"But thanks be to God,
who made us his captives and leads us along in Christ's triumphal
procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about
the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume. Our
lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance
is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing.
To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and
doom. But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume.
And who is adequate for such a task as this? "
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Above
all else in our lives we are called to glorify God in all we do,
how we live, what we say, what we watch and even what we think. The
Bible says it this way, "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever
you do, do it all for the glory of God." I Corinthians 10:31
We do that in many ways. We expand this purpose
statement as: To EVANGELIZE to all people, welcoming them into
the family of God, DISCIPLING them into Christ-like maturity, equipping
and releasing them in the power of the Holy Spirit into MINISTRY
in the church and sending them into MISSION throughout the whole
world, all the while GLORIFYING God's name, always wanting
more of what God has for us. |
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We accomplish
this by following the two great commandments and the great commission,
thus, winning and reproducing disciples who walk with God, live the
word, contribute to the work and impact the world.
The Two Great Commandments: We see what Jesus means
by the whole person, who we are emotionally, physically, relationally,
financially, intellectually and spiritually. Jesus says it this way,
"'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul,
and all your mind.' This is the first
and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love
your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the
demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." Matthew
22:37-38 NLT
In The Great Commission we see what Jesus means
by the whole Gospel and the world. "Jesus came and told his
disciples, 'I have been given complete authority in heaven and on
earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach
these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And
be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew
28:18-20 NLT
While this mission is not unique we do feel that
God has called us to focus on two particular areas: evangelism and
discipleship. We call these two pursuits the "business" of
the church. |
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The business
of the church is what we are about. Our mission and vision are clear.
However, how do we measure if we are fulfilling these goals? If you
were to ask someone, "How's business?" they have a way
to measure and to respond to that question. How do you do that in
the church? By what do we measure if business is good? At MVCC we
would say that you measure business by looking at evangelism and
discipleship.
Business is good when people are making Jesus
the Savior and Leader of their lives and going deeper in their
relationship with God. God has chosen to use us, the church, to
share the message of salvation and to disciple people. As a church
we are committed to evangelism and discipleship. It's our business
and we do all we can — using
our time, abilities, gifts, resources and energy, to see that business
is good.
The Bible is full, from cover to cover, regarding evangelism and
discipleship. In regards to evangelism our key verse is 2 Corinthians
4:15,
"All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s
grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving,
and God will receive more and more glory." Regarding
discipleship we claim 2 Corinthians 3:18 "So
all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect
the glory of the Lord. And the Lord — who is Spirit — makes
us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious
image." Both of these verses understand evangelism
and discipleship in the context of our purpose, bringing glory
to God. |
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“Keep
on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking,
and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened
to you. For everyone who asks receives. Everyone who seeks, finds.
And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew
7:7-8
Our passion is for more of Jesus, of God, of the
Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that we can never know all there
is to know about God, we can never be too full of His power and presence,
we can never have too much passion or hunger for God. No matter how
much we have of God, how much we know, experience, and understand,
no matter how close we are to God, no matter how many people come
to Christ, no matter how many people are set free, nor how much of
God's presence we are experiencing, WE WANT MORE!!!
We can never see too many people begin a personal
relationship with Jesus, make Him the leader of their life and follow
Him with their whole heart. There is so much more and we have an
insatiable appetite and an unquenchable thirst for the things of
God. God's passion for us is to be in relentless pursuit of all the
awesome gifts that God has for us. Matthew 5:6 says, "God blesses
those who are hungry and thirst for justice, for they will receive
it in full,
or be satisfied." However, the very moment of filling we are hungry
and thirsty again for more. It is natural for all people to have
this hunger and thirst, however, only Jesus can quench your thirst
and satisfy your hunger. |
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