Supporting the Church on Mission

24_09_14 -Ep.329 - Run With Horses Podcast - Supporting the Church on Mission

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Susan’s New book – Parenting Manual
https://a.co/d/8L7GWIo

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Last week we started looking at what it means to release the church into the community and on mission. This week we continue are journey to empower every member for ministry and get everyone engaged in the mission.

Welcome to Run With Horses! My name is Norman and my goal is to help you thrive as a follower of Jesus. The spiritual life is both incredibly simple and potentially the most difficult part of your life. God invites you to live intentionally and on His mission. It’s very cool that we can do that together!

Thank you for joining me today! If you are new to the show, you can find our past shows on our website, runwithhorses.net. I have spent several weeks focusing on a definition of the church and the current discussion about a discipleship pathway is best understood in the context of our broader look at the church. If you have been enjoying the show, I would appreciate it if you would leave a review wherever you are listening! And as always, your questions, comments and feedback are welcome. Write me at norman@runwithhorses.net. And now, on with the show...

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Habits - Pursuing Community - some effort required!

1 Corinthians 1:10-11 Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

Colossians 3:12-17 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

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MY WORKING DEFINITION OF CHURCH - Consider in Light of RELEASE
A CHURCH is a group of followers of Jesus who worship Him in spirit and truth, humbly offering their lives as living sacrifices, together living out the MISSION of Jesus as His witnesses TO THE WORLD, by sharing the gospel and making disciples through teaching obedience to His commands as they edify and EQUIP OTHERS to join them on HIS MISSION.

The discipleship pathway is an intentional plan to equip others to be on the mission of Jesus. We want to RELEASE people for ministry, the pathway is a plan to get the there with the support of the church!

Think about the goals of the pathway. How do they fit in with the goal of RELEASING people for ministry?
a. self-feeding Christians - you can't release immature believers, disciple to maturity and mission
b. everyday missionaries – everyone on the mission of Jesus, people are released into their family and neighborhood first!
c. disciple-makers - we want to release disciple makers, not church attenders or nominal believers or people with their own agenda.
d. pastors, church planters, missionaries - result of God'd leading in the lives of the released!
e. new churches - result of the church related in our communities and going to new communities.
f. all members of the church, shepherded well - a byproduct of healthy disciple making

We are on the Fourth step in the Pathway; RELEASE
ENGAGE, CONNECT, EQUIP, RELEASE

Last week I mentioned that We are over-programmed and under-discipled. And our Programs just aren't producing many mature disciple makers! For many of us programs have been a way to stay busy and feel good about ourselves without actually engaging in the mission of Jesus to make disciples who take the message of reconciliation to the world.

##Think about it. It is unfortunately possible to teach Sunday School and not be making disciples. It is possible to lead a children's ministry and not make disciples. Music ministry, be a deacon, be an elder and even be a pastor without making disciples? Too often true.

To accomplish our purpose as we understand it from our definition of the church, we need to intentionally embrace the mission of Jesus and make practically real-world steps to change our habits and lifestyle to one that follows Jesus. Individually we can accept that and desire that kind of life change and spiritual growth, but what is the role of the church in this process?

##Can we reimagine how we DO church with disciple making as the goal AND process? What does a disciple making Sunday School look like? How do we encourage, train and release our church leaders at every level to be disciple makers?

The Discipleship Pathway gives us steps to take that move us from where we are to active engagement in the mission, one step at a time. The church has a role in:
1.Education: teaching the truth of God's Word and what the Christian life looks like
2.Training: sharing the skills and tools that will help us use our gifts and get involved in the work of the ministry
3.Encouragement
4.Vision
5.Partnership
6.Ongoing support
7. Evangelism - but primarily supporting members in their outreach

I feel like I am probably missing some things but you get the point, The church body corporately supports the individual disciple that make up the church in carrying out the work of the ministry.

