Missional Families

According to a recent survey by Lifeway Research, parents are open to their children attending church if they don't have to be the ones to take them (Scott McConnell, LifeWay Research Insights' Feb. 23 newsletter). The survey found that 76 percent of parents agreed with the statement, "If a neighbor I trusted invited my children to go to church with them, I would let my child go with them." Whereas, only 24 percent of the 1,210 adults surveyed disagreed with the statement.


This finding is somewhat regrettable as a pastor who desires families to know God and worship him together. Yet, it also carries significance for believing families to live missionally. Notice the wording, "... a neighbor I trusted". This is a call for Christians to get into their communities and know their neighbors. It's a reminder that a simple friendship and invite can go a long way in the process for children and families to come to repentance and faith in Christ.


So what can your family do to live missionally, for neighbors to trust you? Here are some ideas:
- Know the names of your neighbors and allow them to know the names of everyone in your family.
- Invite neighbors, co-workers or classmates over for coffee, dessert, dinner or all of the above. This can easily be done by making use of special occasions and holidays.
- Participate in community functions and parties in effort to know people.
- Volunteer with local organizations, get involved with schools, sports teams, clubs, etc.
- Bless your neighbors, office or class with little but special gifts like baked goods, candy, yard work, appreciation notes & cards. It's the simple thoughts that count.

Above all, "as you go" (Matthew 28) and meet people engage in spiritual conversations when appropriate. People are not opposed to talking about spiritual things. They are opposed to you doing it without earning their trust first. You must have a genuine interest and value for people. Do not be afraid to let your friendships go beyond an evangelistic witness encounter. When I look at Jesus I see that he cared very deeply for people, even to the point of weeping on occasion. He loved strangers. I have to admit, I do not share this same compassion as much as I want or should. It's a shame, and worse it's sinful. I'm guilty and need to repent. I'm going to go do that now. What about you?

Gospel Comes To Life, pt 3

Mark Driscoll, in summary, gave three helpful applications for the gospel and culture.

1) Some things we must reject outright from culture. These are things that are completely incompatible with God and the Bible. There can be no compromise on these things. Examples may include homosexuality, abortion, porn... these are moral sins that are found in the commands of Scripture.

2) Some things we can receive from culture. These are things that God has given humanity the intelligence and innovation to create and bring about for the common good. God sends rain on the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45). An example is the use of medicine, doctors, etc.

3) Some things we must redeem from culture. There are some things that were morally good or neutral but culture has corrupted. They must be reclaimed for God's purposes. Examples may include certain technology or inventions, sex, gender and relationship views and others.

These 3 categories are helpful in trying to discern how a Christian is to relate to culture without watering down or abandoning the heart of the gospel.

God Gives Help - Hebrews 1:3

This passage emphasizes some of the most significant actions of God. As we have seen, God has spoken all throughout history, calling people to repentance and faith in His Son. God revealed Himself through His exact representation, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the heir of all things, creator and sustainer of the universe. Even more, God gave the world His Son for the purpose of providing help from sin. Jesus purifies people from sin through His death on the cross. All these things identify God actively involved in His creation.

Jesus was not afraid to get His hands dirty. He personally involved himself in mankind’s greatest problem – sin. When Jesus went to the cross, he became sin – the sin that you and I commit. He bore our sin, paying the punishment for the wrongs we committed against God. We deserved to die yet God loved us enough to provide a way out. Jesus is our substitution. This has been labeled the “great exchange” in that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Other religions show ways mankind tries to purify their own sin and reach God. Christianity shows God intervening himself into the world of mankind in order to reach them. This is the message of Christmas and Easter wrapped into one gift, giving to us directly from God.

Through repentance and faith in Jesus’ substitutionary work on the cross you become Jesus’ righteousness; purified and forever cleansed. In other words, as you look at the history of your experiences with sin and failures, God forgives you. Your record is wiped clean.

After Jesus provided purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of God. A priest in the OT temple never sat down. In fact, there were no chairs for him to sit. The reason was because a priests work was never finished, continually performing sacrifices for ongoing sins of the people. The writer of Hebrews says, “Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God… because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (10:11-14).

TAKING IT HOME
- What kind of help do teens need today? What are teens greatest needs?
- What is the difference between religion and Christianity?
- How do people try to purify themselves from sin apart from Christ?
- What does it mean to live a life of purity? Is this attainable? How does a Christian live with purity?
- Can you think of another example where a single act has great impact on everything else? How does this relate to Jesus dying on the cross?
- Set aside some time where you can reflect on the words of Jesus saying “It [payment for your sin] is finished.”
- Read the following passages to appreciate and understand Jesus’ death on the cross. Write out any questions or comments you have. Share your questions/thoughts with a friend.
Isaiah 53
Romans 3:21-23; 5:8, 12-19;
2 Corinthians 5:21
Galatians 3:13
Colossians 2:13-15
1 Peter 1:18-19; 3:18
1 John 2:2

God Gives Help, pt 2 & 3

Parts 2 & 3

God Gives Help, pt 1

Our Youth Ministry did this skit before this message. It is in three parts:
Pt 1 - video of skit
Pt 2 & 3 - video of message