(046) The Mission of The Gathering
Topical: The Mission of The Gathering
September 28, 2008
Prep:
· Sermons selections:
Opening:
Next week will mark one year. It has been a great year: We feel like we have come home and we have been welcomed into the family, without any feeling of being the “new folks.”
· The church has been growing, in size, health, excitement.
· And today we look at where God is taking us.
Prayer
Ongoing prayer is that you direct this church. You have kept it and protected it supernaturally through many trials. If it weren’t for you working though a very dedicated few, this church would have collapsed.
· Thank you for them and bless them.
And now with great optimism, we look forward to what you have ahead. I believe that you are taking us forward into our greatest moments.
· Not for our pride, but for you glory.
This church will see more people growing closer to you and to each than we thought possible.
· Excite us and energize us for what is ahead.
Why is that such a big deal?
Today, we are unveiling our new mission statement. That of itself is no big deal. Missions statements are a dime a dozen, and usually include words like paradigm and utilize.
· On the Dilbert website, there’s a mission statement generator.
· I wish I would have found it months ago when I first started working on this thing.
Q What is a mission statement and why do we need one?
Jesus didn’t have one!
A mission statement is a simple, clear memorable phrase that succinctly defines who we are and what we are doing.
It should not cover the obvious stuff about being a church, but the distinctives, what makes TGCC different from other church.
Q But why do we need them?
A mission statement is simply a tool, a tool to remind us why we are here, what we are doing. It is a tool that we can use describe ourselves to others.
· It also helps us evaluate what we do.
Our new mission statement is not big surprise – I have been referring to pieces of it for the past several months, and it’s on the back of the bulletin.
We are a Christian community striving to glorify God and engage our culture.
Each piece has a specific meaning which we will draw out. And there with be a Q &A at the end: Text questions or write down.
Christian
Jesus is what this is all about. He is the center of who we are, what we do, and what we preach.
1 Corinthians 2:2 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
· At the core is Jesus and what he did for us.
Yet the name “Christian” has been muddied. Christians don’t always act like children of God, from the Crusades to any of us when we are jerks; Christians frequently discredit the Gospel and our precious Savior.
· The best way to fix this is not to distance ourselves from Christianity, but to be better examples of Christ’s love.
And as Christians, we are not ashamed of the Bible. It is our source and guide in all matters of life and doctrine.
But this does not mean we are close-minded. The Gathering values free discussion and dissent. We are called to be to think and reason, not intimidated by skepticism or doubts.
Community
Community is not simply an element of the Christian faith; it is the environment where it is lived out. Christianity happens in community, not in isolation.
· Together in community we grow and are transformed.
God created us with a “Human shaped hole.” We need each other.
Trinity = Community
In fact, the basis of community is found in God’s very nature as Trinity: Three persons, one God, living in deepest relationship. Our need for relationships comes from this.
John 17:20-23 My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
· When we live in community is not only a reflection of God, but it is also a testimony to God working among us.
Q So what is community?
It is being a part of each other’s lives, being connected, it means: Fellowship, support, growth, and accountability.
It doesn’t mean that you are everyone’s friend or that you are something you are not. Some have the gift of hospitality, some do not.
But it does mean that you have other people who know what is going on in your life, and you know what is happening in thiers.
Crowd or community
A church can have one of two attractions: Crowd or community.
People will come to this church because they want to be part of a community. That’s why I am here, and why most of you are here.
· The greatest joy I have is watching the people of this church create community.
Not just because I am a connecter, but I know the power of community in my life and that community will ensure that these people grow.
· I look around and see people here not because of the music or the coffee or the sermons, but because they are accepted.
Striving
We choose the word “striving” because we are works in progress. We have not arrived, we are on a journey. By the grace of God and the power of Spirit, we struggle to become what he has called us to.
Because God has so much grace for us, we in turn demonstrate grace to others, Christians and non-Christians.
· The church should be known for grace more than rules and love more than judgment.
Glorify God
Our highest goal and purpose in life, both as a church and as individuals is to glorify and honor God. That is my constant prayer for this church and for myself.
Q What does that mean?
To glorify God means that in everything we do, think, feel, or say, we are becoming more captivated by God’s grandeur, love, holiness, and the entirety of his greatness, that we are acting accordingly, and that we are causing others to do the same.
· Glorifying God does not mean that we add to his glory, it means that we more fully see it and help others see it.
· Everything we do is an opportunity to glorify or dishonor God.
We glorify God both by living in such a way as to honor him and demonstrate his goodness to the world, and exalting him through song, prayer, and artistic expression.
We worship and glorify God through all of the many ways that we experience his wonder.
· It’s not just singing – great news for the musically handicapped.
“Man’s chief and highest end is to glorify God, and fully enjoy him forever.”
· As a church we are called to discover how awesome God is and proclaim it, it is not our duty, it is our joy.
Engage our culture(s)
Citizens of another world
To be a Christian means to be a citizen of another world. We should never feel completely at home here.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:9-10 NIV
We want God’s will to be done – we want an end to sin and pain, death and destruction, yet a glance at the newspaper tells us it ain’t so. As Christians, we are citizens of heaven, where God’s will is done, but we live on earth where it is not.
· So again, how do we live as children of God in a sinful world?
There are three basic responses:
1. If you can’t beat them, join them.
2. Isolate yourself from this world.
3. Be an ambassador.
You can be in the world and of it, not in it or of it, or you can be in the world but not of it.
· We are God’s “plan A” and he doesn’t have a “plan B.”
Hiding away is not an option nor is a good idea just to tell people they are going to hell.
While Paul was waiting for [Silas and Timothy] in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. Acts 17:16-17 NIV
He goes on to talk to the philosophers, quoting from their poets and commending them for what they were doing right.
We are to be like missionaries to our culture – learning their language and habits so that we can share God’s love to them.
And perhaps it is more appropriate to speak of engaging our cultures. Each of us are connected to different groups. We can engage people that no one else can.
One final note: There is a constant tension between “community” and “engaging Culture.” As we grow in community, there will be a constant temptation to stay there. This is how the Christian subculture is created. We want to be with those who are like us.
· So even as we build community, growing closer to each other, we must be continually reaching out to the world around us.
Vision
So we are a bunch of Christians who are connect to each other and helping each other grow, going three steps ahead, two back, learning how cool God is and sharing it with the world, not only that but we also live like missionaries to our culture and sub-cultures, learning how to communicate God’s love and truth in a way that they understand.
· That is who we are and are striving to become.
àRepeat this with me:
We are a Christian community striving to glorify God and engage our culture.
In addition to mission, we can also speak of vision, which is where we go from here. Our vision is now to become this.
In the coming years we will be emphasizing community, glorifying God, and engaging our culture. But not all at once; the elders are in prayer for what to hit first.
Q & A
closing
After service is the membership class. Membership is basically a commitment to the people of this church as we try to do this stuff together.
· If this stuff sounds like how you want to live out your faith, and you want to journey with these folks, then consider joining us.
Prayer:
EOS: Vote