Why Are We Here?

Click Here to Listen to the Sermon for Sunday, December 11,2011 by Pastor Rodger S. Loar

Scripture Reference:  Matthew 5:13-16

Why is the church here?  That is, what purpose do we serve here on this earth?  There are some people who would see the church as the police of the world, demanding obedience to God and requiring them to change to follow a set of rules.

That’s not why we are here.

Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5-7 in the Bible) tells us that we are to be a light to the world.  Light is a powerful thing.  If you’ve ever driven in the desert in the middle of the night, you can see the city coming up from many miles away, just from the light on the horizon.  It’s a good feeling when you are worn out from traveling all night, to see that light, that hope, in the distance

The church is here to be like that city.  We are here to point the way for others to find Christ.  Like a guide, we are to show the way to Christ, to demonstrate the hope of salvation that comes only from him.  Our actions, our faithfulness, and our love should reveal that God is there and that He loves the world. 

In this season of Christmas and throughout the year, here are some ways to be that bright, shining light of hope:

1. Be generous and giving:  share your money and your time with those in need.
2. Have integrity:  Know that your coworkers, your employees, your friends and your neighbors can see the choices you make.
3. Share your story: Let people know how God has changed you, let people know how struggle and how you are overcoming the problems you face.

Be a light –

Pastor Rodger

Why Am I Here?

Click Here to Listen to the Sunday, November 27, 2011 Sermon by Pastor Rodger S. Loar

Scripture Reference:  Genesis 1:27-31, Deuteronomy 6:5, and Matthew 22:34-40

Philosophers have been wrestling with the question of existence for millennia.  Why am I here?  The answers are there in God’s word.  From the beginning of the Bible, God lets us know the answer to the question, “Why am I here?”

God put us here for relationship.

We are here to care.

Care for God.

Care for Each other.

and Take Care of Creation.

That’s why I am here.

God put us here to take care of the place.  We are caretakers and we haven’t been very good at it.  All too often, Evangelicals get so focused on heaven, that we are no earthly good.  All arguments about global warming aside, we need to take care of the planet, and yet, we often push away others who care about the environment.  We seem to present the idea to the world that Christ is coming back, so it doesn’t matter how we keep the place.  But God cares about creation and we are called to take care of it.

We are also called to care for one another.  Do we do that very well?  Christians are unfortunately known for treating our own brothers and sisters in sin very poorly.  We have similar divorce rates and even higher abortion rates as the rest of the world.  God cares about our relationships with one another, so perhaps we should treat those better too.

Finally, We are called to care for God; to love Him with all of our hearts and mind and strength.  Sadly, we don’t do a very good job of that either.  Worship on Sunday is just another activity that might fall to the wayside for work or entertainment.  We don’t spend time with God in His word or in prayer.

God put us here to care.

That’s the answer to the question:  “Why am I here?”

The answer then calls us to get to work:

1.       Let’s care for God.  Make it a priority to spend time with Him each week.

2.       Let’s care for each other.  Get counseling, build relationships, seek help, so that when times are hard we can turn to those closest to us for support, and know that they will be there to walk with us.

3.       Let’s care for creation.  Let’s show the rest of the world that we care about the creation that God gave us.  Let’s glorify God by living simply, by cutting our trash, by recycling, by cleaning up.

Let’s care and show the world that we care. 

Pastor Rodger