Community on Mission

Community

What is community and how do we define it?

When we speak about community and doing life together as community, what are we actually conceptualising?

Community
  Common unity
  Common purpose/cause
  Common ownership

For us it also means
  Caring for one another
  Spending time with one another
  Sharing spaces

Most importantly though we are a "community of Christ followers" on mission with God. Followers of Jesus

God mission is clear - we are to be disciple makers - to help others become followers of Jesus
Matt 28:16-20

That is,  we are to be about the business of loving others and helping them to discover the grace of God and become people on mission with us as follows of Christ

How are we as community doing this or going to do this?

(Many of these thoughts come from the work of Jeff Vanderstelt from SOMA churches and his thoughts on missionary communities )

1. Show God's character to the world.
Meeting felt needs
Speaking a message of hope
Listening to and understanding the stories of our neighbours-we are to live our neighbour

What group or 'pocket' of people has God placed our community in?

What do they look like?

What do they do?

2. We are like a family
We are a family learning to follow Jesus in every aspect of our lives

Experiencing life as a family

Acts 1:8 Spirit led.  Spirit filled

Acts 1:8 NLT
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

3. Re-orient our lives for mission
A place - our community
A people

This is where we encounter a mind shift.

It means that our
Schedules
Resources
Decisions
Are collectively built around reaching people.

This means that individually and collectively as community we make a shift away from our Western mindset that our schedules, resources and decisions are made around what suits us and our own  needs best.

It is a mindshift because we are used to individualism.

It means that decisions we make a individuals should be in reference to how we interact with the community of Christ followers and the mission of the community to reach other people.

In many ways there is much more flexibility in missional community but it does require a higher level of relationship commitment.

John 20:21 - As the Father sent me,  I am sending you

John 20:21 NLT
Again he said, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you."

In the same way that God sent Jesus to reconcile us to him, we are sent with the message of reconciliation.

Acts 2:42 - they devoted themselves to.....

Acts 2:42-47 NLT
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. [43] A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. [44] And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. [45] They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. [46] They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity- [47] all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

This includes the Word and meeting as community - in small groups such as life groups and in larger 'extended family groups'.

Colossians 4:5,6 making the most of every opportunity God
gives us.

Colossians 4:5-6 NLT
Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. [6] Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.

Live wisely, be sensible and understand the power of gracious conversation.

God created the world good

The world is broken - because of sin we are separated from God

Jesus cane to restore is to relationship with God

Some questions.

Are we prepared to make the shift necessary?

What decisions around our schedules and finances would we make differently as part of a community?

What will we collectively do differently as a community of Christ followers?

Citylife Women

Last week at WOW we had a discussion on what dreams we have for our lives and for our WOW community.

Dreams - natural dreams - can be weird and wonderful but God also gives us dreams. Dreams and vision for his purpose for us.

What does it mean to have a dream?

What do you see?

What is needed to build a dream into reality?

God also gives us a vision for our life. It can be really helpful to write it down.

In Habakkuk 2:1 God's vision was to be written down and carried to those who needed to hear it. His vision was all about what God was going to do in the earth.

Our vision is still concerned with what God is doing in the earth and in our lives. It will also relate to how we carry the gospel, the good news of Jesus to others wherever God places us. It is all related to helping others to know the grace of God and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.

How are we doing this?

How does WOW help people know the grace of God and draw them into a community of women who are growing in the grace and knowledge of God?

What is my part in this and how can I do more of my part?

Some thoughts on how we can be a part of what God is doing.

1. Commitment
To the cause.  Placing a priority on building community together.

Choosing to build community even on the days we don't feel like it and when it seems hard to keep going.

Serving the vision, and working with God to being it about.

Living as a follower of Jesus. God helps us with this. In Phil 2:13 we see that God is at work in us helping us to do his will. He is the one who gives us the desire and the ability to live for him.

Having stickability.

2. Passion
A belief that what we are doing is what God has called us to do.

A passion for the work of God in the world and a passion to see people come to know the grace of God.

God's grace is freely available to all, but it takes people of passion to go into the world and help others to know and discover God's grace for themselves.

Passion to build a community of women that welcomes others into the community as they walk out the journey of faith in their life.

3. Confidence
In God
We place or confidence in God who enables us.

Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

We are not alone. God enables us.

Eph 3:20 tells us that God is able to accomplish so much more than we could ask our think. More than we could imagine.

This is why dreams are so important. We need to have the dream and the vision - seeing what could be and believing that it will be. Eph 3:20

Then we apply commitment, passion and confidence in God to see it come to pass.

Concluding Thoughts

The vision has always been and continues to be for women to know God and grow in relationship with him in a caring community.

It is what we do together in community that will show people God's love. Jesus said that people will know we are his by our love for one another. John 13:34-35

To see the vision come to pass it is going to take people seeing and understanding the vision, loving each other and welcoming others into community.

It is going to take:
Commitment
Passion and
Placing our total Confidence in God