Living on Mission – Character and Fierce Pursuit

Living on Mission – Character and Fierce Pursuit

Our character has a deep impact on our fierce pursuit of God and others. Christlike character is winsome and attractive, while un-Christlike character can be off-putting and offensive to others. The lack of good character sometimes causes us to run away or hide from God instead of running toward Him. The lack of character also distances us from others when we are made to pursue them.

As we focus on increasing the following character traits this week, let’s look for ways these could be of use as we fiercely pursue Him and others:

Hospitable

Hospitality involves several qualities: being interested in people, being receptive to having guests, being generous and being fond of people, especially strangers. Hospitality is essential in evangelism where –when we hope to persuade our unbelieving friends to come to Jesus– no action speaks louder to our friends than being invited into our home. (John 1:38-39)

Creative

Creativity is the God-given ability to bring about something new, something that has never existed before. In evangelism, it means to follow God’s leadership in creating what is required for our unbelieving friends to have an Aha! experience with God. (John 1:1-5)

Consistent

Consistent is a quality marked by harmony and steady continuity. To be consistent in evangelism means behaving as Jesus would in each relationship with non-Christian friends while remaining true to our God-given call to fulfill the Great Commission and to live a holy life. We are helped in developing consistency when we apply the “one another” commands for relationship. (John 4:34)

Let’s add these to character traits from previous weeks:

Intentional

Intentionally building character means that we resolve to develop Christlike character: that is, we actively engage in putting certain character traits into our lives. In evangelism, being intentional means developing relationships with non-Christians. (Matthew 16:18)

Gracious

Being gracious stems from having our lives and relationships with others marked by God’s grace – His steadfast, unconditional love. In evangelism, this means that our thoughts, emotions and behavior toward non-Christians are marked by graciousness as we seek to bring them to Jesus and commit to serve Him as King. (John 1:14, 16-17)

Focused

To be focused on something simply means that we concentrate on it. Evangelism depends on focus, and the task of evangelism becomes much easier when we develop a credo (guiding belief) based on our unique personality, natural talents and spiritual gifts. (John 4:31-34)

Pure in Heart

To be pure in heart means to live with a single-minded purpose of living for the praise of God rather than for the praise of fellow human beings. In evangelism, God uses the pure of heart to clean out wounds resulting from sin, to help others see God at work. (Matthew 5:8)

Buoyant

Buoyancy is that irresistible quality that puts a smile on the face of perseverance and allows you to follow the move (wave) of the Holy Spirit in all its forms. Our non-Christian friends are drawn to us because of it; and without it, evangelism becomes perfunctory, tedious and often abandoned. It proves we are “for” them and that we are not simply enduring them. (John 14:12-14)

Wise

Wisdom is knowing the right thing to do and then doing it. We gain wisdom through our experiences with evangelism, and we are wise to apply patience to this process. (Matthew 4:18-19)

Patient

We know that patience is the ability to endure. In evangelism it involves enduring through the process of persuading our unbelieving friends to follow Jesus as King with their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. (John 3:8)

Empathetic

Empathy is the capacity to enter into another’s ideas, feelings, and desires; first in listening and then in offering an appropriate response. The most effective evangelists learn to listen before speaking, and in so doing they encourage their non-Christian friends. (Luke 10:38-42)

Reflective

Christians become reflective as they pause and look back on their life experiences to see how God’s redemptive presence has shaped their lives. It’s especially helpful in evangelism to reflect on how God brought us to salvation, what we were comfortable with in that process and what we were not. When we have identified what worked for us, then we can confidently use what we’ve learned to evangelize our non-Christian friends. (Mark 6:41, 44)

Insightful

Insight is the power of seeing into a situation or into someone’s life. Insight follows reflection. It’s a necessary quality in evangelism because the Gospel of Jesus ultimately deals with issues of the heart and the true nature of what every human being experiences. (Luke 2:47, 52)

Let’s practice Living on Mission and consider how these Christlike character traits might impact our witness and our Missional activities as we fiercely pursue others, and how closely we must abide and fiercely pursue God in order for them to grow.

