2013 Kingdom Goals

Sermon Series: Where to Next?

One of the more popular reality TV competitions on television these days is the show “The Amazing Race.” In the show several teams of two competitors race around the world, visiting nations and cultures that are often very different from America. In each leg of the race the teams are called upon to solve different clues and complete different challenges associated with the different places they race to. Everyone gets the same clues and the teams are usually given a choice of one of two challenges that they must complete, so it is hard (though not impossible) to get an advantage over other teams (i.e. the teams are treated equally by the show and its producers). The winners of each leg of the race typically get some kind of reward for being the first to finish that portion of the race, but the teams are really striving not to be the last team to “check-in” at the end of each leg, because the last team to “check-in” risks being eliminated from the race. But for today’s purposes I wanted to emphasize the way that each episode of “The Amazing Race” begins. Each week, the new episode starts with an important bit of information. All the remaining teams that managed to move on in the race from the previous leg are given a card, which is called “Route Info,” to begin the next leg of the race. The “Route Info” provides each team with information concerning their travel destination for the next leg of the competition. In other words, it tells them where they will be going next! That’s pretty important information for those teams. Of all the cities, towns, and villages spread out over the world it is crucial for them to know where to travel to look for their next clue. If they were not told where to go next they could spend the rest of their lives and the rest of their financial resources just trying to figure out what city or town their next clue and challenge would be in. Even then there would be no guarantee that they would find it. Additionally the show would take years and years to film as opposed to just a few weeks. So the “Route Info” is essential for providing a target destination and important information concerning how they need to get there.

This week we find ourselves at the beginning of a new year. It is the first Sunday of 2013. Last week we talked about some of the great things we saw God accomplish for us and through us in 2012. But we also said that we couldn’t go into 2013 simply celebrating those victories and stepping out of God’s mission for our lives to spend all of our time praising and celebrating Him. We thank God for what He has done and we praise God for what He has done, but we strive to do these things while we continue on mission with Him. So I think an appropriate question for the beginning of this new year is the same question they ask at the beginning of each “The Amazing Race” episode – “Where to next?” We need some “Route Info” to help us determine a target destination and to give us some important information concerning how we are going to get there. Now here is an important disclaimer to begin with – I don’t know exactly what the 2013 leg of Escalate Church’s race is going to look like. Only God knows where He is going to lead us and what challenges we are going to face along the way. But I do know a few things: First, I know that God answered in remarkable fashion many of the prayers that we prayed last year. Second, I know that there are some certain things that God calls us to do as a church and as individual believers in Christ where we have plenty of room for improvement. And third, I know that if we are going to see any growth or improvement in those things over the course of 2013 we have to be completely dependent on Him to help us. So here’s what the month of January is going to look like for Escalate Church – we are going to be looking at where we need to be going in 2013. We are going to look at some things that God has called us to that we have some room for growth in (some “target destinations” if you will) and then we are going to look at ways in which we are going to begin to plead with God to help us accomplish some of those things for His glory and fame.

So this week we are going to be looking at some Kingdom Goals. What are some things we need to be striving for and asking God to help us with concerning His Kingdom during the 2013 calendar year? Next week, January 13th, we are going to be looking at some Church Goals. What are some things we need to be striving for and asking God to help us with concerning Escalate Church during the 2013 calendar year? The following week, January 20th, we are going to be looking at some Personal Goals. What are some things we need to be striving for and asking God to help us with concerning our own personal relationship with God during the 2013 calendar year? And on the last Sunday in January (January 27th) we are going to set aside some time where we can corporately (as a gathered church body) pray for these things and ask God to work in us, through us, and for us in 2013 to help us move towards these goals for His glory, His fame, and His name sake.

Concerning Kingdom Goals there are three specifics that I want us to be fervently praying for in 2013. The first is this – seeing more people put their faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. This is one of the things that God longs for people to do and one of the essential goals of the mission that Jesus gave to us. So let’s first look at a few verses from Scripture and then make a few comments.

