2019 Vision Sunday

Introduce me; just so you know, I’ll be a little longer than usual this morning - there’s a lot to say!

Why are we here?

It’s one of the key questions of life. And yet I think it’s a question a lot of us struggle to answer with much confidence - and it’s often one we don’t answer with much conviction.

It’s one of those questions that we get distracted from because we’re too caught up in the detail and the busyness of life. Or in the endless trivia of our modern age: minor news; celeb outfits; cat pictures.

But I think it’s more than just distraction which keeps us away from this question - because it’s also a question which scares us. It scares us because any answer to it has serious implications for how we should live. And let’s be honest: we already have our own plans for that. Plans we don’t really want to change.

This key question of purpose - this is a question which matters as much for organisations as it does for individuals.

And yet I think many organisations are similarly coy about why they are here; perhaps distracted by the busyness of business; perhaps scared by the consequences of clarity. Perhaps just lacking much confidence and conviction in their answer.

As a church, we want to be crystal clear on why we are here. We want to be crystal clear on what our purpose is; on what our goal is.

And just so we’re clear, Our end-goal isn’t to become a comfortable church

You know, a church which is like those cosy old slippers, one where everything just fits in snugly around us, helping us relax. No rough edges. No pointy bits. All rubbed off. All there is is just smooth, warm, soft relaxation.

A church where we can get a spiritual high to carry us through each week - one which conveniently fits into our busy schedule. A church which won’t challenge us to change where we’re out of line with God and his plans for us and for the world.

Nope, our goal isn’t to be a comfortable church - so church makes you a little uncomfortable from time to time, that is the plan.

Our end-goal isn’t to become an established church either

Our goal isn’t to get out of this start-up nomadic stage with all its attendant challenges and occasional chaos and arrive at a stable, established, grown-up kind of church. You know the kind of church where things run smoothly and reliably week to week, where we’ve become a finely tuned machine with carefully honed systems and processes; the kind of church which has built up a reputation; the kind of church which has a building.

Though if you’re observant, you will have noticed we have been talking about a building rather a lot over the last few months - and we’ll talk about it quite a bit more yet. I’m genuinely really excited about this prospect of a new building even though we started out expecting to just be renters of space for a long time. Turns out renting space, particularly enough space for a gathering plus a kids’ programme serving a few different age groups, gets really tricky when you’re just a little bigger than we are today. And it gets seriously expensive.

We’re thinking about a building because a building is going to become a pretty essential part of pursuing our true goal if we keep on growing. But you need to know a building is not our goal, our destination; it’s not what we’re about as a church. It’s just a means to an end - it’s just enabling the mission. it’s not the mission itself.

So our goal isn’t to become an established church - even though that’s not inherently bad thing.

Our end-goal isn’t even to become a big church

No question we would like to be a bigger church, even though that will bring challenges and complexities - like needing to think about a bigger space and how look after significantly more children, for example

or how to build real community and care for each other well when it’s no longer true that everyone knows everyone.

We would like to be a bigger church - at least somewhat bigger. But our end-goal isn’t to be a big church - though again, that’s no bad thing.

Our end-goal is to win as many as possible - for the glory of God

Our goal as a church, following in the footsteps of the apostle Paul, is to win as many as possible (1 Cor 9:19). To win as many as possible. To win as many people as possible. Paul talks about winning because there is a real competition for people. There are competing faiths, competing world-views - competing stories about who we are, why we are here, and how we should live as a result.

Our goal as a church is to win as many people as possible to the truth about Jesus: who he is, what he’s done, and how that changes everything for all of us.

And we want to pursue that urgently quite simply because it is urgent. The Bible tells us each human has just a limited time to respond to the message of Jesus. No-one knows which will be their last year - or their last day. The Bible tells us we live in the midst of a world that is perishing - and yet God, through His own son Jesus, has entered it, opening the way to life.

And when you think about it, if we believe what we say we believe, it’s pretty hard to defend any other goal in the end: Luke Muehlhauser, writes this – and for the record, he’s an atheist blogger:

Let’s say we all lived in Poland at the start of World War II and you got word that soon, the Nazis were going to invade the town where several of your friends and family lived. The Nazis were going take everybody off to concentration camps in chains, and possibly kill them. And let’s say this information came from a very reliable source, so that you really believed this was going to happen.

Would you just go on about your life? Would you just mention this to your friends and family in passing, and send them the occasional tract with information on the threat of the Nazis? Would you merely pray for them to see the threat and save themselves?

