What Does A Successful Church Look Like?

This entire series has been a practical ‘how to’ in placing your life into God’s hands. Last week, Sam was so practical. He asked and answered the question, how do we move forward? Remember how he pointed out how hard it is to deal with the real issues of our heart while at the same time we have to deal with the issues that scream at us from our culture? It’s so easy to be distracted, isn’t it?

He said we have to make a choice. A choice to humble ourselves and deal with our hearts. Remember how he emphasized, this choice isn’t based on our feelings or self-esteem. It’s a choice to bring our heart to Jesus.

Sam shared this verse with us.

It is a broken spirit you want – remorse and penitence. A broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not ignore. TLB Psalms 51:17

As I listened to him record his talk, I think the biggest thing he shared was, your heart is under assault all-the-time. We must understand that. We must not be distracted. We must not fail to make the choice to be humble. The most important thing you can do, the hardest thing you can do, is conquer our heart.

Remember what the Rabbi said on his deathbed?

“When I was young, I set out to change the world. When I grew a little older, I perceived that this was too ambitious, so I set out to change my state. This, too, I realized as I grew older was too ambitious, so I set out to change my town. When I realized I could not even do this, I tried to change my family. Now as an old man, I know that I should have started by changing myself. If I had started with myself, maybe then I would have succeeded in changing my family, the town, or even the state-and who knows, maybe even the world.” Old Hasidic Rabbi on his Deathbed

I love that. It reminds us of the power of a changed heart. Hopefully, this series made you really think through what spiritual success is for you. Today, I want to close this series and I want to talk about what success is for a church. To help us define success as a church, I want to read what Pete Scazzero wrote.

“Success according to Scripture, is becoming the person God calls you to become, and doing what God calls you to do-in His way, and according to His timetable.” – Pete Scazzero

Probably the greatest thing a person can understand is how unique they are and how they can bring honor to God. The worst thing that could happen to a person is believing they need to be like those around them. Believing they can keep everyone happy. You know this right? You would never tell your child or grandchild, “Be like everyone around you. Make sure you give in to peer pressure and be what others want you to be.” You would never say that. You want them to be original.

Now think about this. In your personal life. What happens when you try to be everything to everyone? What happens when you try to keep everyone around you happy? You can’t do it can you? You become exhausted. You disappoint people. And you lose that sense of who you are. You lose your identity. You struggle to just be yourself.

It’s no different for the local church. The greatest thing the local church can understand is how unique they are and how they can bring honor to God. The worst thing that can happen to the local church is believing they must be like another church.

As unique as a fingerprint is to an individual, that is as unique as the local church’s purpose should be. Here’s why. When a church starts looking at what other churches are doing, they will see what the other church does well and struggle to see the beauty in how unique they are. It leaves the leaders and volunteers in that church feeling like they are failing.

When a local church starts trying to be like other churches, it’s a disaster. Why? They are trying to do what God asked the other church to do. And, to make it worse, they aren’t doing what God wants them to do. Why? They are so busy trying to be like the other church.

Let’s go deeper. When a church tries to be everything to everyone, it struggles to be good at anything. The leadership and the volunteers become exhausted responding to everyone and trying to keep everyone happy. They lose their identity. And they struggle to live out God’s unique purpose for them.

Think about this. Some churches are good at liturgy. Some churches are good at being a first response to emergencies. Some churches are good at social justice. Some churches are good at missionary work. Some churches are good at being big or being small. Some churches focus on healing ministry, speaking in tongues, or prayer ministry. All those churches are good and necessary.

Why did God start MRC?

Our vision in one word is, imagine. Imagine a church that is passionate, relentless, and unapologetic about reaching people far from God and empowering Christians to be a part of that vision.

Success in one word at MRC is, transformation. We want to see people far from God be forever transformed by the power of God’s grace. We want to lead them into a relationship with God that is real.

How do we do it? The secret is how we do things. We call it our culture. We created a culture where people far from God can come, be accepted and not be looked down on. They can have time and space to discover that God loves them. It’s what we do. It’s how we live.

