Who Are We? God's Mission & Vision

Introduction

Who are we?

Recap - the church, our history

So let’s work our way into the now

15-20 years ago there was a strong emphasis on strategic thinking and planning

It was heavily influenced by business and the church growth movement

It toted that it was imperative that a organization needed to know where it’s going in order to be effective.

What was it trying to accomplish (mission) and what would it look like if they did accomplish it(vision)?

At the church I previously pastored, we did a lot of work towards these very things

It became clear that those very things were difficult to accomplish and implement in a small church

Also it became some what distracting from what the church was to be.

While it became such a strong emphasis that it became a distraction back in those days and as my view has changed on this.

I believe these things can help to get to the heart beat of those who God has placed in a church.

There is a broad objective that we are all to be looking to accomplish (mission)(disciples), each church is made up of different people and it seems to me that God places like-minded people together with specific heart beat

I can see this in our church, we aren’t all the same in every way and we all have different gifts, strengths/weaknesses but we are connected in Christ and in the same heart beat

I believe the vision statement and values that has been written down lay this heart beat out in words

I so I want to look at these statements and values over the next few weeks.

Let me cover a couple basic things first

I. Purpose

As humans we often wrestle with the question of why we exist?

It is a question of origin - creation/evolution, psalm 139

But also and maybe even more so a question of purpose

if creation or evolution is true, then why am I here? Do I have a purpose

Am I just to live however I want, with no greater goal then to serve and indulge myself

or

If I believe God created me why did he create me and create me to be who I am

Now we aren’t here to answer those questions specifically but lets start with a basic truth

We are made to glorify God

A. Glorify God

The Westminster Larger Cathecism states that mankinds purpose, “is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”

As created beings we were made to glorify God

Psalm 19:1–6 ESV

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

All creation was made to glorify

glorify - to positively acknowledge, recognize or esteem God’s character, nature or attributes

But

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

In our sin we have marred God’s image in us and lost his purpose, identity and relationship with him

In Christ as God’s redeemed people this has been restored and is being restored in us

Colossians 3:9–10 ESV

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

To glorify God is to declare and reflect his excellent character and works

And we are brought together through Christ to be His family, body, temple and bride to do this

B. Our Why.

How do we then glorify God together?

We believe that Jesus Christ has called us to be a church family where people belong and will find hope, healing and life in His name through growing relationship with God and other people, leading to life transformation.

This is why we exist and how we believe we glorify God together.

this is our heartbeat

How do we do this?

II. Mission

This is the what?

What are we trying to accomplish.

“Disciples making disciples”

A. Disciples

Let’s look at Luke 14:25-33

Here we get a picture of what a disciple is

Really quickly...

i. Full allegiance to Christ vs 25, 26

hate - love less

ii. Sacrificial following vs 27

bear his own cross

It is a sacrifice to follow Christ

iii. Other worldly(eternal) living vs 33

Discipleship is the journey of moving toward living and giving every thing to and for Christ

“Discipleship is the journey of moving from unbelief to belief, in the gospel, in every area of life

There is no set path but together we play a part in this

B. Making Disciples

Matthew 28:16–20 ESV

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

There are two parts to this here:

i. Baptism

Is a display(marker, monument) of these 3 things in our lives

Change of allegiance through dying with Christ in order to learn to follow Him

ii. Teach to Obey(observe)

Observe: to conform one’s actions or practice to

To follow through on living out one’s covenantal promise to God

III. Vision

The dream

If we do and become what God has called us to be, what would that look like?

“We want to be known as a safe place where the hurting, the lonely, the seeking and lost souls of this community will find salvation and life in Jesus Christ”

This is what we believe this should and can look like in our church

A. Safe Place

Brings me back to Jesus’ invitation in Matt 11

We now represent Christ in this world through the power of the Holy Spirit

Jesus was a safe place for the hurting, lonely, seeking lost souls

Jn 4 women at the well

the blind, lame, demon possessed, the poor, tax collectors, prostitutes

How do we do this?

Humility - admitting that we are all imperfectly seeking to follow Jesus

love and compassion - as Jesus has shown

we need to keep right hearts with the Lord

we need to pray for and then act in these ways

B. Find salvation & Life in Christ

And then to help each other towards Christ

Do we know and believe what God says in order to help others toward Him?

Do we know and are we walking more closely with Christ.

Salvation -

right relationship with God through Christ

set free to know and pursue Him

To experience life transformation

or in other words “life in Christ”

As we seek to walk with God together God uses what is in our hearts to ....share hope- invite faith- transform lives

It’s not a church growth plan but a lifestyle