Pastor Angela

PRAY IT! FIERCE PURSUIT - CELEBRATION

Yo!  PoC!  Catch up on this week's passage here:  1 Peter 4:17-19

Picture this:  It is Christmas morning.  Your five year old child runs down the stairs, opens a present... wow, it's better than anything she could have dreamed up for herself.  Not only is the present more than awesome, the wrapping is awesome... and the whole thing is lined with cookies and dollar bills...  It's just... the epitome of awesome.  It's more than she could have imagined.  It's more than she deserves.  She shrugs her shoulders and walks away.  "Eh", she says.

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

And yet, as Christians... as followers of Christ, who have received the best gift (that is available to everyone, by the way)... sometimes... we fail to celebrate.  We are unimpressed.  Dour.  We withhold joy.

Why do we do this?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

According to Richard Foster, celebration, which is the final spiritual discipline we will be discussing, "is at the heart of the way of Christ."  Jesus did bring good news, after all... He WAS the good news...

Foster also asserts (and I heartily agree), that "Celebration is central to all the Spiritual Disciplines.  Without a joyful spirit of festivity the Disciplines become dull, death-breathing tools in the hands of modern Pharisees."  Whoa.  Pass!

So, how do we get joy?  How do we engage in celebration?

Obedience produces joy.  Foster asserts this, but so do many other Christian thinkers.  Scripture suggests this as well.  Psalm 16:11.  John 15. 

John 15:9-11
⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

As you fiercely pursue God, joy will come. 

Will you express that joy?  Because there is a difference between not having any joy, and having joy, but stifling it/squashing it through body language/words/demeanor...
As you fiercely pursue others... hospitably, creatively, and consistently...  you better do so JOYFULLY, or they ain't gonna wanna be pursued by you.  It's true.

In closing, I refer you to one of PoC's over-arching principles: 

FUN IS RELEVANT.  IF THE JOURNEY ISN'T FUN, NOBODY WILL WANT TO GO.

"I am the door.  If anyone enters by me, they will find pasture (refreshment).  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.  But I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." - John 10:9-22  

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

"The joy of the Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.  My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song."  - Psalm 28:7-8

Sing. Dance. Shout. Praise.  Smile.  Laugh.  Be thankful.  Celebrate.

Pastor Celia

In lieu of our traditional PoC|Coverage, we will be hosting some friends tonight to hear about what God is up to in their lives.  Come be refreshed.  Come express some joy.  God is working all around us.  He is awesome!

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Fierce Pursuit”

Our family recently took a trip to visit grandparents in Iowa.  We were about fifteen minutes into the three and a half hour ride when I heard the most dreaded words in travel-dom: “Are we there yet?”

What is it about those words that makes a parent’s shoulders scrunch up?  They have a tendency to bring out the worst in us.  My brain was racing with sarcasm.  “Seriously? We just got on the interstate!  Does it look like we’re there yet?”  And in my best Mr. Incredible voice, “We’ll get there when we get there!”  Of course, I didn’t actually say any of that.  I managed a small sigh, followed by, “Nope, we’ve still got a ways to go.”

I guess part of what makes those words so painful is that we understand what’s really behind the question.  Your child isn’t sincerely asking if you’ve reached your destination.  He’s communicating that he’s ready to be done.  He’s feeling stuck in the car, a little stir crazy and is ready for the whole process to be over.  It’s understandable, but a little overwhelming when you still have hours left to travel.

A few years ago I took my kids on a trip to western Nebraska.  Between the 2-day travel time and the absolute absence of any interesting scenery along the route, I was expecting an agonizing trip filled with “Are we there yet’s.”  To circumvent that, I tried to make the trip as fun and purposeful as I could with lots of games and inexpensive toys to introduce periodically.  I also strung a ribbon across the backseat with a paper minivan clipped to it.  I moved the van along the ribbon as we moved along our trip.  They could literally see how far we had left to travel and that cursed four-word question was almost non-existent.

What’s something your family does to make long trips more enjoyable?  What’s your favorite car trip memory?

