Vision

The vision for LSBT is “Building People to Christian Service”. Below are notes and audio from the messages that Fred Allen, our Senior Pastor, preached to the congregation in order to help communicate the direction that LSBT is going and what the church’s focus should be.

Message One – “Building” – Ephesians 4:11-12,16, 29
The first part of our vision is to “build”. This is important because God instructs Christians to build others and provides for the building process. We are to follow after things that build others (Rom 14:19, 15:2) and realize that we must have charity because charity always builds others. I Cor. 8:1

Christians should live to build the lives of other people. The actions of a Christian should be controlled by what builds, not by what is “legal” (I Cor. 10:23). Authority is given to Christians and churches for the purpose of building others (2 Cor. 10:8) and everything Christians do should be for the purpose of building others (2 Cor. 12:19).

Message Two – “People” – Titus 2:13-15
Jesus came to save the people of the world. People who are in darkness need Jesus who is the light and died to make reconciliation for the sins of people. Jesus sanctifies the people with His own blood.

When people get saved, they become the children of God. People who are now the children of God were not God’s people in the past (Rom 9:26) and people who become God’s children are called peculiar people. The eyes of those who see Christ are blessed.

A Christian’s main purpose is to take the Gospel to the people of the world. The apostles were commanded to preach unto the people (Acts 10:42). Christ died and rose from the dead to show light to the people. Acts 26:22-23

Message Three – “Christian” – 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
A Christian is one who knows he is in Christ and that he is alive unto God (Rom. 6:11). A Christian also knows he has the light of God shining in his heart and that he is a new creature that has liberty in Christ (Gal 2:4; 5:1).

A Christian is one who lives by Christ’s instructions. A Christian lives a life based on faith in Jesus Christ to do the good works God created him to accomplish (Eph. 2:10). He lives to have unity in the faith and to be kind, tenderhearted, and to forgive others (Eph. 4:32).

A Christian has a life in which others can see Christ. The Christian shows others the love of Christ and the gospel of Christ with his or her lifestyle (Phil. 1:27). A Christian shows others Christ by walking in the Lord and by teaching and admonishing others (Col. 3:16).

Message Four – “Service” – Romans 14:17-19
God wants Christians to do service to Christ and to serve what they yield to. Christians have been given the privilege to do service to God (Rom. 9:4,5,8) and this presenting to the Lord is a Christian’s reasonable service (Rom. 12:1-2).

God wants Christians to do service to Christ with a right heart. A Christian’s attitude about others is determined by his service to the Lord (Rom 12: 9-11) and a Christian does service to the Lord from the heart. Eph. 6:6-8

A Christian should know the importance of doing service to God. Paul robbed other churches to do service to the church at Corinth (2 Cor. 11:8-9). Jesus did service to God by obeying Him (Phil. 2:6-8).