by Ryan at Resonate
May 29, 2011
Synopsis: What makes a great church and what is the purpose of our lives.
What makes a great church?
What kind of church, when you visit, makes you go, "Wow!"
Not one of us here will say, I want to be part of a church that is mediocre.
But part of the consumer culture is that we look for the wrong things. We say, Oh, the worship is good, or the sermon is good, or it has a pet program I value. The way we judge churches is that these churches fill my need. But there is a danger in that. Scripture doesn't say that. Scripture doesn't say that you are a great church because you have a great program.
In Revelation, Jesus tells us what He wants. In Acts, it is clear where the heart of Jesus is. If we use our filters, instead of the standards of God for a good church, we will miss the heart of God.
What is it like to be the church that walks the walk? What does a healthy, vibrant church look like?
1. Jesus Christ is pre-eminent over everything
Jesus is the central focus of the church. In word and deed. There isn't a church that would say that Jesus is not number one to them, but that's not necessarily reflected in their deeds. Whatever we do, we do it for Christ. The central focus is Jesus.
If He's the center, then His manifest presence will watch over you and me. Yes, God is everywhere, but his manifest presence is not there all the time. Hence, David cried out: "Cast me not away from your presence, O God, and take not your Holy Spirit from me."
There are many churches where God does not bless with his presence. They sing about God, they talk about God; but God is not there.
We speak about revival as a church event, but revival is to relive and to re-experience. Its an overwhelming sense of God's presence over people.
Were not striving for cool. It's not scriptures's standard of a vibrant church. The goal is not to be the coolest, the sexiest, or the most relevant. The last thing I want to do is pastor at a church where Jesus is not at.
If we take the glory that belongs to God for ourselves, God will take His presence from the church.
2. The church is on mission
Mission is from the Latin word, to send. So there needs to be an act to send. When you look at Acts and the Gospels, there's a lot of words about sending. It's rooted in what Jesus does. You know John 3:16. But do you know 3:17? "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." It lies in the action of God sending his son. In verse 34, God gives Him the Holy Spirit and the words to utter.
Later, Jesus prayed for us, saying in John 17:18: "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world." So God sends Jesus, and now Jesus sends us. That is the mission of the church.
What is the mission of the church? Its just like Jesus said Matt 24:14: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." We have a job here, People. There's work to be done.
How does Resonate become a missional church? Is it going on foreign missions? Yes, but its more than that. Individual church members should realize one central truth and organize their lives around one central truth. And we have about 30 years to make a big impact. There's no accident that you are here. Once the years are gone, they're gone. There's no redo button.
Watch Dead Poet's Society. The teacher showed the students a glass cases full of with pictures of people. "What do they have in common?" he asked. They're all worm meat—they're all dead. Carpe diem. Seize the day. Do not miss the chance of making your life extraordinary. You have only one shot. We act now, or we don't act at all.
A Biblical believer is a missional believer. Let everything in your life... your recreation, your living, your everything be missional. Our mission field is whatever or wherever you are. Your neighborhood—where you live—is your mission field; where you work is your mission field; where you take vacation is your mission field; where you so spend your money is your mission field.
3. The church is a great agent of transformation in the city
All great churches make an impact. If Jesus is central, the cities will never be the same, because we are on mission and Jesus is the central figure of our lives.
Have you considered why you are here, in wherever city you are? God brought you here, He moved you here, gave you a job, and apartment for a reason. Its not by chance.
Why do you love your city? Is it close to work? Is it where you go to school? Don't look at your city as a consumer, look at it as a mission field. Be the solution, not the consumer.
God does not love us on the basis of our work, or love us less on the basis of our deficiencies. You should be the same way towards the city to which you are calked to serve. One life. One time.
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