Elements City Church
Many believers live in the state of "being a Christian" without ever being deeply formed by Christ. Our pace is too frenetic to be in union with God, and we don't know how to quiet our hearts and minds to be present. Our emotions are unhealthy and compartmentalized. We feel unable to love well or live differently from the rest of the world - to live as people of the good news. The Rooted Life is a road map to live in the richly rooted place we all yearn for: a place of communion with God, a place where we find our purpose. In this series we want to help us discover some transformational practices and habits that can root your life in the way of Jesus!
Do you know how many Lego pieces are created everyday?
125 million.
Each one molded.
-- truth is each one of us is being molded: molded by our choices, culture, habits, people that influence us and many other forces around us. Are we being molded into what we want? Into what God desires?
Discipleship is more concerned and focused on internal molding… Jesus wants to change us from the inside out. Deeply formed mission is first about WHO we are becoming before WHAT we are doing.
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” —(John 20:21-22)
This is the good news of the gospel. Even when you make mistakes, don’t perform and can’t get your act together, Jesus comes to you and says “I want you. I’m calling you, I’m sending you.” Jesus knows your problems, your hangups, your failures, your weaknesses and in-spite of that, you are still invited into his mission.
Having a deeply formed missional presence in our world is: the posture and pervasiveness of our witness to Jesus! It’s us pointing people toward the wisdom and winsomeness of Jesus through the way in which we live, because of how he’s changing us from the inside / out.
Mirroring the heart of God --
GOD WITH ALL
GOD FOR ALL
Missional presence takes on the posture of God the Father revealed in Jesus!
Our world if often marked by a level of such hostility and vitriol that compassion feels like an impossible reality.
*Mother Teresa famously stated. “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
2 practices for us to engage in that helps us be that missional presence of God's heart in the world...
Hospitality (godly hospitality)
hospitality is not simply opening of our homes; it is the opening of our hearts to another.
*see Matthew 9:9-13
Hospitality requires a posture of welcome. It’s a way of saying, “You belong here. It is good that you are here.” Hospitality is a holy act because it mirrors the God who welcomes and receives all. As people of God, we’re called to extend that grace to others.
The reason we are hospitable is to open our hearts to others in the way God has opened his heart to us!
Quote:
“Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.” — Henri Nouwen
ANNOUNCING the gospel
As we offer our presence, lovingly and patiently listening to others, we will find ourselves in a better place to non-coercively offer words of hope, announcing that Christ is present and worthy of their trust.
Announcing that He has rescued and is restoring me - here’s my story of God’s goodness and grace to me!
Announcing the gospel in a way that meets them where they are at.
*see John 3:16-17
Each follower of Jesus is to live sent as an ‘active agent’ for God and His good in this world. We’re each sent daily on mission to be His ambassador in how we live, speak and interact.
We hope you have been blessed by your time worshipping with us -- through song and through the Word!
We'll see you back at Elements next weekend -- on-site or online -- as we wrap up our series: The Rooted Life: Transformational Values that Help Us Walk in the Way of Jesus.