At times, our journey with God can feel like a long car trip.  There are fun, even life-changing stops as we go along, but there are also long stretches of sameness.  Yes, we’re growing.  Yes, we’re going places.  Yet, the journey still has difficulties.  It’s still uncomfortable at times.  It still stretches us, and we sometimes get that same “stuck in the car” feeling.

Have you ever wanted to ask God, “Are we there yet?”  Am I finally done growing?  Have I reached maturity?   Are we done with all the conviction and stepping out of my comfort zone?  How much longer until its easy?  I keep pursuing Jesus and holiness and others.  How much longer until I finally get what I’m pursuing?  We want all of those things, but as the children of God, we can get as antsy as our own children do.  I’m thankful the Father doesn’t snap back with a booming, “You’ll get there when you get there!”

Instead, God offers comfort and direction through the apostle Peter.  In his first letter, he finishes the fourth chapter with this verse: “So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it.” (Msg)  

Hmmm.  Probably not the kind of response you were looking for.  Maybe you were hoping God would say, “Almost.”  Maybe you had your fingers crossed that the destination was just around the corner.  But that’s not the way it is.  Our journey with God is amazing!  It’s full of adventure and transformation.  No other life experience can make you a new person like Jesus can.  But it’s also a trek filled with challenges.  So be ready.  Be prepared to never stop pursuing holiness, to never stop suffering for the sake of Jesus, to never stop seeking people who don’t know Him yet.  The truth is we will get there when we get there…and not a second sooner.  So let’s make the journey as fun as we can along the way and agree to never stop.

What can your family do to make the journey fun?  After all, fun is relevant!  How can you encourage each other to never stop pursuing Jesus, to never stop pursuing others?  As you pray together, ask God to help you be a “never stop” family.

Living on Mission – Character and Fierce Pursuit

Living on Mission – Character and Fierce Pursuit

Our character has a deep impact on our fierce pursuit of God and others. Christlike character is winsome and attractive, while un-Christlike character can be off-putting and offensive to others. The lack of good character sometimes causes us to run away or hide from God instead of running toward Him. The lack of character also distances us from others when we are made to pursue them.

As we focus on increasing the following character traits this week, let’s look for ways these could be of use as we fiercely pursue Him and others:

Empathetic

Empathy is the capacity to enter into another’s ideas, feelings, and desires; first in listening and then in offering an appropriate response. The most effective evangelists learn to listen before speaking, and in so doing they encourage their non-Christian friends. (Luke 10:38-42)

Reflective

Christians become reflective as they pause and look back on their life experiences to see how God’s redemptive presence has shaped their lives. It’s especially helpful in evangelism to reflect on how God brought us to salvation, what we were comfortable with in that process and what we were not. When we have identified what worked for us, then we can confidently use what we’ve learned to evangelize our non-Christian friends. (Mark 6:41, 44)

Insightful

Insight is the power of seeing into a situation or into someone’s life. Insight follows reflection. It’s a necessary quality in evangelism because the Gospel of Jesus ultimately deals with issues of the heart and the true nature of what every human being experiences. (Luke 2:47, 52)

Let’s add these to character traits from previous weeks:

Intentional

Intentionally building character means that we resolve to develop Christlike character: that is, we actively engage in putting certain character traits into our lives. In evangelism, being intentional means developing relationships with non-Christians. (Matthew 16:18)

Gracious

Being gracious stems from having our lives and relationships with others marked by God’s grace – His steadfast, unconditional love. In evangelism, this means that our thoughts, emotions and behavior toward non-Christians are marked by graciousness as we seek to bring them to Jesus and commit to serve Him as King. (John 1:14, 16-17)

Focused

To be focused on something simply means that we concentrate on it. Evangelism depends on focus, and the task of evangelism becomes much easier when we develop a credo (guiding belief) based on our unique personality, natural talents and spiritual gifts. (John 4:31-34)

Pure in Heart

To be pure in heart means to live with a single-minded purpose of living for the praise of God rather than for the praise of fellow human beings. In evangelism, God uses the pure of heart to clean out wounds resulting from sin, to help others see God at work. (Matthew 5:8)

