Diocese Growth strategy;
“Creating Communities of wholeness with Christ at the centre”
- Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain. - Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
St Matthews has identified 3 Vision focal areas;
- Deepening relationship with God
- Building Community
- Engaging with the world, our locality and through our personal networks
1. ‘Deepening our relationship with God’
Discipleship—“I pray that … Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love” Eph 3 v 17
Luke 14:25-35
Hard words Discipleship costs
“if you are determined to live a life of easy self indulgence then Jesus is not for you. Jesus makes demands. Being a Christian involves Jesus being Lord of our whole lives public and private.” John Stott
- Jesus Lord of our Relationships v26
Not literal. Marriage, friendship are God’s gifts. 10 Commandments (see also Matt 10:37)Jesus means put him first – our discipleship comes before our other relationships.
- Jesus Lord of our ambitions v27
Not literal. We do not need to be crucified physically.“When Christ calls a man he bids him die, die to own self centeredness, own ambitions” Dietrich Bonheoffer
Ambition, the desire to succeed is good if we desire to succeed for God’s glory. Be ambitious for Christ!
Jesus means put him first – our highest ambition is to be disciples of Christ
- Jesus Lord of our possessions v33
Not literal. Only some called to total poverty (e.g. Mother Theresa)Jesus means develop an inner detachment to material things.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’” Matt 6:19-21
Take seriously the poor, the homeless, those in need.
Jesus means put him first – our discipleship means Jesus is Lord of our possessions.
Why should we accept Jesus demands?
Jesus says if we follow him; we will live life to the full, we will inherit eternal life, we are guests at a heavenly banquet, he will satisfy our hunger and thirst, he will give us his peace, we will find identity and freedom … but its not easy, it costs
But remember what it cost God to enable us to be disciples.
So how do we work out what it means day to day, minute by minute? How can we help one another?
Small Groups—for St Matthew’s to grow in relationship with Christ we need to be sharing in small groups, learning together, enabling one another in discipleship, praying for one another, sharing joys and challenges with one another. Small Groups are key to Growth.
2. ‘Building Community’
“like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Peter 2:5
-
Church is Community
Bible speaks of church [ekklesia] as people of God, body of Christ, fellowship of saints, new creation. People not building.
Living stone; stones aren’t much use on their own but together they can built into a spiritual house for God. Community.
-
What does ‘being built’ mean?
God builds – Jesus says, “I will build my church” Matt 16:18
Jesus is the cornerstone. Cornerstone is “first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire edifice.”
Being built involves becoming aligned with the cornerstone.
A 1st century builder would need to cut a stone to fit. As God builds us we are honed to be community.
Being built involves personal change.
God’s tools include his teaching in the bible, prayer, our consciences, our relationships with one another; our encouragement, our love and our conflicts.
Conflicts identify our own weaknesses, provide opportunities for love, forgiveness and grace.
Jesus expected conflict. Matt 18:15-20. the disciples had to learn to deal with conflict. Luke 22:24, Mark 10:41-45
Christian community is not defined by lack of conflict but it is defined by how we deal with it. Eph 4:2,3
“Are you prepared to learn to live in fellowship, being open to be known for who you are, accepting one another in love, and saying of others nothing that could not be said to them personally if love and wisdom required it?”
Lee Abbey Community promises no.4Being built involves supporting one another in love, through fellowship, prayer and practical action.
-
What is Church, the spiritual house, our community
for?
“you are God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the might acts of him who called you into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
Royal and holy priesthood v5, 9
Priests are to draw others to God.
We are called to proclaim and to be welcoming and open to all. To draw others into the spiritual house, and into relationship with God.
Practical Steps
| 1 | Personal discipleship | 2 | Small groups |
| 3 | Pray for one another | 4 | socialise |
| 5 | Build open relationships including some close friendships. | ||
3. ‘Engaging with the world, our locality, our networks’
James 1:19-27 & Luke 10:25-37
Three scriptural principles
-
God is a missionary God
God engages and calls us to do likewise. Abraham in Gen 12. God sends Jesus to live amongst us. Not so much reaching out as going out and drawing people to God by the way we live.
-
Who is my neighbour?
Story of the good Samaritan in Luke 10. Your neighbour is the next person you meet who is in need.
Love is practical as well as spiritual. Matt 25.
-
Be doers of the word James 1:19-27
“I by my works will show you my faith” 1 James 2:18
Jesus in Luke 10:1-10 Go and live amongst people and say “the kingdom of God has come near you.” v9
1 James 1:27 “religion that is pure and undefiled before God is this: to care for the orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” We are called to engage, to show love and serve because God does.
Robert Warren research - one of the 7 marks of a healthy church is an outward looking focus. By which he means;
- deeply rooted in the local community working in partnerships with other denominations, faiths, secular groups and networks.
- passionate and prophetic about justice and peace, locally and globally “to participate in mission is to participate in love, for God is the fountain of sending love”
- makes connections between faith and daily living.
- responds to human need by loving service
churches on the ‘give’ rather than the ‘get’. Operating on the abundance mentality of the gospel expressed in the Christian Aid aim that ‘all shall be included in the feast of life’
St Matthews expresses this as Engaging with the world, our locality and through our personal networks.
Engaging in our locality—as a church how can we be at the centre of the local community, who are our ‘neighbours’ and how can we serve them. Good links with families, how can we draw them into the fellowship of faith? How else is God calling us to serve?
Engaging with the world as a church—issues of justice and peace, support for our mission partners, for Changing Tunes, and others. How can we continue to pray for and resource the work of God in the world?
Engaging through our personal networks—this is about living whole life as Christians. How can the church resource each of us as individuals to live as Christ followers in the everyday? When we go out into the world what difference does our faith make to how we live? Matt 28:16 is best translated “Go and as you are going make disciples of all people.”
