I am very fortunate that I had a mother and grandmother who brought me up in church. My spiritual roots became very strong because of my involvement in the First Baptist Church of Anderson. It's funny some of the things that stick eternally in your mind. Like the Sunday morning when one of my Sunday School teachers approached me in the stairwell and asked me why I had missed that week's revival services. I was playing baseball. He didn't like my response.

Some of the things are actually comical now, but were very embarrassing back then. Like the morning I was so excited about carrying the American flag during the Vacation Bible School processional. After all the pledges I sat down and within a couple of minutes, to my horror, I saw the flag tilting, tilting, and finally crashing to the floor. I must have been visibly shaken because one of the pastors publicly announced for me not to worry about what happened. Isn't it crazy the things you remember?

Or the time I was sitting in the choir loft with the junior choir. During the sermon I had to go to the bathroom so bad. But I was too embarrassed to get up in front of everybody. Solution? I just messed in my britches. Or the time that we had a movie star, Cameron Mitchell, come speak to the church. He was in the area filming Midnight Man. What was so memorable was that he showed up fairly intoxicated.

Or the time our church hosted a community of churches series of revival meetings featuring the Happy Hunters, Charles and Frances Hunter. Little did we know that this couple was highly charismatic. We Baptists were not used to this. I mean there were people lined up with all their sicknesses getting prayed for. There were people left and right getting slain in the Spirit. My dad was not a very religious man. But he happened to be there one night and I remember someone getting zapped by the Spirit right in front of him and the woman fell out into the aisle onto the floor. All my dad could say was, "Dang!'

I remember the Friday night's revival service when, during the time of commitment, my pastor Cort Flint, walked down from the platform and came straight toward me and asked, "Aren't you ready to give your life to Christ?' That night I became a Christian (April 8, 1963). I remember the Sunday morning I came home from Clemson and walked forward to let the pastor know that I was accepting God's call to enter full-time Christian ministry. He asked me to speak to the audience to let them know. I got choked up as I was giving thanks to the many people who influenced my life. Then everyone started grabbing their handkerchiefs. And I can still see the long receiving line after church…members coming down to love on me and encourage me. Those were wonderful years in my home church. The pastor had cast a vision of reaching people and in that downtown location the church had grown to where it was running about 1400 every Sunday. Why am I spending so much time telling you these stories? Because the most recent newsletter I received from my home church stated that their average attendance last month was 343. And I know that the average age of the members is probably around 70.

What happened? The reasons are many: complacency, unwillingness to change methods of reaching people, living on the memories of yesteryear, disunity, infighting, and the list goes on and on.

Did you know the same thing is happening to many other churches across our state? God forbid, but did you know the same thing could happen at Chapin Baptist? I don't want that to happen. You don't want that to happen. By biblical definition churches are supposed to grow. But how? How do we prevent rigor mortis from setting in? How do we assure that Chapin Baptist will be full of life and growth for many decades to come? The answer lies in whether or not the church is willing to buy into and flesh out the vision of helping people connect with God and become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. We are in the final week of our winter messages called "Becoming a Contagious Community.' We've been emphasizing the three E's: encounter (worship), engage (fellowship, discipleship), express (evangelism, ministry). Encounter and engage are very critical to the health of any congregation. But it is the third E that I believe holds the key to longevity and kingdom growth. It is the "express' portion of the vision that keeps a church from turning inward. Because when a church turns inward, the members begin to see the church as existing for themselves. They take their eyes off the lost world. When this happens, decline is on the way.

Last week we talked about the "why' portion of express. Why should we express our faith? Today, we're going to be more practical and talk about the "how' portion of expressing your faith. Hopefully, you are convinced of the "why'. Now let me explain to you three very practical ways you can express your faith. If every member of Chapin Baptist focused on these three things, I promise you this church will grow and be a healthy witness for this community and beyond for many, many years to come.

First, express yourself by finding a place of ministry inside the walls of the church. This church would have to close its doors were it not for the hundreds of volunteers who pitch in every week. It's staggering to think of the man hours that are invested to make sure things run smoothly on Sunday mornings.

Think about it. Someone comes very early every Sunday to unlock the doors, make coffee, distribute attendance records, and make sure everything is presentable. Someone is in the foyer to welcome you and hand you a worship bulletin. A choir, band and orchestra are here to help you encounter the living Christ. Some are operating the sound and video equipment. Others are helping you check in your children. Others have prepared a breakfast for our student ministry. Others have studied all week long so they can teach you God's Word.

Others stay after church to organize outreach visits to first-time guests. Others have baked bread so that it can be given away during outreach visits. Others visit the hospitals and nursing homes during the week. Others help fix things around the church. Others make the property look nice. Others help in the office with records and folding newsletters. Others come on Wednesday afternoons to prepare our weekly Family Night Supper.

