In the Bible Christian Ministry
Sunday 7-12-26 (23rd Anniversary)
  • Just Want to Praise You
  • Gospel Medley
  • Praise
  • I Thank God
  • Lord, You are Good
  • Trust In God

  • Recognition and Thank yous

    INTRODUCTION: THE 23-SECOND LOOP

    If you were to isolate a single drop of blood in your body right now and track its journey through your vascular system, medical science tells us it will take that individual drop exactly 23 seconds to make one complete circuit.
    It leaves the chambers of the heart, travels all the way down to your furthest extremities, fights the absolute downward drag of gravity, and returns safely back to the precise location from which it was pumped.
    In those 23 seconds, that drop of blood does two vital things: it returns to the heart to be renewed, and it is pumped back out to sustain life.
    It does it without panic. It does it without a frantic rush. It does it by a silent, rhythmic, sovereign design.
    it follows the vacuum of the world created just for it.
    In the human body, when blood slows down, it’s usually because of resistance—clogged pathways, exhaustion, or dehydration. Let’s be honest: over 23 years, there have been moments where the 'blood' of this church felt late. There were seasons of fatigue, seasons where the vision felt blocked, or times when we felt spiritually dry. But the beauty of a living body is that a temporary slowdown isn't a death sentence.
    "If a drop of blood is late returning to the heart, the heart doesn't lock the door and say, 'You missed the 23-second cutoff, you're out.' The heart keeps beating, waiting to welcome it back, oxygenate it, and give it a fresh start.
    For 23 years, In the Bible Christian Ministry has been sustained by a divine circulation loop. Every single season of valley, every mountain peak of triumph, every structural change, and every cultural storm we have stayed on track.
    We are not standing here today on our own merit.
    We are standing here because the Master Architect of this house has maintained an unbroken, rhythmic pumping of sovereign favor through our spiritual veins.
    But here is the danger of reaching a milestone like 23 years.
    The world we live in operates entirely on a frantic, performance-driven sprint.
    The culture demands that we scream, that we hustle, that we pivot with every breaking news headline, and that we look at the waves to determine our velocity.
    We have seen ministries throw their entire spiritual alignment out of sync because they tried to dance to the beat of the world.
    But God does not move to the frantic pace of the culture. God operates in an unbroken cadence.
    The world changes
    People change
    Styles change
    GOD DOES NOT CHANGE

    Church of Colossae:

    Colossae was once a magnificent, bustling metropolis on the major trade route running from Ephesus to the Euphrates.
    By the time Paul writes this letter from a Roman prison, Colossae has been eclipsed by its neighboring sister cities, Laodicea and Hierapolis.
    It is now an unstable economy, and worse still, the valley is highly susceptible to devastating earthquakes.
    The Colossian church was not being threatened by a single, massive wave of overt persecution;
    They were facing a steady waves of deceptive philosophy —
    a toxic blend of localized Jewish legalism,
    mystical angel-worship
    —things designed to convince the believers that Christ alone was not enough to keep them secure.
    When a community experiences rapid financial loss and watches its cultural status completely evaporate, it almost always seeks a sense of control through spiritual elitism.
    They used to be the top trade place but Rome built some others. So now these other stops were better
    They were panicking. They were wondering if Christ was enough, Did Paul give us enough or if they needed to adopt a new, modern cultural rhythm. And Paul writes to them in Colossians 2:6–7 to lock them back into the beat of eternity.
    All this PANIC So Paul had something great to say. Some good advice was needed. Some groundbreaking
    Colossians 2:6–7 NIV
    6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

    Look at the text. Verse 6: “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…”
    Paul is telling them: “The same steady rhythm that got you saved is the exact same cadence you must maintain in your everyday conduct.”

    THE COMMAND TO COORDINATE

    Ancient Greco-Roman maritime world.
    When a massive galley ship or military vessel pushed out into the deep Mediterranean waters, its entire propulsion relied on banks of rowers positioned down in the dark lower decks of the ship hull.
    Those lower-deck rowers had a very unique reality: they were completely blind to the exterior environment. They could not see the horizon.
    They could not see the jagged rocks.
    They could not see the commercial vessels or the oncoming storm clouds.
    Their entire universe was shrunk down to a single sensory input: sound.
    Elevated above them on a central platform stood the Keleustes ((kel (rhymes with bell), YOO (sounds like the letter U), stees (rhymes with fleas)))—the ship’s rhythm officer.
    He didn't touch the rudder, and he didn't pull an oar.
    His entire job was to hold heavy wooden mallets and strike a sounding block: Thud... thud... thud...
    That acoustic beat was called the keleusma—the authoritative command stroke.
    Survival in a storm required absolute acoustic surrender.
    can’t try to predict the beat. Can’t be early, can’t be late
    If a rower panicked because he heard the waves crashing against the exterior timber, broke rank, and began pulling his oar erratically, his oar would instantly collide with the man next to him.
    A single out-of-sync oar would tangle an entire bank of rowers, strip the vessel of its steerage way, and cause the ship to capsize under its own weight.
    Preaching Point: Safety is not found in a quiet world; it is found in a focused ear.
    Jesus anchored this exact truth in John 10:27 when He said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
    John 10:27 NIV
    27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
    In an ancient Near Eastern stone sheepfold, hundreds of sheep from different flocks were mixed together overnight. In the morning, it was a wall of absolute chaos—hundreds of animal voices bleating simultaneously.
    The shepherd didn't sort them visually. He stood outside the gate and emitted a low, rhythmic whistle. Amidst the deafening noise, his sheep locked onto that one familiar frequency, untangled themselves from the crowd, and walked out to who they KNEW.

