As part of our “Faith-Wisdom Series”, this 7 May Sunday sermon continues the Mapping Oamaru Baptist Church’s Faith-Wisdom sermon I shared on 26 March.
Previously, I talked about OBC’s faith wisdom in 1883, 1889, 2008, and 2012, which led us to discover the church’s founding values.
- steadfast faith,
- indomitable courage,
- noble vision,
- hope, and
- generosity
This message will discuss the faithful, indomitable, noble, hopeful and generous people of Oamaru Baptist Church and the faith-wisdom discovery map in the past three years.
The flow chart above indicates that we are still on “Faith-Wisdom Discovery.” Next, we will tackle “Testimony Writing and Sharing.” All the tools we discuss and learn are integral to our church planning.
Basic Biblical Principle
Between 1883 and 2023, Oamaru Baptist Church had many faith-wisdom waiting to be found.
The basic principle of faith-wisdom discovery is to search for and find God in all the events of the church’s life.
The faith-wisdom statement above is taken from the 1983 article “In Retrospect” on “Turning Back the Pages: Oamaru Baptist Church Centenary 1883-1983,” which mentions the founding values.
During all the years of its witness in Oamaru, the Church has been steadfastly loyal to the foundation principles of the Evangelical faith. The distinctive and historic Baptist witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, the absolute authority of the Holy Scriptures as the Word of God, the freedom of the individual personality before God, and the right of all to freedom of conscience have been maintained with vigour and without compromise.
“Turning Back the Pages, Oamaru Baptist Church Centenary 1883-1983
Today we thank God for those early pioneer members who, with indomitable courage, steadfast faith and sanctified vision, established the Baptist Cause in this town. We bless our God for every remembrance of them. ‘Their faith and their hopes we share as a glorious heritage. God grant that we prove worthy of the trust they have left us.
Applying the faith-wisdom principles
The slide below shows some events in OBC’s life from 2020 to 2023. The listing is not exhaustive. I selected a few for illustration purposes only.
Now that we have listed the events, you may ask how we search for and find God in these events in OBC’s life over the last three years.
Remember the basic Biblical principle I showed earlier (Slide No. 3), found in James 1:22 and 1:26 and summarized by the phrase, “Faith without works is dead?”
As believers, the church continues to perpetuate works of faith because we have been born again in Jesus Christ.
The same faith moved the early pioneers, “who, with indomitable courage, steadfast faith and sanctified vision, established the Baptist Cause in this town.”
Looking at OBC’s Faith-Wisdom Discovery Map above and reflecting on the events listed from 2020 to 2023 takes us to two questions.
- One is hypothetical. Could those who left have stayed if they knew of OBC’s faith-wisdom statement?
- The other question is reflective. Now that you know OBC’s faith-wisdom statement, how does it impact your commitment to be part of OBC?
As I have mentioned in my previous explanation, faith-wisdom discovery must lead to the formation of a mission statement.
So, based on the faith-wisdom statement, we create a mission statement needed in planning programs for the church.
Oamaru Baptist Church must plan and implement programs that teach, train, and track the founding values of every member (dynamic discipleship).
- steadfast faith,
- indomitable courage,
- noble vision,
- hope, and
- generosity
