Feb 10, 2011 Radical Mission
Originally posted on August 11, 2006
Here’s a radical thought. Grace Community Church is not on this earth for Grace Community Church. Grace Community Church exists for God’s glory, for the building up of Christ’s body (the church), and for communicating in word and deed the grace of God to the world.
Here’s a radical way of living together as Grace Community Church- putting God at the center of all we do so that He alone is worshipped, the community of faith is strengthened, and our city hears the gospel.
Too radical for you? Yesterday, a handful of young men were arrested for planning to blow up ten jets as they flew out of London toward the United States. They had an agenda. They were motivated. They believed in their cause. They wanted to change the world. They were planning to use deadly force to do it.
We refuse to use the methods of these terrorists. But we must match- no, surpass- them in the radical nature of our mission. We will not attempt to change the world with the force of explosives and terror, but with the force of the gospel and of the Spirit. Using the forces of men to control others is not radical at all. In fact, it is very common to human experience. But, using the power of the gospel to win the hearts and minds of people is as radical as it gets.
One way to look at Grace Community Church is as a training ground for disciples of Jesus to live in the world with the greatest message of grace, love, and hope known to man. For thirteen years we have articulated this mission in the phrase: building healthy people for ministry in the world.
We have ordered our life together around three primary ministries that accomplish this mission. We gather to worship God through the Word, prayer, praise and response. We grow as disciples of Christ and in our fellowship with one another. We go into our city and the world doing good and telling of God’s grace in Christ.
Believe it or not, this is radical because this is God-centered and service oriented. In our fallen nature and our me-centered culture, a group of people living for Another and for others, by the power of the gospel, is truly radical.
For the next three Sundays, I will take 7 minutes in each worship service to expound on this mission and share practical ways we intend to carry it out at Grace this fall.
See you Sunday,
Pastor Scott