In my reading this week of
a church journal, an article caught my eye about the importance of being
intentional. Any business or church that coasts or gets lazy in terms of its
mission is comparable to walking on thin ice. Eventually, the ice will break and
disaster will result, sometimes leading to death.
In order for any institution to thrive, it has to remain intentional about its mission. Just in case you may not know or have forgotten, our mission at First Free is to introduce people to Jesus Christ, develop them into fully devoted followers, and equip them to reach their city and world.
Of course, we cannot fulfill this mission in our own strength and power. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to work in and through each one of us. We must remember that a church that is effective in reaching and changing their surrounding culture does not do so by accident. It is done through intentionality.
Churches will always have a natural drift away from mission into autopilot mode. It’s just the nature of things. We go back to doing church the easiest way we know how, rather than intentionally working (which is always harder) to be the kind of church we need to be.
Look at it this way. If we fail to intentionally be the church, we will just do church (gather on Sunday mornings). If we fail to intentionally make disciples, we will just make fans. If we fail to be authentic, we’ll just perform. If we fail to embrace all people, we will consume everything for ourselves.
So, would you join me, help me, pray with me, hold me accountable, and let me hold you accountable to some intentionality in our mission? Let’s remind ourselves of the mission often, keep Jesus at the center of all we do, and do these things with a sense of desperation. He is coming back soon.
Blessings,
Mark "The Bru" Brunott
In order for any institution to thrive, it has to remain intentional about its mission. Just in case you may not know or have forgotten, our mission at First Free is to introduce people to Jesus Christ, develop them into fully devoted followers, and equip them to reach their city and world.
Of course, we cannot fulfill this mission in our own strength and power. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to work in and through each one of us. We must remember that a church that is effective in reaching and changing their surrounding culture does not do so by accident. It is done through intentionality.
Churches will always have a natural drift away from mission into autopilot mode. It’s just the nature of things. We go back to doing church the easiest way we know how, rather than intentionally working (which is always harder) to be the kind of church we need to be.
Look at it this way. If we fail to intentionally be the church, we will just do church (gather on Sunday mornings). If we fail to intentionally make disciples, we will just make fans. If we fail to be authentic, we’ll just perform. If we fail to embrace all people, we will consume everything for ourselves.
So, would you join me, help me, pray with me, hold me accountable, and let me hold you accountable to some intentionality in our mission? Let’s remind ourselves of the mission often, keep Jesus at the center of all we do, and do these things with a sense of desperation. He is coming back soon.
Blessings,
Mark "The Bru" Brunott
P.S. Has someone told lies about you? Have you ever been rejected, betrayed, made the victim of abuse, or hurt from a broken promise? Are you struggling to overcome a regret of the past? Do you wish your life had a ‘reset’ button so you could get a fresh start? Join me this Sunday at 9:15 and 11:00 and we will discover how to spiritually ‘reset’ our lives.
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