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Church of the Nazarene

Mission in Action: God

“God, I need you. You alone are worthy of my worship, my life.”

“Our mission statement says “Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ”.

We believe this concise, yet powerful statement gives light and guidance to our purpose as the church and as individual believers.

This teaching series, called Mission in Action, is not just to help us understand our mission more deeply, but to engage in the mission in these days.

As we continue in our series, we want to understand, and affirm, that God is central in our mission.‭‭

Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭6

‬‬And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The Lord speaks directly to his people, saying that in covenant relationship with Him- he is the exclusive one to whom we give ourselves. He is to be the center and the focus of our lives- and there is to be no other.

If we are in relationship with God- we cannot be worshiping or giving ourselves to another- that’s not covenant.

Our world is full of false gods: wealth, power, prosperity, self-sufficiency, freedom, my sin-of-choice, my rights, etc.But our mission statement points us to the one and only God, existing in the nature of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, Jesus the Christ, and God the Holy Spirit.

Nazarene Article of Faith #1:

We believe in one eternally existent, infinite God, Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe; that He only is God, holy in nature, attributes, and purpose. The God who is holy love and light is Triune in essential being, revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭40

‬‬Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

We can’t reach others with hope until and unless we are being transformed. And we won’t be truly transformed until He takes His rightful place in our lives. As we surrender completely to Him, He transforms us.We are transformed by God!

A prayer of response:

God, I need you. You alone are worthy of my worship, my life.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Deuteronomy 5:1-10

Isaiah 40:28

Revelation 1:8

Psalm 18:30

Isaiah 44:6

Jeremiah 51:15

Zephaniah 3:17

Genesis 1:1

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If you have ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@cotnaz.org Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ!

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Church of the Nazarene – East Rock

Mission in Action Part 2: God

Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ.

Our mission statement says “Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ”

We believe this concise, yet powerful statement gives light and guidance to our purpose as the church and as individual believers.

So, this teaching series- called Mission in Action is not just to make sure you know the mission statement, but so that you understand it more deeply, find excitement in its possibilities and desire to engage with us to see this mission lived out.

As we continue in our series, we want to understand, and affirm, that God is central in our mission‭‭

Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭1‬-‭6‬‬

And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Everything we engage in our world comes with choice- it’s the air we breathe and perhaps more than that- it’s the comfort and control we expect to engage everything with.

But that’s not how we interact with God- With Him- there is, nor can be any other.

The Lord speaks directly to his people, saying that in Covenant relationship with Him- he is the exclusive one to whom we give ourselves to. He is to be the center and the focus of our lives- and there is to be no other.

That’s why this command is relational at its core- it wasn’t a command given to just anyone- but to those who had said YES to God and expressed their desire to be in covenant with him.

If we are in relationship with God- we cannot be worshiping or giving ourselves to another- that’s not covenant.

As you follow the story of the children of Israel from this point forward- you will see that at times they did trust God, they did worship him exclusively, but you will also find they did struggle with worshipping false gods. They would grumble, try to do things their own way, and they would trade exclusive covenant relationship with God for worship of Baal or some other form of pagan worship.

It may be hard to see at first but, we still struggle with this today.

Just because we don’t call them Baal or bow before a golden statue, doesn’t mean we aren’t subject to worshipping other gods. An idol or false god can be anything we prioritize over our exclusive relationship with God.

Our world is full of these false gods: Money, success, fame, our phones, relationships- the list is endless.

One of the difficult things with idolatry is that many of these false gods start out as good, healthy realities, blessings even, that we can experience in our lives- the danger comes when WE give them priority over our allegiance to God who explicitly says “Have nothing before me…nothing”

One function of a mission statement is to hold us accountable- to make us ask the hard questions.

Questions like: “Is God really the center of my life?”

We can’t experience transformation apart from himWe won’t engage our world with hope without him as the source of hope in our own lives-Friends, God is God alone- There can be no other.

Will you make him the center of your life today?

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If you have ever have questions or need help with online giving, please let us know: finance@abeaconofhope_pbz6m2Thank you for your partnership in the Kingdom of Christ!

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Church of the Nazarene – Harrisonburg

Mission in Action: Transformed

Lord, transform me by your power to make me everything you want me to be.

Let’s know our mission, but even more, let’s engage in the mission together!

Our mission at church of the Nazarene is:

Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ.

We start the new year with a focus on the first word of our mission: transformed.‭‭

Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬‬

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The Greek word for transformed is where we get the word ‘metamorphosis’ from. It means “a complete and total change”.

The story of God is a story of transformation.

But transforming us from what?

According to Paul, we no longer conform to the pattern of the world.

What are we being transformed into?His image. Reflecting His glory.

His transformation is not a “one-time thing”.

Yes, God can and does change us in a moment. But He’s also in the business of continuing to transform us, moment by moment and day by day.

Each week we will introduce a one sentence prayer as a way to focus on engaging the mission and responding in obedience.This week’s prayer:”

Lord, transform me by your power to make me everything you want me to be.”‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭6‬‬This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Go down to the potter’s house, and there I will give you my message.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, “Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?” declares the Lord. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel.

