Vision Essentials: Go

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Introduction

- Recap: Worship, Grow, Go vision for moving forward.

I hope that this morning’s message is encouraging to you.

- Main idea: We must be a church that goes out into the community throughout the week.

You know, I remember a day in ministry a few years ago when everyone was living on a sort of Field of Dreams mentality. Across the board we thought, if we build it, they will come. So churches built bigger and nicer buildings and gyms and planned bigger and better and more sprawling programs to attract people to come to the church. And for awhile, they came. But between that day, not so long ago, and 2019 things have changed in the culture of America and the culture specifically as it relates to Christianity. Back in that previous day much of our country at least identified with church. They would just culturally identify with it. But over the years there has been a steady shift in our culture, some would say a lurch, into secularism.

According to Gallup poll research, one-third of all Americans consider themselves non-religious. They would report that “Religion is not an important part of their daily life and that they seldom or never attend religious services.” Americans are largely unmotivated to go out of their way for much of anything and that includes church.

Jimmy Scroggins and Steve Wright: “If we’re going to reach the millions who have yet to hear the gospel, we need to rethink our current invite strategy. Since we aren’t going to get them to “come and see” what we’re doing, we need to figure out ways to take the good news to the places they live, work, and play.”

What is Missional Living?

- We have to be going.

2 Corinthians 5:14–21 CSB

For the love of Christ compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If one died for all, then all died. And he died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised. From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective. Even if we have known Christ from a worldly perspective, yet now we no longer know him in this way. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf: “Be reconciled to God.” He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What is Missional Living

Living every day of your life as if you were a missionary planted right where you live. Because that is exactly what you are. It’s treating every day as if you were given a backpack and dumped out of a plane to parachute into a remote land to learn the culture and build relationships and share the Gospel in a way that the culture hears it.

- A missional church is not a gathering of people who have a missions program, considers themselves missions minded, or even has a missions committee or gives money to missions works. A Missional church is focused and invested and oriented around God’s mission to a specific people, place, and time in history.

- A well known preacher described the culture as being the soil in which the seed of the God’s work in our lives, the Gospel is planted. We must understand the soil because it will help us know which weeds to pull out and not choke the growth of the gospel and the church.

Tim Keller, “ God does not merely send the church in mission. God is already in mission, and the church must join him. This also means, then, that the church does not simply have a missions department; it should wholly exist to be a mission.”

Ambassadors - We are sent out as agents of reconciliation. A representative from another kingdom living in a foreign land and representing the king and the kingdom to those who are not yet of the kingdom

- Intentionality - we have to plan for missional lives… IS your life set up with the thought of how you can best be living on mission in your community?

I. Why should we live a going life?

A. Compelled by love - we have to love people… we must love the lost… it’s hard… they’re dirty… they’re lost… some seem more lost than others...

the message of the gospel here

B. It’s just what a Christian does.

Missiologist Wilbert Shenk points out: “The Great Commission institutionalizes mission as the raison d’être, the controlling norm, of the church. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of his body is to live a missionary experience in the world. There is no doubt that this was how the earliest Christians understood their calling.”

C. Because of Joy

“Joy results in mission. Mission is a result of joy. If mission is lacking, it’s because joy and delight in God are lacking” - Logan Gentry

D. To be obedient

John 20:21 CSB

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”

II. How do we live a going life?

Erik Raymond points to two keys to help us be intentional in our living of a missional lifestyle.

A. Identity

B. Urgency

Evangelism is basically done by you in your own personal relationships. But how does the church get involved?

You can bring your non-Christian friends and family and know they will hear the Gospel and see visual representations of it. We sing it, preach it, pray it, and show it in our observing of the ordinances. Just our love for one another and having nothing in common but Jesus is a testimony of the power and life changing work of the Gospel.

My job as pastor is to equip you for ministry. This means that our church wants to, I want to, help you be faithful in sharing the gospel the other hours of the week when you are not in this building. We have ways of equipping and training you to do this.

We have events and ministries that help you introduce your people to the gospel and to members of our church at the same time.

These ministries are firstly your responsibility. The command for personal evangelism and for loving your neighbor are given (primarily) to individual Christians and not to the church corporately. In other words, just because you gave money to a particular ministry doesn’t mean you have done your responsibility to share your faith with those around you.

Prayer, reading about evangelism

One person matters.

Who’s Your One? Beginning August 18.

III. Where are we going to live going?

- A missional church, a going church, understands that it has been sent by God as missionaries in their own community, and culture. They have been sent specifically to make disciples of all people right there in East Peoria or wherever they are planted.

- Right here.

The Great Commission… as you are going...

Conclusion

Practical ways of building solid relationships:

-Eat with non-christians

-Throw parties

-Community playgrounds, pools, -dog parks, etc

-Join Neighborhood committees

-Play Groups

-Be regular, meet with other regulars

-Be outside

-Volunteer with non-profits

-Participate in city events

- Hobbies with people

2. Pray for the lost with the church.

3. Pray for the lost in your devotions.

Who’s Your One Reminder

4. Be patient. God works on His schedule and in His time. He is sufficient. He is sovereign. His Word is powerful and sufficient. Do you trust Him? Do you trust Him enough to order your life in a way that brings Him glory by spreading the good news of the gospel of reconciliation?

Maybe you have not. You’re not alone. Jesus offers forgiveness and a fresh start. Will you trust that He died for your lack of evangelism as well as all of your other sin? Repent and change your way of living.