Missions

The church should be known as a sense of belonging, mercy, inclusion, and no judgment. Learn to treat your neighbors as yourselves. We are meant to be like Jesus so that if you've seen me you've seen the Father. (John 14) Jesus on the cross isn't the center of the message but a relationship with God is! Be saved, washed clean, and forgiven but more than that know Him. Know His character, how much He loves you, and what He can do through you. (John 5:14) Jesus isn't looking for sinless perfection, but warning you of the return to sinful life choices and encouraging you to go forth cautiously and aware. Our story is so stinking great but we've forgotten how to tell it. You don't start 2/3 of the way through when you tell a story. Find the language to describe God, His character, and His kingdom.

If it’s your normal, you won’t feel the need to critique it. God likes to disrupt your normal, though in church you’re supposed to feel accepted where you’re at. It’s meant to be Godly sorrow, not condemnation. If you know Jesus why the heck would you stay in the place that you want? God will still love you but what a small view of your life. Why would you want to abuse that when you realize how good and kind He is? (Romans 2:4) He hung out with the drunkards and the losers. They were His friends! God is a more-the-merrier kind of guy. Misseo Dei means ‘Mission of God’. So then what’s important in the aspects of our traditions? Where should you give grace and where should you disciple?

            Evangelion is ‘the good message’. The size of your church is irrelevant, your presence is what matters. Blessed to be a blessing. (Genesis 12:1-3) When God blesses you with wisdom it’s for others, but He blesses through simple things too, like food :) How do I bless my neighbors as myself? The one thing God is going on and on about is probably the one thing we ought to know. He isn’t going to give you the blueprints because He’s inviting you into a trust-based relationship. Can you say yes? God is good and kind, He wants you back because He misses you.

            Your mission field is human hearts. Believing the truth takes time and community. Ask the Lord, how do we be present for this time? We get so caught up in finding the right partner when all that we need is Jesus. He can sustain us and is the ultimate guide to finding the right one. There’s a saying that the right one will come along when you’re not looking. I’d say that’s what I’m going off of for now. The gospel is not about you going somewhere after death, it's about a relationship with Jesus now! When we die, He gives us so much more.

            Let your wounds heal but keep your scars as a reminder. “God, make me sensitive to my ego-putrid nature.” It’ll knock on your door daily but you don’t have to open it. “Not my will but yours be done.” We say John 14:6 but forget the next verse where we are called to reflect the Father. Live your life with our Heavenly Father at the center. Protect your peace less and have more fellowship. Zoe life is the Greek meaning for the fullness of life.

            Standing in leadership and walking with a limp at the same time is humbleness. God disciplines those He loves. Don’t be pharisaical by choosing who’s in and who’s out. Behavior is not above discipleship. We need so badly to belong. Hopefully, through belonging, we could bring you to Christ. You can only act kind for so long until true kindness becomes eminent. Wherever we are we’re meant to bring beauty, order, and abundance. Sin is a disease and you can’t punish a disease out of someone. Some people believe that if something bad happened, God did it because you sinned and He’s punishing you but it’s not true.

             Your sins turn you away from God, but He is always reaching out for you. (Isaiah 59:2) God never turns His face, it’s in each story of the Bible and of today. God can’t look upon iniquity, but when Jesus was on the cross all our iniquity was put on Him, therefore Jesus cried out, “God, my Father, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1/Matthew 27:46) It was a fulfillment of the prophecy, but because Jesus was carrying the sins of us, He was blinded from seeing God just as we are when we sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

            When God says, “Go and sin no more” He’s not expecting you to be perfect He knows you will still stumble, but He’s saying your record has been wiped clean, so what will you do now? He hopes you will no longer want to sin after seeing the goodness of God, but He’s given you free will, and no matter what He will love you anyway. (Romans 8:28) So if you reject God’s love, you’re just hurting yourself. If you love ‘love’, it’ll feel like Heaven. If you hate love, it’ll feel like Hell. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

Notes from Carl Tinnion's Lecture