If you tried to write a formula for an effective church ministry you could include many of the following variables—not all would be valid and helpful:  size of church, having a building or not, resource base, location, age, submission to the Spirit, reputation, submission to the Word of God, mission statement of the church, belief in the power of God, color of the building, quality of the kid’s ministry, type of church government,…  The list could go on and on.  All of these variables may be of some importance and of some indication of the spiritual effectiveness of the church. 

However I think the most important variables in this formula would be these: the intentions of God, the power of God, the submission of the people to the Word of God, and the submission of the people to the Spirit of God.

The intentions of God.  God has His plans and His reasons and His timing.  He does what He wants to do and He shows up and accomplishes great work in various times and various ways—and sometimes for unknown reasons.  No church can be effective unless God shows up and works in His wisdom.

The power of God.  God is capable of doing whatever He desires to do.  When He intends to use a church greatly for His work He also accomplishes that.  No church can be effective unless God shows up and works in His power.

The submission of the people to the Word of God.  God causes great things to happen when His Word is taught, honored, and obeyed.  Any ministry formula without a core variable being submission to the Word is not going to add up.

The submission of the people to the Spirit of God.  Self-willed, independent, and even highly skilled people are incapable of genuine spiritual impact without the Holy Spirit.  And the Holy Spirit works and empowers submitted, dependent people. 

More than our size, location, age, color of carpets, or even reputation in the community I believe we need to align ourselves with these four “variables” in the ministry effectiveness formula.  Here are some of the particulars of that alignment.  I am stating these in the form of an ancient creed:

I believe in the Person of God and the power of God and the grace of God. 

I believe in the purposes and the timing of God.

I believe in God’s habit of using the “foolish, weak, and ignoble.”

I believe in the work of the Holy Spirit through submitted people.

I believe in the non-partiality of God.  He is interested in using big churches and little churches, old churches and new churches, suburban churches and urban churches—any churches that are submitted to Him and to His Word.

I believe in the power of God through submission to His Word.  For one example consider Ephesians 3:20, 21:   “Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.  Amen.”  Ephesians 3:20, 21 has absolutely nothing to do with the age or location of a church.  It has everything to do with the plans of God and the submitted, hoping hearts of His people.

I believe in you, the Body of Christ at Cypress Bible Church.  I believe in you the people who are throwing your energy, hearts, time, prayer, money and spiritual gifts into the fray.  You do not look “washed up” to me.  You look good-hearted and striving and sacrificial and full of faith.  You look discontent with the approach of “just pulling off another Sunday and then getting back to ‘our real lives’ during the week.”  You look hopeful to me.

Because of these true statements above here is every reason to stay hopeful about Cypress Bible Church—to stay hopeful about God showing up in and through us.  Please stay hopeful about God using us for spiritual impact that is “far more abundant beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to His glory.”

God is generously giving to me renewed energy for the Body here—before my sabbatical!  God is giving to me renewed hope about His using us for spiritual impact.  God is giving me renewed commitment to both prayer and striving.  I am thrilled about what He might do.

What He might do is a factor of several things.  The major factor is what He will do.  The minor factor is what I, Dave Gibson, will do.  And the other major factor is what you, every member of the Body here, will do.

This past Sunday in our worship service we watched a video about Alexandre Bilodeau who is a world class, Canadian freestyle skier and was highly motivated by his older brother who has cerebral palsy.  Alexandre said, “My brother has a wicked level of determination.”  Then he said that because of his brother’s determination he decided to be “all in” for skiing.

“All in” is a gambling metaphor and I never promote gambling because it is addictive (and for many other reasons) but “all in” is really good metaphor.  It refers, obviously, to holding a poker hand that is so good that a player pushes all of his or her chips into the pot and stakes the whole game on the hand they are holding. 

The Christian faith is an “all in” faith—no matter what kind of a church you are in.  Again the issue is not “the hand we are holding” but the God we are serving and the submission and faith we are exhibiting.

Here is my commitment to you:  “I am ‘all in’ here at Cypress.”  I will be all in with my heart, my prayer, my money, my spiritual gifts, my energy, my personality, my time, and my hopefulness.  I will serve here at Cypress with a “wicked level of determination.”

I am all in for the reasons I mentioned earlier and I am all in because I see evidence that God is showing up.  I see three teenage girls trusting Christ this month through our student ministry.  I see a bunch of adults and kids getting ready to be baptized this month.  I see a positive impact of our team that built a home in Acuna, Mexico and also had a part of leading two people to Christ.  I see the impact of our team that ministered in Chennai, India over spring break.  I see us being faithful in our service to Lamkin Elementary School.  I see 130 people joining small groups this past year.  I see people worshiping in spirit and truth on Sunday mornings.  I see you caring for each other and welcoming new people.  I see our elders and staff working with diligence and relational skill.  I see our deacons and other volunteers giving of themselves for the wellbeing of others.  I see our folks caring for the elderly and visiting the sick and giving to the unemployed.  I see hundreds of you coming up to the crosses two Sundays ago and nailing your confessions and prayers up before God.  I see God bringing the resources we need to press on. 

I am hopeful about Cypress and I am all in.

Here is my request of you:  “Will you be all in for the Body at Cypress?”  Will you be all in with your hearts, your prayer, your money, your spiritual gifts, your energy, your personality, your time, and your hopefulness?”  I am not asking you to burn yourself to a charred stick by giving too much to CBC.  I am asking that you be faithful about loving your family. That you fulfill your responsibilities at work and make impact for Christ in the workplace and neighborhood and school.  That you are skillful in “self-management.”  And that you contribute with diligence to CBC.  

I am asking that you be hopeful and prayerful and diligent about the spiritual impact of Cypress—not because of the hand we are holding but because of the God we are serving.