Buoyant

Buoyancy is that irresistible quality that puts a smile on the face of perseverance and allows you to follow the move (wave) of the Holy Spirit in all its forms. Our non-Christian friends are drawn to us because of it; and without it, evangelism becomes perfunctory, tedious and often abandoned. It proves we are “for” them and that we are not simply enduring them. (John 14:12-14)

Wise

Wisdom is knowing the right thing to do and then doing it. We gain wisdom through our experiences with evangelism, and we are wise to apply patience to this process. (Matthew 4:18-19)

Patient

We know that patience is the ability to endure. In evangelism it involves enduring through the process of persuading our unbelieving friends to follow Jesus as King with their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. (John 3:8)

Let’s practice Living on Mission and consider how these Christlike character traits might impact our witness and our Missional activities as we fiercely pursue others, and how closely we must abide and fiercely pursue God in order for them to grow.

Pastor Angela

PRAY IT! FIERCE PURSUIT - WORSHIP

Need a refresher on this Sunday's passage?  Catch up on it here: 1 Peter 4:14-16.

Psalm 146:  1-3: 

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

We have been engaged in a wonderful sermon series entitled "Fierce Pursuit:  For We Have Spent Enough Time in the Past."  This week's spiritual discipline that we will look at in conjunction with our passage is worship.  Just how can this spiritual discipline help us in our fierce pursuit of God, of holiness, and of other people?

Sometimes I wonder if worship is just as much of a misunderstood spiritual discipline as fasting.  Sometimes we have too narrow a view:  worship is only singing and music.  Sometimes we are too focused on our preferences (ie style, venue).  Sometimes the worship itself can become an idol if it becomes more about our performance and less about God. 

Worship, quite simply, is our response to God, and should be centered on Him.  In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster says this: 

"If the Lord is to be Lord, worship must have priority in our lives.  The first commandment of Jesus is, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength' (Mark 12:30).  The divine priority is worship first, service second.  Our lives are to be punctuated with praise, thanksgiving, and adoration.  Service flows out of worship.  Service as a substitute for worship is idolatry.  Activity is the enemy of adoration." 

Engaging in the spiritual discipline of worship can help change our posture and place us in a better position to engage in our fierce pursuit of holiness and of other people.  Prior to our pursuit of people, we need to make sure that we are centered on God.  A good way to do this is through worship, and through engaging in that "daily presence"... that 24/7 mindfulness of God.  As we embrace a 24/7 heart of worship... (worship God while you clean the kitchen... in the car... and at church on Sunday...), and as we keep God at the center of our lives, we can then fiercely pursue others with an empathetic, reflective, and insightful heart... in the kitchen... in the car... and at church on Sunday :) 

Pastor Celia

PoC|Coverage is tonight at 6pm.  Join us as we engage in care and prayer throughout the building.

FAMILY IT! — Wednesday Family Devotional — “Fierce Pursuit”

It's amazing how many different groups we associate ourselves with throughout our lives.  Some are just clubs or groups we’re a part of, but others become so important that they can shape our identity.  We name ourselves by these groups: I am a ____________.  Let me elaborate.

It starts with your family.  You’re a (insert last name here).  I was born a Fredrickson.  Having that name shaped who I was.  Now, I’m an Orwig.  I’m a part of the Orwig family, the one that lives in my house as well as the larger family group.  Of course, I’m still a Fredrickson.  Even though I don’t carry that name any more, I will probably identify with that group as well for the rest of my life.  I was also born an Iowan.  I wore that badge with pride and took great offense at the Iowa jokes my Minnesotan relatives loved to tell.

As I grew, several other categories shaped me.  In high school I was a Marching Lion.  It wasn’t just something I did, it was who I was.  It determined who I hung out, how I spent my time, and what became my priorities.  Then I went to college and was formed by my new titles: Monmouth Scot and Kappa Delta. Today, my group names include wife, mom, homeschooler, and PoC’er.  While I belong to many other clubs and organizations, these are really the ones that influence who I am, my identity.

