How the Local Church Started
In the book of Acts we see things changing. Jesus had already taught extensively about the Kingdom, but it is in Acts that we actually see His church beginning to unfold. The Local Church became the instrument to fulfill the Kingdom of God. It is an essential progression to understand.
How did the Kingdom operate on a day-to-day level?
What was the focus of the early Apostles?
What is the context of most of the New Testament after the Gospels?
The local church!
There are many people today that want to stamp their own definition on church. They want church to be defined by culture, philosophy, theological extremes, new trends, and marketing ideas. The problem with this approach is anyone can do anything and call it church.
Some people seem to want to move from ‘rediscovery’ to ‘reinvention’. The former is the journey to reveal the original purpose; the latter is the journey to recreate a new purpose.
God’s original purpose for the church needs to be rediscovered by each generation, not reinvented.
Here are the components of our Church’s Core Vision:
Our Key Vision Scripture is known in the Bible as the Great Commission. It is where Jesus gives us His Mission Statement. Matthew 28:19 says:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
(Note that ‘Go’ is used here in the sense of ‘As you go…’ rather than ‘Go somewhere else’)
Our Vision Statement: Equipping people to be the church seven days a week.
We are only in church about 1% of our week, but whatever our walk in life, we are called to make an impact and ‘be’ the church seven days a week.
Our vision is of a church that empowers people to make an influence – seven days a week.
Our core values: Relevance and Depth.
With both these aspects in balance, we have a great foundation to build an exciting future on together as a church.
