1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Paul and the worship team for a very beautiful experience this morning. 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:10,000 Sounds like this has still got some problems, doesn't it? 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:15,000 We'll give it a try. Well, maybe we better not. 4 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:20,000 We'll set you up here. 5 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:31,000 I'm kind of glad the mic didn't work for me too. 6 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,000 Jesus said that when you have mic trouble, don't be alarmed. 7 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,000 Mics hate me too. Isn't that something like John 15? 8 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:45,000 I'm going to paraphrase there, I think. 9 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:53,000 The Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 1 verses 14 and 15 and 16 says, 10 00:00:53,000 --> 00:01:01,000 I am under obligation both to the Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. 11 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Thus, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. 12 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:15,000 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, 13 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:20,000 to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 14 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:25,000 And then his words again in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 where the Apostle says, 15 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:31,000 For I preach, if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of. 16 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:37,000 For I am under compulsion, for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. 17 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,000 To the weak I became as weak that I might win the weak. 18 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:49,000 I have become all things to all men that I by all means may save some. 19 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:57,000 And I do all things for the sake of the gospel that I may become a fellow partaker of it. 20 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:03,000 There we have the heart of the greatest missionary of the Church Age. 21 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:10,000 And he lays down for us a worthy pattern to follow because we too are missionaries. 22 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:17,000 You see, we have a mission that God has given to us as a local church. 23 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:25,000 That mission is found here and it says, Grace Church Roseville is a community of believers 24 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:32,000 whose purpose is to worship the Lord Jesus Christ and prepare itself through biblical instruction, 25 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:38,000 service and fellowship in order to evangelize the world. 26 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:48,000 We have said that while that is our mission, our vision, our way of seeing that is that we see ourselves as a mission center. 27 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:53,000 That's our vision of ministry. We are a mission center. 28 00:02:53,000 --> 00:03:00,000 And we come together to do certain things, illustrated in this slide. 29 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:08,000 We come together to worship. We come together for preparation or equipping as the people of God. 30 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:13,000 And that equipping happens through biblical instruction, the teaching of the Word of God. 31 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:19,000 It happens through opportunities of service and ministry that we have. 32 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:30,000 And it happens through fellowship, finding intimate associations with God's people with whom we can share our dreams and our disappointments. 33 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:38,000 And in the mission center we also evangelize. We invite people to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 34 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:45,000 But the reason that all of that happens inside that circle representing our mission center 35 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:54,000 is so that we might go outside the walls of the mission center into the mission field that God has called us to. 36 00:03:54,000 --> 00:04:02,000 How can we accomplish the mission? Well, the way to do it is open to a lot of diversity. 37 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:09,000 But as a group of leaders we see at least three broad strategies 38 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:16,000 that God would have us use as a local church in fulfilling our assignment, our mission. 39 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:20,000 The first one I want to talk about is on the left. 40 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:25,000 I believe that God would have us use the strategy of relational evangelism. 41 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:33,000 The warmth of personal relationships brings credibility to a Christian witness. 42 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:44,000 When people know they can trust us because they know us, they will be more open to the message of our Lord that we desire to give to them. 43 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:50,000 And each of us has a network of relationships that God really has given to us. 44 00:04:50,000 --> 00:05:00,000 God wants us to develop those networks and use those relationships as a means of sharing the gospel. 45 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:08,000 We have some ways that people can be involved in relational evangelism that are already effective in our church. 46 00:05:08,000 --> 00:05:15,000 One is investigative Bible discussions, which you heard described last Sunday morning in the interview before the service. 47 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:20,000 In business places in Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as in homes, 48 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:28,000 these Bible discussions are right now, week upon week, being used by people in our church to fulfill our mission. 49 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:35,000 They've invited in associates from work or neighbors from the neighborhood where there's a relationship already established, 50 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:39,000 and they're using those relationships to evangelize. 51 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:45,000 Over the Christmas season, a number of people in our church had Christmas coffees or Christmas teas 52 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:54,000 in which they invited in people with whom they have a relationship, and in those times together they shared the gospel. 53 00:05:54,000 --> 00:06:01,000 Others are using neighborhood Bible studies of one sort or another, inviting neighbors to come to their homes. 54 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:07,000 Some of the Bible studies are on video, a very easy way to lead a Bible study. 55 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:14,000 Others have chosen to study through a certain packet of material or a book of the Bible. 56 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:21,000 But the point is people are using their homes as a means to fulfill the assignment God has given to us. 57 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:28,000 Another important way is through invitations to outreach events right here at church. 