WHO WE ARE 2023

Connecting People with Jesus for life

We are starting this sermon series about Who We Are. We believe that there are many churches and we share a common mission and common goal and that is to advance the Kingdom of God. But sometimes the Lord gives specific goals, specific focuses or specific means to accomplish that goal. For example, ministry in the inner city does not look the same as ministry in Angus and mule country. It might be the same goal but its accomplished by using different means. Makes sense? Its not that one method is better, it can just mean that its different depending on the location. But the mission stays the same.

Now to tell you a little about the specific mission and vision for Connection Church at Richland. We need to start with a little bit of history.

Back in 2013 and 2014, Thompson Station Baptist Church began the process of launching a church plant in Columbia. They began by choosing their Children’s Pastor, Pastor Eric Nichols to be the campus pastor for the Columbia Campus. Pastor Eric is a Columbia native with deep roots in the community.

September 7, 2014 Thompson Station Baptist Church, Columbia had their community launch in Riverside Elementary school. In a very similar process, they upgraded the school’s equipment and partnered with them in the community. Sound familiar??

In 2019, the TS took up an offering and fully purchased a building on Wayne St in Columbia. There was enough money raised to purchase and renovate the building. What a wonderful blessing it is to have a church that doesn’t have a mortgage right off the bat! Honestly, if it wasn’t for that, we may not be there. Wayne St probably couldn’t afford to staff two churches if it wasn’t for this fact. It frees us up to do so much more ministry.

But that Summer in 2019, Pastor Tom of TS said that it was time for the Columbia Campus to be autonomous.

So, January of 2020, was the official launch of Connection Church. What a year to launch a church huh?? 3 months later, we were shut down...

But the Lord blessed us and grew us even in the crazy year. We were growing and the Lord was and still is doing amazing things. But we grew and grew to the point of bursting.

One important detail and fact about us at Connection is that we do not desire to be mega churches. Pastor Eric does not desire to pastor a mega church. I do not desire to pastor a mega church. That is not a slam against mega churches. Its a recognition of the call that the Lord has placed on my life. I am not called to pastor a large church. But the vision the Lord has given us is to grow by multiplication, to plant churches. In our DNA is the desire to raise up leaders from within and send them out. To send them into communities to advance the kingdom, not through huge programs but through deep and meaningful relationships.

So, we as Connection Church started the process of planting a church in 2021. I was serving as the Youth Pastor and Pastor Eric and the elders selected me to be the pastor of the plant. We decided to come to North Giles county and we have been truly blessed to partner with Richland High and Middle School here. And we are excited to see what the Lord is going to do here in this community!

Interesting note, Candace and I were at Thompson Station leading a small group when they planted the Columbia Campus but the Lord told us that now, wasn’t the time. We had to travel another road to get there. We walked into the Riverside campus in 2018, needing to be ministered to. And the rest is the Lord doing amazing things to bring us to this point.

I would love to share more of that story with you over coffee or something! Our journey here has not been an easy one but the Lord’s hand has been obvious to us. He provision has been great and His grace has abounded...

So, its important to note that the mission, values and vision of Connection Church at Richland are based off of Connection Church at Wayne st. Pastor Eric has set these in place for us as a church but its also important to know that he has given me some freedom to fit this DNA into what the Lord is leading us in Lynnville. Because ministry in Lynnville does not look exactly like ministry in Columbia. There are some difference. But he vast vast majority of our DNA is united with them. We are one church, one mission, one vision, one set of values. And honestly, I LOVE THEM!! I’m not just sharing these because i need to but because I love them! I believe in them! I want us to be united in them!

Talking about mission, values and vision can sound simplistic and kind of pointless or just informational but there is a challenge in this! There is a challenge to be this kind of church. But its wroth the challenge. There is something special about a group of people unified around a mission, towards a goal. If that goal is too vague or unspecified, its easy to get lost or off track.

Its vital to the health of a church or any organization that its people unify around a mission and the means to accomplish that mission.

The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. And it is a lot harder for him to do that to a unified body or believers, walking arm in arm towards an achievable goal. A goal that has been made clear and that we all buy into.

Jesus, before His crucifixion, prays what is called the Highly Priestly Prayer.

John 17:20–23 (ESV)

“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

Do you see what unity can do?

Jesus’ prayer for you and for me is that we are “one” or unified, just like He is one with God, the Father. He wants us to be so in-tune, so close, so unified that we, you and I, look like Jesus and His Father.

If that is going to be the case, then we must know what the mission is. We must understand what the goal is.

Jesus is pretty clear what that mission and goal is.

So, that the world may know and believe that the Father sent Jesus to this earth and that the Father loves us just as greatly as He loves His Son, Jesus.

Who is the world, people.

He says that if we are unified then people will believe in Jesus and His love.

He says that if we are unified, then people will “know” about Jesus and His love for the people of the world.

