It’s All About The Mission
When Jesus stood on a mountainside with his disciples, his command was simple and clear: “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). However, many of us have heard that command so many times that we no longer hear it. It’s helpful to identify what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t tell them to establish a religious system. He didn’t instruct them to build buildings, create programs, or even host worship services. Jesus’ mission for them was to become and make disciples.
Every time we gather together as the church, we participate in the mission Jesus set in motion 2,000 years ago. The mission was given before the church was created and it exists to move the mission forward. The church exists because of the mission Jesus gave his disciples on that Galilean hillside. Without it, there would be no reason for us to gather. Christopher J.H. Wright stated this poignantly and provocatively when he wrote, “It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission.” This is important because it shifts how we think about our purpose.
The church doesn’t own the mission; the mission owns the church. Every sermon we preach, every song we sing, every small group that meets - these are not ends in themselves. They’re tools to equip us to step into God’s mission. Because of the way the church has grown and developed over the last 2,000 years, it can be easy to think that church services are the mission of the church… but they are not. Discipleship is still the mission and we gather together so we can “stir one another up to love and good deed” (Heb. 10:24), and so that we can be “built up” (1 Cor. 14:26). But it’s all about living out the mission.
As I consider this truth, it means the mission is not just the responsibility of pastors, missionaries, or church leaders… and it means the mission happens everywhere, not just at church. It’s your mission. It’s my mission. It’s our mission to make disciples - as we are going, wherever we are going. This might look like having a meaningful conversation with a coworker, mentoring someone, or loving your family in a way that reflects Christ. Jesus didn’t call us to be spectators; he called us to be participants. The Great Commission isn’t a task we check off a list - it’s a way of life. It’s the privilege of joining God in his work to restore a broken world.
Take some time today and prayerfully ask God to help you live out this mission as you go about your normal day.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Unity in the Why
Put yourselves in the shoes of the early church. You are gathered to celebrate the harvest with people from all over (Acts 2:1-6). While you all are together there are still divisions because of region, language, or even beliefs. Then something that had been predicted hundreds of years before happens (Joel 2:28-32). You start understanding what people are saying in other languages as they make fun of you and your friends for having too much wine (Acts 2:13). Everything in a moment changed while you were together with everyone, something new happened- you became united!
This major moment in history has left a lasting impression on our lives today. The gathering of people united by beliefs and language and that unity that came from the Holy Spirit helped change the world for God’s plan. The mission Jesus gives becomes a unifying factor that changes how we do things. It allows people from different backgrounds a common goal and common understanding so we can fulfill the commission given to all believers.
We cannot fulfill the Great Commission without being united in our mission. We are called as God’s children, as followers of Jesus, marked and empowered by the Holy Spirit to teach, train, and guide others into being disciples of Jesus. This mission should become the most important commission in our life. We see this happen when Peter shared about Jesus (Acts 2) and Luke recorded the unity that the early church experienced and was known by (Acts 2:42-47). As I read Acts 2 I am convicted, because I ask myself, are we united on a mission today? I read Mathew 28:16-20 and ask am I or are we fulfilling the commission Jesus gave us?
God allows us to be united in our joy and in our suffering, in good times and in bad, so we can follow him and teach others to do so as well. When we are united the world sees something different and has to decide if they want to be a part of it, but if we are divided then people will miss being part of the mission God has given. Here is the question I want you to answer, how are you united on mission with fellow believers? Or how do you apply the Great Commission in the life God has put around you? Please email me if you have any questions or want to share your answers. I believe God is giving us a chance to stand in unity with Jesus to be on a mission for the world he loves. This is why he unites us. Praying for us all.
Pastor Jeremy Johnson
No Side-line Christians
“Oh, put me in Coach, I’m ready to play…today!” Can you hear the song in your head? I think of it each time I read The Great Commission “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 18:19-20). As disciples called to “go”, “make” and “teach” we are both coaches and players—there are no side-line Christians—we’re all in the game.
