Guest's Thoughts
Pastor Derrill Corbin is the lead Pastor of Life Center in Centralia Washington. He and his wife Michal are our Pastors and we are delighted to serve with them in the Kingdom of God at this season in our lives. Life Center is a thriving ,growing church with a progressive vision and we want to share some of the thoughts Pastor Derrill preached to our congregation in 2009
Quarterly we celebrate a Family Life Week - four evenings of teaching, fellowship and celebration. In the spring of 2009 at our FLW, Pastor's teaching theme was, "An unSTOPPABLE force-daring to become the church JESUS had in mind". Here is Pastor's introduction to this series. Enjoy!
The Body of Christ is expressed tangibly in local congregations which are culturally referred to as "churches". Each local church has a specific call, personality, and focus. Various words describe what makes a church what it is: its core values, DNA, personality, or style. Regardless of a church's specificity, there is one truth that we must all embrace: Jesus is building ONE thing in the earth today the Church! Regardless of personal preference, history, or experience we must all find and develop a love for the church, the Body of Christ.
Unfortunately, in many cases, the church has become anemic. Believers are often more concerned with quality gatherings, nice buildings or comfortable chairs. While each of those things may have its place of importance, they are simply a means to an end - and that end needs to be clear in all of our minds - to become the unstoppable force that would change the city, region, state and nation in which we live. But are our chrches that unstoppable? Pastors change, some get their feelings hurt, or a method that's used is not welcomed; and churches fall apart. Is that the church Jesus had in mind?
I have become convinced the church must be an unstoppable force. The church must be the hub of a mission-centered people. The church must be a cause to be reckoned with. The church must move beyond mere meetings and become an innovative voice to the city in which they are planted. Michal and I want to "dare" to become the church JESUS had in mind!
MATTHEW 16:18-19
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed[a] in heaven.”