Chapel: Missional Community
Notes
Transcript
Main Idea: A gospel-centered community is a community that is moving toward others as God has moved toward them.
Main Idea: A gospel-centered community is a community that is moving toward others as God has moved toward them.
Intro: Three common misconceptions about mission and missionaries:
The word missionary refers only to those who are specially called by God to go to other culture to preach the gospel.
To reach non-Christians with the gospel message, we need to “do things differently”; we need special programs, targeted evangelistic activities, investigative Bible studies, etc...
Some people are gifted by God as evangelists to win people to Christ; others are gifted to serve the church and build young Christians into mature disciples
Hook: What the Bible teaches about Missions
All Christians are missionaries. Being part of God’s family means we are all sent to others with the good news of salvation from sin and death. That is part of our identity as the new family of God.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation… Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
There is a time and place for special events and strategies. However, God intends to reach non-Christians through the normal activity of the Church. The mission of God goes forward through the people of God, wherever they are and whatever they do.
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
No gift or personality type is exempt from the mission of God through the Church. There is diversity in our gifts and roles, but unity in our calling.
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.”
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Because the gospel is key to both conversion and sanctification, evangelism and discipleship are not two different things, but one continuous activity. The mission is to enjoy God and live for his glory—and help others do the same.
In what ways does our posture need to change to become a missional community?
I. Mission Means Moving Toward
Many churches have a “come to us” mentality. Christians have adopted the same. We have a mindset of doing the Christian thing and people will show up and want that too. This doesn’t accurately reflect what God did for us. If He waited for us to come to Him, we’d still be dead in our sin. Good stepped out of heaven to dwell with us. The gospel tells us that God moves toward us while we are running in the opposite direction. When we follow Jesus in mission, we don’t just wait for others to come to us. We have to take initiative. We have to go to them.
Even more so for you. You don’t have people coming here all of the time that have never heard the gospel.
II. Mission Is Concerned for Others
And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.”
Paul was encouraged to go to Corinth. Keep speaking. Keep moving forward. There are many in this city who are my people. Not only speaking of the church that was already there, but an encouragement that Paul would be successful in his ministry.
Brian Dye the Urban Missionary
Grew up in a rough part of Chicago.
Got out and went to college.
Moved back with his wife.
There was a murder every week on his block.
After he moved, and started praying for his neighborhood, there were none.
Bullets flew into his house and almost killed his wife.
He started discipling. He started house churches
40th birthday, 75 guys, 13-35 had been discipled by him over 15 years.
The impact that he had came from a concern for his community for the gospel.
What if we had this mindset about the places that God is sending us and the people he has put around us.
Don’t be afraid and keep on speaking. Don’t silence yourself—you are carrying the most important news that has ever been. And knowing, in this city, in this school, on this team, at this park—whatever it is—there are many who are His people.
This doesn’t happen unless our heart is broken for people for the gospel. That we are going to persevere through these places and we are going to keep moving towards Jesus, knowing that there are people who God is calling, we just need to be speaking.
III. Mission is Rooted in the way God has Moved Toward Us
Meaning, our movement towards others has to be constant and ingrained in our living. Being missional from sheer will power will only last so long. We have to create a community where we are constantly orienting our lives around God. If we are a community built around His Word, loving Him, and loving others, we are going to be full and the only thing left to pour out is the Gospel.
A few times in my life, I have been in a community that was so focused on following God that it seemed that no matter what we were doing a gospel conversation might happen. We’d be at Wal-Mart late at night and someone in the group would start talking to someone about the Gospel. We’d be at Waffle House at 2 in the morning and someone was going to hear about what God had done for them.
I didn’t realize it then, how rare this would be in my life. If I wasn’t going to be the one at times to lead that charge, or if I wasn’t aligning everything in my life to God, then why would I expect other people to do these things. You have to be the one to lead this charge in your community. What needs to change in our lives, to help move our community to one that is so aligned with Jesus that we are not going to be able to stop telling others about who our God is.
Don’t wait on others to move so you can follow. Move together or move alone, but doing so puts you in line with what God is asking in your life.
Close:
I’m going to close with this, and the band is going to have one more song:
God intended for His people, the Israelites to change the people around them. They were commanded to welcome in anyone and everyone. But they often defaulted to a bubble, to stay in their own place and build up what they had.
Being a part of this school puts you in a crossroads of community. You have the opportunity to take what you’ve gained this year, the things you’ve learned and the relationships you’ve built and put up a shelter that allows you to grow at a comfortable place. A spot where you can be content that your friends are all mostly Christians and youth group kids, and you can go the next few years guarding yourself from anything too disruptive and you can grow in your faith, build deeper roots, and be happy that you did the good Christian school life, and have a community that doesn’t move too far in any one direction.
Or, you can recognize that, if properly directed, you can have a community that is world changing. A group of believers that can reach so many different people and you don’t have to do it alone. You can align your life to move to others that God cares about. You’re going to get a lot of rejection, but the ones you win, have the impact to change the world, and change people’s eternity. If this community of communities, decides we are not going to stay still, and listens when God says—go here, keep speaking, and don’t be afraid, for I have many in this city who are my people—don’t waste that opportunity. Come back in August and look at all of the people you reached and the lives you changed with a community that moving toward them!