God's heart for our participation isn’t new, we see it from the very beginning in The Creation Mandate when God speaks to both male and female, charging them to “be fruitful and multiply”, (Genesis 1:28). He’s always wanted our help in the multiplication process. The wide empowerment is seen again on the day of Pentecost when we see the Spirit of God is for every follower of Jesus. And Scripture tells us that the Spirit is the distributor and empowerer of gifts and does so as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:4; 11). It’s only fitting that God is calling all the plays…He created the game and its players, after all!
Can I admit something to you? I love playing sports, however, I don’t particularly like to sit and watch them. And the mission of making Jesus known to all nations is not a game—it’s life or death. Jesus came for all, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or social ranking and He has called all of His disciples— in all of those spheres and in their particular gifting— to “go”, “make” and “teach.” Each of us has been created and placed with intention and purpose. Do you know that? More than that, do you live like you believe it? What gifts, talents, and skills do you have and how might they be utilized for serving and your participation in The Great Commission? If you need help figuring that out, visit: www.efcc.org/resources and click on How to Access My Spiritual Gifts. Now, can you sing it with me? “Oh, put me in Coach, I’m ready to play…today!”
Jessica Klootwyk
Discipleship Director
Doubt Doesn’t Disqualify
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. - Matthew 28:16-17
Did you hear that? Some doubted. Notice that the “some” that Matthew is referring to is some of the remaining eleven disciples. Even some of Jesus’ closest disciples doubted. Wow! That sure does make me a little better about the times that I have doubts. I mean, if the guys who lived with Jesus and literally saw the miracles with their own eyes… the ones who even saw him raised from the dead… if they had doubts, then I shouldn’t feel terrible about mine, right?
However, I think that we can take this a step further. It doesn’t matter who you are, I want you to know that your doubts don’t disqualify you for ministry. I know this because immediately after Matthew gives us this account, Jesus commissions them to “Go therefore and make disciples…” Not only that but just 10 days later, on the day of Pentecost, guess who was still there? Guess who the Holy Spirit chose to descend on and fill? Guess who still had the divine stamp of approval? All eleven disciples! Even the doubting ones. We know that because Luke makes it abundantly clear. Notice who is standing with Peter as he preaches the first Christian sermon in Acts 2:14: “But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them….” We are not told if they continued to have their doubts or not, but one thing is abundantly clear: Doubt did not disqualify them from ministry.
Here’s the good news for you and me! If doubt didn’t disqualify them, it definitely doesn’t disqualify you. Remember, in some ways, the disciples had it much easier than we do. Thomas, after he refused to believe until he touched the holes in Jesus’ hands and side in John 20:29, gets this response from Jesus when he finally sees him: “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing” (MSG). Now, here we are, 2000 years later. We can’t see with our own eyes. Of course, we are going to be more likely to doubt. But we can be assured that if doubt didn’t disqualify them, it doesn’t disqualify you and me. So, don’t let doubt discourage you. Instead, push into your doubts. Ask questions. Take them to God. He isn’t afraid of them. He isn’t going to backhand you for them. He is going to invite you into a more intimate connection with himself and challenge you to go deeper into whatever he is calling you to do. I pray that you and I will have the courage to follow.
Josh Rose
Family Pastor
Authority: It’s Still “GO” Time!
There he sat, in the quiet, on a familiar mountain, confident, relieved the darkest days were over. He overcame death, he completed his mission, and His Heavenly Father was pleased.
Surrounded by 11 of his 12 closest friends, Jesus longed to breathe hope and courage into his companions—the Lord knew they would need it, in the days and years to come. Important days were ahead. It was “GO” time, and the mission was critical. Wasting time was absurd—God’s business, the growing of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, well, that was all that mattered from this point forward.
