Redemption Church 2018

The following is a summary of “Making the Best Use of the Time,a sermon preached at Redemption Church on 12/31/17.

 

It’s a new year, 2018. Maybe you, like many others, have spent a little time reflecting on the prior year and setting some goals for the future. As you plan 2018, what are you deciding are the most important things to make happen this year? And why? Are you making the best use of your time?

I keep a jar of 52 marbles in my office as a visual reminder of the 52 weeks I have each year. The idea is that when you can see the time you have you tend to make better use of it. Ann Voskamp, in her book The Broken Way, does something similar with her daughter by filling a jar with seeds representing the days of any one life. She makes some observations that are helpful as we decide how we will use the time that we have. She writes:

You have only one decision every day: how will you use your time?… I’ve thought of time as something you have to wring the very most out of, drain to the last drop. Carpe Diem, people, Carpe Diem.

But what had Jesus said? ‘My time has come.’ What time? The time of His death? For Jesus, time was not something you seize as much as something you sacrifice….It’s not something to grab; it’s something to give.

How are you going to make the best use of your time? Are your goals focused around seizing or sacrifice, grabbing or giving?

In Colossians 4:2-6 says:

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Paul exhorts toward continual prayer and walking toward outsiders to make the best use of our time. In Matt Perman’s book, What’s Best Next – How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done, he makes a Biblical case that the most productive thing we can do is to do good for others. Perman says that “The guiding mindset of our lives is to be: how can I do good for others? How can I benefit my neighbor?” and that “The good of others is ‘what’s best next.’”

How are you going to make the best use of your time? Are you seeking to prayerfully walk toward outsiders for their good and the glory of God? Here is what I want us all to believe more fully this year; the most abundant life is the life given. Following the way of Jesus, doing good for others, becoming last, to the glory of God is actually the way of the truly blessed life.

At Redemption Church we are stepping into 2018 following the exhortations of Paul on how to make the best use of our time, and we want every one of you involved. Will you join us in praying continually and walking toward outsiders?

Ways for us to practice together:

Prayer 

We want to pray together continually this year. As we move through 2018 please continue to pray with us throughout each week that:

  • Doors would be opened for people to hear the gospel in downtown Augusta. Paul asks the same in Colossians 4:3. We are on Broad Street for a reason; we want to see this place saturated with the gospel. Let’s pray in that direction.
  • We would be a unified body of believers representative of the diversities of our community. We want to see the church reflect the community we live in. We want Redemption to be a place full of people who “once were not a people, but who are now God’s people” (1 Peter 2:10) because we believe that the gospel is proclaimed more fully from such a community. Would you pray with us toward a united body made up of a diverse people?
  • Church planters and missionaries with The Alliance and A29 around the globe would see doors open for the gospel. We want to be a church that plants churches. We believe it is the best and most sustainable way to send missionaries into other neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries. God hears our prayers, and who knows the hearts that would be open to the gospel elsewhere because we simply ask? Specifically, let’s pray for Paul and Lindsay Murphy and our friends at Sojourn Uganda.
  • God would provide for Redemption Church with people and finances to see the gospel advance in and from our community. We believe that the harvest is plentiful, so we are asking that God provide people who are willing to go with the gospel among us, locally, and beyond. Financially, we’re asking God to give us more in order to do more in the way of discipleship, blessing the city, and church planting.  That can look like many things from taking care of roof leaks and hiring staff to funding other ministries and organizations.

 

Walking Toward Outsiders

For Redemption Church this immediately means walking toward the people of downtown with the grace and with the seasoning of the gospel.

There are a lot exciting things happening in downtown Augusta, and we have a tremendous opportunity to steward the gifts God has given us toward blessing our city. Nothing will make Augusta a great city like the advance of the kingdom of God here. The effects of the gospel saturating this district would be exponential and beyond our wildest imaginations.

Here are a few ways we can walk intentionally toward downtown together:

  • Stay Informed. There are several avenues, from social media groups to newsletters,  that will help you keep up with what is going on downtown. Here are a few. Make and effort to pay attention to what is happening down here. People are participating in community all around us, we just have to join them where they are.
  • Participate in #LOVEdowntown. Once a month we will come up with a way to bless downtown together. We may ask you to bring a $10 bill, or come prepared to stay downtown for 30 minutes. It may be buying a $10 gift card and giving it away, or commissioning a local artist to create public art in some form, but each month we will bless downtown together. This is a real tangible, practicing, way to walk toward downtown with the flavor of the good news of Jesus.
  • Serve downtown with your Missional Community. There are a lot of ways to do this. You can pick up trash on Sunday mornings at 9am with Operation Clean City. You can plan to eat downtown together on Sundays and invite a guest to go with you. You can play pickup games of ultimate frisbee in The Common. Just prayerfully build some rhythms in downtown spaces individually and with others, enter graciously, and go with the gospel on your lips.

