Christian Holiness Journal

a record of struggle and victory to know the mind of Christ

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Just Outside the Church Door.

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As we have discussed this week, there is a problem in the Church and it has to do with a misunderstanding of our Church mission. The problem is deeper than our colleges, theologians, and ministers. From the earliest age, we teach our children that the world consists of two realms: the Sacred and the Secular. This is a multi-generational problem; you and were taught the same thing. Church is sacred; work is secular. Sunday school is sacred; public school is secular. Sunday morning is for God. The rest of the week is for man. When you grow up, you can choose to serve God or choose to get a real job like your mom and dad. This kind of thinking is the root of the problem with churches today. The concept of the sacred and the secular are a construct of man. When we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, everything that we do, everything that we are, and everything that we ever hope to be is sacred, set aside for God’s service. Tuesday night – out with the boys… How is that sacred? It should be. Working with that crew of heathens – how is that sacred? It should be. That is the mission of the Church. Are you a part of the Church?

The Mission Field begins 2’ outside the church door.

Just as we compartmentalize our lives into the sacred and the secular, we have relegated missions to missionaries. Maybe we entertain one missionary a year. Maybe we talk about missions in our Sunday service twice a year. Maybe we have a WMS program three times a year. Some of us might actually read a mission book. But do you see the problem? We think of missions as a department, for people who are called to that duty. And, those of us who have a burden for missions, we may even spend our vacation on a work and witness trip. But we forget that the mission field begins two feet outside the church door.

The Mission of the Church is not just missions. Missions is only part of the mission of the Church.

We are the Messengers of Jesus Christ

Chris Wright, in his book, The Mission of God’s People, asks this question: What kind of person is your mail carrier? Is he a good man? Or is he a bad man? Does he go to church? Does he cheat on his wife? Does he rob his favorite magazines from the mail? Does he follow children through the park? You don’t know because it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters to you about your mail carrier is what should matter: does he or she deliver the mail safely, faithfully, and on time. He is simply a messenger and can be replaced easily by a mail server and two computers. The same cannot be said about you and me. We are the messenger who delivers the Good News of Jesus Christ. For us to be most effective, we must surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and allow Him to make us Holy and Pure.

How many people do you know that are pure and holy? How many Nazarenes do you know that are pure and holy? How many people do know in the Nazarene Church that even believe they can live a holy life? That believe in Entire Sanctification? That even believe in REPENTANCE?

The Mission of the Church

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and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

I once went on a job interview and one of the questions asked me was if I had ever read the company’s mission statement. As a matter of fact, I had, for I had just researched that company, soaking up everything I could learn. When asked what I thought of it, I did not want to tell him that I frankly thought it was gobbly-gook because it had little to do with the company’s true mission. Here is that mission statement: see if you can figure out what type of company it is:

Collectively, we are proud and passionate about providing the world’s best customer experience. This vision aligns with our mission — that we are earnest about achieving superior results. Our associates are inspired by their belief in the motivating principles of the Dynamic Organization and are determined to deliver an outstanding customer experience.  – This is from a cellular phone company.

Here are a few more mission statements from the world’s top companies. See if you can identify the company:

  1. “To give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.” – Facebook
  2. “To be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information, using its portfolio of brands to differentiate its content, services and consumer products.” – Disney
  3. “Dedication to the highest quality of Customer Service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and Company Spirit.” – Southwest Airlines
  4. OUR MISSION GREATLY EXCEEDS OUR GUESTS EXPECTATIONS
  • We Shine in Everything We Do by exhibiting God’s love in every interaction with guests and team members.
  • We Keep our Guests Safe by…
    • Loving one another as we do ourselves.
    • Thoroughly training every member of our team.
    • Thoroughly training each and every guest.
  • We Achieve Excellence through…
    • Teamwork.
    • Constantly encouraging and rewarding team members.
    • Recognizing team members who go above and beyond.
    • By doing all things in a manner consistent with the values and morals exhibited by Jesus Christ.
  • We Constantly Improve by…
    • Encouraging ideas from our team members and guests.
    • By reading online reviews of our guests and learning from them.
    • By managing safety and cleanliness.
    • By presenting a clean, family-friendly, and safe environment.
    • By setting the example for others both on the job and off.
  • The last statement is one I created for a business I manage.

So today, I ask you, “What is the mission statement of the church?” What do you think?

Here is the mission statement from the Nazarene World Headquarters website.

The mission of the Church of the Nazarene is to make Christlike disciples in the nations.

We’re studying the mission of the Church this week

on Christian Holiness Daily.

 

Sanctification Brings Peace

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In an earlier devotion on Christian Holiness Daily, we learned that it is God’s will that we be sanctified, or filled with the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 4:3). After Paul proclaims this to his readers, he expounds on what is expected out of those whom Christ sanctifies.

  • Abstain from sexual immorality
  • Love one another
  • In verse 11 of that same chapter, he says that we are to live a quiet life. What does Paul mean, though, when he uses the word quiet?
  • Paul’s life seemed to be anything but quiet. He traveled from town-to-town preaching first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles, bringing a new message – and one that few wanted to accept – and stirred up so much trouble that he found himself often in jail, stoned and left for dead, beaten, and eventually martyred. Ask and the definition of quiet life, I doubt any of the items on that list are mentioned.
  • When I think of a quiet life, I think of a cabin in the woods, off grid, and a room full of books.
  • Others may think of a sailboat on a calm sea, or a fishing boat on a still lake. Some might picture a horseback ride or a cross-country trip on a Harley. Though peaceful, I doubt any of those images are what Paul had in mind when he wrote of the quiet life. Paul’s idea of quiet can be determined from his other epistles.
  • The first clue that we find about Paul’s definition of quiet is Romans 12:18, where he gives similar advise:

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. – ESV

Peace and quiet are synonymous. In this passage Paul ads a qualifying clause, If possible…

In Paul’s life, peace and quiet wasn’t always possible, for it wasn’t always up to him whether he lived at peace.

  • Galatians 5:22 tells us the same thing that Paul tells us here in 1 Thessalonians 4, but it is more succinct: the fruit of the Spirit is peace.
  • In Philippians 4:7, he urges us to allow our hearts to be guided by the peace that comes through the Holy Spirit.
  • In Romans 14:19, he urges us to make every effort to bring peace into our lives.
  • As with every aspect of sanctification, living in peace or living a quiet life is only possible if we allow the Holy Spirit to rule (take charge) in our lives daily.
  • If He is not the King of our hearts, then the best that we can hope for is brief calm often followed by a ferocious storm.
  • If we allow the Holy Spirit to reign, then we too can say (like Paul),

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.