Or, would you do everything you could to save your friends and family? Maybe you would drive out there and try to convince them of the threat until you were blue in the face. Maybe you would refuse to leave until they came away with you. Maybe you would… I dunno what, but it would be pretty drastic. I know if I were in that situation, then I would do some pretty drastic things to save my friends and family.

Do you see? If we really believe this is life and death - and make no mistake, that is what Jesus clearly teaches; we’ll see him lay it out this starkly as we continue through Luke’s gospel in our regular Sunday talks - if we really believe this is life and death, then how could we justify anything other than trying to win as many as possible? How could our lives really be focused on anything else?

Go on, take a moment. Think it over. What else could your life be about? What else could you get done that really matters a hoot in the end?

David Platt writes this: On the last day "we will not wish we had made more money, acquired more stuff, lived more comfortably, taken more vacations, watched more television, pursued greater retirement, or been more successful in the eyes of this world. Instead we will wish we had given more of ourselves to living for the day " - that is, the day of judgement. Radical, 217

But it’s not just logic which calls for this purpose, it’s Jesus himself. You see Jesus, who has done everything for us, leads us in mission and calls us to share in it:

God the Father sent Jesus, his only begotten son, into a world that would kill him - reaching out in love to a broken world and a perishing people despite the cost.

And Jesus sends us into this same mission - Jn 20:21. “As the father has sent me, I am sending you.” Scarily direct, right? And this will have a cost - as it did for him. But we’re not sent alone, or unequipped: we’re sent in the power of the Holy Spirit Jn 20:21-22 . And we’re sent to walk together in his footsteps as his body (the church is the body of Christ on earth - 1 Cor 12:27).

John 20:21–22 NIV

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

So everyone who takes the name Christian, everyone who calls Jesus their saviour and Lord - and that word “Lord” simply means master - every Christian is commissioned to go + make disciples (Mt 28:19). To seek to share the message of Jesus with others so they too may become his followers and join us in taking on his commands.

One more thing to say on this: it’s life and death - so it’s the only rational goal; it’s Jesus command - so it’s the only obedient goal. But it’s also the only thing which can truly transform our world today, here and now. You know we live in a broken world. You just have to watch the news to see that’s true. Education hasn’t fixed it. Politics hasn’t fixed it. Democracy hasn’t fixed it. Independence hasn’t fixed it. Union hasn’t fixed it. Development hasn’t fixed it. Science hasn’t fixed it.

That’s because the problem isn’t out there - it’s in here [heart]. The problem is us. And Jesus promises to start to change us from the inside out as we follow him.

This goal, to win as many as possible, it’s world-changing for the here and now because transformed lives transform our world.

Big example: Clapham sect - a group of Christians in London working together in the early 1800’s managed to end slavery in Britain and ultimately throughout the British empire amongst other things.

Small example: Bethany night shelter - some of our regulars along with friends have joined the team at Bethany on a few evenings providing a safe, warm environment and some good food for those who find themselves homeless in Edinburgh this winter.

So, why are we here? What’s our goal? To win as many as possible. That was the plan. That’s still the plan. And the leaders here at Hope City are convinced it’s the right plan.

So the key question then becomes how.

How will we go after that goal?

What sort of church are we trying to be - in pursuit of that goal? Our vision comes under two headings: add (+) and multiply (x). Add and multiply. Two levels at which we need to think about this - both essential.

With that word add, I’m putting the focus on how our own church will pursue winning more people as followers of Jesus. How will we see people added to our number? How do we plan for this to happen at the practical, nuts and bolts level here at Hope City?

With that word multiply, we’re focusing on how this plays out a level up: how do we plan, prepare and invest in order to multiply this mission? Because that’s the only way it’s possible to change this city - let alone this country or this world.

So let’s start with add. What’s the vision for our own church to win more people as followers of Jesus? Three mutually reinforcing pillars:

First, we want to be a church filled with people who’s heads and hearts are captivated by Jesus - who he is and what he’s done.

1. Heads and hearts captivated by Jesus

So our vision is for head-changing gatherings - Bible at the centre, a teacher who has dug deep and done their homework, extra detail in our weekly T5 (“talking through the text in ten” - a short video sharing more of what’s been learnt as we study and prepare)

But the goal isn’t just broadcasting lots of information; we want to help one another retain it, learn + grow - so if you’ve been with us before, you’ll have noticed we have a strong participation emphasis - with discussion + Q&A in our morning gatherings; small groups digging deeper into the talk in our evening gatherings (starting back up again next Sunday if you want to join us - 5pm and you’re all welcome)

Our vision isn’t just for the head, though; we also choose to value heart-stirring gatherings - God has made all of us people who feel, people who can be moved. What we sing, what we see, what we say all matter. We put a lot of effort into our music and our visuals not only because it’s one of the ways God calls us to express ourselves towards Him, but also because it’s one of the ways God has designed us to be moved. To be provoked. To be stirred. Our goal is to fire up our hearts and passions for God - and then to have these lead us into His mission.

