TEXT: Philippians 3:12-14 "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

1. "He who refuses to learn from history is destined to repeat the mistakes thereof."

2. Everyone of us knows of a congregation or religious movement which has lost its

original purpose.

3. Historically, religious groups go through a common cycle before becoming ineffective

and sometimes even ceasing to exist.

a) Start with a MAN or a founder.

b) The man has a MESSAGE.

c) His MISSION is to share his message with others.

c) As more hear the message they organize and become a MOVEMENT.

d) The man dies, the message and the original mission are lost and the movement

becomes a MONUMENT.

4. This often occurs but does not have to. By studying the mistakes of the past carefully,

and by forethought, planning and vision we can avoid this happening here.

a) Vision is essential to success

b) The man who devised the left sliding door on new mini-vans had vision, now

they all have them, but only one can be first!

5. 1Cor. 3:6- God gives the increase but only if we plant and water!!!

6. Many congregations have had the right man and the right message, but they have

ceased to move forward because they have stopped planting and watering!

7. Too often a group will reach this stage and panic, throwing out reason, authority and

pattern, in an effort to grow without evangelism.

8. Today we will examine the elements of this cycle, in an effort to avoid becoming a

monument instead of a movement.

1. Mohammad (Islam); Budha (Budhism); Mary Baker Eddy (7th day Adventist);

B. Our Founder is Jesus

1) Matthew 16:18 "Will build My church"

2) Acts 20:28- Which the Lord and God purchased with His own blood.

3) Heb.5:9; 12:2- Author and finisher of our faith.

4) 1Cor. 3:11-No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is already laid,

which is Christ Jesus.

5) Upon the fact that He is the Son of God (Matt.16:16).

6) Webster- Jesus- "Founder of the Christian religion."

C. It is Christ to whom we are converted, not to an organization!

1) Acts 11:21- Turned to the Lord

2) Acts 9:35- Turned to the Lord

3) Not to preacher or even the church!

4) These are means to an end, not an end in and of itself.

5) We are different because of our Founder, Author, and Finisher, the reason we exist

is Jesus Christ, Savior, Messiah, Only begotten Son of God.

6) The only one who can give us salvation and whose blood cleanses us of our sins

(Acts 4:12).

7) TO WHAT WERE YOU CONVERTED!?

a) To the church of the Christ or the Christ of the church ?

b) The most detrimental act we could perform would be to separate the

movement from the man and the message! (Like separating H. Ford from his

motor company).

D. Be converted to Jesus!!

1) Acts 3:19- Repent therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out!

2) Baptized INTO CHRIST: (Gal.3:26-27; Rom. 6:3)

3) After we are converted to HIM, He adds us to HIS body of saved, obedient

believers (Acts 2:47).

A. Jones, Koresh, Smith and others promised a Eutopia on Earth, Garden of Eden etc.

B. 1960's promised if we would Tune in, Turn on, Shoot up and Drop out we would

move our minds and eventually ourselves to a better dimension, a new level of

consciencness.

C. As followers of Jesus Christ, what is our message to be?

1) We are lost in sin (Rom.3:23) and can be saved because He paid the penalty for us

(Rev.1:5)

2) Matthew 16:16- "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

3) 1Cor. 1:23; 2:1-2- Christ and Him crucified.

4) 1Cor. 15:1-4- The good news is, Christ died, was buried and was raised on the

third day.

5) Because of this, we can be raised also (1Cor. 15:20-34)

6) Acts 8:35- "Preached JESUS to him!?"

7) John 3:16- For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son;

8) Acts 2:36- Preached that they had killed Jesus whom God made both Lord and

Christ!

9) Acts 4:10-"Let it be known to you all, that by the name of Jesus Christ of

10)Acts 3:14-15- "You denied the Holy One and the Just...and killed the prince of life.

11) Acts 7:56- Stephen gave them a course on the life of Christ from Abraham to

present and they killed him!!!

12) Tasted death for every man (Heb.2:5-9).

