Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be
A Friend's group is currently using a phrase “Build here and build there.” They are talking about their investment in the Kingdom with the mindset of having mission as part of their thrust. That phrase could also summarize much of the work that our committee and others from within our church are doing. The “Vision” process started years ago with many from our church's past praying that God would bring missions to the forefront of WFC. Many from our pews have heard that call and spent multiple years in Africa, Palestine, Jamaica and the list goes on. Some have worked diligently at home praying, encouraging and enabling this mission. So what is the next step for us as a church in missions?. What is the “Vision” for a church with a brick and mortar expansion phase in process? First off it is absolutely Biblical.
Mission has been the central focus of the Lord from the beginning. Even Abraham in Gen 12 heard that, …”he would be a blessing to ALL nations.” So with that as a starting point our mission focused visioning team launched out in a think tank in January 2008. After many meetings and discussions, we have started some strategic positioning. This is for you to ponder, discuss, agree and or disagree. We want this to be a cross section of the whole church body. We encourage your input. The initial two areas that I would like for you to review fall into the Biblical Basis of Mission .
• We have selected 5 Scriptures that represent our church's Biblical Basis of Mission .
Biblical Basis
Our Missions Scriptures: Acts 1:8; Mark 16:15; Romans 10:12-15: John 20:21; Matthew 28:18-20
Act 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."
Mark 16: 15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
Romans 10:12-15 14 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." [ a ] 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" [ b ]
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in [ a ] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age ."
• We have summarized our Biblical Basis of Mission with a statement.
We are commanded to go to all nations and to be Christ's witnesses so that people hear and are saved and become obedient disciples.
We will be looking at a number of other areas as well. They will include our church's definition of mission, our scope and boundaries, purpose, major world challenges, priorities, church appropriate roles and goals. The committee and I would welcome your thoughts and ideas as we partner together. Help us strategically build on this central theme of the Scripture that all should know Him.
Pray for us,
Eric Fleck , Clerk of Missions