Verses for further study/reflection:

Psalm 51:10-12

Romans 5:1-21

Colossians 3:10

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

The arrival of a new year brings a great opportunity to renew our faith and love for God. It’s also a wonderful time to renew the joy of salvation in our hearts, as a new creation in Christ. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Many look at January 1st as a new beginning. We hear people talk about New Year’s resolutions. The previous year wasn’t good, they are aware of mistakes they made, and the New Year is an opportunity to start over.

I am thankful as believers in Jesus Christ, every day we can start over. The New Year’s Resolution is called “Confession” and it is available every single day of the year.

What does that mean? We acknowledge the sin in our life to Jesus and we ask Him for His help to stop. This gives us freedom from the effects of sin by turning to Jesus.

As a believer, January 1 is a day to remember all that God has done for you over the previous year. A day to give thanks.

Our church mission is “Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ.”

Today is the first of four messages on our mission.

Over the next four weeks we are going to focus on a specific key word:

1. Today we are going to dive into the idea of Transformation.

2. Next week, we are going to focus on God

3. Third week: Hope

4. Fourth week: We will close our series with Mission in Action: Christ.

Until we are changed people – transformed, experiencing a heart change, then we can’t truly reach others with the good news of hope.

There is an order to our mission statement. We believe that, first we surrender to the process of transformation and then we can bring hope to others through Christ.

· We love others because He first loved us.

If you’re a part of our church, or if you’re considering becoming a part, understanding our mission matters.

· Not just that you know the words but that you personally experience transformation, and the excitement of what God is doing in our campuses.

One of my life verses is Romans 12:1-2. I especially like the Message translation.

The Message translation reads:

12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Unlike the culture around you, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Paul – the author of those words in Romans – experienced a major transformation on the road to Damascus. He knew about personal change.

Paul spells out the doctrinal foundation for the Christian life in the first 11 chapters. Paul informs us in great detail how to actually live a surrendered life to Jesus.

Then, in chapter 12 verses 1-2 Paul tells us how our faith should be lived out. These transitional verses introduce us to the attitudes and actions which should set the Christian apart from the world in which he or she lives.

Romans 12:1 (NIV)

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Paul is calling Christians to action. His words are directed toward application. These words challenge the Christian to make a decisive commitment—to take action. It’s easy to say something and never follow through.

· As a Christian, are you walking your talk?

· Are you being transformed? Or are you conforming to the world?

· If you were on trial for being a Christian, would you be convicted?

Romans 12:2 NIV says,

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

We believe that Christ is in the change business, constantly working to form us in His image. Praise the Lord, He’s still working on me.

Paul knows what it means to live a life of excellence, a transformed life unto the Lord. Paul was transformed.

What does it mean to be transformed? Simply: The heart of a transformed believer is surrendered to God’s will.

· A believer who is fully transformed is concerned that their words, thoughts and actions stem from a right attitude and right motive.

· As opposed to obeying God out of what you want Him to do for you.

God wants ALL of you and all of me.

· God loves you so much that He will take you exactly as you are and He loves you too much to leave you there.

· God instantly comes into your heart when you ask for His forgiveness and invite Him in. He doesn’t have to stop and think it over.

When you surrender to Jesus, He is working in you even when you can’t feel it or see it. This is a continual process until we are in heaven.

Paul urges us to be transformed. The Greek word for transformation is metamorphosis, which is defined as a marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function.

· Everyone knows that a caterpillar develops into a beautiful butterfly and that process is called metamorphosis. The beginning stage looks very different than the matured grown-up stage.

· Such is true for us as a child of God.

o When we accept Jesus we begin to act and talk differently.

o We even begin to listen to different music.

Verse 2 says we should not conform ourselves to the pattern of this world but be continually transformed by the renewing of our minds.

The renewing of our minds can only take place as the Holy Spirit changes our thinking.

This process of changing us to be more like Jesus is called sanctification. You can’t reproduce the character of Jesus on your own or by your own strength.

New Year’s resolutions, willpower, and best intentions are not enough.

A renewed mind is saturated and controlled by the Word of God.

· Are you renewed?

· Are you saturated?

God gives us the Holy Spirit to impart to us the mind of Christ.

May 23, 1993, I accepted Jesus as my Savior. He rescued me from drugs, alcohol and a life of sin.

The day I asked Jesus to forgive me and come live in my heart was many years ago. Yet, I remember it like it was today. It was life changing. A TOTAL transformation took place in my heart, mind and soul.

Today, January 1, 2023, Jesus is more than my Savior…He is my LORD, my HOPE, my WAY MAKER, my FATHER, my BEST FRIEND. He is my EVERYTHING!

God is continuing to transform me. My old ways are disappearing.

Personal examples that are close to me today are:

1. I have learned and I am learning to choose my battles. I have learned to ask the question, “Does this really matter?”

2. Timeliness.

· In the past, ‘the before Jesus Terry’, and even after accepting Christ into my heart, I seemed to be constantly late wherever I would go.

God began to reveal to me that my being late was causing other people to sin.

· God was working on my character, and He still is, so that I represent Him well in all circumstances.

