Living Hope has seven core values. Next year we will be focusing the entire year on the core value Members Living as Missionaries - Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
This does not mean that we need to wait until next year to live it out. My prayer is that as I preach through the book of Acts and focus on this value that the church will be affirmed in what she is already doing and not convicted for what she’s not doing.
This is a really big deal. If this value is not lived out, a number of important things will not happen.
#1 Our church will not live out a core doctrine of the faith – the priesthood of the believer. Every Christian has direct access to God through the Son in the power of the Spirit. Every Christian is gifted by God’s design to serve Him. The chief end is to enable a person to glorify God and enjoy Him eternally. If each member is not using their position in the community, abilities and resources to serve God’s purpose, the church will become an institutional grave and a community joke. Each member is called as a priest of God to take the Gospel into the world and help as many people as they can Get to God. We do this by giving kindness and compassion to those in need and providing friendship and authentic love to those we know as we verbally communicate the Gospel to them and pray for their salvation. You don’t need a “preacher” for someone to be saved. You need a priest. And all believers are priests called by God to serve the Acts 1:8 mission.
#2 Our church will not reach its evangelistic potential. Every church has evangelistic potential. It is the total capacity of a congregation to reach people with the Gospel. Some churches have more than others based on the influence, giftedness and willingness of its people. If each member of our church is not leveraging every relationship, every gift, and every resource they can to spread the Gospel, then we will not reach our evangelistic potential. We will merely do what is comfortable and self-serving and in essence dishonor and disobey Jesus.
#3 Our church will not be a living growing body. We will become a cold shrinking social group. Evangelism is not the outcome of discipleship. Evangelism is discipleship. When you are sharing your faith and struggling through mental, emotional, relational and spiritual challenges with Scripture as your truth, Jesus as your foundation, God’s promise as your hope and the Holy Spirit as your guide, you become more like Jesus. Evangelism requires you to know God’s Word. Evangelism requires you to pray. Evangelism requires you to live what you believe. Evangelism requires God’s Spirit to be at work in you, through you and around you. Evangelism is the means to grow the disciple and to make disciples. Without evangelistic members, we cease to be a growing body of believers and become at best Christian consumers.
#4 Our church will not seek the good of the city and world. God wants to shine His light and share His love with our city and world through our lives. If we do not take that light and love to them, we are withholding a gift God wants to give them. In essence we are robbing people of the opportunity to know Jesus. That breaks the greatest commandment and the second one too, which is in actuality disobeying all ten of the Big Ten. What our city and world does not need is a few thousand people keeping a secret and showing up in a nice tax free building on Sundays to sing, listen to a message, fellowship with other members, and serve and learn about the Jesus we refuse to be like or to obey. Our city and world need a few thousand people to share the secret of the Gospel of Jesus and the way of life we enjoy as God’s people. This means we tell them about it and enable and allow them to be a part of it.
That’s enough for today. More is to come.
What are some things you see that we will not do as a church, if we fail to live out the core value of members living as missionaries?
1 comment:
Good points. To answer your question, I believe we will not make it possible to bring in nearly as many to Christ. I think we'll be in danger of becomming religious much like the Pharisees. Our focus will likely be drawn to the law and not the heart of the law (mercy and love).
The following verse came to mind when I read your question.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. Matthew 23:13 (NIV)
Post a Comment