What a great meeting we had this past Friday! We saw some new faces from the Vernon area coming out and joining the mission. The Big Mo (Momentum) is alive and well and excitement continues to build. I don’t want to sound trippy, but there is a really energy that is happening. (Biblically speaking = “Unity of the Spirit”)
With the building excitement and Big Mo, as well as the impending Holiday Insanity that unavoidably grips us all, it’s a good time to hit pause and ask “Why?” Why are we planting a church? What is a church anyway? How do we do what we do once we figured that out? I’m going to keep doing that from time to time and keep us focused on the bigger picture.
What if we had to describe the church in one word? What would you use? Jonathan Leeman in his book “Church Membership” is onto something when he writes that a church is an “embassy.” An embassy is an outpost of another country in a different country. The spiritual reality is that we are citizens of another kingdom – God’s kingdom – and we are strangers and aliens here. (See 1 Peter 2:11) The church therefore is an embassy of God’s kingdom here on Earth. Specifically, Highlands Bible Church is an embassy of God’s kingdom in Vernon, NJ. It is not THE kingdom of God, and that’s a really important distinction. We are not in this to build our own kingdom as Highlands Bible Church, we are in this for God’s kingdom. But how do we primarily go about that? I’m glad you asked.
2 Corinthians 5 is a beautiful gospel soaked chapter. Take time to read it. It’s only 21 verses. When you do, you will see that the gospel soaks thru the entire chapter. It is the reason we do what we do – because Jesus, who had no sin in him died for our sins (5:21), the love of Christ compels us (5:14) to love others and die to our selfishness and live for something much bigger than ourselves – the glory of God in all things – as we are created as new in Christ! (5:15-17).
Not only this – and he is the real answer to what we do – we are therefore ambassadors of the embassy of God’s kingdom. Look here with me – “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20 ESV). Therefore (because of…Jesus) we implore (Greek deomai – ask pleadingly, beg, request) for others to be reconciled to God. All of us enter this world with our relationship with our Creator tragically fractured by sin. We can do nothing to restore it ourselves, but only by faith in the gospel of Jesus – God reconciles US. This is “how” we do church – we passionately bring this message to others.
This is the center of the Bible – how a loving Creator reconciles his sinful human race back to him in mind-blowing mercy and grace, and that is why we are planting a church and the core of the message we bring! We never move past the gospel onto ‘bigger’ things – may Highlands always be rooted and established in the bedrock of this truth.
We have much to be thankful for and to continue to pray for, please join with us:
- We rejoice that our funding is over 50% full! Pray for the rest of the funds to come in.
- We rejoice that we have ordered the first wave of audio, video, and staging gear! Pray for speedy delivery and heads to understand set up and running this gear.
- We rejoice in God’s provision in so many good things from Green Pond! Pray God to supply a 12′ trailer for us to use.
- We rejoice in the creative minds at work dreaming of all we can do at HBC (Check out our Pinterest Board…). Pray for clear heads to determine what we need and how to get it all done.
- We rejoice that we have opportunity to help the community of Vernon this Thanksgiving. Pray for hearts to be soft to the gospel message and for us to be faithful ambassadors!
