Love our City | Serve Our Community

Refuge Church Easter Celebration

Our mission at Refuge is simple. We desire to love God, love people, and love our world.

When we do we will actively engage in displaying and declaring the good news of Christ's kingdom so that those who are still far off from God can come to find their place in the family of God.

This Easter we will celebrate that good news of Christ's death and resurrection. As part of that celebration, the Refuge family is gathering and inviting others to gather for an Easter Egg Hunt and Fun Day on Saturday, April 19. This day is a simple and tangible way we want to love our city and serve our community.

I invite you to attend and serve. You can help provide pre-filled eggs for kids' age-graded hunts.  You can serve by being a parking attendant, assisting registration, volunteering at a game station. You can invite by extending an invitation to neighbors, friends, and coworkers. Especially consider those in your world who are disconnected from a church and those who do not yet have a personal relationship with God through Jesus.

For information on volunteering, providing eggs, or for any additional information, please contact Nanette Merritt at emtnanner@me.com.

Sunday, April 20 is Easter Sunday. It is still true that many individuals who do not attend church regularly will go somewhere on that Sunday. A simple invitation to Refuge may be all they need to join with us and hear about The Greatest Story Ever Told. Invite Cards available this Sunday at the Next Steps Table (but you don't need a card to invite).

Hope of the World

Billy Hybels, founding and senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, said, "The Church is the hope of the world."

The Church is the hope of the world because the message of hope has been entrusted to the Church. As Jesus prepared His disciples for His return to the Father in heaven, He gave them this sacred trust of displaying and declaring the good news.

Only the gospel has the awesome power to radically, fully, and eternally change lives. The gospel alone provides forgiveness for disobedience, mercy for the rebel, and grace for the undeserving. And only the Church has been given the great task and inexpressible joy of displaying and declaring to the nations this gospel of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection.

God's plan is always best and perfect. He never makes a Plan B. Plan A has always been that His followers, ever-faithful, would make disciples of all nations, advancing His kingdom into all the world and increasing His kingdom by increasing the number of worshipping followers of Jesus.

If the Church, you and me as the followers of Jesus Christ, are the hope of the world because of the good news we have to give, then every day the Church is either the world's hope or the world's doom.

We will be the hope of the world because we are faithful to carry the light of the gospel into all dark places.

We will be the doom of the world because we find it more convenient to stay than to go and choose to keep the hope we've received to ourselves rather than share with a world in need.

Are you living to display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom as a hope-giver to the world?

All for His Name

David dared to do what no one else wanted to do. There were no soldiers in the Israelite army who wanted the privilege (or horror) of representing Israel against the formidable opponent named Goliath. The army of Israel quaked with fear at merely the sight of the warrior in the valley.

David's motivation was not the reward he would receive (the daughter of the King as a wife, living tax-free in the kingdom, etc.). He was not motivated by the fame of his name (though for sure people would be talking about his victory if he won).

David's motivation to go against all odds and face off against an incredible enemy warrior was the fame and glory of Israel's God. And he made this known as he descended into the valley. As he approached Goliath, David declared his coming was in the power of God's name so that all the earth would know that there is a God in Israel.

The motivation and purpose of our mission has differed little today, though we may not be traveling into the valley to fight a flesh and blood warrior-giant. Our mission to display and declare the gospel of Christ's kingdom is still for the purpose of seeing that all the earth would know and worship Christ the King.

Our mission is motivated by the fame and glory of Christ and His name.

Our mission is powered by the power of Christ's name.

Take a Daniel moment:
1.  Celebrate the God who gives us purpose, mission, and power.
2.  Pray for our eyes to always remain focused on His mission.
3.  Ask God for the power of His name to empower you in displaying and declaring the good news.

Make Us a City of Light

Jesus is the Light of the World. In Him is life and His life is the light of all people. When He entered into the world, darkened by disobedience and rebellion, the Light shone into the darkness and the darkness could not understand it. The darkness even sought to extinguish the Light by putting Jesus to death on the cross. But the grave could not hold Him and darkness could not put out the Light.