58 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:34,000 If you enjoyed the bit of drama this morning in the service, you need to know that on Easter weekend 59 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:44,000 there is going to be a tremendous drama presented, and we are all encouraged to invite our unchurched, unsaved friends to come. 60 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:49,000 And there in a dramatic and powerful way they will be presented with the gospel. 61 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:57,000 Relational evangelism is an important strategy for us to use in fulfilling our assignment. 62 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:02,000 You see, our mission is not merely inside the circle. That's my point. 63 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:08,000 God wants us outside the circle, outside the mission center, in the mission field. 64 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:12,000 And one way we can do that is through relational evangelism. 65 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:19,000 Another important way is on the right, cultural keys. 66 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:29,000 We're talking here about creative ways of addressing the hopes and the hurts of people with whom we probably don't have a relationship. 67 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:43,000 Our society today is filled with hopes that are yet unrealized and hurts that cut to the very core of the person. 68 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:48,000 Some of the hopes that people have, and we have them too, would be the following. 69 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:56,000 Build a strong marriage. How can I do that? I don't know of anyone who hopes that their marriage fails. 70 00:07:56,000 --> 00:08:02,000 We want strong marriages. That's a hope that we share in common, even with people who don't know Christ. 71 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:06,000 Rearing a healthy family, a happy family. 72 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,000 Finding a satisfying career. 73 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:13,000 Preparing for a financially secure future. 74 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:17,000 Finding fulfillment in singleness. 75 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:20,000 Establishing meaningful relationships. 76 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:27,000 That's important to everyone, and I might point out it's especially important to people who are not from our culture. 77 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:33,000 And I'm thinking primarily of international students who live in our area by the thousands. 78 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,000 They desire to have relationships. That's a hope that they have. 79 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:47,000 How wonderful it is to be able to find cultural keys, ways of ministering to these hopes of people. 80 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:53,000 But there are hurts as well. Divorce is a major hurt in our society. 81 00:08:53,000 --> 00:09:00,000 How does one rebuild a marriage? Rebuild oneself after the rejection of divorce. 82 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:06,000 Or loneliness. Or loss and grief. 83 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:13,000 Financial bondage is very common. How can one get out of financial bondage? 84 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:18,000 Addictive behaviors. How can one be released from those? Homelessness. 85 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:24,000 Crime that is increasing in our neighborhoods. Hunger. 86 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:30,000 Latch-key kids who have no place to go after school until mom and dad get home from work. 87 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:39,000 Poverty, which causes people to be unable to find medical, legal, or other kinds of assistance. 88 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:43,000 The literacy. The inability to read. 89 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:47,000 These are the hurts of people that are very real in our society. 90 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:52,000 And they are means that you and I can address. 91 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:56,000 They are concerns that you and I can find answers to. 92 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,000 Now we can't do all of them obviously. 93 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:05,000 But it may be that there are some who are in a flock who would say, you know, 94 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:10,000 at this time of the day, we ought to tackle one of these hurts or one of these hopes. 95 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:17,000 Or there may be someone here who has a vision for a particular aspect of one of the hopes or hurts we've talked about. 96 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:25,000 And you could find two or three others who would share with you that same dream, that same vision, 97 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:33,000 that same strategy of fulfilling our mission outside the walls of the mission center. 98 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:40,000 And you could say, I believe God wants me to develop and to create one of these cultural keys. 99 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:44,000 How wonderful that would be. Some of them are already effective and active in our church. 100 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:52,000 We thank God for them. The single again ministry, ministering to those who have been through divorce. 101 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:56,000 Well, these keys unlock the hearts of unchurched people. 102 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:02,000 They're cynical about evangelism. They're cynical about Christians. 103 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:11,000 But once we can show to them that we are genuine because we care about their hopes and their hurts, 104 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:20,000 then once they trust us and believe in us as being genuine, they will listen to our message about Christ. 105 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,000 Someone says you're talking about something that's going to require time and sacrifice. 106 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:31,000 Yes, that's true. Very true. But isn't that what being a missionary is all about? 107 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:36,000 Do we expect to have no sacrifice? Of course not. 108 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:43,000 It will take some of our time. It will take some of our resources to be involved in this way. 109 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:45,000 But it's worth it. 110 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:53,000 One missionary in Africa was asked by a person in the United States if he really liked what he was doing in Africa. 111 00:11:53,000 --> 00:12:00,000 His reply shocked the inquirer. He said, do I like this work? No. 112 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:08,000 My wife and I do not like dirt. We have reasonably refined sensibilities. 113 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:13,000 We do not like crawling into vile huts through goat refuse. 114 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:21,000 But as a man to do nothing for Christ he does not like, God pity him if not. 115 00:12:21,000 --> 00:12:29,000 Liking or disliking has nothing to do with it. We have orders to go, and we go. 116 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:35,000 Love constrains us. That's the way Paul was. 117 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:42,000 He said I am a debtor to this message, and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. 