 

So, what might be the best use of your time in 2018? The way I see it we have 52 weeks full of opportunities to sacrifice and give the gospel away. We have 365 days to spend for the good of others and to the glory of God. And that is life giving for us.

As you’re making plans for 2018, it may seem counterintuitive, but the message of Jesus is clear

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” Matthew 5:16

The purpose of life is to do good for others to the glory of God. Let’s prayerfully walk toward outsiders seeking Jesus and His Kingdom together. Let’s wear the “new self” of Jesus together; doing good works for His glory, clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, love, peace, and thanksgiving (Col. 3:12-17).

 

Spotlight: Gospel Fluency

Our vision at Redemption Church is to lead people to Jesus who lead people to Jesus, which is another way of saying that we want to make disciples who make disciples.

We have seen people saved, baptized, and joined into our community, and it is always awesome! However, it’s exceptional not normal. If we press in on it much to try to measure our “success” we may find that in reality not very many of us are leading others to Jesus who lead people to Jesus. The vision seems to imply that we should eventually be seeing Jesus transform lives all the time.

Honestly, my instinct is to believe that I am a failure. I feel ashamed. I begin to question if we would be more successful if I was a more passionate preacher or had planned a better event, class, or system. Maybe the church would be better off without me. I need to be reminded of the gospel – the good news of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

See, it is easy for me to forget what Jesus said to Peter in Matthew 16:18; “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” When I forget that it is Jesus who is building His church, I am quick to believe the lies that the future of the church rests on my shoulders, that if I fail the church will fail, and that God will be disappointed with me.

However, Jesus says that He is building the church, that He is in control, and that not even the gates of hell can cause it to crumble. If that is true, then what can I do to to wreck what Jesus is building? Furthermore, in the person and work of Jesus I see God’s true affections toward me. 1 John 4:9 says, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” When I believe that to be true with my heart, soul, and mind, confessing my unbelief, the Spirit draws my attention back to Jesus and gives me the ability to stand confident as a cherished child of God with eyes to see Him at work among us

Jesus is really good news for me.

Now, we’ve said repeatedly over the last year or so that a disciple is one who is “increasingly submitting all of life to the empowering presence and Lordship of Jesus Christ.” Here’s the question, how can we submit any area of life to Jesus if we can’t see how Jesus brings good news into all areas of life? If we don’t know how or why Jesus is good news for us in the everyday, then we probably won’t be able to lead others to see Jesus as the answer for their everyday either.

We totally ripped-off that definition of discipleship from Jeff Vanderstelt whose newest book, Gospel Fluency, is also super important and timely for us. Jeff makes the case that while many Christians believe that the gospel of Jesus is true and central, many Christians aren’t equipped to articulate the good news of Jesus Christ into the “everyday stuff of life.” While we preach and hear the gospel clearly on Sunday mornings in our service, we haven’t all necessarily learned how to apply it when the world presses in on us with lies about our identity, ability, value, and so on. Gospel Fluency does a great job of teaching the basics of the gospel as it lays the foundation for Christians to be able to learn and speak the language of the gospel to themselves and to others.

As a church we will be working to equip one another to become a gospel fluent people because, the truth is, if we are going to submit to Jesus in all of life then we have to be led to the gospel in all of life. If we want to lead people to Jesus who lead people to Jesus then we must be a people who are capable of proclaiming the gospel to ourselves and each other when the enemy stands against us.

I know that Jesus is at work in the hearts of the people of Redemption Church. I can see how the Spirit is surfacing some heart issues among us as we have been looking to Jesus through Matthew’s gospel. There is a tension in many as our personal kingdoms are being exposed in light of the kingdom of God. As we continue to pray that we would be led to increasingly submit to Jesus we’ll need to be able to articulate how Jesus is better than our own understanding in the everyday stuff of life.
This is in a way a book review, and in another way, it’s a challenge to keep seeking first the kingdom and the righteousness of Jesus. I highly recommend Jeff’s book. He does a fantastic job of teaching the language of the gospel, and I believe that to be something that we desperately need. The Book Tavern – next door to Redemption church – on our recommendation has some copies of both of Jeff Vanderstelt’s books; Gospel Fluency and Saturate. So stop by and grab a copy.

