First and foremost, we are regular members of our church, Haven Heights Baptist Church, in Wauseon. Grace Life Ministry is our family's expression of outreach from our church in the form of a Christ-centered Bible study that meets in our apartment (261 in the W. Elm Villas) on Sunday afternoons at 2 pm. Currently, we are seeking the Lord in prayer and building relationships with people to share the Gospel.
(The following has been adapted from Dr. David Platt, The Church at Brookhills, Birmingham, AL, 2006-2008)
Our Purpose:
That God’s Name Would Be Great Among All Nations. Missions begins with a proper view of God. Consider God's commitment to His own glory in redemption as seen in the following passages.
For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts.
(Malachi 1:11 ESV)
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
(Genesis 12:1-3 ESV)
And Jesus came and said to them, “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 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)
And they sang a new song, saying,
“Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,
for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation,
and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on the earth.”
(Revelation 5:9-10 ESV)
Our Mission:
We Engage in Biblical Disciple-Making.
What is the mission of the church? There is one singular Gr. Command verb in the Great Commission—make disciples. Biblical disciple-making occurs as we are going, baptizing, and teaching. We lay down our lives in the service of the Gospel to all nations, because Christ laid down His life as a sacrifice for all nations. Therefore, all the activity in the church should be driven by this one mission.
Mt 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore* and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.*
Share the Word: Going. Literally, the Scripture reads: “as you are going…” The number one evangelism strategy of the church is the personal witness of individual believers as God in His providence intersects their path with non-believers. If you came to faith in Christ, it was due to the witness of someone who came to you. You are commissioned to be that witness to someone else. “You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Show the Word: Baptizing. Baptism is that act of obedience to Christ as the means
of identification with Christ and His work of salvation on our behalf. Romans 6:4 tells us
that on the basis of our union with Christ, “we have been Aburied with Him through
baptism into death, so that as Christ was Braised from the dead through the Cglory of
the Father, so we too might walk in Dnewness of life.” The beautiful truth that baptism pictures is that on the basis of our union with Christ in His resurrection, we can now live out His very righteousness. Therefore, we can model or show the Word to the people we are discipling. We show His righteous character so that they see the Christ life in an up close and personal way. Are we submitted to Christ in such a way that we can say along with Paul, “follow me, and you will be following Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1)? Modeling the Christ life is critical to making disciples.
Teach the Word: Teaching. Every believer has the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth (John 16:13). Therefore, every believer is capable of teaching the Word. It is every believer’s responsibility to teach other disciples how to obey everything that Christ has commanded. Discipling people will mature believers into Christ-likeness and will multiply the gospel exponentially in this generation as mature believers are being equipped to make disciples who make disciples.
Serve the World: In all nations. Over 1 billion people in the world have never heard the gospel. The majority of these live in countries where there are no believers, no witness, no gospel. And we ask: “What is God’s will for my life?” God has given us His will in Scripture—we make disciples in all nations for His glory. This year millions upon millions, waves upon waves of people will be swept away into hell! Jesus said He “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28, cf. v. 18-19). The ultimate question for the church is: “Will we lay down our lives in service to the world to proclaim the gospel in all nations?”
Our Values:
We Devote Ourselves to: Bold Truth, Sacrificial Care, Lord’s Supper, Desperate Prayer, Multiplication.
What values direct the body-life within the church when it gathers corporately? Luke uses several transitions in Acts to introduce the next section of the narrative. Regarding v. 42-47, one commentator writes:
“This paragraph…links what has gone before with what is to follow. At the same time it contains more or less an outline of the immediately following chapters. Verse 43 introduces miracles (Ac 3:1-10 and 5:12-16) Verses 44-45 indicate the sharing of possessions (4:32-37 and 5:1-11). Verses 46-47a describe the humble life of the believers (with general acceptance by the people, in contrast with official opposition, 4:1-22 and 5:17-42). Verse 47b emphasizes the constant growth of the community (4:4, 31 and 5:42).”
Verse 42 has special significance. Within this transition Luke uses v. 42 to bring to conclusion the preceding narrative regarding Peter’s preaching and the formation of the early church. Additionally, v. 42 describes the body-life among the early church.
