This is the third post in the “Vision” series. You can read part 1 here, and part 2 here.
This is one of the reasons I was so frustrated at our awkward conversation… I was frustrated that these well-intentioned people didn’t understand our vision because I know that we talk about it all the time. In fact, Just a month before this conversation, we had wrapped up a whole message series specifically centered around our church’s vision. (It’s called “We, Not Me.” You can hear the whole series at this link.)
But it isn’t just preaching… We intentionally communicate our vision in lots of very overt and very subtle ways.
- It is printed in our newsletter nearly every week
- It is posted on signs for everyone to see
- We mention it during the service
- We articulate it at the Orchard Orientation
- We point to it on Facebook and Twitter
Most of all, I my hope is that our church communicates our vision every day by LIVING IT OUT. We communicate it by BEING who God calls us to be.
In his book, “The Normal Christian Life,” Watchman Nee says “God makes it quite clear in His Word that He has only one answer to every human need: His Son, Jesus Christ. He works by taking us out of the way and substituting Christ in our place.”
This is the foremost and most basic application of the Gospel in our lives. Less of me and more of Him. This is what everyone needs to see. Believer and non-believer alike. So… Above all else, we make the Gospel relevant in as many ways as we can. Here are some of the ways we do that:
- dressing casual on Sundays so everyone can feel accepted
- singing fresh, new songs that grab your heart and mind (and not having handbells! See this message)
- preaching sermons that raise and wrestle with real questions that real people are asking
- Seamless Summer food distribution program
- Serving our community on July 4 weekend
- Hope Tree gift giving
- Vacation Bible School
- serving children in our children’s ministry on a weekly basis
- and many, many other ways.
My hope for us as a church is that we are loving God, loving others, and making disciples every day of our lives by making the Gospel relevant with every single opportunity God brings each of us.
What do you think? What ways can we find to make the Gospel relevant?
Look for Part 4, “What if I don’t like the vision?” in the next week or so.