THE CHARACTER OF MISSION
1. SURRENDER
IDENTITY
o Christ Is Lord of Our Lives- We Have Been Given a New Identity In Jesus Christ as Both a Disciple and Everyday Missionary
§ The old is gone, new life has come. We have fully surrendered to Jesus Christ and invited Him to indwell in our hearts and to implement His mission through us, for the sake of His glory alone.
Vocational and worldly identity has diminished. These human characteristics have now become simply “a means to an end.” Our sole identity is now in Jesus Christ and in living out His mission.
VISION
o We Seek and Acquire a Field of Vision for Mission Wherever God Has Placed Us
§ Through prayer and by petition, we acquire an expanded field of vision and mission for missio dei, the Mission of God, and become stewards of His mission.
§ With new eyes, we seek and intentionally implement the mission God has given to us, wherever we have been placed.
2. OBEDIENCE
DISCIPLESHIP
o We Commit Ourselves to Both “Being” and “Becoming” Disciples of Jesus Christ
§ We study scripture, we pursue the heart and commands of Jesus Christ. In obedience, we will be sanctified and grow in Christ.
§ We embrace the mission of Jesus Christ, demonstrating the life He modeled for us in the gospels. In gratitude, we seek to love the way He loves, daily demonstrating the grace of the gospel.
GIFTING
o We Have Specific Gifts, Skills and Passion’s That God Has Given to Each of Us
§ We identify our gifting, reconciling our gifting with the passion that we have been given in Christ. We implement these gifts to serve from the body of Christ, the church, becoming a part of His body.
§ We use our gifts in everyday demonstrations of the gospel and mission, becoming the “salt and light” that Jesus commands us to be in the world.
INFLUENCE
o We Have His Provision and a Designated Style of Influence to be Used in His Everyday Mission
§ By grace, Christ has equipped His body with influence and positions of influence, regardless of perceived scale, to be used in the humble demonstration and proclamation of the gospel.
§ His grace and spirit gives us the correct amount of influence and provision needed for His mission.
3. DEPENDENCE
REDEMPTION
o We are Redeemed By, and Solely Dependent Upon the Blood and Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
§ His blood and atoning sacrifice is the only thing that brings each of us redemption.
§ By accepting His salvation, we become a part of the church, a dependent instrument in His mission, grateful for His love and salvation, and used daily as instruments in His mission.
§ We are now commissioned to His mission to the world. We are saved by grace to demonstrate His love.
POWER
o We are a “Subject People” Under the Sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ
§ All power is His power. Actions taken on His behalf, with His grace, ultimately bring Him glory.
§ We are simply and humbly “invited participants” who have humbly accepted His invitation to His mission to the world.
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