Celebrating God's Faithfulness

January 13, 2019 Preacher: Randy Smith Series: Miscellaneous

Scripture: Psalm 89:1–8

Celebrating God’s Faithfulness

Psalm 89:1–8
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Pastor Randy Smith


The four words I heard the most this week, “Sorry about your Bears.”

It’s hard to put into words how I felt after last Sunday’s game. If you watched it, you know what I am talking about. The Bears are in control of this game. Wait, momentum has shifted to the Eagles. Touchdown, Bears. Ball back in our possession late in the fourth quarter. Can’t the defense stop the Eagles? Fourth and goal. The Eagles score and take the lead. This game is over. Hold on, a routine 43 yard field goal and the Bears win the game. The kick is up, it hit the upright. It hit the crossbar. It bounced out. Bears lose. And while every Eagle fan was screaming in hysteria, every Bears fan was in a state of shock. It was hard to comprehend, almost as if anytime I was going to wake up from a dream.

I feel that way when I think about this church campus. Less than 10 years ago we were in a little old building in Lake Como. Here we are today in an incredible facility completely debt-free. It seems too good to be true. It seems like anytime I am going to wake up from a dream.

This morning I would like to share my testimony as it pertains to obtaining this building. It was a journey filled will best and the worst of emotions. It was the journey God placed me on to trust Him, preserve though heartache and setback, lead a congregation with diverse opinions, examine my priorities and refine my character.

This will be my testimony. You know I rarely talk about myself on Sunday morning. This will be an exception. The goal of this message is to glorify God and encourage you by sharing what God did with me through most of 2009. Furthermore, I am not implying that only I have a testimony regarding the building. You heard from others this morning and I know there are several dozen others in this congregation that can share of their own sacrifices and blessings. This will be my testimony, but this building is a celebration of God’s faithfulness through many of you as well. And finally, I will be breaking from my normal exposition of Scripture. This is a special and unique service. I could preach a text, but today I would like to keep it personal. I am not looking for pity or honor. This is God’s special work seen through my eyes. My desire is that God might be glorified. This presentation from the pulpit is and will be a unique exception to my Sunday morning style.

Maybe it was a nursery in the basement. Perhaps it was a sanctuary that was roughly the same dimensions as our present fellowship hall. You could argue it was a women’s restroom comparable to one you might see in a studio apartment that would freeze if the seat was closed. Maybe it was the night after we got serious about discussing the need for a new building, when a chunk from the ceiling in the basement fell directly between the feet of Anthony Marsango and I at 12:30 in the morning.

God does not hold churches accountable for the size of their building. Bigger buildings does not equate with better pastors. Excellent ministry had always taken place in that facility in Lake Como. However, we dared to dream that we could do things better. We dared to dream that we could impact more people for Christ. And we dared to dream that if God desired this that we would provide a larger facility.

There was no doubt that He would need to act. We just didn’t dare to dream this big. Maybe it was humility. Maybe it was looking only at our immediate needs. Maybe it was desiring God to act, but yet limiting the expectations so we could still pull things off in our own strength. None of us ever imagined that we would be in a building of this size. And not only a large building, but also a building that was fully furnished and would cost us a fraction of what it would cost to build from scratch.

Our theme verse became, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21).

The building committee was formed. It basically was the leadership team at that time. It consisted of deacons Anthony Marsango, Jim Freda, Al Fossa and Sergio Fossa. Also were elders Russ Brewer, Billy Taylor and myself. Over a span of approximately two years we visited nearly every vacant structure and plot of land that we believed could be a potential. We met throughout the week, often into the wee hours of the morning. We flew in consultants.

I remember one consultant warned me saying, “Over half the pastors after a building project leave the church. And that even accounts for the building projects that are successful.” He warned that the amount of stress pertaining to the need to deliver while managing a congregation that all wants input down to the color of the curtains. All this with asking individuals to make a significant financial sacrifice will push pastors to their brink. He asked who the building committee was. I told him it was all the leadership. He got very concerned about our board being divided. He asked me who the committee chairman was. I told him it was me. He got very quiet.

But when I think of those years, I like to remember it as a team effort. What had the potential to divide us actually created more cohesiveness. As a small church we pulled together with a unity and focus and mission and passion that I have never seen before. We learned to depend on one another, but ultimately depend on God.

I remember Sergio making all kinds of charts that we posted in the church. We had the prayer chart. Remember that one? People would sign-up for a 15 minute segment. And when each person did their job, we had continual prayer 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Then we had the fasting chart. As a church we would sign-up for a day to fast and devote concentrated prayer to the building project. We even had professionally made special prayer cards for the occasion.

Personally I was all in. I wasn’t a just pastor; I was a member of God’s family seeking to make every effort possible, not only to provide an example, but genuinely join you in the trenches of personal sacrifice. I never fasted more in my life. Actually it got to the point when Alan Fossa came to me with concerns about my health. I’ll come back to that one.

