What do we want to be known for? Pt1
At True Hope Collister, we started 2020 with a series based on David Platt's book, "Something Needs to Change." The subtitle has been the piece that has been driving me to engage this topic at a depth I didn't expect. It says, "A call to make your life count in a world of urgent need."
We have spent the last month talking about this urgent need, but what is the best way to meet these needs? How do we engage opportunities so our lives can matter? Is it something we need to conjure up within us? Do we need to dig deeper and make it happen? Is this something we can even do on our own?
The answer, in my opinion, is NONE OF THE ABOVE. Often when we read books like this one and process through passages like the ones in the Gospel of Luke we are studying, we walk away looking for something to do. But what if the answer isn't about doing? What if we find the solution in the idea of being?
Over the next couple of weeks, I want to dissect our mission statement. I want to lean into our WHY as a church, and the ways we believe we will become the Church God is calling us to BE. Our goal is TO BECOME, who He has called us to BE, and through understanding WHO WE ARE, His Spirit will lead and empower us to engage opportunities that meet needs.
So, why do we exist? Our mission is to reveal the true hope of Jesus to our families, friends, neighbors, community, and world. Our mission is pretty straightforward: showing the love of Jesus to those who cross our paths.
Hope is what we want to be known for as a church. We want to be known as people who live and give hope. We are not merely a gathering place, and we are so much more than our programs, we are a sent people called to engage the needs of those around us with the love and hope that Jesus lavishes on us.
As we continue this journey into the new year of discovering who we are to become, we will look at four things God is calling us to be:
We are to be transformed by the Gospel.
We are to be devoted to God's Word.
We are to be committed in community.
We are to be relentless in prayer.
In the meantime, I want to ask you a question. Could you finish this sentence for us:
True Hope Church Collister is known as/for ___________.
Maybe you could find two other people who know about our church and ask them to finish this statement. Once you do, please respond to this email with the answers.
Thank you all, and know we are praying over you and the new year God has planned for you!
Matt Priebe