7 Reasons to Join a Missional Community
We are really excited about our Missional Communities and are trusting that God will use them to equip us to be disciples who make disciples.
Here are seven reasons why you should give serious thought to joining one of our communities:
1. To bring glory to God. In Ephesians 3, after Paul explaining the “mystery” of the church and his role in it (v. 3-9) he explains why it’s so important. He says this:
“…in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph 3:10)
Our Missional Communities are the context in which much of the life of the church will be lived out, so that the multi-faceted wisdom of God would be known to all!
2. To live like Jesus. Being a disciple, or follower, of Jesus isn’t just about believing something or showing up in a meeting once a week. Being a follower of Jesus is about living like he lived. The church at Philippi was told that they should have the same humble attitude that Jesus had. He didn’t seek to hold onto all of the rights that he had as God, but instead became one of us and served us (Philippians 2:5-11). Missional Communities provide the relationships and opportunities that are necessary if we are truly going to live as servants like Jesus did.
3. To reach the world. We are called to be disciples who make disciples, but we aren’t called to do that alone. The church is to be living testimony to the truth of the gospel. Jesus spoke clearly about this when he gave us a new commandment. He said this:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35)
As the gospel shapes our identity corporately and as it changes our priorities personally we can each be part of God’s call to make disciples of all nations!
4. To grow in usefulness. I think that many of us want our lives to count for something, we want to be used by God for his purposes, but we simply don’t know where to start. Our Missional Communities are much like a family. No matter where you are in your life with Jesus you can enter into living out your love for God and others and grow in it. All of us are in process, all of us are growing, and we are trying to discover together what it means to live all of life under the Lordship of Jesus and for his purposes!
5. To be protected. The Bible often describes the Christian life as a battle. Each of us, as we are in the battle, need someone to watch our back. That is exactly what the writer of Hebrews tells us:
“But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13)
Sin is deceptive and has a hardening effect in our love for God. This verse is very clear that each and every one of us needs the daily encouragement of others so that it doesn’t happen to us.
6. To be challenged. Not only do we need to be protected from something, we need to be challenged to something.
“… let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24–25)
We are to give thought to how we can challenge each other to live lives of love and good deeds—to do so we need to get together!
7. To invest in eternity. The last phrase of the Hebrews passage above, “and all the more as you see the day drawing near” speaks to this. There will be a day that Jesus returns in the fullness of his kingdom and on that day the investments we make in eternity will be revealed and everything else will be gone. We have the opportunity today to make a difference forever.
Please consider joining us as we journey, discover, and shape this next chapter in ministry here at Creekside. Each and every person that God has brought to us is an important part of the body and we need you!