The Mission of the Church

As you know, two weeks ago we were able to join us online to Cincinnati, where we had our general conference of elders meetings every May, usually the first weekend of May. The elders from our local area and from around the United States and even internationally, those who can make it, we gather in Cincinnati to discuss some of the business aspects that go on within the church. As an organization, there's a lot of moving pieces, which you are all very familiar with, whether it's planning a feast site, planning our camps for the summer, whether it's keeping information flowing from the home office, the work the home office does, and preaching the gospel, and our media department. There's a lot of moving pieces as an organization the size of United Church of God is that we have to come together, we have to prayerfully come together and consider these as we recognize the mission that is set before us. And one of the aspects that we talk about is our strategic operation and our budget plans for the next year. One of the strengths to the United Church of God is that the way that we organized in 1995 was to allow every elder, every minister of Jesus Christ within the church, and there's about 400 of us, and I'm one of them. I include in that number, so is Mr. Hobb, who's normally here, as you know, Mr. McGuire, Mr. Schuette, Mr. Schafer, those who are ordained as ministers of Jesus Christ. One of the strengths to United is how it was determined and set up that every elder has an opportunity to be in the discussion and also to bow it on these matters. And I appreciate the way that we are all ordained under the same ordination as a minister of Jesus Christ. Some of us serve in different roles. I serve as your pastor, but yet the laying on of hands and the setting apart for Mr. Hobb was no different than it was for me and vice versa. We view ourselves as brothers in the ministry, but just serving different ways, different aspects that we serve within our congregation and also the United Church of God. And so the strength of that is, and I appreciate the pillars of our local elders, Mr. McGuire again, Mr. Schuette, Mr. Hobb, Mr. Schafer, that they, in a way, hold the building and up and keep things running when I'm not here, right? They're able to support the overall mission of the church, the strategic direction that we have been given through Scripture that we go.

And they also keep me in line, right? That's one of the strengths that we have within the ministry of Jesus Christ is that if I ever go off the rails, scripturally, I expect a phone call from the men who serve along with me. I expect a phone call from you guys, too. But they are to make sure that we continue to hold the same line. We continue to teach as we've been taught. We continue the ministry that Jesus Christ established and that the apostles went out sharing and that we're continuance of today. That's one of the strengths of the United Church of God and how we're organized is that all the ministry we come together and we hold each other accountable always, that we're preaching the truth of God's Word. And as we come together in Cincinnati, it's a time where we build our relationships with one another in case we ever have to have those tough conversations with one another, but also so we can encourage one another on continuing the mission that is before us. And this mission is a great thing. As you heard two weeks ago in the sermon that Mr. Shaby shared online and that you tuned into, this past year's theme was speaking the same thing. As I referenced just a minute ago, that teaching as we've been taught is critical to the ministry and also to the church as a whole. One of the things that we establish and we work towards is that if you leave here and you go to a church in Lansing or a congregation in Cincinnati or international even, that you would hear the same doctrines taught the same exact ways as you do here. And that's a strength that we have. That's where you can go and visit another congregation on Passover and it's the same service. Or you can visit another congregation on a holy day and it's the same truth that has been taught for decades now in the church. And as we come together and we continue to speak the same thing, this is one of the core elements and the themes that we had this past year. And that theme's not going to go away because this is an essential theme of God. But in the message that Mr. Shabe shared last week, he talked about the theme for this coming year. And this coming year's theme is another theme that goes year by year. It doesn't just one year and we put it in a trash can and move on to a next one. This one's vital because it involves you and me and our forever responsibility to advance the mission of Jesus Christ.

And so this is what I want to kind of look at today. I want to explore this mission that you and I have been tasked with. And as an organization, we continue to preach and to move towards.