When we align ourselves with a name, it not only shapes how we see ourselves, it also influences what’s important to us.  For years, I really didn’t care who the governor of Illinois was.  Now that I’m an Illinoisan, I care very deeply.  We celebrate with our group when we have victories, and we cry together when there are struggles.  It’s part of group life.

What are your “labels”?  What groups or titles have shaped who you are, either now or in the past?  Remember these aren’t just clubs you’re a part of; they are those things that influence your identity.

One of the names that may have come up is “Christian.”  This label can mean different things to different people.  When it was first introduced, it was used as a put-down, to insult those who followed the teachings of Jesus.  Since then it has been embraced by generations of believers over two thousand years.  But what does it mean to have that label?  Certainly, it shapes who we are.  We don’t just go to church or recognize that there is a God.  We choose to pattern our lives after Jesus’ life.  We make Him the center of everything we do.  As such, we celebrate when Christ’s cause has a victory.  But we also suffer through the struggles of living like Jesus.  

Peter addresses that very idea.  In 1 Peter 4:16, he writes, “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”  Sometimes we may be hesitant to wear the name “Christian.”  It’s not a popular name in our culture, or even the world.  It brings insults, sacrifice, dirty looks, and judgmentalism at times.  I’m so glad Peter reminds us that we don’t need to be ashamed, that we should be praising God that we can be called Christians.

Does your family claim the name Christian?  Does it shape who you are as a family?  If so, how?  Talk about how your beliefs are shaping your family.  What are you doing differently because you’re Christians.

If not, what’s holding you back?  Talk about these things as a family.  Are you willing to take that step and claim your faith?  

End your time together praising God for sending his Son so that we would all have the chance to be Christians.

Living on Mission – Character and Fierce Pursuit

Living on Mission – Character and Fierce Pursuit

Our character has a deep impact on our fierce pursuit of God and others. Christlike character is winsome and attractive, while un-Christlike character can be off-putting and offensive to others. The lack of good character sometimes causes us to run away or hide from God instead of running toward Him. The lack of character also distances us from others when we are made to pursue them.

As we focus on increasing the following character traits this week, let’s look for ways these could be of use as we fiercely pursue Him and others:

Buoyant

Buoyancy is that irresistible quality that puts a smile on the face of perseverance and allows you to follow the move (wave) of the Holy Spirit in all its forms. Our non-Christian friends are drawn to us because of it; and without it, evangelism becomes perfunctory, tedious and often abandoned. It proves we are “for” them and that we are not simply enduring them. (John 14:12-14)

Wise

Wisdom is knowing the right thing to do and then doing it. We gain wisdom through our experiences with evangelism, and we are wise to apply patience to this process. (Matthew 4:18-19)

Patient

We know that patience is the ability to endure. In evangelism it involves enduring through the process of persuading our unbelieving friends to follow Jesus as King with their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. (John 3:8)

Let’s add these to character traits from previous weeks:

Intentional

Intentionally building character means that we resolve to develop Christlike character: that is, we actively engage in putting certain character traits into our lives. In evangelism, being intentional means developing relationships with non-Christians. (Matthew 16:18)

Gracious

Being gracious stems from having our lives and relationships with others marked by God’s grace – His steadfast, unconditional love. In evangelism, this means that our thoughts, emotions and behavior toward non-Christians are marked by graciousness as we seek to bring them to Jesus and commit to serve Him as King. (John 1:14, 16-17)

Focused

To be focused on something simply means that we concentrate on it. Evangelism depends on focus, and the task of evangelism becomes much easier when we develop a credo (guiding belief) based on our unique personality, natural talents and spiritual gifts. (John 4:31-34)

Pure in Heart

To be pure in heart means to live with a single-minded purpose of living for the praise of God rather than for the praise of fellow human beings. In evangelism, God uses the pure of heart to clean out wounds resulting from sin, to help others see God at work. (Matthew 5:8)

Let’s practice Living on Mission and consider how these Christlike character traits might impact our witness and our Missional activities as we fiercely pursue others, and how closely we must abide and fiercely pursue God in order for them to grow.

Pastor Angela