Thanking God Through Christ

The first Sunday of October is a special one for NCF. It was on October 4th, 1987 that at least two significant events took place:

1. The Albany region got hit with a massive snow storm
2. NCF held its first official service

One of those headlines made the news and impacted lives for a month or two. The other one did not make the news but has been making a difference for eternity for 38 years. This morning we celebrate God’s faithfulness for 38 years, and I want to do that by allowing a few people to share their experiences over the years.

NCF began as a church plant in 1986 because a farmer and his wife knew that Fort Drum was expanding and that there were not enough Bible teaching churches in the area. To share a little about that experience is that farmer, and still a part of the church, John Peck.

My journey with NCF began the summer of 1987. I spent the summer at Camp Hickory Hill in Varysburg, NY. I stayed an extra week with the caretaker to help close down the camp. While there, he said to me, “You are from Northern NY, right? There is a church planter in Evans Mills named Pat Wilson. He and his family used to come here and cut down their Christmas trees. If you see him, tell him Dan Dart says “hi”.”

Well, I was home for 1 Sunday before going off to college, and my parents were looking for a new church. We attended Indian River Baptist Church in Philadelphia NY, and they had a guest speaker that morning. A church planter by the name of Pat Wilson.
I had no choice, but to talk to Pat after the service. “You are Pat Wilson? You used to go to Camp Hickory Hill and cut down Christmas trees with your family, right?” By now Pat was a bit weirded out. “Dan Dart says Hi”. We talked for a bit, and then I sent off to college. My parents actually became a part of NCF after that.

The early years of the church were rough at times. But exciting!

We meet in the YMCA in Watertown

We met in a store front in “downtown” Carthage for a few years

In 1990 Laura and graduated from College and moved to Carthage to serve at NCF. I was brought on staff to assist with the youth and was paid $50/month. The church averaged about 35-45 people per Sunday.

We eventually were sold 6 acres of land for $1 by Vincent and Betty Sayre (Doug’s parents). In 1991 our building project began and was completed on August 3rd 1991. There was no carpet, no curtains, no moldings, we sat on metal folding chairs but we were excited to be in our new facility.

In 1994 Pat Wilson left to go to another church down state, and in 1995 I became the Senior Elder at NCF.

Over the years we have been so blessed as a church family.

We’ve seen people give their lives to Jesus and be baptized. We held baptisms at Remington Pond, in pools, Cranberry Lake State Park and at other churches. We have seen hundreds of people come and go from the area. We have said goodbye to too many friends to count.

And through our history we are reminded as to why we are here:

To make disciples of Jesus Christ.

We are here to share Jesus with people so they can be forgiven and accepted by God through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. We are here to help people live out their faith through obedience – beginning with baptism. We are here to help people…
2 Peter 3:18 “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.”

Remembering is important. Israel did it with piles of stones and special festivals. We do it with a special service. But the purpose of remembering is really two fold:

1. To acknowledge the goodness of God.

Psalm 103:2 “2 My soul, bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits”

2. The remind us of the work to be done.

These two things are what we will do together over the next 30 minutes. I want to actually pick up in a single verse in Romans 1 as we consider our anniversary.

Romans 1:8 “8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world.”

First, I thank my God for all of the many people God has allowed us to share life with. With some of you we have shared 35 years. I have been blessed to baptize many of you, perform your weddings, and dedicate your children. I am incredibly blessed to have you in my life and to share the ministry of NCF with you.

Others we only get to share for a short while – a year or maybe even five. But our lives and faith are richer because of God orchestrating all the different lives together in this place – even if only for a short season.

While we are thankful for each of you, and for the many people who have been a part of the church family, we are most thankful to God. We are here because of God. To God be the glory – great things HE has done. We must stop during our anniversary and thank God:

• for his provision – through the lean years and the years of excess
• for his protection – from disasters, from evil
• for his providence – in bringing the right people at the right time for the work He needs done.

While it might be easy to complain, and most of us enjoy doing just that! – it is better for us to be thankful.

Romans 1:8 “8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world.”

Next, I thank God though Jesus Christ. It is only because of God sending his Son, Jesus the Messiah, that you and I are here today. This church only exists because of the work of Jesus.

Colossians 1:15–20 “15 [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. 18 He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

While the church may easily get caught up in buildings, programs, procedures, meetings and celebrations, all of those are meaningless if they are not connected to the gospel of Jesus.

We are here to preach about Jesus. We are here to help people know Jesus and have peace with God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We are a church only as long as Jesus is the head of what we do, and we are called to be faithful to keep Christ as preeminent – giving him first place and following his lead, obeying his words.

• While John contacted the Conservative Baptists to plant a church in 1986 – this is not HIS church.
• While John & Neil helped draft the Constitution & Bylaws of NCF – this is not THEIR church.
• While I have been an Elder for over 30 years – this is not MY church.
• This is not Justin’s church, the Deacon’s church, or the Southern Baptist’s church

This is the Church of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Bridegroom of the church who bought it with his own life.

