Keys to Victory Ahead
By Senior Pastor Dr. Bill Rains | June 1, 2025 | 46th Anniversary
Open your Bibles to Judges 20:1, 8, 11, 26-28. Then all the children of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man…And all the people arose as one man, saying, We will not any of us go to his tent…So all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, knit together as one man…Then all the children of Israel…wept…fasted…offered burnt offerings…And the Lord said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. Let’s pray: Father, thank You for 46 years of victories at Mission Baptist Church. Bless every member, worker, and servant who made this family what it is. Grant us victory ahead as we use these keys to unlock Your purpose. Help me preach. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
On Mission Baptist Church’s 46th anniversary, Pastor Bill Rains reflects on God’s faithfulness through battles and scars, anchored by Romans 8:28: All things work together for good to them that love God. Judges 20 tells a grim tale of civil war in Israel, where 11 tribes united against Benjamin’s moral decay, protecting sodomites in Gibeah after a horrific crime against a Levite’s concubine. Despite initial defeats, Israel’s persistence led to victory when they sought God rightly. Pastor Rains shares three keys to victory for MBC’s future: understanding and embracing our objectives, manifesting oneness, and offering ourselves to God’s service, ensuring glory to God and souls saved.
Objectives Must Be Understood and Embraced
Israel’s tribes rallied with one objective: purge the nation of heinous sin (Judges 20:8). MBC’s objective since 1979 remains unchanged: bring glory to God and save souls (Ephesians 3:21, Matthew 28:19-20). Pastor Rains laments that 85% of churchgoers never invite others to church, reflecting a lost focus on soul-winning. The Great Commission—go, teach, baptize, disciple—is our marching order. Pastors, musicians, and members can get wrapped up in duties, forgetting the goal: salvation. Every member must make soul-winning personal, as Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, our joy and reward are those we lead to Christ. Forgetting this objective, replacing it with selfish agendas, leads to apathetic, apostate churches functioning as social clubs. MBC must stay true to glorifying God and saving souls for victory ahead.
Oneness Must Be Manifested
Three times, Israel acted as one man (Judges 20:1, 8, 11), knit together like yarn in a rug, united in purpose. Pastor Rains recalls crocheting as a child, intertwining strands into one unit, illustrating the body principle (1 Corinthians 12:13-27). The church is one body with one head—Christ—moving in one direction. A two-headed calf or body is a deformity; likewise, churches fail when individuals push personal agendas. Every significant church problem stems from someone prioritizing “my way” over God’s. Pastor Rains urges MBC to work as one, aligning with the biblical agenda, even following pastoral leadership as it aligns with Scripture. Unity, not division, ensures victory as we function as God’s army against Satan.
Offer Yourself to God’s Service
Israel’s initial defeats came from praying wrongly, asking who should fight without seeking God’s victory (Judges 20:26-28). Only when they wept, fasted, and offered themselves through sacrifices did God promise, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. Benjamin’s 700 elite slingers were no match for a surrendered Israel. Pastor Rains, called reluctantly to preach, learned surrender brings victory. Life isn’t about personal glory; it’s about being God’s servant, saying, “Here am I, send me.” MBC’s future depends on members offering themselves daily, praying, “God, give me a burden for souls. What can I do to fill these chairs?” Victory comes when we surrender selfish desires, work with others, and dedicate ourselves to God’s purpose, ensuring MBC’s greatest days are ahead.