Beach Life - Our Mission
Today, we are launching our Beach Life Series. Throughout this series, we will explore Jesus' mission and values and how he calls us as a church to follow him and make his mission and values our own. If you are interested in joining our church or if you are already a partner or member, this series is going to be very appealing to you. As we begin, it is so important to address the question, “Why?” Why should we spend 7 weeks in a series called Beach Life?
As followers of Jesus, ultimately, when our life is finished here on this earth, and we stand before God, we all want to hear Jesus say to us: Well done, my good and faithful servant.
Most of us want to be a part of something significant. We want to leave our family, friends, community and even the world a better place when we pass on from this life. The only way we will hear those words from Jesus is if we value what Jesus values and make his mission and values our mission and values—personally and together as a church.
The Bible calls Solomon the wisest man who ever lived. Solomon was a great “people reader.” He knew how to read and motivate people. Read through the Proverbs, and you will discover incredible God-breathed wisdom. In Proverbs 29, Solomon wrote about the importance of leaders casting vision for God’s people.
He writes:
Proverbs 29:18 (NLT2)
18 When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild. But whoever obeys the law is joyful.
If you grew up in church, you may be familiar with other translations. The King James version reads:
Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
And the English Standard Version reads:
Proverbs 29:18 (ESV)
18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.
In other words, without divine guidance and vision, God’s people will not hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Without vision, God’s people will run wild.
Without vision, God’s people will cast off restraint.
Without vision, God’s people will perish.
The direct result of not living with a clear direction and mission will result in God’s people running wild. I really like the emphasis on “running wild.” During my college years, I worked in an after-school program for elementary-age children. If we didn’t have a plan, those kids ran wild!
Cliques of kids would do whatever they wanted to do. Some would try to play kickball on the same field others were trying to play football. Kids would swing on the swings, and other kids would play tag in between. Girls were playing, dancing, and getting smashed by others playing football.
Without direction – there would be bumps, bruises, and tears.
That’s how it is for the church or any organization without a clear mission. Without unity around a clear mission, God’s people can be playground bullies and hurt others. So, that’s why, for the next seven weeks, we will do this series on “Beach Life.”
At Beach Church, we are…
Leading People to a Life-Changing Relationship with Jesus.
Our mission, our purpose, is to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus, and our mission is formed by Jesus's life and mission. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus' mission is very clear. Before he was born, an angel appeared to Mary and told her his purpose:
Matthew 1:21 (NLT2)
21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus described his mission early on in his ministry and said:
Luke 5:31-32 (NLT2)
31 …. “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. 32 I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”
And he made his mission even more clear in Luke 19:10
Luke 19:10 (NLT2)
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”
50-60 years later, the apostle Paul described the mission of Jesus to Timothy and said:
1 Timothy 1:15 (NLT2)
15 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all.
The mission of Jesus was to seek and save the lost.
The mission of Jesus was to save sinners.
The mission of Jesus was to save people from their sins.
That is why our mission as a church could not be any clearer. Our Mission is to lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus. If you are a follower of Jesus, that is your mission as well because the mission of Beach Church is the mission of Jesus. Over the last few weeks, we have looked at the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Now, before Jesus ascends into heaven, Jesus passed his mission on to his followers:
Let’s read together From Acts Chapter One.
Acts 1:6-11 (NLT2)
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
Jesus left the earth because his part of the mission, to save people from their sins, had been fulfilled. There is only one way a person can be forgiven for their sins, and that is through Jesus' death and resurrection. Jesus' role in his mission had been completed, but his mission is ongoing. He told his followers that His mission to seek and save the lost now rested in their hands.
The timing of when Jesus invited these men to participate in his mission is crucial for us to understand how we are supposed to fulfill Jesus's mission. Jesus did not wait until he ascended into Heaven to select the people to fulfill his mission; he selected them at the very beginning of his ministry. He had already shown them how to fulfill their mission and how to lead people to a life-changing relationship with him.
He did not ask them to do something he had not already shown them how to do. In Jesus's culture, when a teacher invited people to follow him and be his disciple, the teacher was inviting them to become LIKE HIM.
The reason he invited them at the beginning of his ministry is because Jesus knew…
A follower of Jesus reflects the character of Jesus.
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John describe roughly three years of Jesus's life. They describe how he interacted with religious leaders, prostitutes, the worst of the worst, and the best of the best. Jesus spent time in the slums with the poor, and he went to the parties of the rich. Jesus taught people who went to the synagogues, and he taught in the streets and fields.
The Gospel writers provide accounts of Jesus working miracles: He healed people with leprosy, brought the dead back to life, made the sick well, and made the paralyzed run and skip. For three years, Jesus engaged with people and taught them how to love God with all their hearts and love their neighbors as they loved themselves. His disciples were right there watching him every step of the way.
Jesus knew their observation of his life would transform their lives. He knew that before he could assign them the responsibility to fulfill his mission, they must be prepared, and the preparation happened partly through their observation of his life and as they became more like him.
