By God's grace, you and I cannot run from the fact that we were built for community. The beginning of Genesis talks of God making humankind in God's image. "Let US make man and woman in our image" (Gen. 1:26). We are social creatures connected to one another simply because we were made to be in communion with God and one another. Innately, we yearn to have our needs met and to relate to one another in lovingkindness. We see empathy and humility expressed in human relationships all the time; yet, these traits exist even in animal relationships, too. What I want us to realize from all of this is that, whether we realize it or not, we yearn to belong to a group of people who can love us and who we can love in return. God gave us that desire--and how wonderful it is to express that connection within the bond of Christ's body, the Church! God made us a diverse bunch, and our differences are worthy of celebrating. The Church is young and old, extroverted and introverted, gifted in many areas and gifted in fewer areas. What's really exciting is when the Church begins to talk about why it enjoys serving Christ among one another. And when the Church can articulate its whys, then the community that it serves begins to take notice and wants to see if what the congregation experiences is really true.
And so, here we are...called not only for EACH ONE to REACH TWO but also to GIVE ONE'S THREE WHYS to those in our community that you know need the Spirit of Jesus who resides within the family known as United Baptist.
What is a "why" and, well, why is a "why" so important :)?
When individuals and organizations are able to define what their "whys" are for attending, serving and befriending its members then it has a clear sense of purpose. Your "why" must be the driving force behind why you connect with a certain group of people; your "why" must be the reason you can't do without your chosen community. In other words, every church member at United Baptist Church has "whys" or reasons for being a member. These "whys" are myriad, but they are certainly not arbitrary. Scripturally speaking, the purposes of the Church are found in Acts 2:42-27 (which, incidentally are our church's core values, located on our church website: unitedbaptistonline.org). Those purposes are: Worship, Ministry, Evangelism, Discipleship and Community (fellowship). More than likely, at least one if not all of your "whys" fall into one of these five purposes of the Church. And since these purposes form UBC's core values it makes perfect sense for you to name your reason(s) and determine what purpose of the Church they represent. For instance, you might tell someone, "I am growing so much in my walk with Christ at United Baptist because my Sunday School teacher and class help me understand so clearly what it means to be a disciple, or follower of Jesus" (Discipleship). Or, perhaps you might tell another this: "I think you'll appreciate the traditions we share in our worship services, not only from Sunday to Sunday but during Advent, Lent and Holy Week too. I know you have been looking for a place that is biblically based--I found it years ago at United." (Worship).
What I'm trying to say is that each of us has our own reasons for participating and growing in the body of Christ at United Baptist. God calls us to unite with Christ's body through the profession of faith one offers in full allegiance to Jesus followed by water baptism. This celebration of faith is not to add one's name to a membership role; instead, the rescued Christian is now baptized into the fellowship of a local church and is called to discover and share one's gifts with the rest of the congregation and community. All of this is biblical, and none of it is optional (read this sentence again). At this point each member realizes it cannot do without the other and offers to serve it in love (1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12; Eph. 4; 1 Peter 4). And so, we enter into fellowship by the blood of Jesus alone that cleanses us from all sin; then, we commit to serving by offering ourselves through the power of the Holy Spirit. As each member submits to Christ in these ways, they each have personal reasons for continuing to worship, fellowship, disciple and be discipled, share God's Good News and minister to others. Some might say the following:
- "Why do I come to United Baptist? I come because I want to worship God at a place that honors Christ, is Bible-based and focused on serving others."
- "Why do I serve at UBC? Well, I gain insight and energy from other members who teach me more about the Lord than I ever learned growing up. They encourage me to think differently and provide me with encouragement as I seek to follow Christ.'
- "Why do I love being a part of United? Well, I came here years ago not knowing a soul and was immediately welcomed into the fold. Soon, I made friends that, to this day, have been the presence of Christ to me, in both moments of sadness and joy."
So, dear friend--now I ask you to consider your three "whys." Begin articulating why you are a member of United Baptist and what are the reasons that keep you coming back to worship, serve, fellowship, reach out and study God's Word. If you know at least three reasons why you find Jesus at UBC, it follows that you'll want to share your reasons with others. 2 in '22 might be an outreach emphasis, but the reasons why you serve Jesus at UBC are what motivated you to try our church and remain all this time. Someone out there needs those reasons, your "whys," just like you did when you considered UBC for the first time. If EACH ONE will REACH TWO and GIVE ONE'S THREE "WHYS" to those curious about Jesus and church, or disenchanted with their previous church experience, or who know how much you care about United Baptist then soon the chatter begets curiosity and establishes collective value. Our collective value is not met in our budget, or in our property, or in our numbers but in Christ alone! After all, Jesus is breathing life through our ministries and missions and worship and fellowship and since we have reasons and whys for being Christ's disciples at UBC we are indeed called to share them with friends, family and acquaintances alike!
This is exactly what Jesus did during his three-year ministry. Sure, he had way more than three reasons/whys for going to the Cross, but he knew his Father's purpose for him and he clearly articulated "why" he came to earth. Jesus came to fulfill the Law and to rescue sin-stained people like you and me by offering himself as the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. And if we revisit the four Gospels we'll see Jesus teaching, over and over again, that due to his love for the Father, and due to the Father's love for us, he was willing to offer his very life in order that we might become Kingdom participants in a Divine reign and rule that forgives, heals, restores and justifies.
Jesus knew his "whys." I'm hoping you'll write down at least three reasons you come to UBC to find Jesus. Know them well enough to share them in a face-to-face conversation, or in a text message, or in a card, or over the phone. And don't worry about whether or not the person will receive your message well--you just have to be obedient to share why you experience Jesus at United. Plant the seed. God will ask us to water the seed through prayer, too, but ultimately only God will handle the growth of those with whom we share our personal "whys" (1 Cor. 3:6). Trust in God and know that he will hone your three "whys" in such a way that the people looking for Jesus will hear your reasons and want to know more.
Each one...reaching two...give three "whys"...
Jesus had twelve disciples and their "whys" turned a world upside down for Christ and his Kingdom.
We are called to do likewise.
And I can't wait to watch God grow us and the community around us to the glory of Jesus the Son!
Let it be so, dear United Baptist Family!
Pastor Will
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