A. Matthew 28:18-20

B. Mark 16:15-16

C. The mission of the church is to seek and save the lost, nothing more, nothing less.

A. This results from taking the message to others (Waco; Jonestown; Salt-lake City; )

B. Acts 2:41- Three thousand baptized, began the movement!

C. 2:41-47- Movement organized- continued together, were together and had all things

in common; Sold possessions to help each other; The Lord added to them daily those

who were being saved.

D. 4:4, 32- 5,000 more and then multitudes sold property and gave it for the welfare of

the group.

E. 5:14- Increasingly added to them both men and women.

F. Acts 6:1-7- Appointed 7 to take care of benevolence so they could spread the

message and promote the movement!

G. Started in Jerusalem, to Samaria (8:1,3,4-) Went everywhere preaching the word.

H. To Ethiopia (8:26-40)

I. To Gentiles in Acts 10

J. To Ephesus and finally to Rome (11-27)

K. 16:5- Strengthened in faith and increased in number daily.

L. All the world-

M. Europe and then to America, to almost every country in the world has gone this

movement with its message about the Man Christ Jesus!

1. Has spread at an alarming rate in former USSR.
2. Is now spreading in China.

III. SOME BECOME MONUMENTS. (cold, lifeless, granite statues, that are good

only to look at)

A. Not worth much unless you are a pigeon! or an art major!

B. Acts 19- One part of the movement that became a monument.

1. 12 men who were baptized by John's baptism were converted to Jesus and

   properly baptized.

   2) Paul taught a two-year training course in the school of Tyrannus

   3) 18-20- Many believed and destroyed the sinful tools of their old trade, magic,

   sorcery & witchcraft burned magic books worth fifty thousand pieces of silver!

   4) They were so on fire with the message that they started a city-wide riot!! (21-41)

   5) When was the last time you saw an American city in turmoil because church

   members were converting so many people that the denominations were

   concerned?!

   C. Acts 20 Paul and the Ephesian elders meet in Miletus and talk about old times.

   1) Reminded them of the past (17-21) - remember how we taught you everything that

   was helpful for you, and kept back nothing, the whole counsel etc.

   2) For three years I warned you night and day with tears. (31)

   3) 28-31- Warned them that trouble was going to come. If they had prepared, thought

   it out and planned ahead perhaps it would not have been so bad.

   4) They cried and prayed and Paul said "I'll see you no more."(36-38) .

   D. Revelation 2:1-7 30 years later:

   1) Still doing right things (2-3)

   2) But for wrong reasons:

   a) No longer because of Jesus their founder (First love, reason for existing).

   b) The message had changed from the Christ of the church to the church in

   Ephesus.

   c) Perhaps they had books like "How to Get Along in the Ephesian church";

   "What is Expected From Members of the Ephesian Church"

   d) They probably had brethren policing the area churches to see if they were still

   doing things the way we always had!

   e) They were doing what they'd always done for no other reason than, they had

   always done it.

   3) Did we strike a familiar chord? How many religious movements are now

   monuments?

   E. How to Avoid Becoming A Monument Instead of a Movement:

   1) Don't neglect to teach it to our children (Judges 2:10)

2. Don't stop planting and watering (1Cor.3:6).
3. Don't rest on past accomplishments (Rev.2:5) Remember how far you have

(Rom.12:3).

5) Don't replace the Christ of the church with the church of the Christ, they must be

kept in order!

6) Don't forget the message or the mission (1Cor. 2:1-2).

7) Don't forget the size of the field (Matt.28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-16).

8) Don't forget the sacrifice (Rom.5:8).

9) Don't faint or lose heart (Lk.18:1).

10) Don't forget the lost! (Lk. 15).

11) Don't forget the crown (2Tim.4:8; Rev.2:10).

12) Don't forget eternity (Matt.25:46).

13) Don't forget to put away the past and press on to what lies ahead (Phil.3:12-14).

1. As a church where are we? Man, Message, Movement, or Monument?

2. As an individual where are you? Man, Message, Movement, or Monument?

3. The Man is Jesus; His Message is salvation from your sins; His Mission is to take this

message to the whole world; His means of doing this is the Church, the Christian

movement; When we stop moving forward with these things we have simply become

a monument to the past.