New Beginnings

In 1911, what eventually would become Calvary Baptist Church was birthed out of an old time brush arbor revival. The brush arbor revivals were revivals that often occurred in crude shelters that were built in rural areas of the South in areas where the community leaders believed that there was a need for spiritual enlightenment. Over the next seventy years, Calvary experienced growth in numbers and in impact on the community. But as the community began to change around it, Calvary began to go through a period of steady decline.

Now we find ourselves in 2014, and we believe that God is about to do something new and fresh in the life of this church called Calvary Baptist Church. We will vote Sunday morning, January 12, 2014, on the approval of a new mission statement and the appointment of a Leadership Council that will be given the task of working with the pastors to implement the mission statement and to make sure that we are working toward the fulfillment of the mission that we believe that God has called us to complete.

As we think about this idea of "New Beginnings" we are reminded of the words of the apostle Paul in Philippians 3:13-14. Paul says, "Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Paul's goal and motivation in life was that he might persevere in the faith until Jesus returns or until he is called home to heaven. In verses 13-14, we are given two clear principles that we must remember if we are going to persevere at the task until Jesus comes.

1. We must not become distracted

Paul uses the imagery of a runner who is in the lead and as he approaches the finish line he refuses to even glance back for a moment to see where his competitors are, because knows that it would cost him the race. 

In life and in the church it is easy for us to either settle in the comfort zone of past achievements or we become paralyzed by the failures of the past. 

If we are going to be the church that God wants us to be, then we must make sure that we don't live in the distractions of the past.

2. We must stay engaged in the mission

The picture that Paul describes here is the runner refusing to look over his shoulder, instead he is seen "straining forward" to what lies ahead. Peter O'Brien explains the phrase this way, "It is a vivid word that is drawn from the games, and it pictures a runner with his eyes fixed on the goal, his hand stretched out towards it, and his body bent forward as he enters the last and decisive stage of race."

If we are going to be the church that God wants us to be then we must grasp fully the truth that Calvary doesn't exist for us, she belongs to God! And we must continually focus our attention on knowing Christ and working for the Kingdom until our King arrives.