And it’s not just our gatherings which should feed our captivation with Jesus; through the week we share in prayer together (join the daily prayer text if you’re not on the list yet - instructions on a slide after the gathering); Through the week we want to be a family that’s spurring one another on (Heb 10:24); connecting in our evening small groups; other groups like the women’s bible study that’s about to start up; informal gatherings +relationships - and of course there’s also the opportunity for more intensity through our Multiply training programme for those with time flexibility

So, first pillar, heads and hearts captivated by Jesus. Second pillar?

2. Everyone everywhere everyday mission

This is the second pillar for add: we understand our mission to win as many as possible belongs to everyone, everywhere, everyday.

Everyone: We’re a church where everyone thinks of themselves as being on the “front line”, reaching out with Jesus to a desperate world. I know for a lot of us, me included, this is a huge challenge and it might seem better to leave this to the “professionals” or the gifted - but remember this is life+death; picture it this way: if people are drowning and you can swim at all - or even just throw a life ring - you have to try and help.

Everywhere: Our mission follows us everywhere our lives take us: the colleagues we work with in the office; the parents we meet at the school gates; the friends we hang out with at the weekend; our sports team; the neighbours over the fence - they all need Jesus. Our church is for all these people - so it has to be a “gathered” church - that is, one that embraces people not just from one local community, but from all the different places we connect with others.

Everyday: We’re a church which thinks about how helping others discover Jesus can become something everyday, something we can manage more than once in a blue moon, something woven into the ordinary stuff of life, helping us grow a “new normal” which pursues meaningful connection and spiritual conversation.

Our vision is not for the occasional big “mission” event; the big push, over the top; an occasional major move: Our vision is for a church filled with people taking on the regular small steps of mission - small things that count - small things all of us can manage.

So, pillars one and two: heads and hearts captivated by Jesus; everyone everywhere everyday mission; Final pillar?

3. A welcoming, growing family

Right back in the time of the earliest churches, just as the Gospel begins to break into non-Jewish peoples, the Apostle James says this: “we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” (Acts 15:19) His point was that we should minimise the barriers for people who are turning to God - and that’s the underlying motivation for the third pillar of add: our vision is to be a welcoming, growing family.

We want our gatherings to be welcoming to those who are new to all this - that’s why we spend so much time explaining things which might be new to people unfamiliar with church each week. It’s why we work hard to avoid “insider” language - words and phrases which don’t immediately make sense to people outside of the church.

But this goes beyond just our gatherings: we want to build a church community that welcomes those turning to God: A place where people can find a sense of belonging even as they journey towards believing. A community which has the space - and the heart - to embrace new people rather than keeping them at a distance. A community that creates opportunities to join.

Our vision is to build a family, not an organisation, a community with real connection. And we pursue this by being honest about our struggles and the reality of our lives - so often we’re messy, so often we’re broken, so often we hide this from others. But as Christians, it’s right that we should live as the family of the forgiven, not the family of the sorted. We’re all still works in progress - not one the finished product yet; all of us need to keep on journeying towards Jesus.

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So, add is one level of our vision, focused on how our own church will pursue winning more people as followers of Jesus. Three mutually reinforcing pillars: heads and hearts captivated by Jesus; everyone everywhere everyday mission; a welcoming, growing family.

Can you see how these three reinforce each other, driving together towards winning as many as possible? The more we’re captivated by Jesus, the more that drives us into mission; the more we engage with our mission, the more people consider whether our church family could be their family; the more our family welcomes others and grows, the more we are captivated by Jesus and his great goodness here and now.

But we’re not done. I know this is a lot but I tried to take pieces out and if you pull any of these out, you lose something that’s critical to the overall vision. So try and stick with me just a little longer. That’s the add level of our vision. Let’s talk just a little about the multiply level: how this plays out a level up: how do we plan, prepare and invest in order to multiply this mission? Because that’s the only way in the long term to win as many as possible.

We’re a church plant, right? Well let’s ride that metaphor for a minute. How does a plant come to fill a garden patch? or a tree come to fill a forest? Not by growing ever larger and larger, into one MASSIVE MEGA PLANT. One monster super epic tree. But by reproducing. By taking the seed that was first planted, regrowing it, and planting it again. And again. And again. That’s what’s going on at the multiply level of the vision.