The mission statement, United Church of God has a mission statement which reads, The mission of the church of God is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God in all the world, make disciples in all nations and care for those disciples. And from the church's seal that you see in front of us here on the lectern, it reads and it breaks down this mission into two simple phrases, to preach the gospel and to prepare a people. And as we know from our years of keeping God's Holy Days, this mission that we have before us is part of the Holy Day plan from the first feast that we observe at Passover all the way to the last Holy Day in the eighth day, which we keep in the fall. This mission, this purpose that God has placed before us is huge and it's also vital for the world. So I'll take some time today as we work through this sermon and exploring how we can each be involved in advancing the mission of God's church. At the beginning of Luke chapter 4, we have recorded Jesus being tempted by Satan and withstanding that temptation. If you'll look at Luke 4 with me as we open up our Bibles. This is what many refer to, and you may have a heading in your Bible as the beginning of Jesus's ministry, this three and a half years of his ministry and what many note as the beginning of that. And what a challenging way to begin your ministry, being tempted by Satan the devil himself as Christ was. But Christ overcame those temptations. In all ways he was tempted, but never sinned, right? And he fought through and he battled the physical flesh in that way and the physical mind that he had because he had God's Spirit fully dwelling within him. And he knew the mission that was in front of him and his vision never came off that vision or that mission. And he continued to do the will of the Father. And so he withstood that temptation and he continued his ministry. But this is how he began it in this way. And then after that in Luke 4 and verse 14, it says, And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee. And news of him went throughout all the surrounding regions, and he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up. And as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. And he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when he'd opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. This in itself is a mission statement. This in itself is all these action words that we could apply for our lives today, because we've been tasked with the similar things that Christ described right here, that he came to do as God in the flesh, to preach the gospel, to heal the brokenhearted. We could go on through this list. This is our mission. And these are aspects of our mission today that we are to continue to do, just as he came and did. Verse 20 says, then he closed the book and he gave it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him.

And he began to say to them, today the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. Now those listening, the Jews listening in the synagogue, they would have known what this passage from Isaiah meant, this prophetic message of the Messianic age that was to come, and that they believed was on its way, that they looked forward to. They looked forward to a Messiah who would come and would change the world. He would free them of their bondage. He would set the past straight, that he would re-establish his kingdom and his government on this earth. That's what they looked forward to. And this is what they expected their Messiah to be.

But what was the mission that Jesus Christ came to begin? Was it what they expected?

It wasn't because, but Jesus said, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing as he claimed to be fulfilling this prophecy and proclaiming himself to be this expected Messiah.

But what they did not understand was how he would fulfill this prophecy and what he came to accomplish in his first coming. This is also the message of renewal this world continues to desperately need today. This is why we must be about advancing this mission of Jesus Christ.

The parallel gospel account to the one we just read is in Mark chapter 1. Now, I want to turn over here because the same account is phrased, is recorded a little bit differently in Mark 1, verse 14. In this account that we're looking at here in Mark, we see the mission of Christ, again, spelled out very clearly in a mission that we are to be about ourselves today. Mark 1, in verse 14, it says, now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee. So we see it's the same account here. And what did he come to do? He came preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the gospel.

This is that mission that you and I have to take to heart. And this is the mission that we have to follow as we follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior. This is the same message that Peter and the other apostles took to heart. Notice Acts chapter 10.

Jesus' ministry, as again, lasted, well, his ministry in Galilee, just that one location alone, lasted about 18 months. And with Mark giving this additional detail about this time more than any other writers. But this is also the time that Peter speaks about here in Acts 10, starting in verse 34, when he and the other 12 disciples were trained and prepared for the responsibilities after Jesus' death. And notice this the sermon, as Peter works through this message that he is sharing, he goes back to the mission of Jesus Christ that he was given, as well as the other disciples, and as well as us today. Notice how he describes Christ and who he was and what he came and accomplished, but also the mission that we are to go forward with. Notice Acts 10, verse 34, then Peter opened his mouth and said, In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality, but notice in every nation whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him. So the doors were blown off, as we know, in a sense, when Christ was crucified and died for the world. That it was no longer just Jews or Gentiles, the only Jews who had the opportunity to the only Jews who had the opportunity to the promises of Abraham. It was now Jews and Gentiles. It was men and women. It was free and slave. And so Peter is reminding the listener here, every nation where people want to turn towards God, repent of their ways, they have an avenue and access to salvation through Jesus Christ. Peter goes on to say in verse 36, The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. That word, you know, which was proclaimed throughout all of Judea and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. This good that Jesus went about doing we've got, we have recorded in all the gospel accounts. It's unlike anything that anybody has ever done on this earth. And we are to be about that mission as well as we preach the kingdom of God. But as we bring healing in the small ways that we can as we bring help and hope to this world. Verse 39, Peter goes on and says, And we are witnesses of all things which he did, both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.

