MISSION STATEMENT Of Friendship PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH
The Church has been elected out of the world and established in the world by Christ. Why are we here? Is there an assignment for this assembly? Is there a charge for this Church? Is there a purpose for this people? Let me answer, in the affirmative, YES! With YES being the answer, how shall we approach the assignment? How shall we carry the charge? How shall we pursue the purpose? It is my prayer that this statement will align and assess our activities, command and channel our course, govern and guide our goals, and manage and mandate our ministry here at the Friendship Primitive Baptist Church.
With the Provision of the Father, the Power of the Son, and the Presence of the Holy Spirit, we shall:
I. Center all Activities in the Word “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (II Timothy 3:16-17). Article II under the Articles of Faith in the Primitive Baptist Discipline states “WE BELIEVE the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, and the only rule of faith and practice.” Therefore, all of our business shall be based on the Bible. All of our service shall be supported by the Scripture. All of our work shall be weighed by the Word.
II. Commit our Allegiance to the Work The preacher said “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might...” (Ecclesiastes 9:10a). Jesus said “I must work the works of Him that sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Jesus told His disciples “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father” (John 14:12). James said “I will show thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18c). We do acknowledge and accept the work the Lord has for us to do. It is a great work. Like Nehemiah, “We are doing a great work, so that we cannot come down” (Nehemiah 6:3a). It is so great a work, that we cannot do it alone. Paul said “For we are laborers together with God...” (I Corinthians 3:9). So, while working with and for the Lord, we will not quash, quench, nor quit because “A charge to keep we have, A God to glorify; A never dying soul to save, And fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, Our calling to fulfill: O may it all our powers engage, to do our Master's will!”
III. Cultivate our Assembly to be Witnesses “And the Lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled”(Luke 14:23). “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in all Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”(Acts 1:8). We cannot expect the sinners to come if the saints do not go. We should bring the bound, carry the cripple, lead the lost, and show the sinner. We cannot wait between the walls, we must canvass our community, examine our environment, look for the lost, search our streets, and witness to the world. “But if our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (II Corinthians 4:3-7).
IV. Clearly be Apart in our Walk “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). “I therefore...beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called” (Ephesians 4:1). “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him” (Colossians 2:6). “He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk, even as He walked” (I John 2:6). As Children of God, Christians by Grace, and a Church being Glorified, we are on display for the Divine. We are exhibits for the Eternal. We are lights for the Lord. We are models for the Master. We are samples for the Savior. Therefore, our walk is a walk of: truth, trust, and triumph. We will walk until God takes us. We will walk into translation, as did Enoch. "And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him"(Genesis 5:24).
V. Create an Atmosphere for true Worship “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24). “Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). To worship, the edifice must be ready, the environment must be reverent, the expressions must be real, the experience must be rewarding, the emotions must be released, and those engaged must be regenerated. May we be founded, faithful, favorable, and fruitful in our mission for the Master.