A Vision For The Future Series

Read Philip Yancy’s retelling of the Prodigal Son story from “What’s so amazing about Grace?”

That is why we are here. To be the body of X in the world welcoming back those who God the father is calling to himself.

Tried to capture what we are called by God to do as a church, in a mission and vision statement. Designed to help us maintain our focus on what god has called us to do. Give us a means to evaluate all that we do, and make sure that we are moving in the right direction.

Present that this morning, focus on the mission. Briefly present our vision of what we desire to be and do. Focus on that in the coming weeks.

Tried to Keep it Simple and memorable. So that we can all know it.

Mission Statement: A community of believers committed to Christ’s call.

Community of believers-spent a lot of time talking about community over the past few months.

-A group that is united by a common belief, purpose. We as a group of believers are united by X, by our belief and commitment to Him as our Lord and Savior and by a shared purpose. To fulfill His call on us as believers.

Example of the early church from Acts 2

-joined together

-devoted to apostles teaching and fellowship

-met together constantly and shared everything they had

-shared with those in need

-worshiped together, met in homes, shared meals.

Practical terms for us today as believes we are to be a body, brothers and sisters in Christ who are actively living out the one anothers of the NT in our relationships.

Rom. 12:10-Love one another (Eph. 5:2-Love as X loved)

Rom. 12:10-Honor one another

Rom. 14:19-Build up one another

Rom. 15:7-Accept one another as X accepted us

I cor. 12:25-Care for one another

Gal. 5:13-Serve one another

Eph. 4:32-Be kind to one another

Col. 3:13-Forgive one another

I Thes. 4:18-comfort one another

I Thes. 5:11-encourage one another

I thes. 5:13-Live in peace w/ one another

James 5:16-confess sins to one another and pray for one another

We are to be a community of people united by X and our commitment to fulfilling His calling. This is the expression of that unity-we are the family of God, brothers and sisters in X. As we live this out, we are to show the world the love of God, the forgiveness God has shown us, and the acceptance that is ours through X.

Committed to Christ’s Call-Fulfilling His calling on our lives must be our goal.

Great Commandment-(Matt. 22:37-40)Love God, Love Others-

Dig into this next week. How do we live this out?

Great Commission-Matt. 28:19-20-Go and make disciples.

This is what He has called us to, each of us as individuals and all of us collectively as the body of X, the church. We must be about doing these things and helping you be more effective at doing them.

Vision:

That we will be a community of believers that live out the following values:

Love God, Love Others (Matt. 22:37-40 “And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the prophets.”ESV

Impact our community (Matt. 25:34-40 “then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you in prison and visit you?’ and the King will answer them, ‘truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”ESV

We desire to have an impact in our community through having relevant ministries that are reaching people where they are at. Meeting needs, not just teaching biblical knowledge, but ministries where God is meeting needs, changing lives, where we are seeing true spiritual transformation.

Family (Mark 3:33-35 Titus 2:1-6 “but as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober minded, dignified, self-conrolled, sound in faith, in love and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.” ESV