Him, God raised up on the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before God, even to us who ate and drank with him after he arose from the dead. And saying that he was a witness to these matters himself, he goes on in verse 42 to say, And he commanded us to preach to the people. So therefore we continue today to preach to the people. He goes on to say, And to testify that it is he who was ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him, all the prophets witness that through his name, whoever believes in him will receive remission of sins. So Jesus Christ himself began this mission of proclaiming the kingdom of God to the world. And the Apostle Peter and others continued this proclamation of this coming kingdom, and thus we also follow in the footsteps of God's faithful people as we still continue to do this today. I'd like to go back for a moment the strategic plan that the United Church of God puts together and that all the elders within the church we ballot on this. It's broken again into a strategic plan, an operation plan, and a budget. It includes letters from our chairman of the Council of Elders, a letter from our president, and a letter from our treasurer to help for us to understand the thought process as they put this together. And within this we have our vision and our mission statement early on, and we have our guiding principles and our positioning statements before we even get into these other aspects of these budgets and the strategic plan itself. And the handout that you have that was handed out today is our guiding principles. Now these are guidelines that we as the ministry try we work to build and strengthen within ourselves and follow as we continue to keep this vision on the forefront of our mind, the mission that we are to do as Jesus Christ's ministry. But I feel like these guiding principles are so well put together that I want to share them with you today. Last week we shared them in Detroit and Flint, and I want this to kind of be our guiding principles that we as a congregation operate within this next year.

As I mentioned, with this being our theme for the year, we'll hear some messages, some videos, some other articles written from the home office based on advancing the mission. And as they share these messages and as we get more information from the home office as we continue to dive into our theme this year, I hope you can go back to this handout. I hope you can go back to these guiding principles because this is focusing on the mission that is in front of us and our responsibility to advance that mission. Each guiding principle has a we-believe at the beginning of it and then a therefore aspect of the statement. And so we'll work through these five guiding principles in the remainder of the sermon we have in the time we have together today. So let's look at the first one. We believe our Father has called us into a relationship with Him and one another through Jesus Christ.

We believe the immutable, which means unchangeable or established. We believe in the immutable word of God showing how to build loving relationships to become conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, we will strive to live by every word of God led by His Holy Spirit, enabling these relationships to grow and flourish in humility. Let's turn to 1 John 1 in verse 1.

I rarely do this, but is it warm in here today? Or is it just me standing behind the lectern with the sermon? So you guys are all comfortable. Okay, I didn't know. We're in that time of the year where we keep flipping the thermostat back and forth at home or we had to do that in Flint last week. We went in, the air conditioning was still on, and it was a cooler Sabbath. So I didn't know if the heat's still on or if it's just me.

I'll try not to pass out today. But 1 John 1 in verse 1, we see the mission that we have just heard, the guiding principle we just went through, but we also see the mission that is described here. 1 John 1 verse 1, it says, That which was from the beginning, which we heard, which we seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled concerning the word of life. 2 John 1 verse 2, the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested to us.

3 John 1 verse 2, that which we have seen and heard, we declare to you, so this is the Apostle John speaking, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you, that your joy may be full. The Apostle John here is drawing out this important reminder that as a follower of Jesus Christ himself, as a minister of Jesus Christ, he was trying to encourage members to recognize we have a mission before us.

