What Must I Do?

Posted on October 13, 2024

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What Must I do?

Amos 5:6-7, 10-15

Psalm 90:12-17

Hebrews 4:12-16

Mark 10:17-31

At one of our last board meetings the subject of this Church’s history came up. Then the question came. How long has the Church of the Nazarene been present in Ann Arbor. After some investigating and finding some old pictures and previous anniversary bulletins, we realized that this year marks the 80^th year of this church. So, what a great idea to celebrate and commemorate 80 years of presence in the City of Ann Arbor, MI. In the process of preparing for this I also realized that in a few weeks I will have been attending and serving at this church for 15 years. This is nearly half my life and pretty much my entire adult life being a part of the Church of the Nazarene in Ann Arbor. The church began as the Ann Arbor First Church of the Nazarene. However, nearly 10 years ago we changed the name to Living Hope Church of the Nazarene. In these 15 years alone though we have experienced and served our community in a variety of different ways.

Under the leadership of Pastor Ann Salyer for 9 years, we experienced serving the homeless, those with special needs, those with addictions, working with some pretty rambunctious but wonderful kids, and welcoming anyone into our church no matter how different or out of the norm they may seem to be to culture of our world today. For the last 7 years we have continued to do the same and had the fun and challenging experience of church through the pandemic period and though we have been small we have been chosen by God for a purpose. 80 years is a long time as it is nearly a lifetime. The question is though, what must a church do to last 80 years. I was just curious about the lifespan of the average church so I decided to look up the statistics. The average age of a church in the United States is 92 years and the median age is 67 years. Currently the median age of congregants in churches is between 50-60 years old. Sadly, church attendance has declined in the United States to the point in which in 2023 the average American spent 3.6 minutes in formal religious practices on an average day. What is also most interesting is that the average church plant these days lasts 5 years.

To get to 80 years puts this church above the norm today. So, what must a church do to reach 80 years of ministry? Based on the statistics that I just shared with you I must conclude that it is impossible for a church to do anything extraordinary to last 80 years. That is, it is impossible for the church however, nothing is impossible for God. This church has served in ministry for 80 years because God has willed it so. If this church continues for another 80 years which I believe it can, it is because God has willed it so. With man this is impossible but for God all things are possible.

Mark chapter 10 tells us about a man who comes to Jesus asking the question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” It is ironic that Jesus happens to be traveling on his way towards Jerusalem where he will die so that everyone may have the chance for eternal life. This man though comes to Jesus, genuinely seeking an answer. He is not there in an attempt to trap Jesus in his words like many other elites have been trying to do. It appears that this man understands the concept of inheritance very well. We know that this man has much wealth which mostly likely he had inherited. It is possible that he was a first-born son for in those days the first born would receive a double portion of inheritance and the rest a single portion. It is quite possible that this man is seeking now to preserve his wealth for on for eternity therefore he is asking this question. Jesus tells the man that he knows the commandments, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud someone, and honor your father and mother. All of these particular commandments have to do with man’s relationship with other people. The man claims to have kept all of these things since he was a youth. Therefore, what else must the man do to have eternal life. Mark says, that Jesus loved this man and then speaks the truth of what is in this man’s heart. His focus is not on God but on himself. So, Jesus tells him that he lacks one thing. He should sell all of his possessions and give to the poor and then follow Jesus. Jesus of course is on his way to his death. He tells the man though that if he does this then his riches will be in heaven so he will not have to worry about his earthly wealth. This man goes away sad though because he has great wealth and it is possible that he believed that maybe he could have bought his way into eternal life.

After this man leaves Jesus explains to his disciples how it is very difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven for their wealth cannot buy their way in. He said that it is easier for a large camel to crawl through the tiny eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven. At this time, it was believed that if you had great wealth then this meant that you had great blessing from God and so the wealth itself represented someone who was righteous and would surely be welcomed into God’s kingdom. If you were poor then it was thought that your poverty was a result of great sin and therefore you were not in good graces with God. This is why then the disciples ask “then who can be saved.” If surely not a rich man blessed by God with wealth, then it must be impossible for anyone. Jesus says that while this is impossible for man everything is possible with God.

You see there is nothing that any person can do to inherit eternal life. We are all sinners and if any one of us has done a single thing wrong in their life they still deserve death for that is the price to be paid for sin. However, it is through God’s grace, freely given that one may enter the kingdom of heaven. Nothing that man must do but everything that God does on his own because he loves us. Jesus paid the price in blood once for all to have eternal life. It is difficult for this rich man to understand this concept as they are raised under the conception that everything has a price and can be bought. Jesus flips this concept upside down by stating that the focus should not be on self but instead on others and on God.

So, the answer to the answer to the question of what must I do to enter heaven, and what must a church do to continue to stay open for another 80 years? The answer is that there is nothing that we can do for we can do nothing to earn our way into heaven and we can do nothing to keep a church open for years to come. It is impossible for any of these things to happen by our own actions or will. However, if it is God’s will then nothing is impossible. God makes it possible for eternal life through the death of his only son. The only real thing that we can do is to release control of ourselves and trust that Jesus has paid it all for us. The only real thing that a church can do to continue to stay open for years to come is to do what the church is called to do, preach the good news and trust that God will use the church to be his hands and feet. The rest is made only possible by the grace of God.

15 years ago, it was thought that this church would fizzle out and close, that it was at the end of its life. And yet through the dedication of its believers and by the grace of God this church lives to celebrate its 80^th anniversary. 6 years ago, it was thought that this church would close because the city was forcing us to pay to hook up to the sewer and the funds were just not there to do so. But by the will and the grace of God we are still here through the blessing of alabaster funds which would not exist without the generosity and obedience of God’s church. This church stands though it is impossible because God makes all things possible. This church has an amazing history and story of what God has done and it has weathered many storms. There are many here today because of what God has done through this church and what he continues to do. The Church stands according to His will.