3 Requests for Lent

Lent: Matthew 19-25

As we continue through Matthew’s Gospel on Sunday mornings during this season of Lent, we will actually be looking in on the final days before the death and resurrection of Christ. Our hope is that this will be a season of individual prayer, fasting, and devotion that serves to posture our hearts together before God with both humility and expectancy.

If you aren’t sure how to observe Lent, I would encourage you to take a look at our previous blog that contains some suggested resources. Also, if you’re late to the game, I hope you won’t let that stop you from joining us in observing this season. One church member just shared with me that they adjusted the dates that they would be observing Lent because of some obligations they had coming. That is okay. This isn’t meant to be burdensome it is meant to lead us to remember Jesus who took our burdens.

I am excited as we begin this season of Lent together, and I want to draw your attention back to three challenges that we have been rolling out this year:

  • To be a church that prays.
  • To be radically committed to increasingly submit all of life to the empowering presence and Lordship of Jesus Christ.
  • To be radically committed to identifying and reaching outsiders with the good news of Jesus Christ.

I’m asking that each person in the Redemption Church family engage in these three things during the season of Lent very intentionally. So, as you fast, carve out time to pray, read the Bible, and spend time in a devotional, here are a few very practical ways to unite with the whole church in this season also.

3 Requests:

  1. Prayer – As you spend time in prayer during your daily workout, commute, or lunch break, please be sure to pray toward these three goals above. Maybe jot them down on a notecard to put in your Bible as a reminder.
  2. Discipleship – As you’re in the Word each day, ask these questions of the text:
    • What do we learn about God’s character and nature through this story?
    • What stands out to you about the work of God through Jesus?
    • What is our identity as a result of God’s work?
    • Practically, how do we live in light of our new identity?
  3. Invite – Identify 1 person you know who doesn’t know Jesus or is unchurched, and invite them to come with you on Sunday and take them to lunch after the service.

Spotlight: Downtown Augusta

It is not by accident that Redemption Church is located on Broad Street. Since our beginning we have had a heart to spread the gospel to those who live, work, and play in downtown Augusta. That is why we jumped at the opportunity to have a permanent location in The Doris Building a couple of years ago. We love it here, and we want to be a blessing to this neighborhood very intentionally and in very tangible ways.

There have been a lot of really great developments lately toward continuing to make downtown a fun destination for locals and out of town guests. So this week I thought it would be helpful to share a few ways to stay connected to what is happening, support the businesses and organizations that are making it all happen, and to show up to bless our city.

 

5 Downtown Augusta Resources:

 

Downtown Development Authority

Visit the DDA website for a video that highlights some the great places and things that downtown has to offer. While you are there look around the site to become more informed about the direction we are headed.

Support Downtown Augusta

Claire Riche, my wife, operates these Facebook and Instagram accounts that are geared toward encouraging locals to spend time and money downtown. There are a lot of businesses that have planted in downtown because they want to see it thrive, and they hope to serve toward that end. They could use our support. Support Downtown Augusta highlights special events, restaurants, shops, art galleries and much more throughout the week. Follow them for great date ideas, gift ideas, or to even to connect with service opportunities.

Operation Clean City

After a weekend of nightlife there is often a good bit of trash blown through the streets that leaves the area looking less than desirable. Operation Clean City meets regularly, often on Sunday mornings before church services begin, to clean up the mess. This is a great way to meet people in the area and serve the city and our neighbors in a very tangible way. Follow them on Facebook and on Twitter

Downtown Lowdown

This Facebook group allows downtown businesses and stakeholders to post their events and news to the page. It is a great way to hear about all the new developments and events that are taking place.

Westobou

Westobou is an excellent addition to the downtown scene. They are terrific neighbors and advocates for making our city a truly great place to live and visit. The festival that they put together every year brings amazing talent to our area, but they also have a home office and gallery on Broad Street that you can usually visit during the day to check out their featured artists. Visit their website for more information on the festival and upcoming galleries. They also put together a monthly list of 10 things to do each month that they publish on their Facebook page and Twitter feed.