By the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter says we have been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Christ died once for all to rescue us out of darkness and convey us into His kingdom. Now as His followers, Jesus teaches that we are to be a city of light. He taught that His disciples are a city set on a hill to shine the light of Christ and the gospel into a dark world. 

Being a city of light includes living in such a way as to display to the world what life can be when individuals surrender to worship and obey Jesus Christ. Jesus' followers are anything but perfect. But the unfortunate truth is that the church has often struggled to be a light to the world. We either have hidden our light from the world, we have run from the darkness in fear, or we have simply looked and lived more like those outside of the kingdom of God than those who ruled and rescued by Jesus Christ.

God has made you, re-made you in Jesus Christ, and placed you where you are today. You are there as a Jesus-follower to display what life in Jesus Christ looks like. You are there as a Jesus-follower to declare how life in Jesus Christ is received. 

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Celebrate that Jesus is the Light of the World and that His light never dims or goes out.

2.  Give thanks that the full assault of darkness on Jesus Christ could not extinguish His life or light.

3.  Thank God for calling you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

4.  Pray that God will make you a city of light.

5.  Ask Jesus to make clear specific ways you can display and declare His light to the world beginning right where you are today.

Team Effort

For years it has been reported that in most churches 80% of the work is carried on the backs of 20% of the people. In truth, this could be more optimistic than reality (some suggesting that it is more like 90/10).

Why this is true cannot be reduced to one single issue. Reasons range from a person diffusing responsibility to others around them to the selfish pleasure of merely seeing church for what one gets rather than what one can give.

Individuals sometimes do not volunteer because they got "burned out" trying to do too much or because they don't like the way things are being done. Others have so flooded their schedules and the schedules of their family that they simply do not believe they have the time to give. Still others simply have never come to realize that God has gifted them for the benefit of His church and the advancement of His mission.

The beauty at Refuge Church, since we are a church plant and have known from the beginning this is a team effort, is that we are certainly above the 80/20 margin. Even so there are still areas where volunteers are needed, still individuals who haven't yet connected in an area of serving, and still blessings individuals are missing out on until they choose to take the next step of volunteering/serving.

These are specific areas where you can connect and be blessed in serving at Refuge Church, as well as meet needs as we serve together to fulfill our mission.

Kids Ministry
We believe at Refuge Church that no one is too young to begin hearing and learning about God's love and encountering Jesus personally. Our youngest ones at Refuge Church aren't just tagging along with adults, they are here for us to display the gospel and declare the hope of Jesus Christ.

Areas to Serve: Early Childhood on Sundays or in our Kids Worship on Sundays.

Set-up and Take Down
Sometimes being a portable church we get a sense of what the Israelites experienced in the wilderness. Each week we set-up our worship, kids, guest services, and next steps areas.

Areas to Serve: Set-up Team or Take Down Team.

Guest Services
Every week we typically have first time guests. We strive hard to think about the guest experience from the moment they pull into the entrance till the moment they leave the campus. Reports show that 87% of guests do not return for a second time. When a guest returns for a second time they are significantly more likely to continue coming. Guest services focuses on first impressions, greeting, and assisting guests who are unfamiliar with things we take for granted (where are the bathrooms, where do my kids go, where is the worship area).

Areas to Serve: Guest Services Set-up, Guest Services Greeting/Guest Reception

Worship
We were made to worship and worship is the most important aspect of who we are individually and at Refuge Church. We want to continually create an atmosphere of worship and lead individuals to behold and worship Christ.

Areas to Serve: A/V Team, Worship Team, Creative Team (for worship and message series)

Connections
We want to strive to create better connecting points for guests and regular attendees at Refuge Church. 
The primary way for individuals to connect and belong in community is Refuge Life Groups. Additionally, we want to create periodic times in 2014 for connection among different Life Groups and for connection among all Refuge Church. We hope to have quarterly men and women's connection times, along with periodic lunches following our worship gatherings.

Areas to Serve: Life Group Leader, Life Group Host, Connections Coordinator (men and/or women)

Ministry and Administrative Assistance
As resources allow, our goal will be to have a ministry and administrative staff assistant. In the meantime, volunteers who have interest in taking tasks that arise would free pastoral staff to focus on primary areas of responsibility.

Areas to Serve: Office tasks, data entry, ministry projects, local mission partnership outreach/planning


As we advance forward, there will be other needs that arise. But when everyone sees the work and mission of Refuge Church as his or her work and mission, everyone will find his or her place of volunteering and we will see the beauty and power of God working through a team (body).

If you are not currently volunteering and would like to be connected with the Ministry Team Leader of any of these areas, please email me at Justin@refugenc.org or Chris Leader at Chris@refugenc.org.

Celebrating 7 Months

Refuge Church recently celebrated seven months of what God has, is, and continues to do through this new church plant that He led in starting.

Like children, a seven month old church is not as developed as a seven year old or 70 year old church.  No church is perfect, this most of us are painfully aware (though one day she will be perfect). There are things that must definitely be strengthened and issues to resolve. There are weaknesses to be addressed, issues that need resolving, and greater ways to accomplish the mission.

With that reality can come the danger of focusing so much on where the church is not yet that we fail to celebrate or we lose sight of what God has done and is doing. I am grateful for the directional leadership team choosing to host a celebration Sunday to reflect on what God has done, remember what is His mission, and recommit ourselves again to what He is and will do.

As part of the celebration I invited individuals to submit questions about Refuge Church that we would spotlight here. This week I begin with the first question.

In 2014, are there any possibilities of overseas mission trips to minister to orphans?

We are making plans for a trip of this nature, as well as other opportunities in 2014.

God's mission is to call people out of the kingdom of this world into the kingdom of His Son Jesus Christ in order that individuals would become worshipping followers of Him. Jesus' followers have been given the privilege of joining Him in this work of the gospel.

Our mission at Refuge Church is that we want to display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far. Therefore, we desire to be displaying and declaring the good news of Jesus Christ where we are and live everyday, as well as making intentional and strategic efforts to display and declare the gospel to those around the globe.

We are planning mission endeavors both locally, in North America and internationally.  In the local setting, we want to encourage Life Groups to continue and advance in engaging in fulfilling our mission through partnerships in our city (including pregnancy support services, foster care of Wake County, etc.). Additionally, we are seeking to host additional Refuge Outreach Fun Days and mobilize the people of Refuge in strategic invite times and everyday life.

We have North America partnership opportunities with church plants in Baltimore, MD and San Francisco, CA. We tentatively hope to have a team partnership with the Journey Church in San Francisco and the ministries they support in the summer of 2014.

A vision team will be heading to the country of Haiti at the first of 2014 in preparation to establish a trip to serve with orphans through Audio Adrenaline's Hands and Feet Project in the Spring of 2014. A tentative trip in the Fall of 2014 to India is being planned that will focus on teaching the Bible and potentially serving with at an orphanage in the state of Rajasthan.

The primary way God builds His kingdom is by His Church whom He has given the privilege and responsibility to display and declare the good news. You can be part of His mission today by using your normal routines, your workplace, and your relationships to display and declare the gospel. I also ask that you consider and pray about being part of going in 2014.

The Refuge Mission

Planting a church takes work. In the flurry of activity, it is easy to lose sight of the mission. For it is the mission that is far more important than the method. 

The mission is more important than where you physically meet, the music style used in worship, or the general structure of the church. While all of these may and should be shaped by and supportive of the mission, the mission stands head and shoulders above.

Jesus' lasts words conveyed the mission. Displaying and declaring the good news to individuals near and far so that they may become worshipping disciples of Jesus is the mission. It is God's mission. It is the mission we seek to keep in the cross hairs at Refuge Church.

Ed Stetzer has written much about church planting and the mission of the church. His article on Church Planting and the Mission of God is a great read and reminder. Let me commend this to you, especially those of you who are part of Refuge Church, as we embrace a work that looks, sounds, and structures differently than where many of us have been.  The article can be accessed here.

It is a joy, amidst the work that is relentless and at times exhausting, to be part of what God is doing at Refuge Church.

Refuge Launch

You may be arriving here to read the latest on our family.  After all, there are so many things I could write and share by way of our newest son's arrival, our next child's arrival in March, Micah's health, or you name it.

Today, however, I'm talking about the Refuge Church launch. In January of this year when it became clear that the work of the church I pastored would be changing greatly, God led in a most interesting way. It became abundantly clear that God would have a new work to start and He led Sarah and our family to launch out in that direction. 

A lot of work ensued from the end of January to the vision meeting the first of March. Then, on March 31, Refuge Church met for the first worship gathering time as part of something we called pre-launch. In business terms, the last few months have been our "soft" opening as we prepared, did some rethinking, ironed out wrinkles, set best practices into place, and more. Everything isn't perfect and never will be. But now it is time for the "grand opening."

Our official launch is September 8 at 10:30 AM preceded the day before by a fun day for all. You can find that information here.

As we are heading toward Sunday, I've compiled a Top 10 Ways to Have a Great Launch.  Enjoy!

1.         Be Present. Sounds simple, but you won't experience our official launch and the celebration of that day if you aren't present. Prepare for anything and everything to come your way to discourage, distract, or prevent you from coming.

2.         Come Expecting. All right. To come with the expectation that we are worshiping the Most High God who alone has the power to radically transform our lives is an essential of every Sunday. But especially on a day when we want, pray, and expect God to do a great work, we need to come expecting.

3.         Pray. Pray for God to work. Pray for God to prepare your heart. Ask our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to send many who don't know they matter to God. Ask for Jesus to transform lives by the gospel.

4.         Invite. Invite at least one. Invite neighbors, family, friends, coworkers, teammates, hairdressers, store clerks, etc.

5.         Arrive Early. Get up late, leave late, show up late, run into the worship gathering late and you're likely to have a negative view of the launch because you're stressed and flustered. Don't plan to be on time. Plan to be early.

6.         Greet. It is the need of every person at Refuge to make a great first impression upon guests. Don't talk to them and they won't come back. Walk past them like they aren't there and they'll think they don't really matter to us. Greet guests. Make Sundays about new friends, not huddling in long conversations with old friends.

7.         Volunteer. Yes. I'll beat this drum until it ruptures. Volunteers are the backbone of our work at Refuge. Even now, we need volunteers to insure set-up occurs well and on-time; tear down happens quickly and on-time; kids receive great care, parents have great comfort with the care of their kids, and the gospel is unhindered by a frantic child or a worrisome parent; guests receive a first impression that leaves a positive, lasting impression. Where can you volunteer at least ONE Sunday each month?

8.         Celebrate. Celebrate that the God who is perfect has grabbed out from the kingdom of this world and made you a son or daughter in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Celebrate the good news that you have new life. Celebrate with freedom. You can lift your hands, sing out, laugh, cry, stand, sit, bow, or respond as you sense is appropriate before God.

9.         Respond. Hearing God's Word is not enough. We must do what it says. Come expecting that God will ask you to respond to Him in a specific way.

10.       Repeat. So this isn't a "launch" tip. But Sunday, September 8 is the first Sunday of many more worship times to come. Every other Sunday doesn’t have to be second-class to the official launch. God can do an extraordinary work to transform lives by the good news of His kingdom every time we gather. 

His Work, His Church

Jesus asked the all-important question, "Who do you say that I am?"  His disciples had many responses to the previous question, "Who do other people say I am?"  But when Jesus asked them personally, only one man gave an answer.

Peter said to Jesus, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."  Understanding the Old Testament, Peter declared that Jesus was the promised redeemer and He was the Son of the Living God.

On this powerful truth, Jesus promised to build His Church.  The church are "the community of people called out of the kingdom of this world to take part in and advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ" (Darrin Patrick).

As one who is on the relative new journey of seeing a new church grow by displaying and declaring the good news so that others are called out of the kingdom of this world into the kingdom of God, the words of Jesus are both comfort and power.  

The work of building the church is His work because it is His Church.  He does not build the Church for a pastor or a people.  He builds the Church for Himself, for He has always been at work to gather a people for Himself from all the people and nations of the world.

Trust must not be misplaced for the work. I dare not trust the music or programs, the preaching or facility. I must only trust that this is His work to gather a people as His Church.  This He is doing through His followers to display His power and wisdom (Ephesians 3:10).

Who God Wants

The people God wants are true worshippers.

John Piper says missions exists because worship does not. Not all people worship God who made them by His hands, in His image, for His glory and fame. So missions exists to reconcile alienated humans with God, who alone is worthy of worship.

Worship is more than words. More than music (traditional or modern). More than preaching. More than one specific time each week. And certainly more than a building. 

All of these things--music and singing, teaching and preaching, a building and specific time--aid in or can be essential parts to worship. But to define worship as preaching or to relegate worship to music and singing is a grave mistake.  

One of the most beautiful examples of worship, extravagant worship, comes in a passage in Luke 7. Here we read of no music, no singing, no preaching, no temple/church building, no worship service, no words spoken.

Jesus accepted a dinner invitation at the home of Simon the Pharisee.  While the dinner was in progress, a woman entered who had quite the scandalous reputation. This woman was likely a prostitute whose insidious acts gave her a sordid reputation. She’s lived this hard and lonely life.  She’s been used, if not abused.  True love eludes her grasp. Guilt covers her like a heavy robe. Any purpose in life is veiled from her eyes.  Her life has failed to fulfill the deepest longing of her soul. She has accumulated an astronomical sin debt that’s left her spiritually bankrupt.

Regardless of the scandalous life she has lived, God’s grace and mercy trumped it. Nothing she had done was greater than God’s power to save her and bring healing into her life. Jesus declared to her that her sins were forgiven because her faith had saved her.

She, whose debt had been cancelled, worshipped Jesus with extravagance. She didn't speak any words.  No verse of a song was sung. There was no preacher who gave a moving sermon. A formal invitation wasn't given. She worshipped from an overflowing heart of gratitude where Jesus was exalted above all others.

Jesus is looking for people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. He desires those who will exalt Him above all others, focusing on Him more than any other, giving whatever it costs to engage in love and worship to Him. 

He isn't looking for those who can sing best or loudest. His goal isn't those who raise hands or dance around. Worshipping one day for one hour doesn't hit the bull's eye of God's target for our lives. These may all be expressions of worship at times, but they do not guarantee that true worship or even extravagant worship is taking place.

God wants a people who worship in spirit and truth as a lifestyle; a people who don't rationalize away extravagant worship for fear of the cost or how others will react. He is our focus of worship and on Him alone we fix our eyes.

To read the account of this woman's extravagant act of worship, take time to read Luke 7:36-50.

Shadrach the Bird

I had an African Grey bird when I was in college.  His name was Shadrach and his stay with me was short-lived (that's another story). But he stayed long enough that I learned what the word repeat really means.

African Greys are  medium-sized parrots from the rain forests of West and Central Africa.  The African-Grey is regarded by many experts as one of the most intelligent birds in the world. 

Shadrach's mimicry amazed me. He would repeat the words I said over and over to him with precision of both the words and the tone of my voice.  At other times, he would seek to mimic the tone of others including my sister-in-law.

It wasn't until I had spoken the word or phrase to him numerous times that he finally picked it up.

Richard Nixon had a good quote.  No, not the "I am not a crook" quote.  He said, "You know, when I'm tired of hearing it, I know my staff has gotten it. And when my staff is tired of hearing it, I know the press corps has gotten it. And when the press corps is tired of hearing it, I know the nation has gotten it."

As we put in place foundational pieces upon which the life and ministry of Refuge Church will be built, there are foundational truths that will be repeated over and over again. That isn't an apology but a promise.  For I, like most, can easily become distracted and lose focus of not just the what, but, more importantly, the why.

One of the most important statements I will repeat is our vision/mission statement.  This statement encapsulates not only why I believe Christ led us to begin this new work, but also how we desire to do this. 

We want to be a church that displays and declares the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.

Refuge Church is the work of God to display and declare the good news of His kingdom to those of every tribe and nation, beginning where we are, for His ultimate glory.

We desire to accomplish this vision by leading individuals to connect in a relationship with Jesus Christ, belong in community with other Christ followers, and serve the world by displaying the gospel in action and declaring the gospel in word.

This is our focus and 'why' Refuge Church began.  This is our mission and purpose in God's redemptive plan.  This will be repeated a lot, along with a number of other key principles and truths for Refuge Church. When we are tired of hearing it, then we may have only begun to accomplish it.

Stopping God's Mission

The man who left an indelible impression upon the world by advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire wasn't on board in the beginning.  He didn't walk with Jesus.  To our knowledge, he never even met Jesus prior to Christ's death and resurrection.

You probably know the story of the man named Paul, called Saul in Acts chapters 8 and 9.  Paul--born and raised a Jew, the son of a Pharisee, descendant of the tribe of Benjamin, living in adherence to the law that few, if any, could match--did not and could not believe Jesus Christ was indeed God.

Paul was a monotheistic Jew. If Jesus is God and Jehovah is God, then there were at least two gods.  This was incompatible.  Furthermore, Paul, like many, believed the hallmark proof of Jesus' deity, the resurrection from the dead, was merely a fabrication because the followers of Christ had stolen His body. Now they were intentionally deceiving the Jewish community.  These perpetrators had to be stopped and Paul's anger burned hot enough to make him the ringleader.

The problem is that Paul was on a mission to actually stop God's mission. By seeking to extinguish the church and snuff out the lives of Christians, Paul engaged in activity that actually did the opposite of what he intended.  Intending to preserve the truth and protect God's work, he was in fact at work to silence the truth and halt God's missional work of redemption.

Herein is the great reminder: If we are not careful, we can actually be on mission to stop God's mission.

If we are not careful, our zeal and passion for God can be misdirected to the extent that we pursue what in the end will not achieve the goal, but tragically achieve the opposite.

The practical application of this abounds.  I leave the many for you to bring to the surface. This is the one that seems to be most front and center these days.

Every believer arguing for a particular method while losing sight of the message is in danger of actually pursuing a mission that will not accomplish God's mission, but rather stop it.  The message has and always will be the same.  Different methods work at different times and in different places.  What we want is for the gospel to advance because the church is advancing and that by whatever method the Lord is pleased to bless.

Flow

The Encounter Series at Refuge Church continues to look at the lives of regular, ordinary people like us coming face-to-face in a life-changing encounter with an extraordinary, all-surpassing God.  

In the latest message from Isaiah 6, we looked at how Isaiah saw God high and lifted up.  His majesty filled the temple.  His glory floods the earth. His power shakes the foundations and his character is pure and holy.  

When Isaiah encountered the majestic, glorious, all-surpassing, transcendent King, his response was appropriate.  "Woe is me!" Compared to the devil, I'm great. Compared to others, I'm good.  Compared to God, I'm ruined.

Isaiah declared the woe of seeing himself in light of who God is.  Encountering God for who He really is allows us to see ourselves for who we really are. We see His holiness and our wretchedness.  We see His transcendence and our lowliness.  

Seeing himself for who he really was led Isaiah to recognize what he deserved.  "Woe is me, for I am ruined."  I'd paraphrase it this way, "Woe, I'm going to die."  Isaiah's sin in the presence of God's holiness led to a reality check that death was deserved.  There was no reason to try to hide and definitely no reason to try to make himself appear better than he was.

What comes next is just breathtaking! God doesn't recite the list of Isaiah's sin.  God doesn't lecture him for hours about his shortcomings.  Isaiah is already fully aware of his gross disobedience and his deserved death.  Instead, God cleanses him with a coal from the sacrificial altar and declares to him: "Your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven."

The one who deserved death, received life. The one who had committed offenses had them removed.  The one who had failed to meet the standard of God's holiness was forgiven. 

This is powerful but it is the story of the gospel. Christ was sent by the Father, wrapped in human flesh to die the death I deserved. Instead, I who deserved death received life.  And not just any life, but the life of the One who died my death--abundant, eternal, joyful, full life.  My iniquity was taken away and my sin forgiven because Jesus Christ died and rose again in my place.  "This is mercy, this is grace, Jesus in my place."

Immediately God asks: "Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?"  Enter Isaiah, a redeemed man, forgiven of sin and extended life instead of death.  His hand thrusts into the air and he volunteers before he even knows what God is asking, what it will cost.  "Here am I. Send me!"  With passion and eagerness, Isaiah surrenders to go wherever God wants, to do whatever God wills, to whoever God plans because he has received so abundantly and graciously.

