Update Tuesday

I can't believe another week has passed already. I have been using the last few Tuesdays to share some of the thoughts and reflections that have been stirring in our hearts and have been influencing our thinking about what our new work might look like in its earliest formation. I have been sharing specifically about John 13:34-35 which has been a very influential passage of scripture for us (to read the last few updates please feel free to follow the Hamilton Update label at the right of the page and scroll through the last few weeks). This week I thought I would share about the part of the verse in which Jesus states "by this all men will know that you are my disciples."
As I was sharing about what I thought God was trying to help us see about community, and in particular a fellowship of faith, I mentioned that Jesus was in an intimate setting, with his 12 disciples when he gave this commandment to "love one another." I believe it says a lot about his expectation for His followers to be in relationship with one another. There is something powerful and unique about being in community with other believers. But even here, in a passage in which Jesus is commanding a community of love amongst believers, He never losses His attention for the world around them. I really believe that these words are a keen reminder about our mission here on earth. The church has a responsibility, in imitation of Jesus, to always be aware of the world around us with the intention of being a positive influence for the Kingdom in what we say and what we do. Even the way in which we interact with one another is a part of our mission and witness to the world. And here is how I see what being missional is about. It is about all that we and all that we do being a positive example and influence on the world around us, where ever God may have us, and being intentional about living out that role and responsibility. I think Jesus challenges us to consider how we see mission and evangelism. It is more than just words, as if the right question or script could introduce people to the fullness of Jesus and His kingdom in 30 seconds or less. It is so much more than just a program that we might run. It is, rather, all that we are. I am reminded of Jesus' words as he taught about prayer, praying "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I believe that this is the purpose of the church, to be a community that does its best to live out the Father's will, that others may see Kingdom principles and Kingdom living being lived out before them, while being invited to consider participating themselves. Now of course, we could look missions from this angle and come to a mistaken conclusion that it is all about what we do and little about what we say. Let me be clear in saying that this is not what I believe, nor what I am suggesting. Sharing our faith and sharing the gospel particulars are a must if we are truly going to invite people to consider Jesus, consider a relationship with Him and consider His Kingdom. There is a sad discussion I often hear in which words vs. deeds are debated as if they can ever really be separated in a full and robust missional effort. They cannot and so we must endeavour to do all, and to consider all that we say and do as a part of our witness to the world. And, of course, if we take this more wholistic view then we realize that all that we say and do, for good or bad, are a part of our witness.
I am reminded of a term that I learned years ago with respect to missions, and an image that I found quite helpful. The church is supposed to be a "foretaste," of the Kingdom. What do we mean by "foretaste?" No matter what we think about the specifics of the end times there is general agreement in evangelical circles that it is not until after Jesus' return that we will see the Kingdom come in its fullness. In the meantime, we the church endeavour to live it out and demonstrate on a small scale, what is to come in its fullness later on. So this idea of a foretaste was described to me like this: Imagine the Kingdom to be a banquet, a big feast that is to happen. Currently however, the preparations are being made. Imagine that you sneak into the kitchen and there on the stove is the sauce for the main dish. You pick up the spoon and sample the exquisite sauce. You cannot say that you have experienced the banquet, not in its fullness, but you have had a sample. It was amazing and from that sample you know that the feast is going to be amazing. And that kind of sums up what it means to be a "foretaste," a sample of what is to come. The church is supposed to be that spoon that people get to lick!
So, as well as being based on discipleship and community, we will strive to make our new work a missional community. We hope to start with a neighbourhood fellowship that seeks to impact it's neighbourhood for Christ. Right from the first house church that we grow, we hope to be that "foretaste" for our community and then, as we learn to do that, to multiply and seep into the surrounding neighbourhoods. And, although we don't have a sense of what everything will look like before we begin and before we meet who God brings to us, we can state that we intend to take Jesus' words in Acts 1:8 seriously as well, and consider where and how He longs to use us globally.
So there are the three key foundations to our new work as we see it so far: Discipleship, Community and Missions and so we would invite you to pray for those three things and for the specific ways in which the community we start will live them out.

On another note, I would like to thank all of you who have joined us in praying thus far. I shared some key requests in an update a number of weeks ago that came from Luke 10, those being finances, workers and people of peace. It has been an amazing week for the finances part of that prayer. We are praising God for the ways in which we have seen Him respond to this request this past week. Between what our small Milton church has been able to sacrificially give in support over this next year, an incredibly generous grant from a long time friend of the Sanctuary church planting efforts and the generosity of some new friends we have come very, very close to covering the costs of the whole first year of our new work! Thanks be to God and thanks to all of you who have been praying. We thank you for your continued prayers in support of the work beginning Hamilton.