Core Values -- Missions & Diversity Series

Core Values: Mission & Diversity – Galatians 3:26-29

26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

This morning we are going to conclude our core values series. We have been laying a foundation for New Mercy Community Church since the beginning of the year. We have defined the DNA of what God has called us to be. We have been identifying what our identity is now in our infancy, and will remain to be as grow to reach our generation for Jesus Christ.

As I’ve said before, if you were to define New Mercy in 12 words, the core values would be it—-–

1. Fervent Prayer

2. Power of the Holy Spirit

3. Relevant Evangelism

4. Diligent Equipping

5. Authentic Relationships

6. Genuine Love

7. Strong Families

8. Sound Doctrine

9. Integrity & Character

10. Inspiring Excellence

11. Passionate Worship

12. Diversity & Missions

Today we’re going to conclude the core values with two critical elements of who we are —-– Diversity and missions. Let me summarize this core value for you:

A. We believe the local church is called to reach all nations with the Gospel of Jesus Christ

B. Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is for every tongue, tribe, and nation, we must seek to send the Gospel to un-reached peoples everywhere

C. We will overcome racial, ethnic, social, and economic barriers to reach all peoples in our community for Christ

Usually, when we think of missions we think of the Great Commission.

· But missions didn’t begin with the Great Commission. Missions began with God. It first beat in His heart before it was ever breathed as the life sustaining force into His church.

· Our God is Missions Minded. If He were not, there would be no Christian mission.

· The Gospel He has given us is a Missions Message. If it could not save every sinner, there would be no reason to take it to every nation.

· And the Great Commission is a Missions Mandate. It identifies the local church as the center for world evangelism.

· Missions are all about world evangelism. It is not about the spread of western culture or the redistribution of wealth. Spreading prosperity is a good thing, but filling bellies without winning the lost sending people to hell with a full stomach.

· Our passion and mission must be clear. It is about doing everything we can to spread the mercy of Jesus Christ to every person He died for. It is about holding up high the banner of Jesus Christ for the world to see.

· So with that ultimate focus for our missions work, let me share with you the missions burden that our generation must bare:

· LAUNCH 10/40 WINDOW SLIDES

· There is an area called the 10/40 window that spans North Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia that has never been penetrated by the gospel.

· It is called the 10/40 window because it spans 10 degrees of latitude and 40 degrees of longitude

· Hear some facts about the 10/40 window:

i. 97% of people in the least evangelized countries live in the 10/40 window

ii. 82% of the poorest of the poor live in the 10/40 window

iii. 2.7 Billion people are lost -- many of them have never heard the gospel

· 45% of the world population lives in that region! Most of these people have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ!

· This is the call and mandate for missions in our lifetime. It has been untouched by so many generations, but Jesus Christ declares that the gospel must be preached in every nation and then He will return.

· We live in an unprecedented time, as the events of this world accelerate on a path to the culmination of all things, God is also opening doors for those who are observant:

i. First, there are signs of the end shown by the planet itself

1. The earth is groaning for the coming of the Lord

2. Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Natural disasters unseen before are happening at an escalated pace

3. Typically a year would bring around 300 major natural disasters around the globe – earthquakes, hurricanes, and tornados.

4. In the last year, we have seen over 4 times this level of disasters!