Three Challenges

Weekly Update – January 9th, 2025 

Last week I gave you 10 evidences of God’s grace that have been clear to me, and hopefully clear to you, as we look back upon the last 10 years together.  Though there have been ups and downs during this time, God has been at work, and I believe, will continue to be at work in us and in First Baptist Church.  As I said last week, not only did I want to give to you evidence of God’s grace, but I wanted to also look ahead with you.  So then, this week, I want to give to you three challenges that I want us to pursue together as we look to the years to come.

First, Pursue Greater Depth.  The foundational priority that our church will continue to build upon is the word of God.  This begins with our Sunday services, specifically with expositional preaching, but also in every ministry and every decision that we make.  Everything must be founded in the word of God.  My challenge to you in the upcoming years is to pursue God, through his word, with even greater vigor than you ever have in the past.  Commit to reading through the Bible every year, prepare for our Sunday morning gatherings by reading and studying the scripture that will be preached, join a Bible study, come to Equipping hour, and/or get involved in a home group. Make the most you have with others within the church to meet with them, pray with them, discuss the word of God with them and seek to apply the scriptures.  If the word of God determines not only the direction of our church, but the culture of our church, then we ought to know it and know it well.  The implications of this challenge are limitless for what God will do in and through us, when we prioritize him, first and foremost.    

Second, Pursue Greater Outreach.  The hope that I have for our church is that we would be a place where our community knows it can find help. Whether it be in finding a dress for prom, getting a few days’ worth of food, or a pair of clothes, my desire is that those in Grandview would know that First Baptist Church is a place that will do what they can to help with some basic, physical needs.  Beyond the physical needs though, my greater hope in the years to come, is that our community would know that they can turn to us for spiritual help.  Whether they are grieving, hopeless, depressed, anxious, struggling with addiction, or anywhere in between, my longing is that we might be not only a place where those in Grandview would turn, but a place where we are known as a people who care, who love, and who can give hope, because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Therefore, pursue relationships with others here in Grandview, make known the hope of Jesus Christ that you have, and invite them into the fellowship of our church so that they may see the gospel on display before them.  The implications of this challenge are great as we trust God to bring about the transformation of those around us. 

Third, Pursue Greater Impact. As we prioritize the word of God and reaching out to our community, may we also desire the impact of the gospel through us to expand beyond our immediate reach.  What I mean here is, may we long for the impact of our faithful pursuit of God to move beyond what we can see with our eyes as we seek to impact our state, our nation and even our world.  Therefore, my challenge for us here is to continue supporting missions the way that we do, but to press in a bit more.  Let us pray that the Lord might raise up some from among us to go to the nations and may we dig deeper into our missions’ partnerships. Additionally, may we continue to support the training of future pastors who might go out all over our nation and beyond, faithfully proclaiming the word of God.  Then, may we be a church that supports the revitalization of other churches as well.  The implications of this challenge is not just the imprint of our church upon the many ministries all over the world, but more so, the gospel of Jesus Christ transforming lives all over the world, through the pursuit of looking beyond what is immediately in front of us and considering what is even beyond us. 

God is clearly at work in us. I have no doubt about it.  There is evidence of his grace in and through every ministry of our church and in the lives of those who have been impacted by our church.  My hope is that we might build upon what the Lord is doing.  Through sticking close to our mission to proclaim and display the gospel of Jesus Christ, I trust that through these three challenges, our vision to see our families, our community and ultimately our world transformed by the power of God will start to become more and more realized.  Consider then joining with me as we continue this pursuit!

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson