witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8). In every ministry we have served, the mission is simple. We are called to be His witnesses. The vision may look different. The methods may vary, but the mission Jesus gave His followers does not change. He has called us to seek the lost compassionately and to share the life-changing hope of the gospel. If a church loses this focus, it truly fails to realize why it exists. Fourth, no matter the culture, a church should be extremely servant-oriented. I am reminded of the words of Paul in Philippians 2:5-7: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” Jesus demonstrated this when he knelt and washed His disciples’ feet. If Jesus was a servant, how much more should we focus on serving people around us? A church that looks like Jesus is a church actively serving the community. Finally, and most importantly, every church in every culture should make much of Jesus. For every need, in all circumstances, our greatest need is Jesus. Jesus told Nicodemus, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so also must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Our greatest responsibility is to lift Jesus up for people to see—Him and not us. When our students came back from teen camp this past summer, Jeff and Hiram, our youth and worship pastor, came back with a message from the camp directors. Our students, along with students from other churches, were asked to share their testimonies, and the camp leaders noticed a theme among the teens. In all their testimonies, Jesus was the hero. When we lift Him up, Jesus will be the hero people need. Our church will look different than your church. Our church will look different than the church we helped plant in Arizona. Churches adapt and contextualize to reach people in their culture. However, these abiding principles will guide us in the right direction as we reach people with the message they desperately need. ____________________________________________________________________________ About the Writer : Josh Bennett and his family are joint project workers with the state of Georgia and North American Ministries to plant a new work in Tifton, Georgia. Josh helped Jeff Goodman plant The Springs Church in Marana, Arizona, before moving to Georgia.
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December 2017 - January 2018 | ONE
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