Why?

We carry the most important message in the world. It’s the message of God’s love and his work in our lives through his Son Jesus Christ. We can’t mess this one up. No wonder the Apostle Paul told Timothy to “study to show yourself approved.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

We want to communicate the gospel with unequaled clarity which means thinking about how we, as a church, are going to live out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) in our context.

Why does it take so much work to do this well?

One of the authors Michael and I have been reading answers this question. He says, “A lot of people think that clarity means simplicity. This usually isn’t the case. Clarity is usually found by slogging through complexity. You see every church has its own history, internal dynamics, priorities, personalities, giftings, and callings. Clarity comes after wading through the complexity of a churches unique character and most importantly listening to God’s voice together.

Over the last 15 months Michael and I along with the Lay Leaders and Communications Team (and our other boards and committees) have been trying to articulate with clarity how we are going to fulfill the Great Commission. In the process we have developed a vision frame.

The four sides of this frame are:

• Mission – This is a clear, concise and compelling description of how we are going to fulfill the Great Commission. It answers the question, “What are we doing?”
• Motives or Values – These are the shared convictions that guide us as we seek to make disciples, teach obedience to God, and take the gospel to the whole world. They answer the question, “Why are we doing it?”
• MAP (Missional Map) – The missional map is the picture or the process that demonstrates how we will accomplish the mission. The strategy answers the question, “How are we going to do it?”
• Measures (as life marks) – these are a set of attributes that are true in a person’s life that reflect the mission accomplished. These answer the question “What will be true in the life of the believer when we are successful?”

Here is our vision frame.

Mission (Mandate)

Encouraging everyone to know Jesus and follow him, every day and in every way.

Values (Motives)

Committed to God’s Word

Called to Spiritual Growth

Craving to Serve

Commissioned to All

Strategy (Map)

        Sunday Experiences

        Growthday Experiences

        Everyday Experiences

Life Marks (Measures)

Am I spending time with God?

Am I obeying God’s Word?

Am I worshipping with God’s people?

Am I fellowshipping with other believers?

Am I giving generously?

Am I investing my life in others?

Am I witnessing to others?

This may not all make sense right now. Why would it? Clarity after all takes time. But this is important, more important than we realize. Right now we have put a stake in the ground and are saying “we refuse to live as though people around us aren’t going to hell and that there is no enemy of our souls. We refuse to live as though everything is OK.” Things aren’t OK. We have been given a holy mandate and we want to take it seriously.

This is week two of churchUNIQUE. Last week we laid the foundation with The Great Commission. This week we begin to discussing how we live out The Great Commission in our unique setting as a church. We call this our mission mandate.

A mission mandate is a clear, concise way of describing what we are supposed to be doing. This mandate is like our North Star. Its purpose is to provide direction and to point everyone in that direction.  It is anchored in the sending of Jesus into the world and in turn Jesus sending us, which we call “The Great Commission.” Our mission mandate always lives within the boundaries of making disciples, teaching obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord, and taking the gospel message to the whole world.

We aren’t inventing our mission from scratch. Instead we are articulating it from scripture. Our mission mandate is a way of reminding each other that we have been sent by Jesus into the world to be witnesses. This sentness is reflecting in John 20:19-21 which says,  ¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Note the word peace in this passage. You can find it in verse 19 and 21. Image the disciples hiding in fear, huddled in personal anxiety. And then Jesus says “peace.” On first look it might seem like Jesus is pronouncing peace for comfort’s sake. Verse 21 gives further insight though. It tells us that peace is for the sake of mission. “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” This passage shows us the heart of Jesus and his deepest desire: that his disciples would unlock the doors and begin reaching out to a lost and dying world.

This is what our mission mandate is all about. It’s our description of what we are going to do to live out The Great Commission. Our mission mandate ensures that we will never slip into seeing The Great Commission as a Great Suggestion. We don’t have forever to make disciples and we have to remind ourselves that time as we know it is limited. Our mission mandate reminds us of these things. It counteracts our tendency to only “focus inward” – lock our doors in fear! World War II pastor and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said that the church is only the church when it exists for others.  This is the reason why he was willing to stand against Nazism. It was because of a deep inward belief that the church doesn’t exist only for itself, but for the world and to the world.

Our mission mandate guides our hands and feet as we seek to make disciples. It is a clear concise way of describing how we will fulfill the great commission. Encouraging Everyone to know and follow Jesus every day and in every way.

It is the first component of what we call our vision frame. More on that later…!

We shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that churches are unique. Uniqueness permeates every part of creation. No two stars are alike. Every planet has its own features. This planet that we call home is full of variety with all of its creatures and features. And humanity itself is the greatest example of uniqueness in that no two people are alike right down to the tips of their fingers and a unique print.

When we look at nature we find uniqueness!