At first not everyone wanted a new facility. And among those who did, there was a diverse opinion of what we should build and where we should build it. Only by the grace of God we came together with one mind. We would move forward with a building project. People were excited about a new church.

I was pleased that people were excited about a new church, but I personally had no idea how it was all going to come together. I remember nearly every night before bed looking out my living room window asking God to make things happen. It was a long period of waiting on Him as I watched the seasons change before my eyes.

So far that had been the easy part. Only one small obstacle remained. How are we as a small church going to raise over a million dollars in what many were calling the worst economic time since the Great Depression?

A new building is great, that is until we learn how much God might be calling us personally to give. Ownership of half the Seaside building helped. We knew we could sell our present building. But still, we are over a million dollars short. How about soliciting wealthy Christian donors? I believe we wrote over a hundred letters. We sat back and just waited for the money to rain from heaven. Absolutely nothing came in.

So this was going to be on us. I preached seven straight weeks about what the Bible says about giving in relation to furthering God’s work. We prayed and fasted more. We expressed the need no different than Moses did with the building of the Tabernacle.

“They received from Moses all the contributions which the sons of Israel had brought to perform the work in the construction of the sanctuary. And they still continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning. And all the skillful men who were performing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work which he was performing, and they said to Moses, ‘The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the LORD commanded us to perform’” (Ex. 36:3-5).

Could that happen in our situation?

We never gave financial expectations for each person. We simply asked people to learn the need and pray about what God would have them give. Each family throwing in a few thousand dollars would never meet the need. We needed God to radically call people to radically part with their money. Now how much do you really want a new church?

Like many of you, would God put this building on the heart of my wife and I as a greater desire than our retirement, children’s college fund and their future weddings? Can we get to the point when the people of God make the family of God greater priority over their own personal family? That’s where all in our little church needed to be to make this building we are enjoying today a possibility.

And for those of you who were here in the fall in 2009, you will recall that memorable Sunday when Russ flashed the number up on the small wall overhang in the front of the sanctuary. It was a combination of gasps, applause, shock and tears of joy. Over a million dollars came in. We were ready to move forward.

Not long after the money was collected, this incredible facility became available. I can remember driving here late one night and laying my hands on this building and believing with all my heart that if God wanted us here He would deliver this building into our laps.

The first meeting with the owner ended with the price tag of 5.2 million dollars. That was simply out of our league. Intense negotiations took place between him and us with the counsel and input of Anne Abbud.

I was in Illinois at the time speaking at the 25th Anniversary celebration of my former church. The following day I was recalling memories as I was walking the track around the football field of Wheaton Central High School. Julie called for me from the car. She gave me the phone and said Anne needs to speak with me. I learned that she negotiated the price to 3.8 million dollars. We were now prepared to sign the contract. I picked up this rock to remember the occasion (show rock).

Yet there was still one more obstacle. We would need to borrow the remaining money. The contract was signed. We had three months to secure the loan. No loan and we forfeit the earnest money, which I believe was over 200 thousand dollars. Getting a loan should be simple, right? But we couldn’t find anyone to lend us the money. The clock was striking the proverbial 11:45. How was I going to tell this one to the church? And that’s when it hit.

All I remember was Sunday morning coming to church in preparation to preach and my body completely shutting down. I could barely move. I could barely talk. I just sat there staring into space knowing full-well that within 10 minutes I would have to preach the first of three sermons. Russ and Billy came into my office. Julie was trying to tell them what was going on. It was like I was dead and I was watching three people talking about me concerned and confused, but myself being unable to contribute anything to the conversation.

Only by God’s grace I preached those messages. The next morning I was in the emergency room. I didn’t go to church for the following two weeks as I experienced the most significant spiritual warfare and depression I had ever been through in my life. Julie would sit by me on the couch and read the Bible. Christian music also brought comfort, like David’s harp did to Saul.

Eventually my strength returned. God used Pastor Russ to secure the loan literally minutes before the clock struck midnight.

When I think of those days I remember our crowded three services every Sunday morning.

I remember going with Al and Russ to the Freehold auction thinking the building would be auctioned off for a few thousand dollars. As we sat there for hours I told Al, “If the building is offered I am going to buy it.” Al said, “You can’t do that. You need the Congregation’s approval.” I told Al that I withdrew all the money left in our bank account and I was prepared to write the check that day.

I remember people to this day still saying that something that challenging is their best memories at Grace Bible Church.

I remember our last service at “Little Grace” being Good Friday and our first service here being Resurrection Sunday 2010. How poetic and fitting!

I remember my first sermon from the pulpit that morning being Deuteronomy 8. That like He did for the Israelites when they returned to the Promised Land that God provided for us vineyards we did not plant and wells we did not dig and houses we did build.

And I remember on that first Sunday, the entire congregation of our church, after what people call the most decisive thing for a church, minus only one disabled man who couldn’t make the drive, gathering here as a unified body to worship our Savior.

Praise God for His faithfulness seen through the faithfulness of His people. May we and all the future generations to come look back on the people of this church who at one point of time were used by God to rise to the occasion.

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