    THE LIVE STAGE DEMONSTRATION

    bring the three volunteers up onto the stage for the illustration.)
    Let me show you exactly what happens to a believer when their feet lose the acoustic beat of the Holy Spirit.
    (Position Volunteer A in the center of the stage as the "Walker". Position Volunteer B to the side as the "Master Clapper".)
    I want Volunteer B to start a steady, clear, unhurried clap. Clap... clap... clap... Now, Volunteer A, I want you to take exactly one step every single time you hear that hand strike.
    (Watch them walk smoothly and orderly across the stage for a few paces.)
    Notice the order. Notice the peace. Notice the consistent progress. This is a local church that is anchored in the Word. But watch what happens when life starts getting loud.
    (Signal Volunteer C and Volunteer D on the left and right sides to start clapping aggressively, out of tempo, making frantic, chaotic noise.)
    Look at what is happening to the walker now! The moment the room gets loud, their feet start to hesitate. They are stumbling. They are looking around out of panic. They are unintentionally accelerating their stride to match the panic of the room!
    This is the state of a believer when they try to match their lifestyle to the optics of a stormy environment.
    The world is clapping to the rhythm
    of political division,
    economic anxiety,
    and cultural trends,
    and it’s throwing your spiritual stride completely out of sync!
    Romans 12:2 NIV
    2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
    You are trying to handle a divine walk with self-reliant, frantic sprinting. Human Ears.
    But look at what our Master does when the lower deck gets dark and the room gets loud.
    He doesn't always silence the storm outside the hull. Watch this—Volunteer B, step off your platform. Walk right out into the middle of the chaos, stand directly next to the ear of the walker, and clap right next to them.
    (Volunteer B moves directly adjacent to Volunteer A’s ear, maintaining the original steady tempo. Volunteer A closes their eyes, locks onto the immediate sound, and regains a perfect, confident stride across the stage.)
    🎙️ Vocal Cue (Drop your volume, lean over the pulpit): Church, this is Colossians 2:6! “As you have received Him, walk in Him.” The Master didn't leave you at the stern of the boat to yell commands through a megaphone from a distance. He stepped down into your row! He got up close to your ear! When the world gets loud, Jesus gets closer!
    James 4:8 NIV
    8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. .....
    Now you may think that’s the role of the Pastor, That’s the role of the Elder, The Bishop
    Nope Jesus is reason you have spot on the boat,
    God is navigating the Boat
    The Holy Spirit is in your ear.
    That’s the issue many times we got a Pastor in our ear and not the Holy Spirit
    We got a Deacon in our ear and not the Holy Spirit
    The reason I can stand before you today and say anything is because we should both be listening to the same beat of the HOLY SPIRIT
    It wasn’t Paul they had to listen to
    Paul didn’t even know them
    Colossians 1:4 NIV
    4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—
    Colossians 2:1 NIV
    1 I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.
    John 16:13 NIV
    13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

    THE CAUSE OF VISUAL DRIFT

    If you want to know what breaks the cadence of a 23-year journey, it is when we stop navigating by sound and start navigating by sight.
    Look at the catastrophe of visual distraction in Matthew 14. Peter is sitting in a storm-tossed boat. As long as his entire universe is a two-point acoustic loop—Jesus says "Come," and Peter steps—the natural laws of gravity are suspended. Peter walked on top of deep water in direct alignment with the keleusma of Christ.
    Matthew 14:29–30 NIV
    29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
    But if he had continued as he STARTED he would have reached His Goal.
    The text says the exact moment Peter began to sink was when he looked at the wind
    Think about that textually. You cannot see wind. Wind is an invisible force. Peter wasn't looking at the wind; he was looking at the effects of the wind—the spraying foam, the swelling waves, the dark sky, and the terrifying optics of his environment.
    He stopped listening to the voice that commanded the elements and started looking at the ELEMENTS.
    Look at the Galatian church. Paul screams at them in Galatians 3:1,
    Galatians 3:1 NIV
    1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified.
    They didn't leave the ship. They didn't stop reading the text.
    They just let a legalistic, performance-driven sound step onto the platform and dictate a frantic sprint of self-righteousness.
    Jesus wasn’t enough...they had to obey these laws and do extra to be truly saved.
    They traded the smooth, rhythmic motion of grace for the exhausting performance trap of the flesh.
    Hear me clearly: If you change the rhythm that got you saved, you will capsize the ship before you ever strike the harbor dock.
    Peter stopped listening to the Voice that creates the earth and started looking at what was created.
    We stop listening to the voice that can remedy our problems and start looking at our problems
    The voice that created the people around us and at the people
    Created the elements and focus on the elements.