Every person needs to pitch in. The Bible says, "He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love' (Ephesians 4:16, NLT). Notice closely how this verse is worded. "He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.' Not part of the body. The whole body. Every member. If you are a member of this church, God brought you here to serve. You have a ministry to do.

Look what happens when every member finds a place of ministry. We help one another grow. And when everyone is serving, what is the result? The whole body is healthy and GROWING and full of love. Show me a church where everyone is plugged into ministry, and I will show you a healthy church.

I know you hear me talk a lot about getting outside the walls of the church. In fact, I'm going to get to that in a minute. But it's also critical that we do "inside the walls' well also. No matter what role you play inside the walls, what you do is vital to God's kingdom. No job is insignificant. Imagine the chaos around here if everyone decided to go on a ministry strike. (Don't get any ideas.) When everyone pitches in, it allows us to create an environment where families can encounter the living Christ in worship and grow deeper in their spiritual journey.

Second, express yourself by engaging in ministry outside the walls of the church. Getting outside the walls is what builds spiritual vibrancy on the inside. More than 400 times the Bible talks about helping those on the margins of society, including the poor, the widow, the hungry, and the lonely.

In God's eyes what does it mean to be religious? Is it showing up on Sunday mornings? Is it reading your Bible? Here is what the Bible says about true religion. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world' (James 1:27)

Every member needs to be engaged in ministry outside the walls of the church. It might be volunteering for the We Care Center or Good Works. It might be going on a mission trip this year that takes you outside of Chapin. It might be going down to the Oliver Gospel Mission to serve soup to the homeless. The Bible makes it clear that our mission field extends beyond Chapin and goes to the ends of the earth. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth' (Acts 1:8).

In the re-casting of our vision, we are challenging every small group/Sunday school class to do ministry together outside the walls of the church. Whether it's monthly or seasonal, that's up to each class. Our vision is to prompt every group to become more than just a weekly Bible study and fellowship. One group in our church is planning a graduation party for the Alternative Academy. Another class adopts needy families in the community. That's ministry. That's building bridges to the community. Strike up some dialogue in your class about what you can do. You have a wonderful opportunity to do something on April 5 which is the annual Community Service day.

Third, express yourself by sharing your story with others. This is really very simple; but most of us make this one the hardest. We don't like leaving our comfort zones. We're afraid of being rejected. We don't know what to say. But let me tell you one way that every single member can do this. You can invite others to church. Do you mean that counts? Yes, that counts.

We need to have the attitude that Paul had. He said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes' (Romans 1:16). You have a story to tell. "But there's nothing special about my story." I could say the same thing. I was brought up in church. I never did drugs or got arrested or anything like that. But God changed my life. And I have a story to tell.

You have a story to tell. Everyday look for those divine intersections where you can share your story. Everyday pray for lost people. Everyday be willing to walk across the room to talk to someone. Everyday take advantage of the opportunity to invite someone to church. Never be ashamed of the gospel. Your gospel story has the power to transform lives.

Do you know why the Dead Sea is called the Dead Sea? Let me give you a biblical geography lesson. In the Gospels we often read of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee dumps into the Jordan River and flows south where it feeds into the Dead Sea. It is called the Dead Sea because nothing can live there. Salt deposits accumulate making life impossible. Therefore, it is called the Dead Sea. But what causes the salt deposits? There is no outlet flowing out of the Dead Sea. Water from the Jordan comes in and just stays there. For there to be life, water has to flow into and out of a body of water.

Just like the river systems in South Carolina. In Columbia you have the Broad, Congaree and Saluda Rivers. They arrived here from the upstate. And they leave the Midlands and go down to the Pee Dee and other regions south of us and end up in the Atlantic Ocean. There is constant flow.

In your spiritual journey you may have a lot of good biblical truth going into your soul. You read the Bible, you hear a good sermon, you hear Chuck Swindoll, and you attend your small group. But unless you are taking those truths and expressing your faith to others, you are just like the Dead Sea. For you to be vibrant in your spiritual walk, you must have an outlet of ministry. The way you keep alive is by finding a ministry inside the walls of the church, engaging in ministry outside the walls of the church, and sharing your story with others.

All across America, churches are declining and many are shutting their doors because they have become inwardly focused. They have forgotten the community that God placed them in. They are more concerned about the next Bible study and why things aren't the way they used to be than they are about the lost and hurting within a stone's throw of their church. God, may that never happen to us. May Chapin Baptist be a church where every member is engaged in ministry inside and outside the walls. May this be a church where every member enthusiastically invites people to church. May this be a church where no one is ashamed to speak up and talk to others about the love of Jesus.