118 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:51,000 He says I am willing to make whatever personal sacrifices are necessary so that the gospel is preached. 119 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:56,000 Then we have a third strategy up there. It's the strategy of branch churches. 120 00:12:56,000 --> 00:13:04,000 Whether Blaine or Brazil or Forest Lake or Finland, it really makes no difference. 121 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:11,000 The point is that God wants us to be about establishing other churches. 122 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:18,000 The multiplication of local churches really is the genius of the New Testament methodology. 123 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:28,000 These churches themselves then become mission centers like the one that we see ourselves as being. 124 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:37,000 We have talked about the three main strategies that we believe God would have us use outside the walls. 125 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:46,000 But what next? What do these strategies result in? 126 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,000 You can see that the circles are completed. 127 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:58,000 Once we have used relationship evangelism to win our neighbors, our fellow employees, our friends to Christ, 128 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:01,000 we bring them into the worship center with us. 129 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:09,000 Once we have employed the cultural keys, then those who are one to Christ are brought into the worship center with us. 130 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:13,000 Why? So that they can worship the Lord. 131 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,000 So that they can be prepared to serve him. 132 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:21,000 So that they can be involved in evangelism that takes place within the worship center. 133 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:29,000 But so that they can also join us now in going outside the walls into the foreign culture, 134 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:34,000 the mission field where God has caused us to serve. 135 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:41,000 That is the vision of Grace Church. That is our mission. 136 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:51,000 Last spring, hundreds of us said that we would become 621 shareholders in the work of Christ here at Grace Church, Roseville. 137 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:56,000 That we were committing ourselves in a financial sense on that occasion to be shareholders. 138 00:14:56,000 --> 00:15:00,000 We are investing in the work of Jesus Christ. 139 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:05,000 But I want you to see that what we hold a share in is for all of us. 140 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:12,000 It's this mission. It's this vision of what God wants us to be and to be about. 141 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:18,000 It requires something of us and not merely our offerings, our tithes. 142 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,000 It requires us. 143 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:28,000 And it requires that we have an attitude of commitment, an attitude of determination, 144 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:42,000 along with a sense of dependence, complete dependence upon God if this mission is to be fulfilled. 145 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:46,000 Paul Rader was an evangelist of another generation. 146 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:55,000 On one occasion he visited the Colosseum in Rome and commented after his visit to that famous landmark, 147 00:15:55,000 --> 00:16:05,000 I stood uncovered to the heavens above where God sits for whom those early Christians gladly died. 148 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:19,000 And I asked myself, would I, could I die for him tonight to get this gospel to the ends of the earth? 149 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:26,000 And he said, I prayed most fervently in that Roman arena for the spirit of a martyr 150 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:32,000 and for the working of the Holy Spirit in my heart as he worked in Paul's heart 151 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:36,000 when he brought him on his handcuffed way to Rome. 152 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:41,000 That's the kind of determination it's going to take for us to get the job done. 153 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:48,000 The same spirit that was in Paul, the spirit of those martyrs who were willing to give their all, 154 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:54,000 believing that it was worth it because of the Lord that we serve together. 155 00:16:54,000 --> 00:17:04,000 I'm going to ask you to bow with me in prayer. 156 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:10,000 In just a moment we're going to sing a final hymn. 157 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:18,000 And I'm going to ask the lights be brought up in the auditorium just a bit so that we can accomplish that. 158 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:24,000 And we're going to sing it with the congregation seated. 159 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:30,000 But I want to give you an opportunity to say, I believe in this mission. 160 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:37,000 And I can begin to see how I can fit into it. 161 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:44,000 I'm not sure what all it means to me, but I agree with where the church is and where it's going. 162 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:48,000 It's a mission that I buy into. 163 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:56,000 It's a vision of ministry that I hold a share in. 164 00:17:56,000 --> 00:18:03,000 And if that is your heart attitude, along with a dependence on the Holy Spirit, 165 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:10,000 I'm going to ask you to stand as you're singing the hymn. 166 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:15,000 Obviously, standing means nothing of us, not from the heart. 167 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:20,000 But I believe that there are hundreds of you who from the heart believe in what we've talked about 168 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:23,000 and believe in what we're about as a church. 169 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:32,000 And as we sing the hymn, I want you to stand with me, but only when you're ready. 170 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:40,000 Father, I pray that you will bring to a culmination the work of your Spirit in our hearts this morning. 171 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:48,000 For we have a wonderful Lord, and you are beautiful. 172 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:54,000 And Lord, we pray that you will shine through us, 173 00:18:54,000 --> 00:19:01,000 that you will take every part of what we are, who we are, what we have, 174 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:05,000 and consecrate it to yourself. 175 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:14,000 And unite us together as a local church around this vision of ministry that you've given us as a people. 176 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:31,000 In Jesus' name I pray, amen.