We’re not aiming just to become a big church - that’s way too small a vision given our master and our mission. We’re aiming to change this city, to change the world, even. Imagine one day in a far-flung future, we got to Murrayfield stadium-size. 67,000 people. That’d be cool. Sort of. That’s a fair-sized chunk of the city - about 400,000 people in Edinburgh - even of the wider Lothians (850,000 people in the wider Lothians). Just a drop in a nation of 5.8MM. Just a speck in a world of 7.7bn. Changing the city let alone the nation or world is impossible except through multiplication/reproduction.

That’s where our vision not just to add but also to multiply cuts in. We’ve said from the beginning that it was our ambition to plant more churches. Five years out was our initial stab at what might just about be reasonable, what could conceivably be a possible timeline for that. The problem with planning to do something in five years, of course, is that it’s rather easy to keep on planning for it to be five years away - year after year. So we need to put a date on it to make sure it stays put - and that’d be 2023. Scary. But it’s still feasible. It’s still within the realm of possibility. The first part of our multiply vision, then is an ambition to plant.

But churches don’t plant themselves. Just like babies don’t make themselves. There are steps involved in reproduction; decisions; actions; processes which take time to work through. Our vision is to be deliberate about working towards planting again. And again. And again. And to aim to plant churches who will themselves plant churches. That will go on to plant churches. Because that’s the sort of action that has the potential to change the world.

So what does it take to plant a church? Well a bunch of you here today have been on the whole journey with Hope City and you’ll know as much as anyone what’s involved. It’s not rocket science - but neither is it a total walk in the park. Planting means a whole new church; a whole new baby; a whole new body. Planting means recognising and reproducing every part. Sure, we’ll need more people who can stand at the front and talk. Don’t know what part of the body you might think of that being. A mouth? Maybe just a tongue! Whichever part it is, I can tell you this for sure: it’s not a whole body. Reproducing that part on it’s own isn’t reproducing church.

We need to multiply those who produce music. To multiply those who teach children. To multiply those who pray behind the scenes. To multiply those who organise and administer; to multiply those who work to integrate newcomers; to multiply those who quietly care for others in need; to multiply those who encourage young-but-growing faith in others; to multiply those who finance the needs of the church; to multiply those who set up and take down each week. Every part!

The Bible uses the body as a metaphor for the church a number of times - every part is critical; every part is significant - not just the visible, not just the loud. We’re different - and we’re all significant parts of the wider whole. Church planting is about reproducing every part of the body.

And how could something like that happen? I was at a conference back in November and one of my key takeaways was just four letters: ICNU. ICNU. “I see in you”.

The idea was to look for potential within others around us, knowing God has planted it there, giving his gifts to each and every one of us. And then, once we’ve seen that potential, to encourage them to pursue it, knowing God has prepared in advance good works for each of us to do through the gifts he’s given - that’s Eph 2:10

Their suggestion was that we could start the ball rolling simply using those four letters: telling them “I see in you”… “I see in you someone who could teach children”, “I see in you someone who can pray with persistence”, “I see in you someone who could lead a new church plant.” Has anyone every given you that sort of challenge? Anyone ever invited you to explore that sort of stretch? Could you imagine four letters could change your life?

Now I could do this. In fact, I have been trying to start doing this more and more. But that’s not enough to see us reproducing every part of our church. So I want to challenge us to try and build a culture as a church where we all think this is our part to play: looking for the potential God has placed in others, and calling them to explore that, to see whether there are good works God has prepared in advance for them. And as we find others looking to explore ways in which we’re currently serving, encouraging them by offering them a hand-up: here’s how I go about it. Want to have a try with me? Want me to help you have a go? Want some feedback?

If we can be a church that sees and stretches everyone’s potential, then we’ll be reproducing every part, preparing the way for our ambition to plant. That the multiply level of the vision - again, all pointed towards winning as many as possible.

I know that’s been a little long. But I think it’s really important for us to remember from time to time why we’re here and how we’re going to go about it.

We’re here to win as many as possible.

Our vision for how we’ll go about that sits on two levels:

adding: heads and hearts captivated by Jesus; everyone everywhere everyday mission; a welcoming, growing family

multiplying: a clear ambition to plant - 2023. Recognising and reproducing every part of the body to make that possible. Seeing and stretching everyone’s God-given potential.

That’s what we’re about. That’s the vision.