When we look at God’s children we find unique is the only norm!

Why would we expect anything different from his church?

Have you ever noticed that there are 7 letters to 7 churches in the book of Revelation? Why didn’t God just address all seven churches at the same time? The reason: Each church had its own strengths and weaknesses.

The same thing is true of our church. Our church is “one of kind” and I mean that in a good way. God has placed us where we are and given us unique strengths, gifts and abilities to serve him here.

He has also given us our marching orders. These are found in 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 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.”

So why would we want to make disciples?

The answer is found in verse 18 when Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.”

God has given Jesus universal and unlimited authority and for this reason we are to make disciples. We aren’t supposed to promote Jesus to others because of our need or even because of human need but because of Jesus’ unique worthiness. Whenever we promote Jesus to others it is because we acknowledge that in essence everyone belongs to God anyway.

It’s only because Jesus is worthy of honor that we ever want to make disciples. It’s only because of what he has done for each one of us that we would even consider promoting him to others.

This is essentially what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5: 14-15, ¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

This week we will be discussing "The Great Commission" (Matthew 28:19-20).

Sermons are posted online every Monday. If you miss a Sunday, go to www.bigtimberchurch.com/resources/sermons and listen to our most recent sermon. We will also be posting the sermon notes online.

You can also keep up with what's happening on our blog. A blog is like an online journal and it will provide one more way for us go deeper after Sunday! Over the next several weeks we will be posting thoughts, devotions, and additional insights online.

So why this series?

The church is God's vehicle for reaching lost people. God sent Jesus into the world as a sign of his love and now Jesus sends us into the world to continue his mission.

Unfortunately the church seems to have lost it's zeal for reaching the world. In the last ten years, the church in America has been on the decline. There are lot's for reason for this but the over all result has been a decline.

So what needs to happen?

The church needs to look again at its calling and return to its mission of making disciples and teaching people to follow Jesus. This is what churchUNIQUE is about and it's the reason why we are embarking on this 8 week series.

We want to invite you to join us for this series. We also want to invite you to join in on this discussion! Join us this Sunday.

God Bless, Pastor Bryan

Why would the church want to get involved in helping people work out conflict?

Christians are encouraged to resolve conflicts in their lives within the church (Matthew 18:17; 1 Corinthians 6:4; Ephesians 3:10; Hebrews 13:17). The church fulfills this ministry when it has people equipped to address the conflicts which tear apart many churches, families, marriages and organizations.

What is the foundation of peacemaking?

Believe it or not, it is the gospel. Believers need to be reminded of the gospel as the source for encouragement in our ongoing struggle with sin. Jesus died to reconcile us to God. Because of our fallen condition all of us need to be reminded of our need for God and his peace. In addition, we need to pursue peace with Him and each other.

We are developing a team of people to help us work out the conflicts the inevitable occur in life. Right now the peacemaking team consists of Don Bray, Susan Fremont, Dana Dribnenki, and me (Bryan).

So what are we doing?

Right now we are trying to teach the principles of peacemaking to our church body. First though, we are trying to learn them ourselves.

Are we available to help now?

Yes... Even though we are in process of learning how help each other deal with the conflicts of life, we are available to help now. Here are some things that we can do:

1. Provide resources regarding peacemaking,
2. Lead or help facilitate small group studies about peacemaking,
3. Train other leaders in peacemaking skills,
4. and Meet with individuals who are engaged in a conflict for prayer and coaching.

Feel free to contact the church office (932-5637) or talk to Pastor Bryan for more information!

A sabbatical is an extended period of time for church leaders to rest, restore, revision, and refuel for the future. It is time away from the tyranny of the urgent to focus on other things. These are all goals of this upcoming sabbatical. Here are some things that will happen both in preparation for the summer and throughout the sabbatical.

1. Study Time -- time for reading and writing.
2. Personal Mentoring - time with individuals who will challenge me to grow spiritually.
3. Professional Mentoring - time with other pastors and ministry leaders who can sharpen me for future ministry effectiveness.
4. Restoring Vision - time to focus on exploring God's call for me and for our church family!
5. Rest - time with my family without the daily demands of ministry pulling me away!

Currently the PPR (Pastoral Relations Team) and a Sabbatical Planning Team are working on preparing for this! If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to talk to Betty Streeter (PPR Chair) or Dave Osen (Sabbatical Team).

Thanksgiving

1. Spend time with Him (not just 1 hr a week)
   
2. Forgive others
   
3. Serve others ("when you do this, you do it for me")
   
4. Witness
   
5. Help those who are hurting or those who are in need.
   
6. Give God the best of your time, talents, and tithe.
   
7. In your praise and worship.
   

Our Thanksgiving should include:

• The Blessings of Life
• The Burdens of Life
• The Benefits of Life