We were never meant to be reservoirs. We were meant to be conduits.  We who have received much should give much. We who experience the blessing of God's mercy, grace, and love should then be the means of that mercy, grace, and love flowing out into the lives of others.

When I was speaking to students once, I mentioned this very truth.  Where are the grateful people of God who remember what they used to be and how God's mercy and grace altered their lives?  Where are those who have received so freely from Christ who are so freely giving and pouring out into the lives of others?  Then I said, "Too many Christians have become reservoirs instead of conduits. I'm praying if that is us, God will bust some holes in our dam so that we spring some leaks."

My prayer for Refuge Church today and always: "Here are we. Send us!"  May we display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom to others near and far until the day we see Jesus face to face.

Life Groups

Call them what you will.   Most churches have some form of small group that meets together. In a more traditional setting, you are likely to call them Sunday School classes, often meeting on Sunday morning at the church campus.  Others refer to them as small groups, community groups, core groups, or something similar that meet together throughout the week in homes.

At Refuge Church we call our small groups Life Groups. They meet in homes throughout the week as a crucial part of who we are at Refuge.  In fact, church growth experts indicate that individuals who do not build 7 meaningful relationships in their first year at a church will likely not remain.

Our Life Groups enable meaningful relationships to form as individuals live the gospel together.  This is the beauty, power, and purpose behind Life Groups.

Those who have connected with God through faith in Jesus Christ are now able to belong in biblical community with other believers as God made us to live. This is not to say that those who have not begun a relationship with Jesus Christ cannot be part of a Life Group. To the contrary, the display of the gospel as believers in the Life Group live the gospel together can be as powerful a testimony to lead a person to faith as hearing the gospel declared alone.

The gospel is lived together in Life Groups in four ways.

Belonging ::

All people, Christian or not, are made to live in community with other people.  Tragically, our rebellion against God not only severed the relationship we were made to have with God, but also the relationship we were created to enjoy with one another in community. The gospel makes community possible by bringing individuals to belong together in Christ.  Brad House writes, “Community is for us a declaration of the overwhelming love of God, a tangible proclamation of the reconciling work of the cross.” We are reconciled to Christ and to one another by Jesus’s death and resurrection.

Discipleship ::

Those reconciled to Christ and one another take the word of God to apply it in living life together, individuals learn and teach the gospel. Life Groups move out of the arena of seeing one teacher with many disciples to the arena of a community of disciples who disciple one another.

Care ::

The church is responsible to love one another and care for one another as we live out the gospel. Christ is the Great Samaritan who came to care for the great needs of humanity. As we care for one another, not just in the crisis moments but in every moment, we display the gospel with our lives. We will be known as Christ-followers by our love for one another.

Mission ::

God’s greatest resource in accomplishing His mission is people.  Living the gospel together means growing in compassion for those without Christ who have yet to be transformed by the gospel as our lives have been. Life Groups engage in missional service to see the good news of Christ’s kingdom displayed and declared.


Life Groups are about belonging in community to live the gospel.  All four of these are, for believers, an outflow of good news received. Everyone was made for community, to belong and be accepted, to love and be loved.  Even more do those reconciled to the Creator through Christ have a desire to belong in community with other believers who are the family of God.

Connect :: Belong :: Serve

This blog revisits last week's blog post on the Refuge Church mission in order to expand on it briefly as I take a look at how we accomplish this through Refuge.  The follow-up posts this week will examine our worship, life groups and serving (cause I know you have questions about all three). But for now we return to the overarching mission.

Our vision/mission at Refuge Church is to display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.  How this practically looks in the life of our church can be summed up in three words: Connect :: Belong :: Serve.


Connect ::

The greatest need of every human heart and life is to connect with God in a relationship through Jesus Christ. In displaying the gospel and declaring the gospel of reconciliation and hope, we desire to lead others to connect in this eternal relationship. As a result, we live to worship and make famous the glory of God.

Belong ::

All people, whether Christian or not, are made to live in community with other people. As the old saying goes, "No man is an island unto himself."  Better yet, no man was made to be an island unto himself. Connecting in a relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ enables us to enjoy and belong in community with others as we were intended. 

Serve ::

Christ came not to be served, but to serve. In serving others, we fulfill the second greatest commandment to love others as ourselves.  In this we display the good news of Christ's kingdom as we seek to declare the gospel (good news) of Christ's message of salvation and hope. Serving should be purposeful and intentional, for Christ came with purpose and intent to serve our spiritual need (forgiveness of sin in order to connect with God) and our physical need (restoring all broken things to Himself).


Refuge Church exists to display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far, by leading others to connect in a relationship with God, belong in biblical community, and serve the world for the fame and glory of God.

Amnesia

And Jesus was going about all the cities and villages...proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness...  Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."  Matthew 9:35-38

Southwest Airlines entered the commercial airline with the intent to provide the lowest airfare possible to customers. For this reason, to this day, Southwest Airlines doesn't have all the frills and extras that other airlines may offer or possess. In fact, when an executive once presented the idea of adding a small meal to longer domestic flights, the CEO asked the question, "How does this help us accomplish our mission?"  

That question caused an evaluation of the suggestion against the mission. The CEO easily vetoed adding this amenity because it would have added cost.

Churches decline and the gospel doesn't advance because believers forget the mission.  Many churches in North America suffer from amnesia.  They simply no longer remember the mission.  The mission sets direction and provides evaluation. 

Knowing your mission determines where you go, how you get there, and what things you will and won't do along the way.

As God led and affirmed the starting of Refuge Church, He reaffirmed the mission in my heart for me personally and the Church collectively.

Our mission is to display and declare the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.

Jesus did nothing less than this in His earthly life and ministry.  

He declared the good news of the kingdom. He traveled to every city and village (individuals near and far), teaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom (declaring the good news). With His words, He spoke of the kingdom promised from the Fall. He declared redemption and restoration.  He proclaimed reconciliation with God through faith and repentance.

He displayed the good news of the kingdom. Yet Jesus also healed every kind of disease and sickness and demonstrating compassion (displaying the good news of the kingdom). When Jesus healed the sick, when He resurrected the dead, when He restored sight, and when He touched the untouchables, Jesus was displaying through tangible acts what the kingdom awaited for would be like. No more death, sorrow, disease, and untouchables.

Declaring and displaying the good news go together. Displaying the good news meets real need, provides credibility, and paints a picture of that which is to come.  Declaring the good news gives clarity to what we do as something far more than philanthropic.

Our mission is to display and declare the good news of the kingdom to individuals near and far in similar manner so that outsiders become insiders. God has set His affection upon those outside of the kingdom, desiring that they come to find refuge in Christ in His kingdom to the glory of God.

Every church, Refuge Church included, has this as our mission.  I pray we never suffer from forgetting our mission.

Refuge Church

But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord God my refuge, That I may tell of all Your works. Psalm 73:28

God gave life to a new church on Easter Sunday. Refuge Church gathered together for worship for the first time. On the day when we celebrate the resurrected life of Jesus Christ; on the day when we rejoice in the eternal life we have by faith in Jesus Christ; that same day God gave life to a new church.

I have the privilege to serve as the lead pastor of this new church. My words can in no way describe the excitement and anticipation in my heart as we expect God to display and declare through us the good news of Christ's kingdom to individuals near and far.

A refuge is a place of safety, peace, and acceptance.  When a person seeks a refuge, he or she desires a place for help and relief from difficulty. Ultimate refuge isn't a place, it is a person. Christ is our Refuge.  

The gospel declares that we all are broken and hurting, facing difficulty and alienated from God. Yet God sent Jesus Christ to restore the broken, heal the hurting, give hope to those in difficulty and draw near the alienated. By His death and resurrection, this and more is made possible. Christ is our Ultimate and Eternal Refuge.

The ultimate goal isn't to bring people into a place, as important as the gathering of believers is, but to lead individuals near and far into the embrace of Christ our Great Refuge for all eternity. Too many celebrate the 99 who have already found the Refuge, while forgetting the one(s) who, as U2 sings, "still haven't found what they are looking for." 

No soul will ever find peace and contentment until he or she finds refuge in Christ.

Our mission demands we never give up until all have found refuge in Christ.