He looked intently into the eyes of his faithful apostles, men he’d trusted for the past 3 unforgettable years, men he would commission to inspire the baby church, every disciple to join as one unified Kingdom army to be His witnesses as ministers of reconciliation— in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria and to the very ends of the earth.
He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
God the Father had given the Son ALL authority, officially all rights and all power. Listen to his prayer in John 17, hear the heart behind the authority given Jesus.. ". . . .he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.”
The goal of Jesus’ authority had one intent–to give eternal life to all. And that’s the most important thing he had, to pass on to his disciples—the authority to make and grow disciples of Jesus Christ, by baptizing them and teaching them. The authority Jesus passed on to his followers, to the early church was always for His kingdom and his glory.
May we realize today that that same authority has been given to us—authority to go and grow the Kingdom of God. Authority to represent the risen Jesus in the classroom, on the court or field, in the office place, the coffee shop or the market, making dinner in the kitchen, or running mundane errands or out walking the dog. Each of us has been given authority to impact the community we live in and beyond. We’re image bearers entrusted with Heaven’s mission to seek and save a lost world.
Donielle Winter
EFCC Member
I am Who He Says I am
Taken from scripture, and from the mind of the bold and Holy Spirit-filled apostle Peter come these lyrics inspired by 1 Peter 2:9.
“You are a chosen generation.
You are a royal priesthood.
You are a holy nation.
You are His own special people.
That you may proclaim the praises of Him, who called you out of darkness
That you may proclaim the praises of Him, who called you…..into……His LIGHT, His marvelous light.”
Let’s unpack Peter’s words of exhortation to the early church.
You are a chosen race or generation, Christian—This used to apply only to the nation of ancient Israel. But the “Chosen race” now includes you and me— anyone from anywhere who repents and calls on the name of the Lord Jesus.
You are a royal priesthood and a holy nation, Christian— Listen to God through Moses, in Exodus 19, as he instituted the covenant and proclaimed a new identity over Israel.
“5Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
For well over 1,000 years the priestly tribe of Levi had exclusive and minimal access to God; but because of the blood of the Lamb, by Christian faith—you can approach the King of Kings.
The covenant gave Israel an exalted position among other nations, but Christian—you’re a citizen of the Nation of Heaven and you’ve been made holy, to live holy, because a Holy Father loves you and calls you his own.
Sounds awesome. But don’t you dare miss the reason why. These titles, your new identity, Christian, is for Him and His glory—not your own. We honor and praise the God who called us out of darkness, and into his marvelous light. Every Christian is chosen, royal, holy, and so special to God. Christian—you are called to shout of His goodness and mercy, sing of His love, and tell a lost world they don’t have to live in darkness any longer.
May we be light to show others his marvelous, wonderful light.
Donielle Winter
EFCC Member
Cornerstone
I remembered my grandpa’s wall when we were discussing 1 Peter 2:5. We’re called “living stones” being built into a spiritual house. Like the rocks in the wall, we are shaped by God and placed where we’re needed. Our purpose may not always seem exciting or obvious, but in His hands, every role is essential. Peter describes Jesus as the precious cornerstone.
Typically, you start with a cornerstone, it goes at the bottom right and everything is built on top of it. Then you end with a keystone or a capstone. Both stones are super integral to the structure, and Jesus is called both! Jesus is also called the alpha and omega, beginning and end.
Each rock in that wall was split with a carefully placed chisel, shaped and cut with precision by a powerful mallet, and fit uniquely into its perfect place making the whole wall into a beautiful masterpiece of rugged rocks.
No matter how rough your edges or uncertain your purpose may feel, know this: God has placed you exactly where He wants you, and in His hands, you are part of something eternal and beautiful. Trust the Builder.
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member
The Dream
This week we celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. King. Throughout the 1970s, there were numerous movements to keep King’s dream alive by commemorating his life through a national holiday. In 1979, Congress voted on the holiday proposal, but it failed to pass by five votes. However, in 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law, officially designating the third Monday of January as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It’s on this day that we remember and celebrate the life and work of King; we remember the dream that he had. As he famously said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."