“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

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” – 1 Timothy 2:1-4

“For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” – 1 Corinthians 9:19-23

Matthew 28:18-20 is known by many as “The Great Commission.” It was some of the last (if not the last) instructions that Jesus gave to His followers before ascending into heaven. And for those of us who are believers in and followers of Jesus it is the essential mission that He has called each and every one of us to. God commanded that we make disciples of Him. According to Jesus’ instructions, part of our responsibility as His followers is to make the good news of what He has done for each and every person known to those who have not trusted in Him as Savior and Lord, so that they too can make a choice to follow after Him. God created us to love and to worship Him – but He did not force us to. This is His very strong desire for us though. God wants each and every person to understand the depths of His love for them and the length to which He has gone to demonstrate that love (see Romans 5:8) and He wants us all to respond to that love by placing our faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord. This is what Paul says he was striving after. He was working hard to engage those who were Jews, as well as those who were not Jews; he was working hard to engage those who were weak, as well as those who were not weak. Paul was striving to connect with all people! Why? So that he might help some come to saving faith in Jesus.

We did not see many individuals come to faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord in 2012. We did not see many added to God’s Kingdom. That is something we want to see change in 2013. But the reality is that even by our best efforts we cannot bring someone to the point in their life where they understand that they have committed sin against God, where they understand the eternal consequences of their sin, and where they understand that Jesus took their sin and the consequences for their sin upon Himself so that He could offer them forgiveness and salvation. Those are only things that God can do. So in 2013 we need to increase our prayer efforts in this area. We need to be asking God to use Escalate Church to connect with those who are dead in their sin, to make the good news of Jesus known to those individuals in ways that they understand, and that God would use our church to help lead many to saving faith in Jesus this year. We need to increase our prayer efforts for the lost that we do know, praying for them specifically by name, that God would draw them to saving faith in Jesus.

The second kingdom goal that we need to be praying towards and striving towards in 2013 is an increase in missions activity. It isn’t enough that we ask God to bring more to saving faith in Jesus in 2013 – we’ve got to be willing to partner with Him in that work; we’ve got to be willing to embrace The Great Commission. David Platt wrote in his book Radical that the church is God's plan for proclaiming the good news of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus alone - there is no 'plan B.'  We have to understand that God is a sending God. In the OT God sent the prophets to proclaim His message and to call the Israelites back to Him. Then God sent His one and only Son to rescue us from our sin and its consequences (see John 3:16). And now God’s mission for us is to send us to proclaim the Gospel to those who are still dead in their sin and separated from God – to announce to them that Jesus came to pay their sin penalty and to offer to them new life and reconciliation with God the Father. Listen to a couple of verses that speak to God’s call on our lives:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” - Acts 1:8

“And He said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’” - Mark 1:38

"Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel.” - Philippians 1:27

In 2012 we embraced God’s mission well at times. We went to and engaged our community through our kickball team; we went to and engaged our community while serving and loving on our community at Hickory Alive; and we went to and engaged our community some through our Connection Points on the months that had a fifth Wednesday night. We had one couple who had some opportunities to work with some children internationally when they helped out with some Vacation Bible Schools down in Uraguay. And we helped support international missions in 2012 by giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. But this year we want to ask God to help us be even more involved in the work of missions. We want to be praying that God would open doors for us to partner with Him (1) physically and financially; (2) individually and corporately; and (3) locally and globally. We need to be praying that God would help us be gracious givers to the work of missions in regards to our finances. But our involvement in missions needs to go beyond just the giving of our finances, we need to be praying that God would help us be personally involved in the work of spreading the Gospel. We need to be asking Him to help us be involved in the work of spreading the gospel as a church, and as individuals. We don’t have to wait for someone from the church to coordinate a project – you can be involved in missions as an individual and as a family. Invite a co-worker to lunch, invite a neighbor over for dinner, take a meal to a young couple with a new baby, invite the waitress or the cashier to come to church with you. There is a mission field all around you, so don’t spend 2013 waiting for someone else to plan a project, ask God to open your eyes to the opportunities around you and then go proclaim the love of Jesus in both word and deed. And in regards to our missions involvement we need to be asking God for opportunities locally as well as globally. Jesus said that we were to be His witnesses locally in the communities that we live in, but also globally (“to the end of the earth”). The Gospel is for every tribe, every nation, and every tongue and God has charged us with playing a part in taking the message to them.