And this takes time. Think about this. It can take years for someone to hear about the God’s love before they give their lives to Christ completely. It can take years because every day in their lives they have been told they don’t measure up or they feel like they don’t measure up. In one visit, they aren’t normally transformed. Can God transform people an instant? Absolutely, yes, we have seen it. However, many people’s journey can take years.

Are you an alcoholic? Ya, many of us are healing from that, too. Prison time? Ya, you aren’t the only one here. Feeling defeated? Ya, that’s pretty much all of us. Struggling with pornography? Ya, most guys are and if they say they aren’t, they are probably lying. Do you feel insecure, depressed, lonely, rejected? We all, at some time, have felt that, too. Did you try to take your own life at some point? Yep, many of us did, too. We have all walked through enormous pain.

If you are visiting us today, you picked a great day to be here. Many people when they visit a church ask the question, “What does this church have to offer me, like a menu in a restaurant.” I think a better question you should ask is, “Will this church help me reach my friends and save them from hell?”

I want to read for you how focused Jesus was in reaching people far from God.

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”

6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled.

8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”

9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” NLT Luke 19:1-10

What do we see? Jesus eats with people who were in enormous pain. The church people of his day were very offended. Jesus explains, I came on a mission to save people. And notice, Jesus wasn’t trying to be popular or famous or grow a big ministry or transform culture. He was Jesus hanging out with people.

Next story.

9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed him.

10 Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. 11 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”

12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor – sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” NLT Matthew 9:9-13

1 Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people – even eating with them!

3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! NLT Luke 15:1-7

Our identity at MRC is reaching people far from God. We are at our best when we hang out with people who are far from God. I might add, because that is our identity, we can be very disappointing to Christians who expect us to build a church that focuses on them, their comfort, and their knowledge.

Think about this. We don’t measure success through attendance – although that can be a good thing. We don’t measure success through people’s ability to recite liturgy – although that can be a good thing to help people. We don’t measure success through events and activities – all though that can be a good thing. We don’t measure success through people’s knowledge – although that is a good thing. We don’t measure success in our ability to attract Christians from other churches – although some Christians want to be a part our vision.

Success to us is transformation. More specifically, people who were far from God are now walking in a relationship with God that is transforming them. I might add, success is also people who have been Christians who now fully engage MRC to the support our vision.

How did this become our identity? Sam and I grew up in pastor’s homes. Our fathers were bishops, missionaries, senior pastors that transformed local churches. We got to see the inside stuff. We saw men try to have our fathers fired. We saw people hurt our fathers because our fathers challenged them to live out their Christian faith. We saw the good, the bad and the ugly of churches. And we both walked away from the religion and the unhealth of church. Years later, God, through His unbelievable grace, transformed us.

What do you think we want to do now? Build healthy churches where people far from God can be confronted with the love, the grace, and the power of God. And, we will do anything to protect them from toxic religion we saw growing up.

Why did God start MRC? To be that place that aggressively goes after people who don’t know how much God loves them.

Our vision in one word, imagine. Imagine a church that is passionate, relentless, and unapologetic about reaching people far from God and empowering Christians to be a part of that vision.

Success in one word, transformation. We want to see people far from God be forever transformed by the power of God’s grace. We want to lead them into a relationship with God that is real.

We believe the best question you can ask is, “Will this church help me reach my friends and save them from hell?”

What is your part? Think about who you know who needs to know about the grace of God. Pray for them. Be friends with them. Invite them to MRC and take them to lunch. When they are sick or struggling in life, take them food. When you can, invite them over to your fire pit. Just be a real person.

Today, take the paper on the chair, place the name or names of people you care about on that paper. Then pray for them every day.

What we are doing is trying to figure out how we can be better in helping you reach your friends. And if all goes well, we want to plant more churches to reach more people far from God.

Here is what you need to know.

God knows you and is deeply in love with you. That’s why you need to be in a relationship with Jesus and allow Him to transform you.

God placed you where He wanted you to be.

God gave you family and friends in a community.

As disciples of Christ, like Jesus, be yourself and hang out with friends.

What is our unique identity at MRC? Imagine. What is success to us at MRC? Transformation. What is your part? Friendship.

Please visit our YouTube channel, ‘MRC Dillsburg’, to see the video interview for the November 24, 2021 talk.