· My desire is always to be respectful of other people and that means that I must arrive on time and early is even better. I am working on early. J

In Christ, we are always better each day when we die to our old self, and we are willing to allow Him to change us into being more and more like Him.

Another transformation story that I have been given permission to share is from Wanda Herald. Many of you know Wanda. She attends our Harrisonburg campus.

I first met Wanda in August 2017. She was incarcerated at the Rockingham County Jail. Wanda attended a Ladies Bible Study/Chapel Service that I led.

I remember the first night I met Wanda. She prayed to rededicate her life to Jesus. After the message and prayer time, Wanda said “Preacher, I gave my life to Jesus tonight. You said earlier that He knew me when He was forming me in my mother’s womb.”

· Yes. I agreed that I had said that.

Wanda had a very pointed question to me. She wanted to know my thoughts on a particular sin in her life that God knew about when he was forming her.

I thank the Lord that by His grace, He gave me words to reply. I spoke the truth in love. I did not compromise the gospel.

One could have heard a pin drop in the room that night as I replied to Wanda.

· Suddenly it was time for the ladies to be handcuffed to return to their pod.

· BEFORE Wanda was handcuffed, she came up to me and she said…

”Preacher, can I hug you? You spoke the truth in love. You didn’t judge me and you didn’t talk down to me. You just spoke it. I will be back.”

Wanda attended every meeting. She was active in discussion and prayer.

· She got out on December 21, 2017 and immediately started attending the Harrisonburg Campus where she is faithfully attending now.

Wanda started serving at Hope Distributed Food Bank at the same time and she has been serving there faithfully ever since.

1. Wanda attends a Life Group.

2. She leads a class at Celebrate Recovery on Drug and alcohol addiction.

3. Wanda has served on several Work and Witness Trips. She plans to go on another trip in spring of 2023.

Wanda’s words to me, “God has really showed me favor in these past five years by blessing me with beautiful people in my life, a new townhouse fully furnished, and jobs that I never thought I would have”.

God met Wanda exactly where she was on that night in jail.

Wanda is a transformed child of God.

· The metamorphosis has taken place in her life no longer to conform to the things of this world.

· Moment-by-moment, He is transforming her into His image.

· With the help of the Holy Spirit, Wanda is representing Christ well. She is pointing people to Jesus by her transformed life.

· Wanda has experienced a heart change, a true transformation of a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly.

Wanda has been sober and drug free for 5 ½ years and serving Jesus.

If you would like to hear more of Wanda’s testimony, you can go to COTNAZ.org and select Watch/Listen online and go to Hope Talks.

· Wanda’s story is a ‘YAY FOR JESUS!’ story.

· YAY for Wanda and YAY for Jesus!!! (Clap) Wait for clapping to stop.

Through the renewal of our minds, we begin to see things differently, we see our life and others through the eyes of Christ.

Paul calls for us to offer our bodies. Our sacrifice is to be a living sacrifice. We can only live for Christ when we have died to the worldly claims on our life.

We at the church of the Nazarene believe our mission statement is true and relevant to the times in which we live,

‘Transformed by God to bring hope to others through Christ!’

Transformation is a call to change.

Think of it this way…if you were a musical instrument, your true purpose isn’t realized until you produce beautiful music.

Insert: Touch of the Master’s Hand: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/vab3nrtuw3o1dip/AACu19imcelX0PU_AzNsOn02a?dl=0&preview=Touch+4_37.mp4

The Touch of the Master made all the difference to everyone in the room. Suddenly folks were ready to bid $1,000 for what seemed to be a worthless violin.

The TOUCH of the Master in my life and in Wanda’s life radically changed who we were, who we are today, up until we take our final breath and are in heaven.

Paul is calling for a specific decision by everyone in this room. As a believer, He is calling you to live your life selflessly for God.

As a church, this kind of transformation is so important to us, it is the first idea in our mission.

We know we can’t bring hope to others through Christ until we are, ourselves, are being transformed.

This kind of transformation happens when we choose to offer ourselves to God and we choose to determine who we will serve and who we will follow.

Divine revelation requires our response.

· What is God saying to you? (pause)

You know…Christians are called to serve.

· Is He tugging at your heart calling you to serve in 2023?

This passage is also for the person who has fallen away from Christ or who has never made a commitment to offer their life to Jesus.

Today is the beginning of a new year. Hope has been shared. Today can be the beginning of your life transformed by Jesus.

Today you can recommit your life to Jesus or pray to accept Him for the very first time.

· It is called repentance, a churchy word, which actually means to turn around, a change of your thinking and behaving.

Jesus will meet you exactly where you are. There is no easier time than right now, choose Jesus to help you change your thinking, values, and your motives.

When you are transformed, He is continuing to form you in His image.

· The liberation of the Holy Spirit living in you begins to change the world of all those around you.

· You become contagious. People want what you have.

When you turn to God in obedience, the world’s influences diminish.

Have you trusted Jesus Christ for your salvation? Have you experienced the mercies of His love?

Have you offered your everyday ordinary life to Him as a living sacrifice?

“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.””‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭14‬