When a group is asking serious questions about why they exist and what their priorities should be, I encourage them to look back to the beginnings of their group to see what was most important to their founders. I'm not saying that we should be subservient to the ways things have always been done. What I mean is that we can often be guided by remembering the priorities that led to our existence.
Lake Avenue Church is now 117½ years old. When I consider the priorities that our church should have for its future, I always consider whether where we are headed now is consistent with what God put on the hearts of those who sacrificed so much to give birth to our church. Several essentials always emerge:
• Being a part of a "believers' church" movement – All people are called to believe in and follow Jesus as Savior and Lord at LAC. We thus are exclusive in that we insist on the Lordship of Jesus over all. But, we are inclusive in that we also insist that all who follow Jesus are to be included in our church family.
• Making a difference for the kingdom of God in our own neighborhood – Our property was donated by Pasadena mayor William Waterhouse. From that point on, LAC people have been committed to being witnesses to the saving power and the transforming love of Jesus in this community.
• Being involved in God's global mission – From the earliest days, the people of LAC made major sacrifices to identify, send, and support gifted people from within our own church family to carry the good news of Jesus to places where the gospel has never been heard. Our church has always been energized by being involved in a mission much bigger than ourselves.
• Being a family in which each one serves and grows to become complete in Christ – The City of Pasadena was a mere nine years old when a small band of women, inspired by the vision of 11-year-old Haidee Bryan, formed the Lake Avenue Sunday School. Since that time, we have called people to faith in Jesus, instructed in the Scriptures about faith and life, and sought to be a family in which we grow together to become complete in Christ.
I could say much more about our beginnings as a local church. But, this week, I ask us all to take this same approach in our personal journeys of faith. How do we know personally that we really belong to God's family? What priorities do we see in the earliest Jesus followers? I think that we can learn much from the first church people and what they did in Acts 4. Read what happened when they first faced difficulties. I think that you'll find their lives to be instructive, challenging, and inspiring.
To His Glory,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor