God is faithful and good. God is sovereign. God is our redeemer.
Let's pause right here.
We are nearing the end of our study, Garden to Garden: The Story of God, the Story of Us. As we begin to wrap up the Intermission, I want us to zoom way back to the beginning—the Prologue—and remember why we are doing this study. When we know and believe God's story, we know and believe the Gospel. We are equipped to share the Gospel with others. Knowing, believing, and remembering has kingdom impact, not just personal impact. Take a moment to review. Flip your card over to the front and look again at each Act. Ask yourself, "Do I know God's story? Knowing who God is (Act One), why He created us (Act Two), and what happened next. Do I grasp the depths of our rebellion (Act Three) against a Holy God and the desperate need for a Rescuer (Act Four)? Would I be able to share God's story— the Gospel of Jesus Christ with another person? Do I understand my story in light of His story and His glory? Can I share my testimony with others and point clearly to Jesus? If not, let's practice with one another! This is our mission during this Intermission — to impact the kingdom and world with the Gospel of Jesus.
What is our Mission?
Stand and Go
Intermission, Week 4
As we wrap up the Intermission and continue to answer the question this week, "What is our Mission?" I would like us to remember what our mission is not. Our mission is not and has never been to become Bible scholars. It is not to be the best in the class or the golden student with the most profound takeaways. Our mission is not to constantly stay in a bubble of Christianity and 'hang out' with like-minded believers. Our mission is to know God and to make Him known.
Our mission is to walk with Him (Abide) and talk with Him (pray). We want to be transformed by His power, not because we want to be the best in the class, but because we desire to give Him our best! When we see evidence (fruit) of transformation, we must testify to the work He has done in us! Nobody, nothing else, can transform, only Jesus. He truly is the Hero of the story! We want to serve Him and love Him in every crevice of our lives. We want to love others deeply because He loved us deeply.
Do we believe in our core that "the love of Christ controls us. . . and He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him (Jesus!) ..." (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 paraphrased). Jesus lived a perfect life and surrendered it all for you and me. Can we surrender it all for Him? What is truly keeping us from believing and obeying our King - we are His bondservants. We are on a mission for Him. "The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him;. . ." (2 Timothy 2:11-12a)
If we truly desire to live (believe and obey) for Him, abide, pray, be transformed, and love, we have to spend time with God. We need to know and believe God's Word so that when we study it, we know the truth. We need to spend time in His Word so that we recognize His voice and truly hear Him. The purpose of reading your Bible is to know God and His promises, not to participate in the Bible quiz tournament, receive an A+ in Bible Study, look like a better Christian, impress your friends, or have the deepest "take-away".
In week four of the Intermission, there are two commands: Stand and Go. At first, they seem paradoxical, but actually, the first is dependent on the other. In order to go, you must first stand.
When we stand, we are brought to attention, we pause, take a look around, plant our feet on a firm foundation (solid truth) and our soul is prepared for action. We are ready to combat the enemy's attacks and come out victorious. In war, there are many battles. However, without an effective and successful stand against the enemy, there can be no victory. As the apostle Paul said, having done all, we must stand (Ephesians 6:10-13)! Without standing first against the lies the enemy tells us, we do not have the boldness or confidence to proclaim, speak, and share Jesus with others. The lies and deceit of Satan literally get us down and paralyze the Word of God from being shared, heard, and consequently believed. Sisters, don't let this happen. Be strong in the Lord, and know His truth; it sets us free and increases our faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of Christ. God is faithful and good. He is sovereign, in control, reigning—totally winning! We have a message and a testimony to share. We have a song to sing. "Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world" (Romans 10:18).
Stand and go— Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks (1 Peter 3:15), and as you walk and work in love, "remember these things, before God, not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene (2 Timothy 2:14-18), which results in upsetting the faith of others and swerving of the truth. "Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, (Hebrew 10:24-25), not just neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but neglecting to stand against the enemy's lies and share our faith with others. As the author of Hebrews says, we need to encourage one another all the more as we see the day drawing near.
So, don't just stand there, Go. Stand up for God and against the schemes of the enemy, Go and share the gospel and make disciples. “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation" (Mark 16:15). Jesus is the Hero of our story—of every story, if we call ourselves Christians, which means Christ followers, then we better be following Jesus Christ, saying what He asks of us and going where he sends us. “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. (Mark 16:15) This is our mission during this Intermission.
❤️ Meghan
If you missed the intermission teaching, you can listen to it here. Make sure you look for the Act 5: Home card in the hallway at church.
