July 2, 2023

It’s Not Just the Name That’s New – So Are We

My focus is not on the name. My focus is on us. We became a new member of the Global Methodist Church denomination.

I love new, and who doesn’t love new? I have been thinking about having this new name of our church called Wagram Community Church. What is new about Wagram Community Church? Yes we have a new name but how does this affect our congregation? How does it affect me as the pastor?

What does the Bible say about new? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things become new”. What does this statement, “all things become new”, mean? Does it mean we are just going to have a new name like having a new cell phone, new TV or new car? NO. Paul is saying we aren’t new. What is Paul saying? Paul is saying that we are are not new at all, rather he is saying the we will have a new way or better way of looking at the old things that have passed away. We will have a new way of looking at a church that becomes Wagram Community Church. A new way of looking at the blessings God has given us and a new way of making disciples of Jesus Christ – in worship, in relationships and in witness.

There are a lot of new things that God has given us. Let’s take a quick look at a few of them.

Mark 16:17 “And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name shall they cast out devils, they shall speak with new languages. God will give them a whole new way of speaking, and if they seek after it and accept it, a whole new language speaks only to him” God will give a whole new way to worship him passionately. If we seek after it and accept it, God will help us through the Holy Spirit to be effective in going about making disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ in our worship ministry.

John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another”. The Ten Commandments say we should love God with all our heart and have no other god before him, and that we should love our fellowman as much as we love ourselves. But now there is a new commandment of love – that we must love one another as much as God loves us. That kind of love is a greater love than we could have without Jesus. It is not just a feeling of fondness and gratitude, but a sacrificial love or an extravagant love, that we keep on giving even when it is not deserve

Acts 2:13-18 “These men are full of new wine. But Peter standing up with the eleven, lifted his voice and said to them, “You men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, be this known to you and hear my words; for these men are not drunk as you suppose, but this is which was spoken by the prophet Joel: and is shall come to pass in the last days says God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall still dream dreams and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will our out in those days my Spirit, and they shall prophesy”. (Teach and preach and sing to the Lord with praise).

I hope we understand this and always remember from this day forward, that God has given us not just a new name, but God has given us a new spirit and anointing to do the mighty works for Him. We have that new name or new wine of the Holy Spirit living in us. We can allow God to bless us with equal portion that is given to everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord, or we can seek a greater portion and get totally immersed and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Let that power really move us in making disciples of Jesus Christ through our witness.

I do not know about you, but I love God’s view of new things better than the world view, so much that I want all the Holy Spirit power in me and in our congregation.

It is not just a name that is new for us, so are we. God will give us a new nature, a new desire, a new mission and be able to stand against unbiblical beliefs, against the devil’s agenda, against demons and continue to serve the Lord. We hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will help us find new ways of serving the Lord through us, and through the Wagram Community Church.

Let us remember we are sill Methodists adhering to the Wesleyan theology and beliefs. Once we were old (Methodists), all things passed away. Now we have become new (Methodists) serving God in a whole new way through Wagram Community Church under the new denomination of the Global Methodist Church.

It is not just the name that is new, so are we. Better, improved, rekindled, revived, renewed in serving the Lord. We are The Wagram Community Church!

Amen