Growing up, I acted just like the friends I hung out with. The more time I spent with them, the more I became like them. If they spit spitballs from a straw in the cafeteria, I spit spitballs from a straw in the cafeteria. If they superglued their fingers together, I superglued my fingers together. If they did dumb things, I did dumb things. My teachers always told us that we acted just like each other. If you are a follower of Jesus, the more you observe the life of Jesus through prayer and reading the Bible, the more you will reflect the character of Jesus. When we reflect the character of Jesus, we will lead people to a life-changing relationship with Jesus.
In other words, the character of Jesus rubbed off on his disciples. The disciples became like Jesus – not just in regard to their mission, but in regard to their character.
We have Five guiding values that guide our decision making at Beach Church, these guiding values are reflected in the life of Jesus. The more we grow in these values, the more we reflect the character of Jesus, and the more we fulfill his mission:
Our first guiding value is…
GUIDING VALUE #1: LIFE-CHANGING TRUTH
“We believe if we read and apply the Word of God, He will change our lives.”
Matthew 4:1-11 tells the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Despite being hungry and weak, Jesus stood firm and resisted the temptation to sin by quoting Scripture and applying the truth of God's Word to His life. In doing so, Jesus demonstrated the power of God's Word to overcome temptation and sin.
GUIDING VALUE #2: TRANSPARENT LIVING
“We believe God desires us to be real, open, and honest about who we are and allow others to do the same.”
In John 11:35 and Matthew 26:36-46, Jesus is vulnerable. He wept at Lazarus' tomb and experienced anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. We cannot be transparent without being vulnerable. It is okay not to be okay.
GUIDING VALUE #3: UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE
“We believe followers of Jesus give the same limitless grace they have received from God.”
In Matthew 9:10-17, Mark 2:15-22, and Luke 5:29-39 and throughout the Gospels, Jesus ate with prostitutes, tax collectors, and other notorious sinners. In that culture, sharing a meal was the greatest way to demonstrate love and acceptance.
We must make allowance for the personality clashes, sins, and faults of other people and show the same type of grace Jesus did.
GUIDING VALUE #4: CAPTIVATING CELEBRATION
“We believe following Jesus results in a joy-filled life that draws people to Jesus.”
Throughout the Gospels, when Jesus healed people, the healings led to joy for the person healed and spilled over to others who saw the change in their lives. The joy and celebration that followed the healing would draw more people to Jesus.
We intentionally celebrate during the hardships that living in a broken world brings.
GUIDING VALUE #5: SELFLESS SERVICE
“We believe followers of Jesus best demonstrate love to others through acts of kindness and service.”
In John 13:1-17, Jesus washed his disciples' feet, a powerful act of humility and deference that indicates servanthood is a defining characteristic of Jesus, and he calls his followers to become servants to one another and the world.
We demonstrate selfless service by serving our community with no strings attached. Throughout his ministry, Jesus reflected the value of the Word of God, Grace, Transparency, Joy, and Serving others. These values were blueprints for how we, as followers of Jesus, fulfill his mission. When first-time guests walk into our church, we want them to see that we live with purpose and encounter Jesus's values through each and every one of us.
So, invite!
We are building a culture in which each of us strives to exemplify the values of Jesus. We are developing followers of Jesus who strive to live their lives like Jesus did.
1 John 2:6 (NLT2)
6 Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.
We are developing a culture where people are not ashamed to invite their family, friends, and neighbors who don’t yet know Jesus. Regardless of their lifestyle, political views, and past, all people are welcomed at Beach Church because all people are welcomed to the cross.
So, invite others!
And finally,
Jesus will return, are you ready now? (Acts 1:10-11)
I am ready for Jesus to return because I know Him as my Savior.
By faith, I have been made a new creation through the GRACE and FORGIVENESS of Jesus death on the cross. By faith, I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, that he rose from the dead, went up into heaven and will one day return.
But I am not ready based on what BELIEF. I am ready because I have RECEIVED the free gift of forgiveness. In 1991, I knelt beside my youth pastor, and I asked Jesus to forgive me, and I invited Jesus into my life. I had already KNOWN what Jesus had done for me. But I never received him as my Savior.
Paul writes in Romans 10:9
Romans 10:9 (NLT2)
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
If you have not yet made a decision to follow Jesus, I invite you to pray with me right now and surrender your life to God and accept Jesus to be your Savior and Lord. Wherever you are. In your car. At the beach. In an RV. In your House. You can get ready for the return of Jesus, right now.
So let’s pray together.
You can pray something like this:
Dear God,
I am ready to receive Jesus as my Savior. I believe that Jesus paid the punishment for my rebellion and sin. I believe he suffered and died on the cross for me. I believe he rose from the dead. I believe he went up into Heaven and will one day return. God, I give you my life and accept Jesus as my Savior. Thank you for forgiving me!