In many ways, King’s dream was a reflection of God’s vision for his church. In Ephesians 3, Paul wrote, “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Eph. 3:6) In Christ, Jews and Gentiles are part of the same body; they’re part of the same family. The dividing wall standing between ethnicities throughout history has been demolished in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:14). This new community in the church finds its unity not in the shared blood of their ethnicity, but in the shed blood of their Savior.
However, dividing along ethnic and racial lines can often be easier than uniting around Jesus. It was Martin Luther King Jr. who boldly observed, "It is appalling that the most segregated hour of Christian America is eleven o'clock on Sunday morning." Dr. King was highlighting the racial divisions within the American church during a time when segregation and racism were deeply entrenched in society.
As we had the chance to stop and celebrate MLK Day this week, it’s a good reminder for us that the church Jesus created is one where “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female” (Gal. 3:28). It’s also worth remembering that one day, we’ll join the anthem of heaven where there is “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” (Rev. 7:9). Oh for that day!
Today, take a moment and remind yourself of God’s design for his church and then ask him for opportunities to more fully live into that design.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Level Ground
Living in this area we have easy access to some amazing things. From theatrical shows and big-name concerts to professional athletics, there is no shortage of opportunities to be part of something significant. And I’m the queen of getting all excited about an event, going to the website, and beginning the hunt of selecting a seat. You know how it goes… every seat in the house is not priced the same. And wouldn’t you know it, the ‘best’ seats are far outside the reach of my entertainment budget and so I choose the nosebleed seats—Hey, at least I’m ‘in’! In Christ, we are all ‘in’ and there are no ‘best’ seats. It’s level at the foot of the cross. That’s what is emphasized here in Galatians 3. We are all heirs according to who we are in Christ…as this is the only distinction that matters eternally.
This letter was written as a reminder that those who were coming to accept the Good News of Jesus did not have to become Jews before they could become His followers… there are no extra steps, just the step of humility.
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is a place that is highly visited because it marks the recognized site as the birthplace of Jesus. To enter the church, one must stoop very low at the doorway. It’s called the “Door of Humility” as it is a bodily reminder to bow down in reverence. This bowing down of our human will to conform to the will of God available because of Jesus is what levels everything for “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
The significant opportunity of being called child by a Holy God is something entered only through humility. Heaven will be filled with “every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9), but earthly distinctions are there equally—Just as they were created and in His image. It’s all too easy to put people into categories (or even to put ourselves there) based upon the physical realities of this world, but that is not how God sees (1 Samuel 16:9) and the Holy Spirit gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7). There are not “best” seats”
Take a few minutes and allow God to examine your heart and repent. That word in the Bible means to change one’s mind, heart, and actions. This humble act is transformational.
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2).
Jessica Klootwyk
Discipleship Director
A New Jersey
A variety of things can define people or can be what people use to define themselves. I might say I’m a gardener, grill master, fabricator, father, writer, or mechanic. Others might mention a job title, college, city of origin, hair color, relationship status, or their current number of tattoos as important parts of their description.
The Apostle Paul would have the church minimize all categories a person might employ or relate to get the church's focus completely on who they are in Christ.
Galatians 3:26-29 “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.”
The folks Paul writes to don’t stop being the categories he mentions because of their faith: Jew, Greek, slave, free, male, and female. Those categories remain a part of their real lives, but they mean nothing when it comes to salvation.
Think of a football player who played in High School, then in College, and later was drafted to a team in the NFL. Those other teams will always be a part of that player’s life and story, but now that player puts on a new jersey and becomes an important part of the new team.
Believers “put on Christ” and he alone is what unites and defines their lives together. Salvation only comes from and through him. Football players wear a uniform and believers wear Christ. Faith in him and focus on him is what brings believers, and the church, together.
Pastor John Riley