The third kingdom goal that we need to be praying towards and striving towards in 2013 is a greater commitment to one-on-one discipleship. Jesus’ command in The Great Commission is about far more than just getting people to trust in Him as Savior and Lord; it’s more than a check box that we mark off and from which we move on to other things. God wants us to be growing in our love for Him, He wants us to be growing in our relationship with Him, and He wants us to be growing in our reflection of Him. And as much as it pains me to say this, Sunday morning sermons aren’t the best way for us to encourage this growth – one-on-one discipleship is. Jesus spent three years investing in twelve men. Paul invested in and closely discipled a handful of men. And then Paul encouraged one of those young men (Timothy) with these words:

“You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” – 2 Timothy 2:1-2

Unfortunately too many of us either think that one-on-one discipleship isn’t all that important; that we don’t have the time to get closely involved with another person; or that we don’t have the knowledge needed to get involved with another person. In 2012 this was a huge weak point for our church. So in 2013 we need to be asking God to place in our hearts a desire for and a commitment to one-on-one discipleship. We need to begin asking God to impress upon our heart the name of an individual that we can either be discipling or asking to help disciple us. Then we need to commit time, energy, and effort to those relationships. Being involved in a one-on-one discipleship relationship is an uncomfortable thought for many of us. We tend to live our lives with a buffer zone, only allowing people to come close to us in certain settings and for short periods of time. So the idea of intentionally forming a relationship with someone and allowing them to regular speak into our lives, know and pray for our struggles and needs, and push us to grow in our relationship with Jesus is outside of most of our isolated comfort zones. Lack of experience being involved in this kind of relationship causes discomfort too. And honestly, the first few weeks of meeting with someone like this can be a little awkward as you search to find a comfortable place in that new relationship and determine what your time together will look like. We certainly don’t want you to feel as if you have to figure out everything on your own, so our plan is to do our best to encourage you along the way with some resources and other suggestions that we think will be helpful for you.

I know that this seems to be asking a lot, but how can we aim small after taking time last week to look back and seeing God’s remarkable answers to so many of our prayers last year? We asked God to do some pretty big stuff last year and He did. But there is still plenty more for us to ask God to do through us and for us. These Kingdom goals are focused primarily on making disciples – the commission that Jesus gave to us. It’s a mission that we have to take seriously and a mission upon which we are going to have to be totally dependent upon God if we are going to see it carried out well. This is where we want to go as a church and our means of getting there starts by fervently praying for these things all year long.

Connection Point Questions for Discussion:

1. 1 Timothy 2:1-7 urges us to pray for and intercede for all people in a context of evangelism.  Verse 4 says God's desire is for all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth; verses 5-6 touch on the good news (i.e. that Jesus came and gave Himself as a ransom); and in verse 7 Pauls says this is what He was appointed to proclaim.  What are some ways we can do a better job as a church of praying for those who have not yet trusted in Jesus as Savior and Lord?  As a Connection Point?  As an individual?  Make a list of your "Most Wanted" in 2013 (people you know who are not believers in Christ yet - and with whom perhaps you have begun to share Jesus with - that you want to see trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord this year).  Will you share with the group some of those on your list and why you put them there?  Will you commit to weekly asking God to draw them to faith in Jesus and to use you to help make the good news of Jesus known to them?

2. What was your personal involvement in missions last year?  Were you involved in missions prayerfully, and if so how?  Were you involved in missions financially, and if so how?  Were you involved in missions personally, and if so how?  Was your family involved in missions, and if so how?  Did your involvment in missions take you out of your comfort zone in 2012, and if so, how?  Did your comfort zone keep you from getting involved in missions in 2012, and if so, how?  How would you like to get more involved in missions in 2013?

3. Have you ever thought about being in a one-on-one disciplship relationship with someone else?  If so, did you have any sense of uneasiness?  What was it that caused you to have those feelings?  What are some of the benefits of a one-on-one discipleship relationship?  What would help encourage you to begin meeting with someone else in a discipleship relationship?