01/31/2010  What's Your Mission?  Luke 19:1-10

Over the last month your pastoral staff at Emmanuel has been guiding the church through its key ministry values or distinctives. God has called us as a church to be a people who exist to: Worship Jesus Christ; Deliberately Grow in our relationship to Him and others; Encourage the Community of Emmanuel; and be a people who are sold out on Mission for Him. Scott Thomas of Acts 29 Ministries articulates the importance and necessity of a church on being on Mission. "A church that is not missional is not really a church.

As we read the Bible, we see Jesus exemplifying Mission in many contexts. One such example is Jesus' interaction with Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Jesus' statement at the end the narrative sum's it all up in verse 10. "The Son of Man came to seek and save that what was lost." Similarly, just as the Father sent Jesus into the world Jesus also has sent us into the world (John 17:14-16).

 The challenge for us today is not only to believe that there are lost people out there but to engage with them in a way that would be authentic and meaningful, bringing them to meet Jesus themselves. I want to encourage you to visit utube and listen once again to Pastor Timothy Keller's Characteristics of a Missional Church. Keller's instruction helps us understand the barriers that may need to be crossed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFFlSb-Zsc8

 When all is said and done we are all missionaries called to this time and place to reach a specific group of people that God has placed in our midst. Let us get tanked up with God, cleansed and purified to be His instrument and then invite someone to dinner to build the bridge. We may not invite ourselves over to the neighbors for dinner like Jesus did with Zacchaeus, but at least we can take the initiative and seek those who don't know Him in order to share God's gift and His perspective with them.

Will you seek someone out this week?