The main verb “continued steadfastly” indicates that the church devoted themselves to certain activities when they gathered. The objects of the verb are indicated by the definite article in Gr. “the [dative case],” and are—the apostles’ doctrine, the fellowship, the breaking of bread (Lord’s Supper), and the prayers.
Ac 2:42-47
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers…47 And the Lord added to the church* daily those who were being saved.
Truth: The apostles’ doctrine. The American church is in need of revival, a true return to God and Scripture. The early church proclaimed truth to their culture. Our culture is in need of the same. Will we boldly proclaim truth in a hostile culture and leave the results up to God?
Sacrificial Care: The fellowship. Koinonia; literally, sharing or partnership. The church lives life together, locking arms together to care for one another as we live out His mission together. We lay down our lives for each other. This is a radical way to view relationships in the church in our modern culture of individualism.
Communion: The breaking of bread. This is a reference to the Lord’s Supper. Paul makes this clear: “Is not the Acup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the 1Bbread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10:16). That this Supper was the center-piece of their worship is clear. They looked back to the finished work of Christ to memorialize the basis of their salvation, but they also looked forward to the future hope of the completion of their salvation when He would come again. For Paul says: “As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes” (1 Cor. 11:26, emphasis added). As often as they chose to observe the ordinance, they expressed their hope in Christ’s salvation until He would come. Their worship of Christ was driven by this sense of real hope they experienced in Christ. It was “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread” (Acts 20:7). They were “devoted to…the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42). When you are truly consumed with a sense of gratefulness at the mercy of Christ it is not hard to understand why the Lord’s Supper was the center-piece of worship among those early believers. They never got over His grace to them. So they would continue to celebrate that grace until they either died for their witness or He would come again.
Desperate Prayer. The early believers understood that in God’s economy they must rely on prayer, because He chooses to answer prayer. Too many times we view prayer as an intercom that is used to request the comforts of this life. John Piper expresses, we are in a war! We must view prayer as a war-time walkie-talkie that is used to call for air support and supplies. We are deceived when we think that we can produce results in our own strength. God has ordained that He works in answer to prayer that is in accordance with His character and plans. Jesus said: “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:13). Do our prayer meetings reflect our dependence on God to bring the gospel to the nations? “God, give us the nations, and do it in such a way that only You get the credit.”
The Results of God’s Work, Acts 2:43-47.
Verse 43 begins to introduce how the life of the church affected the community at large. As such, v. 43 describes the purpose of the miracles that God was performing. Acts 2:22 describes Jesus as being accredited by God through “miracles, signs, and wonders.” “Miracles” (dynameis) refer to a mighty act of power. “Wonders” (terata) speak of the amazement felt by those who witness the power in a miracle. “Signs” (seemeia) serve to point a person beyond the miracle to the divine power behind the miracle; to the divine source of the miracle. In Acts “wonders” always occurs with “signs,” signifying that mere miracles have no value in themselves unless they point people to the God who did the miracle and so lead to faith in Him.
As the result of being “amazed” and “pointed toward God” by witnessing these miracles, “fear (awe, phobos) came upon every soul” (v. 43). Verses 43-47 describe how this fear affected different people in different ways, both lost and saved.
When God works in His church: The church stands in awe (phobos) of God (v. 43). This reverent fear they had for God was shown in their oneness, specifically in the various aspects of their sacrificial care for one another and their continual gathering to worship God (v. 44-47; cf. 5:12). They were driven in one heart together and toward God.
When God works in His church: The world stands amazed (terata, v. 43). Their recognition of God as the source of the miracles stopped at being amazed. It never translated into faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. But God nevertheless glorified His name among them by exalting His power among them. They had a holy dread of God at witnessing His power, which caused them to fearfully respect the believers (v. 47; cf. 5:13).
Multiplication: God added…daily those who were being saved (47). The result of following God’s plan was that God multiplied the growth. God was the one doing the action. They were very careful about that to which they devoted themselves. And the blessing and grace of God was mightily upon them. Will we follow God’s plan for His church that He has already promised in Scripture to bless 100%, or will we come up with our own plans and falsely presume upon His blessing? “God, awaken our affections, so that we obey Your Holy Spirit, and surrender to Your world-wide mission.”