But that word “Know” is an experiential understanding. not just mental understanding. But to experience Jesus and the Father’s love.

So, a unified people show or provide a link to the truth about Jesus and His love.

Let me put this is simple terms, easy to remember.

Our Mission is to Connect People with Jesus for life.

Our mission, the mission that we desire you and I to unite around and put our hands to the plow about is to work together to connect people with Jesus.

See, but its a lifetime journey not just a one time event. Its a lifetime of learning about Jesus. Learning about His love. Learning about the love of the Father.

Our mission is not to just lead people to Christ but to continue to provide ways and means to connect people with Jesus for life. We do that through worship, through preaching, through small group bible studies, through discipleship, through mentoring, through serving together.

In all that we do, may it in someway connect people with Jesus.

But that is not just a mission or goal as a church organization. But it should be each and every one of our goals as followers of Christ. If you are in Christ, you have been made a new creation. Did you know that the new creation that He made you into is someone that connects people with Jesus??

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

I have often heard this phrase “new creation” used in a vague way. Like whatever bad inside of you, you have been made new. And we stop there. We keep it vague. We keep it unspecific so that we don’t box ourselves in. A new creation is hopeful but keeping it vague leaving room for our imagination to run to what that looks like.

But that can take us places that we were not meant to go.

We were made into a new creation, and the Lord tells us what that new creation is. We are made into ambassador’s for Christ.

We have a new identity.

An ambassador is an official sent to a specific foreign land to be the representative and spokesperson for the king.

The ambassador is one of the points of communication and connection to the king.

So, we as a church and we as individuals are called to connect people with Jesus. That is our mission as a church.

Can a bunch of us new creations, ambassadors, unify around to the point to bring about the ministry of reconciliation together? Can we do that as a church? Can you do that as an individual?

2 points that we can get from this passage about being ambassadors for Christ for this ministry.

1. We were placed by the King.

We as Connection Church believe that the Lord has placed us here in Lynnville for a specific time and a specific purpose. This is no accident that we are here. God placed us right here in the community to connect people to Himself. We are selected to be on this mission. We have been given the task to shine the light of His love into this community.

We are to be a beacon on a hill to announce to this community that Jesus came and died to reconcile this broken world back to Him. That is our purpose in this town.

Now, you also have been placed in this specific community or in that specific job, or that specific family for a purpose. You have been selected by God to be the beacon on the hill for His love to those around you. Your mission, your purpose is to shine the light of the love of God to those in your family, those in your workplace, those in this community.

The verse of the day on YouVersion is Matthew 5:16

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Can we be unified in that? Can we agree that the Lord is going to do great things here in this community because He has called us to it?

2. We represent the King in our words and deeds.

Colossians 3:17 ESV

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

An ambassador speaks for the king. Their words are to be the words that represent the goals and mission of the king. The things that we say should be the words of the King. Because the Lord desires to bring about His message of reconciliation through us.

2 Corinthians 5:20 (ESV)

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

God makes His appeal to a lost and dying world through you! Do you see that? The King has an incredible message! This is not some burdensome or heavy message but a message of hope! A message of reconciliation. A message of peace!

We get to speak peace to a hurting people. We get to speak love in a world bent in hatred.

But its not just our words as ambassadors that matter. Its our deeds, our actions. Colossians 3:23

Colossians 3:23 ESV

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

The deeds or actions of the ambassador reflects the king. Our actions reflect the heart and mission of the King.

Again with Matthew 5:16

Matthew 5:16 ESV

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Let you deeds be done in manner that glorifies the Lord and not yourself. Let them see the love that we have for each other and then they will know that we are followers of Christ.

Our lives are living representatives of the King of kings. No pressure, right?

We must remember that the Lord has placed you and me right here in Lynnville together for a reason.

We must remember that the new creation that the Lord has created us to be is to reflect His words with our words and reflect His heart with our actions. To be His ambassador. To be His messenger. To be ministers of reconciliation.

Can we do that as a church? Can we do that as individuals??

Can we be united in connecting people to Jesus? Is that a mission that we can be united in?

Can we work together to make that true in each of our lives? Are we not all works in progress? Can we be a church to moves towards the goal of being people that connect people to Jesus through our words and deeds?

Do you want to know a truth that people don’t like to hear?

The purpose of this church is not so that MY light shines into this community. I am not the only ambassador for Christ here.

Do you want to know what my job is?

Ephesians 4:11–12 ESV

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

Am i also an ambassador? Absolutely! But my calling, my instruction according to this verse, is to equip you, the saints, to do the ministry. My job is not to be the sole ambassador for Christ in this community, but to build up the body of Christ to be better and “shinier” lights in this community. That is my job!

The more my light shines, the more your light shines, the more we grow in being better ambassadors. The more united are in connecting people with Jesus.

Does that sound like something you can partner with? Does that sounds like a mission you can join us in?

I pray that it is.

Pray that its not about numbers its about advancing the kingdom. Pray for unity.