So I thank my God, through Jesus Christ for this church, and pray it remains faithful to Christ for many more years.

Romans 1:8 “8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world.”

Next, I thank God that He has used NCF to take the message of Jesus to so many places around the world!

One of the unique blessings we have as a church is that we get to invest in the Kingdom of God and we never get to see all of the impact. We get to see some of it, but most of what we do is taken around the US and around the world and we never know the full impact.

One of the young soldiers who was licensed to preach at NCF is now the pastor of Peach City Fellowship Church in Alabama.

Another young man is now serving the Lord in North Africa.

I have photos of a young man who gave his life to the Lord in the front classroom. I have a photo of his baptism. I have another photo of him baptizing his mom which he lead to the Lord. Then I have another photo of him, as a pastor, baptizing Jay Peck. He is now the Pastor of Clay Community Church and you all know him as Pastor Len Flack.

Last week we got to meet with some friends on vacation. One of them gave their life to the Lord through a Bible Study we had in their home. She is now leading studies in her home town for people who do not know Jesus and praying for others to come to know Jesus.

However, MOST of the impact we will never know. Through this small body of believers, the gospel has gone to Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South America, Northern Africa and all across the United States.

Alabama, Colorado, North Carolina, New Mexico, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, Kansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Florida, Minnesota, Connecticut, South Carolina, Montana, Indiana, Alaska, Pennsylvania, Washington, Virginia, Texas, Maryland, Wyoming – I am sure there are more, but that is all I took the time to research this weekend.

Most are actively serving in their churches. Some of you will leave in the next 12 months and add to that list. I thank God for each of you and for places around the world that he will take you.

The Kingdom of God is much bigger than any one local church. I thank God that we have been blessed with a Kingdom mindset that invests in other local churches and in people we know will leave us – because they are called to do the work of the Kingdom wherever God takes them.

But that leaves me with the part of the message that I want us to chew on. We have looked at the faithfulness of God in preserving and blessing this church family. We have looked at the places God has taken NCF people to all over the world. But there is a phrase that I want us to meditate on.

Romans 1:8 “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you because the news of your faith is being reported in all the world.”

“news of your faith is being reported”
I could go on social media for many of you and see what you have been reporting. But, WHAT is being reported about you? In other words, what impact is your faith having in the world around you?

I believe we are in living in troubled times. As you look at the history of our nation, we went from being a nation under God, to a nation that denied the existence of God. We have tried to science and logic away all things spiritual. The result is a society that lacks purpose, that has no regard for life, that redefines good and evil in a way that somehow celebrates the killing of innocent lives whether the unborn, those of Jewish descent, those with political views different from ours, or just kids praying at the beginning of their school day.

We have seen the curtain pulled back on evil and it cannot remain hidden any longer. If there was ever a time where your faith needs to be on display, it is now.

In the church of Rome, the believers would have been ostracized and eventually some of them were burned like torches for their faith and going against the societal norm. Today, the same might happen in the United States of American – and no, I am not exaggerating. Last week 4 people were killed in a targeted attack on a church in Michigan and the building was set on fire with people in it.

Last month we were shocked by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Since then, more young people are attending church services and Bible sales in are up over a million copies over the same time last year.

People are asking questions. And it shows the need for the Good News to be shared. There is now an openness in our culture, especially among those 16-30 to find out more about the spiritual.

WILL THEY FIND answers in modern witchcraft? Or in healing crystals? Or in psychic mediums. Their shops are in every town – and people look to them for answers.

However, the real answer, the one answer to the questions they have, is found in the person and work of Jesus.

• The answer to identity is found in Jesus.
• The answer to peace is found in Jesus.The answer to purpose is found in Jesus.
• The answer to depression, possession, loneliness, meaninglessness is Jesus.

It is not laws that will prevent school shootings, and you cannot legislate meaning and purpose.

You find meaning, you find purpose, you find morality, you find human dignity when you lay down your life at the foot of the cross and start to live your new life the way Jesus did.

The world needs to hear that good news, and in this day, at this time, that is our calling.

Romans 10:14–15
14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.

Listen, it is OK to post news about your favorite sports team – even if you are a Jaguars fan. It is OK to post fun memes and even to share political comments with others. But lets you and I be very clear that all of that is secondary to our primary calling. I believe we are in the midst of a movement of God in this country, and you and I must be careful to make the most of every opportunity to share Jesus.

Ephesians 5:15–17 CSB
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Live in a way that your faith is on display – that honors the name of Jesus. And understand that the Lord’s will is for us to…

Matthew 28:19–20 “19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

• Live your faith
• Speak the truth
• Share the gospel

Each year we have on this earth is another year that Jesus has delayed coming back. The reason for the delay is so that more people can come to know him. Let’s thank God for the years he has given us, and let’s pray that he gives us more years and more opportunity to share the love of Jesus with the people around us that so desperately need it.