’s will for you that you give thanks in everything, even in hard situations.
Rejoice in the blessings God has given you and this church.
Second, celebrate wins.
We have a time with our staff and volunteer leaders we call “Celebration Stories.” We try to intentionally celebrate good things that are happening in the church.
Friends, all of us should continue to celebrate wins and do it more often.
Focus on positive progress.
Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.”
Dwell on positivity.
What’s going well? How are people growing in the Lord? What’s the Lord doing in the church? Who is being faithful and encouraging?
Dwell on those things.
Third, focus on God’s blessings.
This is the Lord’s church, and He will not abandon it. He will continue to bless His church.
Do you remember the blessings of God?
Psalm 77:11–12 says, “I will remember the Lord’s works; yes, I will remember your ancient wonders. I will reflect on all you have done and meditate on your actions.”
As you go forward, keep your eyes open for the blessings of God. Remember them, reflect on them, meditate on them.
Finally, for this first point, encourage the staff.
The staff is not only tasked with helping you pursue positivity; they also need you to help them stay positive.
It is challenging to lead a church. They have a tough job, and now they must do it without the one who led them the last nine years.
They need to be lifted up through your words.
Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb: sweet to the taste and health to the body.”
Encourage the staff. Support the staff. Bless the staff.
Take these steps and more to pursue positivity.
The second way that you can fight for unity as a church is to . . . II. Pursue togetherness.
If you’re going to be unified, you must be together.
Churches are built on togetherness. If you’re not together, you’re not a very healthy church.
Here are some ways you can pursue togetherness.
First, love others as Jesus loves you.
Jesus said in John 13:34–35: “I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
How much has Jesus loved us? A lot, right?
Jesus has loved us greatly. We ought to love one another greatly.
There’s a special relationship among those in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. That relationship is built upon the strongest love in the universe; the love of Jesus.
Next, you should hurt together.
It’s ok to hurt. Jesus wept when His friend died. Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem.
It’s ok to hurt, but the church should work through hurt together.
Romans 12:15 says, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.”
Now, some of you may not be hurt that I’m leaving. Praise God! That’s one less person whom I hurt.
However, many of you are hurting. If so, I encourage you to hurt together and love one another in the process.
Next, serve together.
There’s nothing that will keep a church united quite like serving together.
Ephesians 4:11–13 says, “And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.”
Paul says in Ephesians that the leaders of the church were given to the church to equip the church to serve.
Brothers and sisters, serve the church and do so by serving together.
Join a ministry team. Come to a church workday. Go on a mission trip.
Serve together!
Finally, reconcile with one another.
One of the greatest challenges in the church is when the church family doesn’t love one another well.
What a miracle it would be if we saw God work through FBC Bartow during this time to heal relationships that have been damaged.
Ephesians 4:31–32 says, “Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.”
Church, be kind. Be compassionate. Forgive one another.
The final way that you can fight for unity is to . . .III. Pursue purity.
If the church is going to be a unified family, it must flee sin and pursue purity in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, God has called us to be holy.
Here are four ways you can do so:
First, redirect negativity.
It’s ok to hurt, but it’s not ok to sulk in negativity.
Reject the idea of being like Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh by grumbling and complaining.
Philippians 2:14 says, “Do everything without grumbling and arguing . . . ”
Don’t grumble or complain. Don’t argue. Reject negative behavior.
Second, shut down gossip and lies.
I hate gossip and lies. I hate them, and you should too.
Do you know why you should hate gossip and lies? Because the Lord hates gossip and lies!
Proverbs 6:16, 19 says, “The Lord hates six things . . . a lying witness who gives false testimony, and one who stirs up trouble among brothers.”
Don’t tolerate gossip and lies. Shut it down, church. Kill it (not the person, the behavior)!
We read Ephesians 4:31–32 earlier. Listen again. Paul says, “Let all bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind and compassionate to one another . . . ”
Friends, listen to the words of the Apostle Paul. Remove this behavior from among you.
Gossip and lies are never good for a church. They’re particularly dangerous when a church is experiencing difficulty.
Next, deal with sin.
Deal with sin in your own heart, for sure. More specifically for this point, deal with sin in the church.
Ephesians 5:11 says, “Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.”
If there is fruitless darkness in the church, expose it.
When I announced that I was going in view of a call to another church, there was someone who it seemed was trying to stir things up and cause issues for me. I’m so grateful that more than one person exposed that to me. The behavior of that person was fruitless. Here’s what that means: Nothing good could come from it.
Church, don’t tolerate fruitless and dark behavior. Expose it.
In Titus 3:10–11, Paul says, “Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning. For you know that such a person has gone astray . . . ”
I’ve tried to do this in my time as pastor. I’ve tried to be full of grace, while not tolerating repeated and unrepentant sin. Paul says to reject such a person.
Don’t put up with divisiveness. If someone is being divisive, they have gone astray. Reject that person.
Finally, follow Jesus.
Jesus said in John 15:4–5, “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”
If you want to be pure, follow Jesus, both as individuals and as a church.
Pursue positivity, pursue togetherness, and pursue purity.
Let this bottom line summarize what we are learning.Bottom Line: The Lord’s church can thrive when they are united.
God had not merely called FBC Bartow to survive; He has called you to thrive!
As your pastor, my hope is not simply that you would come through this difficulty. My hope is that you would come out stronger, more faithful, more motivated, and more on fire with the Holy Spirit of God.
You can do so, in part, by being united.Weekly Challenge: Take a purposeful step for church unity this week.
What can you do?
What step can you take to fight for unity among you and others in the church?
What step can you take to pursue positivity, togetherness, and purity?
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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