Last Sunday we celebrated our 40th-year anniversary at CBC. The church began with seven families meeting in the living room of Don and Lorren Smith, on the first Sunday in June of 1979. The impetus for starting CBC was the prevalence of theological liberalism within mainline churches. Those original families were rightly convinced that liberalism is cancer to the church. Sometimes, the only way to deal with this type of infection is to start a new church. Praise the Lord for these families who did this!
My prayer is that God would preserve CBC for another forty years of ministry. For that purpose, I want to sketch something of a manifesto for these next forty years. If we stay faithful to these principles, God will continue to use us.
Central to all that we do must be the glory of God. There is no higher purpose. There is no deeper motive. All that we do, all that we say, all that we accomplish must be centered on this goal. We gather to proclaim his excellencies. We live to shine forth his renown. We exist for him. To God alone be the glory. Forever and ever. Amen.
The way we will stay focused upon the glory of God is by means of Scripture. The Bible is our divine lifeline. It is God’s rule in the church. It is our foundational document. All we that we teach, believe, and preach must align with God’s holy Word. It is inerrant, sufficient, and clear.
As Scripture reorients our affections, God’s Spirit will move us to love one another. This body must be committed to serving one another. We must seek not to be served, but to serve, and to give our lives up for others. In all that we do, may our love for one another shine.
Our love for others must manifest itself in a passion for global missions. God’s purposes for this the church must be global. There are people who live, breathe, and die without hearing the name of Christ. The realities of sin and judgment must drive us to “declare his glory among the nations” (Ps 96:3).
May God move us to faithfulness in these principles,
Pastor Chance