We have a family. We have a bond that unites us and that we have to work through. We have a fellowship, as he said, this family relationship, this bond. And because of this calling that we have received individually, we have a responsibility to one another to advance this mission and to grow closer to one another as we do this. One of the things that I often think of as I consider the family that is before me, you hear me refer to us as family a lot, and that's because it truly feels that way in my heart.

Some, you've heard me say, and I occasionally will use spiritual family, or, well, spiritual family is usually the other way that I'll refer to us, but I don't use that very often because I want us to really view each other as families, as brothers and sisters, as a blood family, because you and I were bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. His shed blood gave us the opportunity to have our sins forgiven as we accepted that sacrifice, and we committed, and we repented of our sins, and we committed our ways to God, and we received His Spirit.

And so, in a very strong sense, we are blood family, and that's why I refer to us as family, and I don't use spiritual family very often as I refer to us. And this is that calling that we have been brought together. We have the same Father in heaven, which unites us and draws us close, and this is what John is talking about when he talks about the fellowship that he desires to have with those that he's shared this message with, and recognizing that, again, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

And it's an important aspect that we remember. So, therefore, we will strive to live by every word of God led by His Holy Spirit, enabling these relationships to grow and flourish in humility. Let's look at the second guiding principle. It says, We believe God the Father, through Jesus Christ, is building His Church, which is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, and we also, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house. Therefore, as members of the household of God, we grow together into a holy temple for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Let's look at Matthew 16 and verse 15.

Matthew 16. And we're breaking into the context a little here with verse 15. So, Matthew 16 and verse 15. This is one of those passages that whenever I read it, I kind of can put myself in the shoes of the situation of the apostles sitting there with Christ. It's one of those I can...

Jesus is going to prompt them with a pop question, right? You've been in class, or you get a pop exam, and you're not expecting it, and it's like, oh boy, let's see if I know the material. Let's see if I'm ready to provide an answer. And here in Matthew 16 and... well, we'll back up a little bit. Let's back up to verse 13. It says, And so here's that pop question. Who does everybody say that I am? And I can only imagine the disciples looking at each other. Who's going to answer this one?

And it says... and some... so they said, some say John the Baptist, and somebody probably raised their hand and says, well, I've heard Elijah. And then somebody else probably said, well, I've heard Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Maybe that was a group answer. And then he said to them, and he twisted. And this is that part where I can imagine being there, listening, and having this question. And then Christ says, okay, that's a good answer. But who do you say that I am?

Imagine that type of a pop question. You're like, oh boy, now this just got very serious. This is this is the big question. And notice Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. At that point, I can imagine... it probably didn't happen, but I can imagine the disciples giving each other fist bumps, high fives. Good way to go, Peter. Good job. You got that one right. But who do we say that Christ is today? This is part of that mission that we are to continue to advance, because it doesn't... it's not hard for us to look outside these walls and to look at the ways that many others in our communities, and in our state, and in this country worship God. We heard from the sermon that the people would create revivals, but what were those revivals based on? Truth from Scripture? Some? Yeah, but not completely. Who do you say that I am? This is an important aspect that we continue to proclaim as a church. Verse 18, he goes on to say, And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, speaking of Jesus Christ himself, he says, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. So we know that Christ is building his church, made up of human beings at this time, but those that God is willing to grant and give as a gift, his Holy Spirit to, as we continue to become one family under God's name.

Let's look at what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 3.

There was an issue going on in the church that Paul was addressing in his letter here in 1 Corinthians 3 and verse 3. As we have seen at times with, sadly, even within our own organization, sometimes members will throw their weight behind certain pastors, certain elders, certain leaders.

