This weekend, Olney Baptist Church celebrates our 47th anniversary. When the church started in 1977, it was a mission – not a fully chartered church – made possible by the work and sacrifice of area churches, denominational support, and a few brave souls ready to start something new.
The community was itself very different. Many of the shops, buildings, traffic lights, and other landmarks in the Olney area weren’t around in 1977. Not as many people lived in the Olney community then. In the last 47 years, the population has risen significantly. The area has changed.
The church itself has changed since 1977. No one who was part of that initial group is still attending OBC today. Most have passed away. A few moved away. We do have a handful of “Charter Members” from when the church officially chartered in the early 1980s, but even that number has diminished over the years.
I once heard an old deacon at my childhood church say: “A church is like a train. People get on. People get off. But the church keeps moving down the tracks.” That deacon — Floyd White — was one of the principal founders of the church that later ordained me. Floyd White himself is now with the Lord.
Things change over the years. People do come and go.
But some things don’t change.
One of those things is the purpose of the church.
The reason Jesus commissioned His church – and it is His church – is found in the following passage:
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20, KJV)
The way the early church fulfilled this commission is found in the Book of Acts. That’s why we have the Book of Acts. You can look specifically in Acts 1 and 2, and see the prayers in the Upper Room, Peter’s call for repentance in his sermon at Pentecost, his exhortation to be baptized following their repentance, and then what the early church did continually in the days and weeks that followed…
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 2:42
Their sacrificial dedication and commitment can be seen in what follows. They held “all things common,” sold their possessions, and then (from the proceed) gave to those who had “need.” While this wasn’t something they did continually (as was the case with Acts 2:42), it was something that God used to jumpstart His church post-Pentecost. And it became the foundation of their outreach and support ministries to their community, including their highly popular food ministry.
These are the things that a church is to do continually:
- Tell and teach people about Jesus (evangelism)
- Baptize them when they receive Christ
- Teach those who receive Christ how to follow Christ (discipleship)
- Teach and organize around the apostles’ doctrine (the Scriptures)
- Fellowship together
- Do Communion (aka the Lord’s Supper) together
- Pray together
- Give to and serve those who have needs (inside and – as we can and are able – outside the church family)
These are the things that the church is supposed to be doing.
We can’t just do some of the above things. We must do all of them.
But…. and here’s the key….
The church is YOU.
It’s you working “together” with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
We must love, pray, evangelize, and serve….together! These aren’t things we can outsource to staff – and call it a day. The elders (including yours truly as senior pastor) are here to pray, minister the word of God, and train and equip the saints for the work of the ministry. (See Ephesians 4 and Acts 2). The staff are here to help manage and coordinate. And…
ALL of us must be about the work.
Every single one of us.
And it’s in that spirit that I honor the men and women who have made 47 years of history possible here at Olney Baptist Church. And it’s in that spirit that I pray for and look forward to many more years of OBC doing its part for the Kingdom of God in the Washington, DC area.
God bless you!
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