Last week we got our 40 Days of Outreach off to a great start. We talked about Jesus' dream for the church. When our Lord said, "I will build My church," He was dreaming of bridges that would take His followers into a world filled with unbelief, hostility, immorality and skepticism. Jesus' dream for His church is my dream for Chapin Baptist Church, a dream that involves moving the church outside the walls of these facilities into a community that desperately needs Jesus Christ.

Several Saturdays ago a house down the street from us caught on fire. I'm grateful for firefighters. They put out the fire, but not before smoke caused significant damage. My family was home that afternoon, and I'm ashamed to say we never even heard the sirens. We didn't have a clue until after the fact.

Did you know that on any single day there is an average of 2,700 wildfires on this planet that burn up acre after acre of forests and grasslands? But we don't hear about them, do we?

I believe something similar is happening across America today in the spiritual realm. There is a wave of congregations that is figuring out what Jesus meant when He said, "I will build my church." Churches all across our land are connecting with their communities and are making a difference for the kingdom. You may be completely unaware, but it's happening. First Baptist in Leesburg, Florida; LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado; Lake Avenue Church in Pasadena, California; Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio; Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock, Arkansas; Concord Baptist in New York City; Perimeter Church in Atlanta. These outside-the-walls churches are popping up everywhere. Do you want to catch the wave? I certainly do.

Outside-the-walls churches are filled with outreach-focused members. I believe Chapin Baptist Church is taking giant strides to becoming the church God has called us to be. But how can we go from where we are now to the place where we are absolutely certain that we are building the church Jesus envisioned. How do we move outside the walls? There are four matters I believe we need to address.

First, there is a mindset we must overcome. Last week we talked about how most evangelical churches exist for themselves. They develop a club mentality whose primary purposes are to serve the needs of their members. They focus on getting people into the church and generating activities inside the walls. They may provide powerful worship services, in-depth Bible studies, and marvelous programs for children and students. These are extremely vital. But if all the resources and energies are poured into inside activities, then something is missing.

A lot of times I hear people debating on what's more important, worship or evangelism and ministry. Our number one objective in life is worship. The church's number one task is evangelism. Which is more important? Do you remember the story in the gospels where someone asked Jesus which commandment is the greatest? That's practically the same question people debate today. Interestingly, Jesus couldn't answer with just one. He said, "Love the Lord your God…." Worship—that's the greatest. But then He said, "The second is like it: Love your neighbor."

I believe what He was teaching is that worship indeed is the most important thing we do. But if our worship doesn't lead to evangelism and ministry, then we haven't really worshipped. Turn with me to Isaiah 1:13-17. God, through the prophet, pointed out that their times of worship, their offerings, prayers, singing, etc, were worthless because they were not resulting in motivating them to care for the poor and struggling. They loved God, but they didn't love their fellow man.

We must overcome the "inside-the-walls" mindset. Don't get me wrong. We must be strong inside the walls. But I'm afraid that we become so focused on what happens here that we don't live out Jesus' dream of building bridges to the outside world. Oh, we Christians like to shout out how filthy our world is. Do you think that impresses Jesus? I don't think He's all that impressed with picket signs and verbal tirades. What impresses Him is when we help the unwed mother raise her child, when we help the drug addict overcome his addiction, and when we tutor the child struggling in school.

Outside-the-walls churches equip people not just for spiritual growth but also for spiritual impact. They want to make a difference in their communities. They aren't satisfied with a few changed lives. They want to change the world. This is the mindset we must develop.

There is a mindset to overcome. Second, there are targets to be reached. I know what I'm about to teach you is an oversimplification. But I think it communicates. There are two entities we must target. Let's call the first group broken people. I'm talking about those who live on the margins of society. Every community has them—the poor, the sick, the orphan, the widow, the shut-in, the alcoholic/drug addict, the prisoner, and the immigrant.

Almost 400 times in the Bible God tells us to care for this group of people. God has a special place in His heart for them. So should we. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 10:17-19. [Read.] Read through this entire book and see how often God brings up this subject. He made provisions in the law for the broken. He told His people to receive offerings to give to those on the margin. He told farmers to leave some of the harvest for the poor.

God cares for the poor. He wants the church to do the same. Government programs are helpful. But basically these programs have been instituted because the church has fallen down on the job. Now, too many believers have the attitude that the government is responsible.