And it's something that when that happens, we all have to be very careful of and recognize, really question what are we doing when we put too much faith or too much, what's the word I would want to say? Just too much willingness to just follow people and take our vision off of following God. And this is what was going on in the church in Corinth here that Paul is addressing. Some were jumping on Paul's bandwagon, others on Apollos' and others on other people's bandwagon, saying, I'm following this guy. This is the and saying that his teaching is better than someone else. There is more righteous, he's more accurate than others. And what does Paul say here in 1 Corinthians 3, verse 3? He says, For you are still carnal. What you're doing is not right. For where there is envy, and notice the list of things that we are to try to keep out of our mind, out of our relationships, out of the church, out of our lives. For where there is envy, strife, divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, I'm of Paul, and another, I'm of Apollos. Are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers, through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? So he's saying, we had jobs to do, we are part of the body, but don't follow me. This is not my church. And he says, I planted, verse 6, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. And now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field. You are God's building. This is that church, again, that God is building through the lives of his people. I love when people are half my back. It feels good, right, when people say, Amen. We don't do that a lot. Maybe we should know. Don't start that. You'll get me in trouble with others. But I like it when we're on the same agreement. When you recognize that the messages I share with you come from Scripture, and they're accurate, and they're true, just like all the other men who stand behind this lectern and share God's Word as well. And that's what Paul is getting to here when he says, we are all one. We are all one sharing this message, this message of the kingdom of God, this gospel message, this gospel truth of Jesus Christ together. And he's saying, none of us are greater than the other. We're all just serving in different ways. And what we're doing is so that God can allow the increase to come forward, as he's the one that makes all things possible. As Paul goes on here in verse 10, he says, According to the grace of God, which was given to me as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it, but let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. I shared in the other congregations last week my appreciation that I'm not the first one to build or to lay this foundation and to build on this foundation.

I'm a product of many, many people who came before us. As I've shared with you many times, Laura and I were kids on blankets in different congregations where other people held the walls up, kept the roof on, kept the word going strongly forward as God continued to work within the Church.

And other men laid foundations, and I appreciate the men that's come before me and laid a lot of these foundations that now I'm able to build on with you because of the work they did and the work that was done. And it's a tremendous blessing to be able to stand here and continue in that tradition that we've had and continue to build, going all the way back to the early Church, all the way back to that Pentecost after Christ's crucifixion when the Holy Spirit was poured out broadly on the world and to be able to, as the Church was established on that Pentecost, to continue to be an extension of that early Church. It's an honor. He goes on in verse 16 and says, do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy. Which temple you are. And so we know that God is building his Church and he continues to do that today. And through the giving of his Holy Spirit to humanity, to those who accept his way of life, we are becoming the body of Christ and we are that spiritual temple that we of God.

Let's look at what Peter shared on a similar vein. 1 Peter 2 and verse 1.

1 Peter 2 and verse 1. Peter starts off in a similar way that Paul did, reminding the listener and the reader of the sweater not to get caught up in the things which divide us, the things that we have to fight against in our lives. And then he pivots and again reminds the reader of this temple, this living body of God that we are. 1 Peter 2 and verse 1. He says, Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, these things, it's got to be out of our lives. He says, As newborn babes desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious, coming to him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.

You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. It's not hard to imagine what we are when he talks about living stones, right? Because we all have homes or we live in buildings where there's a foundation usually made of concrete, maybe of concrete blocks, and that foundation, it doesn't grow. It doesn't become stronger over time. It is what it is. Or if we live in a house with wood walls, like two by fours in the walls, those two by fours were once part of a living tree, but once they were cut off, they're no longer living. They're at the state that they are, and they will always be in that state, except for they're going to continue to decline.

Our foundations don't get build webs and build roots between each block and between the different boards of the house. It doesn't grow stronger. And that's where this analogy falls short, because we are a spiritual building. We are spiritually building and growing roots, connecting to one another, connecting to God. We are growing stronger as the days go on and as the years go by. As we continue to advance this mission, we are a spiritual organism that is alive and should be flourishing, and that we offer up spiritual sacrifices in the ways that we change our lives, in the ways that we give up things from our past as we continue to strive to be more like Jesus Christ. Peter goes on in verse 9 to say, you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, who were once not a people, but now are the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. And let's look just briefly at Ephesians 2 and verse 19 as another reminder. You'll notice that a lot of the scriptures I'm referencing are in the guiding principles that are before you, but as you can imagine, and you know from your study of God's Word, there's a lot more scriptures we can draw on and build for each one of these guiding principles, and I hope maybe you can take some time over the next year if you're looking for a Bible study topic. Pick one of these. Pick all five. Dive into them further. Make sure you can see and understand more deeply what is the mission that is before us. What is our responsibility before God? But here in Ephesians 2 and verse 9, again, Paul talking to the church in Ephesus says, Now therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple to the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. So therefore, back to our guiding principle and the therefore statement for the second one, therefore, as members of the household of God, we grow together into a holy temple for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The third guiding principle, we believe God's plan of salvation includes every individual who yields to him and Jesus Christ. His plan includes the calling and perfecting of those who are being converted now, as well as those to be converted in the ages to come. Therefore, it is the duty of the church to proclaim a message of hope and a call to repentance, to observe all things Christ has commanded, and to prepare members of the body of Christ for service. Let's go to 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17 now.

