Monday 26 January 2015

Grace church and the next 5 years.

This Sunday we were looking at God's mission for the church and what exactly that will look like for Grace Church.  It is in short our vision for Grace Church for the next five years.  Here's a summary:

Why does the church exist? What’s it here for? What’s God’s purpose for it?  Matthew 28v18-20 is Jesus final instruction to his disciples about what they’re to do when he has ascended into heaven. It’s their marching orders, and the mission of the church as we’ll see in Acts.

In 2007 Tearfund research found that 70% of the UK population had no intention of attending a church service at any point in the future. 70%, and my guess is that figure has only gone up in the last 8 years. Another organisation looked at trends in Sunday School attendance; in 1900 55% of children attended Sunday school, in 1940 30%, 1970 14%, 2000 4% and by 2016 it’s estimated to be 1%. Another study concluded: 96% of children in Britain grow up without any significant exposure to the church or the gospel. Isn’t that staggering?  Given that context of the country and community we live in.  We need to go with the gospel.

The first thing we must see about this mission in Matthew 28 is the context in which it’s given. Jesus and his disciples know how needy the world is, but what Jesus wants them to know is the power they have behind them. Jesus has been given “all authority in heaven and on earth...” He is God the Son, he’s the King and he commissions them. The disciples carry the royal warrant as they go on this mission. And they aren’t alone; Jesus is with them, how? Acts 2 by the Holy Spirit.

It is knowing that authority and presence that they are to “therefore go” and make disciples. Notice the scale of the mission, to all nations teaching them all or everything I have taught you. But that mission isn’t impossible because of scale of the authority Jesus has. Jesus doesn’t just pass on his mission but he promises they are joining with him in his mission with his authority and presence.

And notice what they’re to do. They aren’t to make converts but disciples. People who follow Jesus; who make Jesus their overriding passion in life. How do they do that? By teaching them; calling them to repent of their sin and put their faith in Jesus as the one who rescues and reconciles them to God. That means teaching them the gospel, that we’re rebels against God, cut off from him and facing life and eternity without him. Until God the Son became man because of the Father’s love for the world, and lived, was put to death to pay for our sin as he experienced God’s just anger on our behalf, and who rose again just as he raises us to new life. So that by trusting in him we’re credited with his perfect record and by grace given a right relationship with God. Adopted into his family to live as God’s children. All symbolised in baptism and resulting whole life change.

This mission to make disciples who live life following Jesus, transformed by grace and called to obedient sonship drives the disciples and the early church, and it’s a mission which is passed on to us.

But what does it look like to live out this mission?

Gospel teaching and learning are vital
In Acts we see the mission undertaken. So in ch1v21-22 a new Apostles is chosen, why? Because teaching about Jesus matters and it is necessary to fulfil this mission. In Acts 2 when they receive Jesus authority as the Spirit fills them they preach Jesus and 3,000 believe. And straightaway (2v42-47)we see the church meet, focused on making disciples. Devoted to the Apostles teaching and remembering Jesus death, devoted to gospel teaching, learning and transformed living.

In Acts 4 the Apostles keep on teaching God’s grace(33) and that becomes the key driving force in this new community bringing transformation and unity. In Acts 6 they restructure the church so they can focus on making and discipling believers by teaching the gospel. In Acts 8 they’re driven out of Jerusalem by persecution (4)preaching the word wherever they go. In Acts 15 they contend for the truth of the gospel to safeguard the message they must pass on. In the epistles the gospel is taught, learnt, applied and lived out. And in the pastoral letters the charge is given to the next generation to pass it on.

The churches mission in action. We stand in that tradition with the same mission. We must teach the gospel, learn the gospel, and live out the gospel, living as and making disciples.

The gospel taught, learnt, and lived produces a community marked by grace and overflowing love
Acts stresses that the teaching of the gospel produces a community of grace. (Acts 4v33-34)The gospel drives everything they do. It’s a church that’s quick to welcome, love, forgive, bear with and sacrificially serve one another. Why? Because that’s how they’ve been loved in Jesus, and grace becomes the heartbeat of the church.

That expresses itself in their devotion to sharing life with one another. In their generosity with their money, their homes, their possession and their time. That this isn’t a one a off is seen in the letters to the churches; in Corinthians Paul rebukes a church that has stopped treating one another with grace, in Ephesians he helps a church marvel at what God has made the church by grace, in Philippians he encourages them to live lives increasingly transformed by grace, in Thessalonians he praises them for the transformation and love grace has brought and is bringing about in them.

The gospel at work; taught, learnt and applied produces a community of grace. But it doesn’t stop there. That community with its passion for God, the gospel and people goes with the gospel to the world. It loves those outside the church because it serves a God who so loved the world he gave his only son. And that means the church works to relieve suffering where we can find it especially eternal suffering.

Practically as a community focused on grace we’ll be propelled outward to love others, we’ll “go”. As a community constantly taught the gospel we’ll be equipped by the gospel to do good works(Eph 4v11-12) which display God’s love and grace to those outside the church. Drawing them to see and meet Jesus as we hold out and speak the gospel.

But how? What will that look like for us in Auckley?

The challenge for us is to take God’s mission and work out what it looks like in our context. What that looks like for us? What will we put our energy into for the next five years?

