John reminds us in 1 John:
…because as He is, so are we in this world.
1 John 4:17
What are we as believers like in this corrupted world, where the fool has said in his heart there is no God? We are described as ‘salt and light’, that means we are to be an influence in the world in which we live. Unfortunately, the church has lost her influence because of sin and compromise, instead of having an influence on the culture around us we have allowed the culture to influence us. And yet God has a purpose for the local church.
In Ephesians 3:8-11, Paul describes the purpose of why we as a church exist. God’s plan for the church is to form and fashion us into those who reflect His goodness and grace to others. We need to take ownership of this mission and understand our motive. Why do we do what we do? The glory of God it is not about me or the satisfaction of my own ego, it is all about Him.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:13-15 “…the love of Christ compels me…”. Thank God that we have the means in reflecting God’s love to this dying world, abiding in Christ, being full of the Holy Spirit. The only way in which we carry Jesus with us into the work place, at the school gate, at school or university is by abiding in God and allowing Him to abide in us. We need to decide to live like Him, empowered by the Spirit, making a choice to carry His love and grace into impossible situations.
If we are to be effective in taking ownership of this mission of reflecting the glory and love of God to the community in which we live and work, then we need to take ownership of our individual lives. Our purpose is to see Christ established in each life.
Are you feeling like you are drifting with no sense of purpose or asking yourself why on earth am I here? A missional church goes into the culture in which they live; they know God has sent them on a mission. Being part of church is more than just believing it is about belonging. Our Western worldview where our emphasis is on individualism is unhealthy in the life of the church. You were not called to do your own thing; we were called to belong to a body of people.
If we are to present Christ to the world, then we must know what it is to work together. Our church is called All Nations, but how good are we at connecting? Don’t stay in the comfortable zone of your own little group, instead go out of your way to connect with different people from different cultures, learn to interact better with others around you.
If we are to become an authentic community bringing people into the presence of the living God, we need to see a new sense of ownership; people who are not causal in their commitment but are convicted that they are serving God and his purpose by being a member here at All Nations Christian Centre.
It is concerning to see the casualness that is creeping into our attitude regarding our commitment to the body of Christ. Reading Hebrews 10:23-24, it is clear that we cannot be causal in our attitude towards local church. The church is God’s agenda for the world. The person who says: ‘I don’t need church’ is either arrogant or ignorant! The church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it.
Do you have a desire to understand your spiritual gift. What has God called you to do? What is your gift? God has a unique role for you to play in His family. One day God is coming back to see what you have done with that which He has given to you.
For some, self-centredness and self-interest is more important than the Kingdom of God. But in this world, Jesus showed us how to be generous people. Don’t expect a harvest if your seed is still in the barn. See Haggai 1:3-9. We cannot afford to sit back on what we have done in the past. For example our missions giving as a church has been good, but good can be the enemy of the best.
Paul describes in 2 Timothy 4:6-7 that “I have finished the race”. But in order to finish the race well, you need to know where the finish line is! Your finish line will determine your course of action.
There are two important things for your life; knowing your identity and destiny. There will be hindrances on this course, for the enemy will try and stop you from fulfilling your destiny. Zephaniah 3:17 reminds us that God is with us.
Let this world see our good works, see our generosity, see our love and grace that our Father in heaven may be glorified.