2 Corinthians 5 and verse 17. We know that God is working through the lives of mankind today.

He's working with you and me. We have received God's Spirit through baptism and through repentance and through the laying on of hands. And he will continue to work with members in the future, people he will call to the body, and ultimately, as his plan unfolds, to all of humanity, all of humanity will be given a chance to understand and to see the magnitude of what God is doing through the lives of his people. Paul speaks to this in 2 Corinthians 5 verse 17, where he says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. All things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. This is that work that God is doing in the lives of man, as we know so clearly, because we are part of that process today, these new creations. Now, all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself. That was an aspect of God's and Jesus Christ's mission, that the world would be reconciled to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them as they repented and acknowledged their sins and repented of them and walked in newness of life. He's saying, not imputing their trespasses to them and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Let's also look at what Paul told to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 1.

We must be about advancing this continued mission as we continue to look at the plan that God has for all of humanity and to proclaim this message of hope and repentance. Paul says this to Timothy in 1 Timothy 2 verse 1. He says, therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. He's saying, we have to look at one another, and we have to pray for one another. We have to intercede for one another. We have to encourage and give thanks for one another. And in verse 3, he says, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of our God, our Savior, sight of God, our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. This is the truth of the Bible. God's not just calling us certain people, and that you either make it or you're left out. There is a time for salvation. There's a time to be judged. But God wants to make sure that everyone, according to his timeline, has an opportunity to have a relationship with him and to know him. And for the vast majority of the world, that time is still to come in the Second Resurrection. But he desires that all men to be saved. Not just a few, not just a handful, but all, and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Peter talks about this as well, and you can put in your notes 2 Peter 3 and verse 9.

He says, the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but notice again, but that all should come to repentance. This is that universal message that we continue to teach today, that our time of judgment is on the house of God, on the house of Israel today, on the spiritual house. Today is our time of judgment because God has opened our eyes to understand, and he has shown us his truth, and we have the indwelling of his spirit within us. And so we must walk according because God has shown us way too much and has done way too much in our lives. But for those who have never known God, for those who have never tasted his grace, the sweetness of his grace, their time is to come at a future moment. And we know that God is still working in the lives of man, and more people continue to come into the body of Christ still today. And this is God's desire that all should come to repentance. All should recognize that they've fallen short of the way that they should go, that their ways don't work. The more we try as a human race to govern ourselves, to lead ourselves, to find justice, to be equitable among one another, the more we continue to fail. And part of the mission of Jesus Christ is to show us that there is a better way to walk. There's a better time to come. So back to our therefore statement, therefore it is the duty of the church to proclaim a message of hope and a call to repentance, to observe all things Christ has commanded, and to prepare members of the body of Christ for service.

The fourth guiding principle. We believe all humanity will ultimately have the opportunity to learn of Jesus Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and the good news of the kingdom of God. We believe the plan of God provides every individual an opportunity to become part of his family. Therefore, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the gospel message, we endeavor to reach all people in a way that they can understand with a combination of doctrine, prophecy, and Christian living, recognizing that any lasting fruit is produced by the power of God's Holy Spirit. Your notes reference is Acts 10 and verse 34, which we read at the beginning.

But I do want to also point out that this is the plan of God that we see captured in his Holy Days, isn't it? This coming kingdom of God where the world will be changed.

