Stronger Together
Notes
Transcript
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Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)—
remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Hook
Pastor Appreciation Month
Stronger Together
Tracy as my groomsmen and the strength he gave me and I hope I gave him
Introduce Subject
Stronger Together
District Value: Throw Some Rope
“A cord of three strands is not easily broken…
The power of unity is held together by leaning into one another in His shared mission while trust manages the inevitable tensions of authentic community.
What is your shared mission Havelock Wesleyan? What has God called you uniquely to?
Unpack the importance of trust
Tensions
As a church we don’t deal with conflict well
Mutual accountability is a welcome expression of our voluntary submission as servant leaders under authority.
Calling people out on their attitudes
That’s just the way that I am
We choose truth over toleration and draw strength from love and respect.
We have permission to push, challenge and call people out
Our South Shore Network
We don’t just tolerate we come alongside in grace and truth and communicate what God has led us to
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Two False Jesus’ (English teacher lol)
Legalism
Licentiousness
Jesus was filled with grace and truth
So in community we embody the same thing
As we share grace and truth in the context of trust God brings unity and synergy and ultimately his kingdom in and through our efforts and energy
From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
So there is this beautiful picture of everyone doing there part, and as we do that we grow up in unity and love.
Amazing.
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble… A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.” (, NLT)
There is no such thing as a Christian who does there own thing
We are baptized into Christ and baptized in the community of faith
There is no such thing as a lone-ranger Christian - even the Lone Ranger had that crazy old Ton-tau dude who tries to feed that stupid old dead crow on his head.
Each of our churches share the same mission, although it may find unique expression from place to place. No matter how you express it, the heart of it is the Great Commission – to make disciples; to see lost people; find new life in Christ.
Listen, this key is so important
Havelock Wesleyan and Woods Harbour Wesleyan are called to the great commission and the great commandment but how we do that in our communities in our context has to look different
Problem with the cookie cutter church
Missional effectiveness
So we have the same mission you just need to discover what you unique mission is for your context. So what is it?
Mission statement and vision statement (SANDRA)
No matter how you express it, the heart of it is the Great Commission – to make disciples; to see lost people; find new life in Christ.
Reaching our communities for Jesus is a significant challenge, it’s a high mountain to summit. That’s why we need to throw each other some rope as we make this climb.
That’s why we need to throw each other some rope as we make this climb.
The Evangelist and their primary function
Helping people to discover their gifts and abilities.
Shawn’s primary function is not to do the ministry; it’s to equip you
Kid’s ministry
We need to be tied into each other in a network that strengthens us all and makes us all more effective in that mission.
Going back to the Ephesians text
We are tied together by everyone doing their part
God brings a crazy awesome dynamic unity while we are working together
Do you see it?
This idea of being stronger together for the mission is not some sort of call to fluffy emotionalism. Togetherness can never become the ultimate goal as an end unto itself.
Holy Huddle
The Church exists for God’s mission. Period.
The Church is God’s Plan A to reach the world and there is no Plan B.
When team members “on belay” for each other as we scale the cliffs in front of us, it is a beautiful expression of Christian community. A bunch of random friends who have roped themselves; together for no real purpose other than being tied up with each other is weird, and awkward and it won’t be too long before everyone is on their last nerve and someone starts throwing punches. Maybe some of you have been to a church business meeting like that. If our togetherness as a district is going to be an authentic and truly mission-focused Biblical community, and not just some sort of pointless historic administrative association, then we have to throw some rope to each other.
We have to throw the rope of respect. Respect for each other’s unique strengths and skills. Respect for what each other brings to the table. Respect for what effectiveness looks like in our varied ministry contexts. Respect that sees one another as team members working together to win our region for Christ and not as competitors trying to score the most points in It’s Monday Again. The rope of respect.
We have to throw each other the rope of trust. A trust in each other’s commitment to Christ and His mission that allows us to have all kinds of healthy disagreement and discussion over methods and expressions and systems. It will often be out of those healthy tensions and conflicting perspectives that our best ideas will emerge.
And we have to have the kind of trust that will allow us to submit to those in authority over us. And beyond this submission, we believe the key to experiencing the best the Kingdom has to offer comes when we mature in the posture of mutual voluntary submission with one another. To take guidance and input from others, believing that they are offering it in the spirit of wanting to serve us by helping us climb whatever peak God has placed in front of us. The rope of trust.
And that kind of trust will allow us to throw the rope of accountability because, the truth is, the mission matters more. It matters more than our traditions or our comfort or our feelings, and sometimes we all need someone to look us in the eye and tell us how we can be a better climber, or point out places where poor climbing is holding us back from making the fullest progress we could be making for the Kingdom.
We all have those moments when we need to hear the truth – and we need to hear it spoken in love. And these strands weave together into a rope that allows us to do just that: to love each other, and in the context of that loving community, to speak the truth; to encourage and affirm and challenge and stretch; to brainstorm and exchange ideas and prayer requests; and to live out an authentic experience of deep-spirited community together.
And if that community is going to be healthy, it requires all three of strands of the rope we throw. You can’t respect someone who is untrustworthy. Anyone who chooses to rise to the challenge of healthy accountability is worthy of respect. And if you want to be respected and trusted without having to be accountable, it leaves the rest of us wondering what you are trying to hide. We are in this together. And this we know – we are always stronger together.”
Text:
Why does it matter that we work together?
We are bound together by our relationship with Jesus and we share the same mission of reaching people for Jesus, because that’s what matters.
How does this happen?
Jews, Gentiles & Jesus (3 strands)
We have a natural inclination to want to do life by ourselves over the past 5 months I have been challenged to accept things in a different way. We get together to plan something and i have all these ideas in my head of how i want them to go but when I am collaborating with other people they have ideas that are way better than mine that is going to help produce the greatest outcome. I could not have thought of it by myself… I need others.
Imagine what it look like if we joined together to help each other often reminded of the storm that hit Houston last year… there had been so much racial tension but what we were seeing on the news was everybody helping everybody… it didn’t matter the color of skin. What a beautiful picture of how the church should be acting… breaking down barriers and working together to show our communities who God is.
Why is this an issue? Nobody like to feel like an outsider
How do I feel to be an outsider?
Island mentality says we are better on our own
Stronger together/community
1. There is a cost and risk to throwing rope and working together
We have to give things up to make it happen -- personal illustration: When I first came to was afraid to work with other Wesleyan pastors out of fear that the people of the community would go to their churches. I was here to grow the church. I have realized, by God’s grace that we need each other to help reach our communities. (Not sure if this fits or not but was a huge shift for me). (Amen man; this is really good!)
Cost/benefit analysis
The cost will be great, but the benefit will be greater
We have a natural inclination to do life, to do ministry, by ourselves (island mentality)
2. It is a process that takes time and dedication
Strength in shared resources
Shared mission over personal preferences
First things over my things
3. We will have a bigger impact for Jesus in our communities
What could things look like? DREAM BIG…..I love Port Maitland initiative could spread to I love the south shore of Nova Scotia. Each community would be served by the church in the community all over.
What impact could we have
Our unity with Jesus and his followers is the bases for hope and contentment
It is bigger than us
There is power in our story
Both personally and our church’s story
Isolated churches will not survive There are so many churches in the area that have closed and are now museums, catering businesses etc. There are a lot of churches with 60 and smaller in numbers and are dwindling. If we lose our passion to reach out we will close the doors and end our mission of reaching the lost.