Mission 2024

Purposes of the Church and How We Accomplish Them.

Isaiah 14:24 “The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.”

Isaiah 14:27 “For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”

Matthew 16:13–19“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.””

No one, nothing can or will stop Jesus from building His Church.

Loving God - Worship - Ministry To God

Colossians 3:16 “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Ephesians 5:16–19“making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,”

We are to glorify God

Ephesians 1:12 “in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.”

The church is to emphasize worship of God.

We gather first and foremost to minister to God by giving him our worship, the first morning of the week, our tithes and offerings, we gather because that is what He desires.

Loving People - Growth - Maturing in Christ

We are to nurture people. Colossians 1:28 “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”

Ephesians 4:12–13“to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

Colossians 1:28 “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”

Loving the World - Evangelism and mercy

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Luke 4:40 “At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them.”

We are to be a light on the hill, the stewards of the mysteries of God that answer the hearts deepest questions.

Wrong Emphasis

Emphasis on worship at the expense of the other two will end up with inadequate Bible teaching leading the people to remain babes in their understanding of Scripture and the church will cease to grow and influence others and eventually wither.

Emphasizing maturity over the other the others will produce Christians who know much about Bible doctrine but be spiritually dry for the lack of knowing the joy of worshipping God and telling others about Christ.

Emphasizing evangelism over the other two will also end up with immature Christians that grow in numbers but have a lack of genuine love for God expressed in worship and less doctrinal maturity and holiness in their lives.

How we accomplish Jesus’ vision for our church. This is our commitment to Scripture and God and His people.

Know God

Sound biblical teaching that causes us to grow in faith and love for God.

This is foundational for our individual lives - to have a thriving relationship with God - Ephesians 1:17 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.”

This enables us to worship and love God the way He desires. Our worship of God necessitates we know him accurately, as revealed in Scripture.

We live a life pleasing to him by growing in knowledge of God: Colossians 1:10 “so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,”

If we believe this to be true for our own individual lives it is also true that we will be zealous for others to know Him.

Invite someone to church.

Find Freedom

In our growth of the knowledge of God and a thriving relationship with him we will grow in greater freedom from sin and its entanglements.

Because this church is where truth is taught and proclaimed, people will be set free. Jesus said in John 8:31–32...“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.””

This is a process that requires the gifts and grace in our brothers and sisters to move us forward. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

This is how we will love our people - being there for one another to encourage and build up. 2023 was a great year for small groups, and I am looking forward to hearing the testimonies this year of what God is doing through each one of you in ministry to each other.

Our maturing, nurturing, growth is integral to the purpose of the church to love people.

Galatians 5:13 “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.”

Discovering Purpose

Purpose is not created but discovered because we were designed. We don’t find out who we are by looking in but by looking up. Paul said, 1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”

In order to love people and serve them, we must endeavor to discover what gifts God has given us to steward.

1 Peter 4:8–11“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

While Scripture encourages us to first serve and help our brothers and sisters in Christ, we are commanded to not neglect the unbelievers in our lives but to serve them and be a witness of Christ.

Make a Difference

We endeavor to provide as many opportunities as possible for the church to serve each other and the world.

We have each been given gifts not to horde but to serve one another in love. This is the life of joy, the life of fulfillment, the life of making an eternal difference in the lives of others.

Christ has commissioned us to win the lost. He came to “seek and save that which was lost.”

Hell is real, eternal torment is a reality.

This reality should be hard for us to think about because God has put in our hearts love for his people created in his image, even for sinners who rebel against him, it should cause a level of distress to think about eternal punishment and move us to be co-laborers with the Lord to win as many as we can. Time is short and we are appointed for such a time as this. May we answer the Lord’s call to be his laborers and win the lost.