Discontinuous Change

Key #10 “We steward our time, talents, and money for Kingdom purpose”

Key #11 “We exercise our unique, God-given gifts by serving the Body of Christ in at least one ministry.”

Pastor Mark has been preaching about stewardship since January. These keys speak to the same issue: as followers of Christ, we must reach out to others by using what God has given us.

Why is this Important?

· B/c we live in a world of discontinuous change – change which is disruptive and unanticipated

· In discontinuous change:

- working harder with one’s habitual skills and ways of working does not address the challenges being faced

- an unpredictable environment means new tools are needed

- there is no getting back to ‘normal’ as we have known it. We must create a ‘new normal’.

As I talk with ever more people I hear a similar theme: God is challenging us to sacrificially find common ground with non-Christians in an effort to form relationship with them. Relationships that help us live, love, serve, and teach the way Jesus did.

I’m eager to participate in what God is doing. I wonder what it might look like if we pooled our talents in an effort to more missionally and purposefully reach into Parma, Concord and Jackson with the love and Truths of Jesus.

Did you know that discontinuous change is dominant in periods of history that transform a culture forever, tipping it over into something new? Have you considered that God has placed you right where you are ‘for such a time as this’?

What Kingdom purpose has God placed on your heart? How can you use your talents, time, and money to live out that purpose within the church or within the larger community?

Next generation // servant-leaders

Hmm....interesting.
Key #8 says: "We model and cultivate Kingdom character and values for the next generation".
Key # 9: "Men assume their God-given role as servant leaders".

See the bible verses to the right that support these keys. Great verses! Good keys as based on those verses.

BUT....my eyes and heart focus on different phrases of the keys than those emphasized by the verses. Instead of thinking of children and fathers/husbands, I see 'next generation Christians' - our spiritual children & grandchildren. Do you have any?
I also see 'servant-leader' - a possible description of my relationship to these next-generation Christians. Do you see yourself as a servant-leader?

My heart is ever more pulled toward reaching out beyond the walls of SAFMC. The bolded words speak to this pull - this desire. I believe that as we deepen our relationship & intimacy with Jesus as Lord (i.e. become stronger disciples of Christ), we will be unable to resist this pull to reach out to a new generation of Christians through being servant-leaders.
The questions now become:

• In what venue can we form relationship with a next generation Christian?
• How can we be a servant-leader while modeling the love of the Lord to these next-generation Christians?

I have a couple of ideas floating in my head and heart on how we, as a church, might do this:

• offer workshops on finances, job searching, parenting, marriage, anger management, health issues, etc.etc. These workshops would be free to the community. At the conclusion of the workshops, information can be available for further help in these areas via church ministries.
• take these workshops into different locations closer to the 'next generation' we are trying to reach rather than having them come to the church
• up our involvement with the weatherization effort that already exists in the community
• as individuals, offer servant-leadership through volunteering in the schools, library or other public locations in which we can make a difference
• as a Community Group choose a venue in which we can reach out to the next generation Christians around us
  

Via the comment section below, would you consider sharing some of your ideas of how we, as a church, can better reach the next generation of Christians in the Jackson, Parma, and Concord areas ... ane how we can more effectively be servant/leaders while glorifying God's name?

Love & Grace

Worship - Grow - Connect - Serve - Go

Connect- We were made for community; we were created to connect with others.

"Above all, love each other deeply" 1 Peter 4:8

Key #6 - We practice love and grace.
Key #7 - We honor and protect the covenant of marriage.

Key #6 makes me think of missions month here at SAFMC. The concept of finding and reaching out to others through some common ground grows more tangible for me each week. I'm challenging my self - and you - to find the common ground that exists with neighbors, co-workers, parents of our children's friends, or others loosely connected to our lives. Is there a potential common ground that can be fostered so as to develop a relationship with someone who does not yet know Jesus as Savior & Lord? Without some common ground, how can I extend biblical love and grace to them? Are we praying for these people? Are we asking God to show us ways to practice love and grace in our contacts with them?


Key #7 can, in some ways, be connected to key #6. If I am not practicing love and grace in my most intimate of relationships, how can I honestly do so with others? By practicing love and grace within the marriage, I will most definitely be honoring and protecting the covenant of marriage. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 is one of the most specific guidelines I can use to check how well I am loving and extending grace. When is the last time you gave yourself a 'check-up' in the area of love & grace, and in honoring and protecting your marriage covenant?