Our mandate certainly includes reaching out to as many as possible in the greater Chapin area. But God also is calling us to broken people in downtown Columbia, West Virginia, Moldova and Brazil. I'm praying that God will touch many of your hearts during the 40 Days and prompt you to take a short-term mission trip. Why? Doing so will give you an opportunity to engage in hands-on ministry to broken people. And, perhaps even more importantly, you will come home from your trip a changed person and one who is ready for God to use in significant ways right here in our community.

The second target we must reach is the city. I believe God wants Chapin Baptist Church to be a blessing to our city. Turn with me to Jeremiah 29 (p. 558). We love to quote verse 11, "For I know the plans I have for you…." But have you ever noticed the preceding verses? These words were addressed to God's people who had been taken out of their homeland and displaced to a new city in Babylon (modern day Iraq) where they lived under a godless king named Nebuchadnezzar. Through the prophet Jeremiah God told them to blend in with their new culture and to make a difference.

Verse 7 gives a specific word of instruction. [Read.] Two primary things they were to do. They were to seek the peace and prosperity of the city and they were to pray for it. I think God expects the same thing from His people today, no matter how wicked and pagan that city might be. I don't think He ever intended that the church would run and hide from the evil culture. Nor does He want us to compromise our moral beliefs and standards. We need to seek ways we can be a blessing to our city. We need to pray for God's blessings upon our community.

Several years ago a school district in Kansas City was facing very difficult challenges with low morale and high turnover. In 20 years this district had seen eighteen superintendents come and seventeen of them leave. The pastor of a suburban Methodist church challenged his congregation to get involved. Members got the names of every district employee, all 5,700 of them, including cafeteria workers and custodians, and handwrote a personal note of encouragement letting them know they appreciated them and were praying for them. Many members engaged in tutoring and reading programs. This church found a simple way to be a blessing to the city.

Labor Day weekend is a big deal in our city. The mayor and other city officials want it bigger and better every year. That's why three years ago we started offering the night of comedy and something for our students on the Sunday before Labor Day. It's a lot of fun. Many outside our church attend the events. We go in the hole a couple thousand dollars. But the investment is worth it. It's a simple way to be a blessing to the city. Being a blessing is not rocket science. Being a blessing builds bridges and lets people know we care.

There's a mindset to overcome. There are targets to be reached. Third, there are beliefs we must accept. I'm not talking about doctrinal beliefs. Although though doctrine is very important, let me announce to you that the unsaved world is not checking out our doctrine before they come. When you go to repair their house, they're not asking what we believe about the Trinity or which view of the second coming of Christ we hold.

Outside of doctrine there are a few things we must believe if we are to become an outreach-focused church. First, we must believe that good deeds and good news cannot and should not be separated. What's more important? Doing good needs or verbalizing the gospel. Not a good question because the two go hand in hand. Omit either one and you're disobeying God.

The Bible tells us that after some months of observing Him work, Jesus sent His followers out to do ministry. Notice this verse: "and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick" (Luke 9:2). Preach the gospel (evangelism), heal the sick (social work). Good news, good deeds. Both must be ingrained in our Chapin Baptist DNA.

Second, we must believe that our church is vital to the well-being of our community. Our church cannot be truly healthy unless we are involved in the community. But keep in mind that God did not call us to be social workers. He called us to be kingdom builders. The gospel carries the most power when believers become salt and light and engage in face-to-face relationships with others in the city. They build bridges not walls.

Third, we must believe that ministering and serving are the normal expressions of Christian living. We grow spiritually the most when we are serving others. Yes, we can learn a lot in the small group classroom. But true spiritual growth is very minimal. Outside-the-walls should be normal, not just during The 40 Days of Outreach.

Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati is well-known for its servant evangelism where members show Christ's love in various ways with no strings attached. I love what the founding pastor Steve Sjogren stated to a group of church planters: "Don't go to start a church…go to serve a city. Serve them with love, and if you go after people nobody wants, you'll end up with people everybody wants." The motto at this church is, "Small things done with great love will change the world."

Finally, there is a Jesus we must proclaim. May we never forget that it's all about Jesus. He is the reason we do what we do. We learn about Jesus, we live for Jesus and we tell others about Jesus.

On Palm Sunday Jesus arrived in Jerusalem for the last time. He rode on a donkey. People lined the streets and walked ahead of Him and the donkey. They shouted praises, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord." The donkey may have thought it was all about him. After all, he was the one doing all the work. But really, it had nothing at all to do with the donkey. He was simply carrying the Message. It was all about Jesus.

In the same way, it's not about Chapin Baptist Church. It's all about Jesus. Our role is simply to carry the message into the community and beyond. And if we consistently move the church outside the walls, then we are in for an exciting ride.