 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of resources. However, I am sure that many of these will lead you to connect to other great resources.  If you know of something that is worth taking a look at feel free to leave a comment. Downtown is really a fun place with a wide variety of people. Get out, get involved, get to know people and find a way that you can support and bless downtown Augusta.

Spotlight: Reflections on 2016 and into 2017

I am thankful for 2016. I’m not sure I’ve said that enough, but a lot of truly great things happened around Redemption Church last year. There have been salvations, baptisms, new members, new missional communities, new ministries, and new leaders who have stepped forward. We sent a team to Sojourn Uganda on a mission trip, and we’ve had two successful fundraisers to help support their ministry. The Doris Building has hosted several events which is opening doors for us bless and engage more with the downtown community. Certainly, a very lengthy post about all that we have been able to celebrate this year could be written, but the most remarkable parts of 2016 at Redemption Church are best highlighted by the prayers that we prayed together.

Over the course of the year we paused during our Sunday services to pray together that God would use us to see the gospel advance in Augusta, GA. We prayed some specific prayers about how we would like to see God work in us and through us.

We prayed:

  • That God would bring salvation to 100 people through our ministry
  • That God would lead us into diversity
  • That God would raise up leaders
  • That God would use our missional communities as a place for discipleship
  • That God would replicate our missional communities to create opportunities to lead people to Jesus who lead people to Jesus

In 2016 we saw salvation, we became a little more diverse, we saw new leaders step up, we saw missional communities press into discipleship and replicate. God has answered our prayers tangibly. Although almost none of it looked like we would have expected, I am more convinced than ever that we can ask our Father for anything our hearts desire, and the good news is that He will use our request to shape us for His glory and our joy.

Honestly, some of those prayers were hard to pray at first. It felt really odd to ask God to reach 100 people through our church of about the same number. In the back of my mind there was always a measure of unbelief. As we pushed forward, each time I prayed for 100 people to be saved I had to begin wrapping a prayer around it for my heart’s unbelief. Eventually, as we were faithful to pray together week in and week out, we saw people come to know Jesus. We didn’t reach 100 people, but as we’ve prayed I’ve seen the heart of Redemption Church grow more eager to spread the gospel.

As we prayed to be used by God to see His kingdom advance in our city, and as we have been making our way through the Gospel of Matthew, we have started talking a lot more about what it means to be a disciple. We defined disciple as “one who is increasingly submitting all of life to the empowering presence and Lordship of Jesus Christ.” We started talking more about what it means to submit “all of life” to Jesus in this way. How do we submit our singleness or marriage to Christ? How do we submit our work to Christ? How do we submit our homes to Christ? How do we submit our finances to Christ?

As we have been praying those prayers and asking those questions together on Sundays, in missional communities, and in DNA’s, there is evidence that God is shaping our hearts to follow hard after Jesus and to lead others to Him. Because of that, I’ve never started a year at Redemption Church with the excitement that I have as we begin 2017. I hope you’re excited too and will engage with us in three challenges.

3 things for 2017:

  1. We must continue to pray together. We must pray for salvation, diversity, leaders, missional communities, and DNA’s. As we pray this year, I believe, our hands will get a little dirtier as we devote ourselves to the gospel, community, and mission.  See, I’ve come to realize that there is no way around messy in the ministry of reconciliation to which we have been called; it was this ministry that took Jesus to the cross. It’s messy, but is a indescribably beautiful.
  2. We must radically dedicate ourselves to “increasingly submitting all of life to the empowering presence and Lordship of Jesus Christ.” This can be a dirty work because we all have mess that needs dealing with, and it isn’t always fun to let others help bring the gospel to bear in our lives; it can hurt. However, it’s a good work because as we learn by God’s grace to lean into the mess of each other’s brokenness with the gospel we will experience the beauty of redemption.
  3. We must radically dedicate ourselves to identifying and reaching outsiders with the love of Jesus. Truly, to take the gospel to people that nobody else is reaching we have to go to people that nobody else is going to. We have to be a church that goes to the would-be outsiders and brings the gospel to bear on the brokenness and injustices of this world; it’s a work that can get messy. This too may put us at odds with each other, but I remain convinced that when we lean into the tension, the conflict, the mess, and look to Jesus, we will see the beauty of redemption at work and see the gospel advance in ways we haven’t imagined.