Questions...
There are some questions we should ask ourselves periodically. They are questions like George Bailey asked in “It’s a Wonderful Life” when he asked if his life really mattered to anyone... If Mountainview weren’t here, would the community around us notice? What has been our impact for Christ? What continues to be our plan for expressing the name of Jesus to the people of East County? Would anyone care if we shut the doors at 1890 NE Cleveland and closed the church?
It is important that we never forget our calling to be the church, the light of Jesus to the world. Too often we can get distracted from our assignment from the Head (Jesus Christ), which is not just to do churchy things, but to be the church…
Ten years ago our leadership team redefined our mission. One of the tools we used was Simple Church, by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger. Here’s a quote from the book that grabbed my attention:
“In a church that lacks alignment, everyone is competing for the same space, resources, volunteers, and time on the calendar. A church that lacks alignment does not feel like one body. It feels more like a building that houses a wide variety of ministries. All churches naturally drift away from alignment.”
We have to continue to work intentionally and diligently for alignment. Our collective concern is belonging, growing, and serving. Belonging begins with a relationship with Jesus, where we create space for people to encounter Him. It’s not Jesus plus a litany of other things…it’s simply Jesus. Growing means we have a teachable attitude, a humble posture, and recognize that God is still working in us so we become more like Jesus every day. Serving is about living out the life of Jesus by serving our families and friends, our workplaces, our schools, our neighborhoods, and our extracurricular activities.
I continue to pray and explore what God has in store for Mountainview, especially when it comes to our local community impact. I believe we are positioned to serve our city significantly. While we want to have an impact globally, we must make sure our resources and energy are shared properly right here with our neighborhood, our community, and our city.
Please join me in prayer and ask God to reveal the real needs of our community and city.
In chapter four of Acts (properly called “Acts of the Apostles”), the church had exploded in number, which caused extreme tension to rise with the religious elites of Jerusalem. They arrested Peter and John, and insisted that they stop preaching in the name of Jesus, especially about His resurrection from the dead… Peter seized this opportunity to preach a dynamic sermon to the council of priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes. The council once again demanded that Peter and John stop preaching and speaking in the name of Jesus, then released them. As a response, the believers prayed for courage and boldness. Here’s what followed in chapter five:
Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Acts 5:12-16 ESV
Wow! What would it look like to be this kind of church? Wouldn’t it be great if our presence provided comfort and healing? What if our shadow gave the light of Jesus? What if the reputation of the churches in our city was grounded in how deeply we love each other and serve others? I don’t think this is outside the realm of possibility.
Grace & Peace
Pastor Tom