    STABILITY

    How has In the Bible Christian Ministry maintained focus for 23 years without breaking rank?
    Look at the shift in verse 7. Paul moves from our active responsibility to three passive verbs that reveal God’s sovereign anchoring mechanism:
    Colossians 2:6–7 NIV
    6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
    The way you started is the way you finish.
    Just as you recieved — CONTINUE
    Just as you BEGAN — CONTINUE
    How did you start — Rooted and Built up in Him, strengthened in Faith you were taught and OVERFLOWING WITH Thankfulness
    Thanking him for your salvation
    Thanking him for your healing
    Thanking Him for your development
    But now - You are good enough
    Now - He is an afterthought, you are the reason
    “...rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
    Look at those three participial engines holding the ship together:
    Having been rooted: The passive voice means you didn't dig the soil—God did.
    Being built up: You didn’t build you. You were BUILT.
    Being established: Meaning to make firm, reliable, and binding. You didn’t do that He DID!!!!
    John 10:27–30 NIV
    27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
    Preaching Point: We do not hold us together; the God holds us.
    As we maintain our steady, obedient row, the Holy Spirit continuously applies divine cement to the joints of this ministry. That is why 23 years hasn't weathered our structural integrity—it has increased it.

    THE BLIND HELMSMAN OF THE MERSEY - LEGEND

    In the late 19th century, long before the invention of modern marine radar or digital navigation, the River Mersey in Liverpool, England, was considered one of the most perilous commercial waterways on earth. It was plagued by sudden, dense, blinding sea fogs that would drop over the water without warning.
    Massive commercial vessels and passenger ferries would find themselves instantly blinded in the middle of fast-moving river currents, surrounded by the deafening, erratic, frantic blaring of dozens of other ships' foghorns. Captains would panic, lose their bearings, steer erratically out of visual fear, and experience catastrophic, fatal collisions.
    However, there was one passenger ferry boat that boasted a legendary, unblemished safety record spanning over two decades through the worst fogs in English history. When a maritime journal interviewer asked the captain how he safely navigated the blindness of the Mersey without drifting off course or capsizing, the captain revealed his secret. He said: "I deliberately place a completely blind helmsman at the wheel."
    The captain explained: "When the fog rolls in, a sighted man's eyes will deceive him. He looks at the swirling mist, panics at shadows, tries to visually calculate what he cannot see, and steers erratically into danger. But my blind helmsman is completely unbothered by the optics.
    When the fog drops he blocks out the panicked screaming of the passengers on the deck, ignores the chaotic foghorns of the surrounding ships, and tunes his ear exclusively to one thing—the distinct, low-frequency, rhythmic chime of the lighthouse fog-bell ringing out from the safety of the distant pier. He keeps the bow pointed directly at the sound. As long as he keeps rowing to the rhythm of that bell, we strike the center of the dock perfectly every single time."
    Hebrews 12:2 NIV
    2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
    🚀 The Climax / Altar Call Invitation: In the Bible Christian Ministry, for 23 years, this cultural landscape has been a blinding fog!
    The world has been blowing its own frantic, trend-driven foghorns, screaming at us to abandon our doctrine, panic at the shadows, and row faster in a dozen different directions!
    If we try to navigate by what we see on the evening news, we will steer this ship into a shipwreck!
    Our Master Helmsman doesn't look at the fog! He has His ear locked onto the eternal, rhythmic cadence of God's unchanging Word!
    I want to call this church to drop your oars back into the water today! Close your eyes to the distractions of the culture!
    Stop calculating the height of the waves in your personal life!
    Listen to the Master’s mallet hitting the block.
    Hear the thud of His grace,
    the thud of His mercy,
    the thud of His unbreaking truth.
    If you will just stay in tune, stay keen to His Word, and keep pulling our oars to the beat of the Savior’s voice... we will reach every single kingdom dock He has set for us!
    "The world will tell you that survival depends on how fast you can run. But 23 years of kingdom history has proven that survival depends on how well you can listen. Stop trying to match the frantic speed of a panicked culture, and settle into the steady rhythm of a sovereign God.
    The storm outside may be deafening, but as long as His voice is the loudest sound in your ear, your ship will never capsize."

      • Colossians 2:6–7NIV2011

      • John 10:27NIV2011

      • John 10:27–31NIV2011

      • Romans 12:2NIV2011

      • James 4:8NIV2011

      • Colossians 1:4NIV2011

      • Colossians 2:1NIV2011

      • John 16:13NIV2011

      • Matthew 14:29–30NIV2011

      • Galatians 3:1NIV2011

      • Hebrews 12:2NIV2011

In the Bible Christian Ministry
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