Our Strategic Process:
We Will Worship God Together. We Will Connect With Each Other. We Will Reach the World for Christ.
Based on the biblical foundation previously laid, how does this look practically? Our strategic process must be biblical, intentional, reproducible, cross-cultural, simple, and radical.
Biblical. Everything we do must be biblical. The sad thing is that many of our methods that “church growth experts” teach in our seminaries are nothing more than a pragmatic approach rooted in secular-humanistic anthropology. Example: We are told to take surveys and ask lost people what kind of church they would find appealing. We try to get lost people to embrace the church so they will hopefully embrace Christ, when Scripture teaches us to go out and preach the gospel that they might be regenerated, because men are dead in their sins, haters of God, of a depraved mind, and do not seek or even fear God (Eph. 2:1; Romans 1:28-32; 3:10-12, 18). If we fail to scrutinize the Scriptures and consider the implications for the church, how can we expect God to bless us when we disregard His Word? Our theology must determine our practice.
Intentional. We must be intentional about equipping leaders to make world-class disciple-makers. Biblical mission is about equipping leaders with biblical truth to build people (Eph. 4:11-16). We are intentional about building people, not programs. The weight of the mission will rise and fall on our ability to multiply leaders to facilitate more growth. Therefore, our leaders must be thoroughly committed to a biblical philosophy of mission.
Reproducible. We must structure in order to enhance a world-wide mission movement. A strategy that facilitates rapid multiplication will result in “Total World Impact!” Therefore, ministry must not be limited to any leader(s) or building, because growth would be stifled. We must release the people of God in the direction and power of the Holy Spirit to be world-class disciple-makers for the glory of Christ in all nations.
Cross-cultural. We must be capable of reproducing world-class disciple-makers in any culture. We will center our strategy on gospel truth that transcends culture and time. We cannot expect believers in the third world to reproduce a church culture that is based on our budgets, buildings, and technologies. They don’t have the resources for that. The beauty is that this strategy is based on building people—making disciples. Therefore, we will responsibly contextualize truth in a manner that reflects their culture.
Simple. Biblical disciple-making must occur to fulfill the Great Commission. Three basic activities are all that need to take place.
Worship gatherings that exalt Christ. Exalting Christ in worship is the primary focus in the local congregation. When rapid growth results in distance or size barriers, such small groups reproduce into additional congregations. Believers trust that God in His providence “has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (1 Co. 12:18). In this model growth is not stifled. Church planting for multiplication continues to facilitate the disciple-making process so God’s name may be great among all nations.
Small groups where disciple-making occurs. Disciples connect with each other by maturing in the Word, providing sacrificial care for each other, and mentoring each other in Christ-likeness. The focus of what happens “inside” the group is not evangelism. In this model growth will occur because only mature disciples understand that the weight of the mission rests on their shoulders each day to go “out” and make other disciples. This structure facilitates reproduction naturally, because it cycles: go (out), baptize (bring in), teach Christ’s commands (build up in order to send out). Don’t miss this: The entire disciple-making process can occur in the life of this small group. Evangelism is not a structure but a lifestyle passionate for the glory of God to be made known in all nations.
Mission trips that focus on preaching the gospel. Disciples proclaim the gospel out in the world as individuals and as groups of believers share Christ’s mission together. Although humanitarian efforts often will accompany the gospel, they never subvert or supercede the gospel. Believers engage the lost as God’s providence crosses their paths. Notice: They are equipped with a biblical gospel and they give a verbal, personal witness. A biblical gospel includes a right view of: (1) God, Holy and Just; (2) man, sinner and guilty; (3) Christ, God incarnate and substitute to absorb the wrath of God; (4) Holy Spirit, look for evidence that the Holy Spirit has brought conviction of sin and impending wrath (repentance), only then are they ready to throw themselves upon the mercy of Christ in true faith.
Radical. We must make hard decisions that reflect a commitment to God’s glory being made known over/against our affections, comfort, dreams. Are we willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary for what is at stake?
Radical for the sake of the Lost. Because they are right now being swept into hell for eternity.
Radical for the sake of the Church. Because we will miss out on making Christ’s Bride count for His name’s sake.
Radical for the glory of Christ in all nations. Because He is worthy to receive the glory that is due His name!
