As the civil war was winding down a telegram changed everything. General Sheridan communicated to General Grant who sent a telegram to President Lincoln.
April 7, 1865 11 o’clock a.m.
General Sheridan says, “If the thing is pressed, I think that Lee will surrender.”
Lincoln’s response:
“Let the thing be pressed.” A. Lincoln
It was pressed and Lee did surrender.
Today I issue a challenge the Calvary Baptist family to press the thing.
For regular readers, this week’s blog will be a little different. Each year on the first Sunday of the year I share a message reflecting on the year past and challenge our church family as we face the year before us.
This blog will begin and end with a few words specific to our church. In between we will examine what the word of God says to us. Join this discussion with us as we hear what challenge lies before us.
FIRST TWO WORDS: WE DID
Seven words of challenge will guide us. Paul gives thoughts we should listen to in two passages:
Philippians 1:3-6
3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.[1]
Philemon 1:4-7
4 I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7 Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.
In both passages Paul began with praising God for every memory of the Philippian church and for his friend Philemon.
I want to take this opportunity to offer praise to God for the memories of serving the faithful people of Calvary Baptist Church. I praise God for these blessings.
- Your continued faithfulness in making disciples. Some of you have served the Lord faithfully for so many years. Others are only beginning to serve the Lord. All of you maintained your focus.j
- You brought the Midweek youth and children ministry back to where it had been before Covid. You continued to love on kids and teens. We continued to make disciples, helping them grow.
- You expanded our effort to make disciples by adding a fully age graded Bible Study group How awesome to see you step forward. We also added a nursery during worship so our families could worship.
- You stepped forward and now we have a worship team that is leading us every week. They are not only doing well but will be stepping forward more this year.
- You showed an amazing willingness to minister to others. Every time we had a need presented to us you stepped up in a big way. You display the spirit of the early church who met the needs of people.
I am so proud of the church family you are.
Paul remembered their strength and partnership with him in the gospel. He had visited the Philippian church at least three times.
Their memory gave him great joy. Be careful when you describe this joy. It is not an outward happiness that depends on circumstances. Joy is an inner strength that maintains a vertical perspective by focusing on God.
By reviewing the great contribution they had made to the gospel Paul said that they would gain a greater understanding of love. He reviewed these blessings. They had faith in Christ. He believed in their future.
Like the Calvary family, Paul was refreshed. He encouraged them to offer such refreshment to others in their lives.
Like iced tea on a hot day or cold water on a long hike, this Christian brother Philemon knew how to be refreshing. He was able to revive and restore his brothers and sisters in the faith. His love and generosity had replenished and stimulated them. Philemon also encouraged Paul by his love and loyalty. Are you a refreshing influence on others, or does your attitude and temperament add to the burden they carry? Instead of draining others' energy and motivation with complaints and problems, replenish their spirits by encouragement, love, and a helpful attitude.
We can have confidence, as Paul expressed, that He who began the work in them would complete it.
Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.NIV The verb tense indicates that Paul had been confident (that is, he had full assurance) from the first, and he was still confident to that very day, of God's continued work to transform the lives of the Philippian believers. He refers to God; the good work refers to God's salvation and continued perfecting of the believers. God's goal for believers is that they be "conformed to the likeness of his Son, that [Jesus] might be the firstborn among many brothers" (Rom 8:29 NIV).
NO "INCOMPLETES" Do you sometimes feel as though you aren't making progress in your spiritual life? When God starts a project, he completes it! As with the Philippians, God will help you grow in grace until he has completed his work in your life. When you are discouraged, remember that God won't give up on you. He promises to finish the work he has begun. When you feel incomplete, unfinished, or distressed by your shortcomings, remember and be confident in God's promise and provision. Don't let your present condition rob you of the joy of knowing Christ or keep you from growing closer to him.
God who began a good work of redemption in us will carry it on to completion throughout our lifetime and then finish it when we meet him face-to-face. God's work for us began when Christ died on the cross in our place. His work in us began when we first believed. Now the Holy Spirit lives in us, enabling us to be more like Christ every day. God not only initiates our salvation, he guarantees its fulfillment (Eph 1:13-14). Paul was describing the process of Christian growth and maturity that began when we accepted Jesus and continues until the day of Christ Jesus (see also 1:10), that is, when Christ returns. Nothing in this life or after death can stop God's good work in us (Rom 8:28-39). Despite any persecution the church in Philippi might face, Paul was confident that God would continue his good work in them. Paul didn't know when the "day of Christ Jesus" would arrive, but he lived as though it could come at any moment.
Be confident today that your life is fully in the hands of the sovereign God, who doesn't miss anything and who loves you with the same boundlessness with which he rules all of creation.
The confidence of Christians is the great comfort of Christians, and we may fetch matter of praise from our hopes as well as from our joys; we must give thanks not only for what we have the present possession and evidence of, but for what we have the future prospect of. Paul speaks with much confidence concerning the good estate of others, hoping well concerning them in the judgment of charity, and being confident in the judgment of faith that if they were sincere they would be happy: That he who has begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ.
