For This Reason- Encounter, Matter, Belong, Grow & Build

Summer is always fun here at Antioch, we use the summer months for 2 things, and they are to go deeper in God and deeper with one another.I have been thinking a lot about what we are called to do as a church. The phrase that God has given me is that we exist to be and make disciples of Jesus. Church is and can be so many different things.  But for us the undercurrent of our house is to be a people who spent time with Jesus, long to become like him, and do what he did. 

The rhythms that we have defined to help us build towards our God given purpose in life are: ENCOUNTER, MATTER, BELONG, GROW, and BUILD. 

ENCOUNTER

We believe that what happens through us starts with what happens in us. Having a rhythm of encountering Jesus in your life is foundational and it requires us to be intentional. In times of trial we will find strength, in times of pain grace, and courage in times of fear. Jesus modeled this for us throughout the Gospels where we see him pull away to be alone with the Father.

BELONG

A vibrant life in God starts with time with God. When we gather as a community our aim is encounter God through worship and learning from his word together.

Matter

It is through that time together that we can be the sent ones, the ones that go out into our city and world and bring God to those who need him. Living on mission is living in a manner that reminds us that it matters that you are who you are and where you go.

In Acts 2:42-47 it says:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The THEY here is the first church, who were birthed as a body of believers after Jesus ascended into heaven. As they gathered, prayed, and saw the workings of the Holy Spirit other people saw what they had and wanted it for themselves. A sense of belonging and purpose.

BUILD

When we love our neighbor and extend hospitality, start a bible study, join a life group, share our faith at work we are helping to build the Kingdom of God.  This new series is called “For this Reason”, and is built around God growing in us a deeper understanding of how the vision of the church can take root in our hearts.

We are going to use Colossians 1:9-14 as our guiding scripture:

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Paul starts by saying “for this reason”, and the reason was that the faith, love, and fruit of God was with the people of God and Paul was encouraging them to continue on. Paul was one of the most encouraging writers of the New Testament, and he understood the power of calling up what he saw within people.

The author of the book of Hebrews calls us to this in Hebrews 3:13 when it says…

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

The Greek word used here for encouragement is PARA-KELO which means to invite, invoke, and exhort.  Encouragement is a weapon that doesn’t just invite people into more of who they are, but is a weapon against the lies that people believe. When we encourage someone we are giving them more than just words, we are giving them courage and strength and never know the impact encouragement can have on someone’s soul.

Paul’s encouragement to the Colossians, was him saying: “You are running with perseverance the race marked out for you, and  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (Hebrews 12:1-2_

Paul tells us “….since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you”. Paul shows us that we must pray. It is central to us encountering God. Our world has always been and will continue to be chaos (until Jesus returns). So we need God, we need him to intervene and prayer is the way we can connect with him.  

Philippians 4:6-7 tells us

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

GROW

Prayer can be the confession of sin, thanksgiving for what God has done, or the needs and desires of our hearts. No matter the type of prayer, it is always a connection to God. And as we learn how to pray more, we will feel more connected to God. It’s this process of growth that changes things for us. Maybe not by changing the situation but certainly by changing our hearts.