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How do we RELEASE the church for ministry? The church leadership set the tone for the church. Maybe a good illustration is that the church leadership lets everyone know what STYLE, KEY and TEMPO we are playing the song in. God has given us the song of praise, the life of sacrificial worship to be carried out by disciple makers. As a local body, we need to figure out what that song sounds like in our current environment. Culture, people groups, sub-cultures, economy, politics, geography, and the like all influence the song.

We must know our local culture. What issues are people dealing with and what are they concerned about? What does God have to say about these issues? We want to identify natural pain points in the community as well as natural connecting points.

###REF: https://research.lifeway.com/2020/08/26/4-steps-to-shepherding-your-church-through-community-engagement/

___1. Lead people to engage in local cultural issues. KEY is LOCAL. What are people in your neighborhood talking about? Get to know individuals and talk to them!
I’m not talking about standing in a peaceful protest line (though that is one way), but an even more personal connection—whether through helping a young mother see the truth of the gospel or coming alongside her decision to carry full term.

Engagement might mean mentoring to that young man who is scared to death about being a single dad at such a young age.

We want to be involved in a personal way. There are always cultural issues in our communities that you can begin to pray over to see where God is leading you and your church to be more involved.

___2. Provide for needs in your local community while sharing the gospel.
There is a tendency for volunteers to merely invite to church those who come through the door and not necessarily engage with the gospel.

Make it a practice to be present to pray for those with needs and as doors open to share the truth of the gospel. All church members need to be trained to do the same.

Where can we be involved AS A CHURCH? Within that context, members should be encouraged and empowered to pursue individual relationships.

___3. Provide regular opportunities for evangelism training.
Evangelism training on a regular basis isn’t happening in many of our churches. I recommend at least once a year a church should provide opportunities for people who have a desire to learn how to better share their faith.

There are a couple of kinds of training that should take place. First, Education - Why we need to share the Gospel, What is the Gospel? 1-2 simple clear methods to memorize so we can come back to them and build on them. Second, Practice - Role-playing, testimonies and the like give practice putting the truth into your own words. More time thinking and talking through the gospel make it easier to do when the opportunity arises out in public. Third, Evangelistic Bible Study - every member should learn how to lead the discussion through a chronological Bible study in a small group.

___4. Lead your church to participate in community events.
Every community has events throughout the year. Some events would allow you to set up a booth alongside other vendors. Local farmers market, a business fair, 5k races, concerts in the park, etc.

Have branded church materials available, business cards as well as flyers with links to the church website and information about who you are as a church. The more members you have participating the better! Be a church family enjoying life together!

Think outside the box, but keep the need to share the gospel clearly in the forefront of the minds of your people.

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DOCTRINE
September – Holy Spirit

Renewing Work of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Titus3:4-7 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

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The church is an unstoppable force when it is united and on the mission of Jesus. Divisions, apathy, and distractions can pull us off the mission and into other pursuits that don't have eternal value. How can you stay on the journey together? How can you encourage others in your church when they are beat up by life? The life of following Jesus is an adventure that we undertake together. We need each other! And we all have to take it one day at a time. Let's commit to following Jesus today and giving Him the freedom to change us and use us on His mission.

Thanks for joining me again today! If you enjoyed the show you can listen to all the past shows wherever you listen to podcasts. A good place to start is at runwithhorses.net. You can also write me at norman@runwithhorses.net or leave a comment on the Run With Horses Podcast facebook page. Take time today to pause and thank God for His work in your life and keep running.

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I don’t think I have mentioned it yet but my wife has a new book out. It is a parenting manual written as one thought a day from the Bible. You can find it on Amazon by searching for Susan Jane Smith, Parenting Manual. I also have a link in the show notes.

If you are a parent or know a parent who is interested in raising godly children, this book can help you keep your focus as you take the journey with your children. The book is $5 and is available as a paperback or kindle book. If you read it, leave her a review, it really does help others find it! Thanks!