Paul does issue them a challenge. Paul prayed that he would be active in sharing his faith.
Communication comes from the Greek noun koinonia. This is the same word from which we get fellowship. This is the idea of sharing with the brethren who are in need.
In this verse the idea is of participating with someone or participating in some kind of ministry. As Philemon shared his faith with other people in this practical way he would become more and more effectual in his witness for Christ.
This leads us to our third and fourth word of challenge.
NEXT TWO WORDS: I CANNOT
Our work is not done. Paul was the greatest missionary the world has ever known. He wrote half of the books in our New Testament. He had an intimate relationship with Jesus.
Yet, Paul could not do it alone. He needed their partnership. We also need others. We are not created to do this work alone. We cannot complete the work He has called us do without others. The Body of Christ is made up of people who have various gifts. Your gifts combined with others in the church family enable us to do the work He has called us to do.
We are not there yet. We can get stronger and stronger in Him. We have the promised power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:8). God will bring fruit. Thus, the third set of words.
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
This passage is one I have referenced in this message in years past. The powerful promise bears repeating. Paul calls us to focus all of our energies on the work, but to always remember that God can do so much more than we can even imagine.
God is able. The acronym I have found years ago says:
A = Almighty
B = Boundless
L = Limitless
E = Everlasting Power
Paul uses a cascade of words to show God's great power:
He is able to do all that we ask
He is able to do beyond all that we ask
He is able to do abundantly beyond all that we ask
He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask
He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think
God is able to do much more than we can imagine. Can you imagine some amazing things for your church family? God has a bigger plan than that. He can do exceedingly more. That is far more, profuse, and super-abundantly. He can do so much more.
The answer is simple. Pray big prayers. Believe God for more than that. He wants more for you than you do.
The sphere of God’s abundant work? It is in the church. He will work in the gathered family of faith.
The church is the sphere within which the glory of God is exhibited.
Christ and His church are related as one.
The problem in the world is not the darkness. Darkness is doing exactly what darkness should be doing-being dark. The problem is the light not shining.
The problem isn't the decay of our society. Society is decaying just as it should.
The problem is the salt. The salt that is meant to preserve the world has lost its saltiness and adds to the decay.
Christ shows His power and glory through the church.
He can be glorified in the church now, if the church releases His prayer answering power and lives in the full strength God provides.
The problem isn't the decay of our society. Society is decaying just as it should. The problem is the salt. The salt that is meant to preserve the world has lost its saltiness and adds to the decay.
Christ shows His power and glory through the church. The glory of God is the end for which the church EXISTS!
God's power is supposed to work where? IN THE CHURCH. This is the place God wants to work. We should not make our men go off somewhere to proclaim their faithfulness. God wants His Spirit to move HERE.
Yes, you can worship God anywhere. You can study the Bible on your own. But you cannot fellowship with others apart from the church. God cannot use your gifts to compliment the gifts of others if you are alone.
The end of the work in the church is the same for all of us. We strive for the glory of God. The sole aim we have is to bring Him glory. The person of Jesus leads us to declare the glory of God. It is the end for which we exist.
THE FINAL WORD OF CHALLENGE: TOGETHER
We cannot work alone. We can only see Him glorified as we work in the church. Two passages should be kept in mind as we realize we work together.
We cannot neglect the house of God (Nehemiah 10:39)
“39 The people of Israel, including the Levites, are to bring their contributions of grain, new wine and olive oil to the storerooms, where the articles for the sanctuary and for the ministering priests, the gatekeepers and the musicians are also kept. “We will not neglect the house of our God.”
We cannot forsake assembling together (Heb 10:23-25)
“23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Drift is inevitable. We must fight it. We can fight it together. We need one another. Let us consider how we can encourage or spur one another on in the faith.
As I conclude this blog, I want to issue two words of challenge to the Calvary Family and a verse of focus.
- Our Scripture Verse is Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord and not man.
Whatever we do, let us do it well. If it is serving food or teaching the word we must do it as if Jesus were at the table. In every area we give it our best.
- First Word: Refine. In every area of church life we are committed in 2025 to doing it better. Bible Study, Worship, Midweek Ministry, and Services in our community we want to do it better in 2025.
- Second Word: Deepen.
We will work together to strengthen our discipleship Ministry.
Our people need to help people understand certain things: How Do I Fit? How Do I Study? How Do I Pray? How Do I Serve?
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- New Member Dinner: I am suggesting that we have a dinner at least once every six months for those folks who have come into the church, answering who we are and how we do ministry.
- Discipleship Basics: I am further suggesting two four week courses of study over the next year addressing basic Bible study and Spiritual gifts.
- Fellowship: I will be looking for a team of people who can plan regular times of fellowship for our church family.
- Service: I encourage you to do what you have done. As we see needs we respond to the needs. You are great at this. We keep it up.
[1] The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Php 1:3–6.