Seeing the gospel taught, believed in, applied and lived out
Only one power exists on this planet and in this community that can bring lasting change. Only the love of Jesus Christ that conquers sin, wipes out shame, heals wounds, and reconciles enemies can change the world one life at a time. And that power has been given to us. Our mission is to go and make disciples. We’ve always been a church focused on bible teaching, but we want to increasingly add to that bible learning and living.

So on Sunday mornings our focus will continue to be teaching the bible well, on applying it to our world, community, family and lives. We’ll continue to have questions for discussion after the service and encourage one another to use them to think practically about how we learn and live out what God has taught us.

Gospel Group on Tuesday night will continue to provide a second opportunity to be taught, believe, apply and live out the gospel. We’d love to see more people coming along, we’d love to multiply groups, times, locations and leaders.

We want to see the gospel taught to those who don’t yet know Jesus. To share this good news with the community around us. I think since we’ve been here we’ve made a great start. Assemblies are an ongoing way we do that, holiday club was another way, Uncover has been another. And we’ll keep on doing those. One Big Question this March is another way we want to go with the gospel and bring people in to hear about Jesus, provoking questions and providing responses.

We want to build on the annual set pieces. Easter Sunday was brilliant last year and we want to maximise that opportunity again. Christmas saw over 50 visitors come across the 4 services and hear the gospel. We have the potential to develop harvest opportunities and others as we proclaim the gospel and look to make disciples.

Here’s the challenge for us as a church. We need to multiply bible teachers as we do this. That means both considering if that’s a gift we have or if you could serve in other ways to take some of the pressure off those who teach so that they can focus on teaching well. For example you might consider; setting up church on Sunday, doing the rota’s once a term, collating and emailing the weekly church prayer update, visiting people, and so on. Jobs where you could serve and free up time for those who teach the bible.

It also means giving to enable that to happen, to set aside those who teach and are freed up to teach well.

We also need to pray. Pray for those teaching the bible, turn Matthew 9v38 into a prayer for more bible teachers. Pray for people to come along to events and for those who come along to respond to the gospel. Perhaps that is going to be your focus for this year.

Seeing the gospel taught and lived out produce a grace filled community of overflowing love
One of the dangers as we grow is becoming more diverse. The call of the great commission is to make disciples of all types of people, different backgrounds, ways of thinking, likes, dislikes and so on. How does the early church overcome that? We saw in Acts 6 by keeping the gospel central, and by being a community where grace is at work. Practically they maximised the opportunities to be together.

Sunday morning has ample opportunities both before and after the service, could you make more of those? Church lunch provides a great opportunity to get to know those you don’t know so well. Gospel group provides another opportunity, as does prayer meeting. Why not use Sunday afternoons to have people over for lunch.

As we’ve thought about what it will look like to be a grace filled community loving the area we’ve contacted some people to ask what they thought the key issues were. We’ve decided to focus on three areas:

1. Building community. 
Our area is changing rapidly with new developments, but it has also lost lots of resources. The children’s centre and community hall have all closed in the last 7 years and nothing has replaced it. It’s an area of need but with little provision. There are three things we think we can do to meet this need:

a. Community Governance Review – we’ve been in contact with the council to see about renaming the area. We want to lead a petition to see if there’s interest in getting the area renamed Hayfield. That potentially would mean forming a Parish Council for the area which would have some money to spend each year to meet community needs. It may also provide a way for residents to have a say in creating community.

b. Community space/provision - The area needs community provision, somewhere for things to happen, for people to meet, but there isn’t anywhere. Peel Holdings promised a community centre, play park and green space but apparently there wasn’t anyone willing to oversee it. We want to explore with them whether this is a role Grace Church could play.

c. Coffee mornings - We want to grow our coffee mornings, making it a place of contact and where we can help build community.

2. Strengthening Families
a. Toddlers - We already do some work in this area through Toddlers, but we want to expand and grow toddlers. One of the current limitations is the bungalow and we want to explore a potential new place so we can develop this more.

b. Christians Against Poverty - Debt and money management are an issue in the area. We are exploring getting training on becoming a CAP provider, so that we can teach budgeting to those in need. We need people willing to be trained and provide that service.

c. A voice and link. Grace Church is becoming known as a place to go to for help, we want to develop that further. Pointing people to agencies and providing practical help. We also want to be a voice for those who feel that haven’t got one, writing to local MP’s, councillors etc.

3. Nutrition
Food is a need in the community. Figures say 1 in 5 mums has gone without a meal so their children can eat in the last year. It’s not just having enough food that is an issue but providing nutritious food.

a. Foodbank - It’s great to see the foodbank developing in town and in Rossington but we want to explore setting up one or a satellite here, and becoming a point of contact for those in need.

b. Recipe book - We want to put together a book of healthy meals for a family for under a fiver. Potentially providing the opportunity to teach this to parents via twilight evening session, though again a venue remains an issue.

c. Voicing the need - Again as we do this we need to contend for those who are marginalised and in need.

As we serve in those areas we will hold out the gospel, knowing that the greatest need is the eternal need. Here’s the challenge as we think about the next five years. What gifts has God given you to serve as we look to make the gospel known?

Only one power exists on this planet and in this community that can bring lasting change. Only the love of Jesus Christ that conquers sin, wipes out shame, heals wounds, and reconciles enemies can change the world one life at a time. And that power has been given to us and our mission is to go and make disciples.

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