Things will be different. There will be a new sheriff in town, but a sheriff who will judge with righteousness. We look forward to that coming time, and that's where we keep our vision on that ideal as well as we go forward. And then we advance this mission, and we proclaim this truth. A lot of the proclamation comes from the home office, obviously, in this regard. But we are to be lights to the world. They should see a difference in us, and we should be able to explain what our mission is, why we are doing the things we are doing. So therefore, again, the therefore statement, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the gospel message, we endeavor to reach all people in a way they can understand with a combination of doctrine, prophecy, and Christian living, recognizing that any lasting fruit is produced by the power of God's Holy Spirit.

And the fifth guiding principle is we believe humanity is in urgent need of the gospel message in advance of the events surrounding Christ's return. We believe Jesus commissioned his church to declare what is to come, to warn of the consequences of sin, and to preach repentance, and to proclaim the hope of eternal salvation. Therefore, we take very seriously the church's responsibility to boldly preach the gospel to this world with zeal and a sense of urgency.

Let's turn to Matthew 24. Here in Matthew chapter 24, disciples had another question, wanting to understand what would be the signs of the end of the age and before Jesus Christ would return. Matthew 24 and verse 3. Notice what he shared. Actually, we'll read the question as they asked it. Matthew 24 verse 3, it says, Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you.

It's an important reminder for all of us that we not be deceived by other people's sayings, others professing that Jesus Christ was this or Jesus Christ was that. Don't be deceived by others, Christ says. And then he talks through the rest of the chapter about a lot of the signs at the end of the age. But notice verse 13 as a reminder to us again. But he who endures to the end of the age shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. This is that responsibility that we have to advance a mission to preach the kingdom of God to all the world, to the best of our ability to be a witness, to be a light to this world, because we know a time will come when this message can't go out anymore. It won't be allowed to go out anymore. And there was a Bible study at the GCE. I don't know, it was for the ministry. It was Saturday morning, and just the ministry was able to listen, but it was by Gary Petty. And he says sometimes he gets a question by members, is this the end time? Are we in the tribulation? His response, he said, is, I hope so, because he goes, I still have gas in the tank of my car. I still have food at the grocery store. I can still navigate down the highway system here. I still live in relative. If this is the tribulation, I'll take it. All right? We're not there yet. The end times have not come. Are they in the future? Yeah, they're out there. How soon? We don't know. But we're not there yet. And so we have a responsibility still today to advance this mission, to notify the world and to everyone we can of the truth of God's Word, the truth of the coming time, the truth of the return of Jesus Christ, and to witness and to preach this kingdom of God until the end will come.

Jesus also references this in John 9 and verse 4 and 5. I'll just reference it for sake of time. John 9 verse 4 and 5. Christ says, I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day.

The night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. Jesus came again with that mission that we are to embrace. And he was to work while he was able. So we must work and continue to do what we're to do while we are able.

And as he was light to the world, we are to be a similar light to society and to the world as we continue to proclaim this gospel message. Therefore, again, we take very seriously the church's responsibility to boldly preach the gospel to this world with zeal and a sense of urgency. So we begin to wrap up. Again, the church, this is a mission, this is a theme for this year's church as we go forward from the GCE and as we go through the camp season. And our theme for our camp this year is Stand Strong, which we'll look at in the next couple weeks. To stand strong, and we get that from Ephesians talking about putting on the armor of God and to stand.

And so you can see how this year's camp theme to Stand Strong blends well with advancing the mission. I'm sure this will tie into the fall holy days as we near the feast and some of the themes we'll hear at the feast. It'll tie into other messages, videos, writings that will come from the home office. And I hope it's something that we can take to heart and see that it's not just the church's responsibility to advance this mission, but each of us personally, as we grow stronger as one another, to one another as a family, and as we continue to go forward from here boldly, and we continue to recognize and study and to learn more about this gospel of Jesus Christ, the good news of the coming kingdom of God. And so again, I want to read our mission statement. The mission of the United Church of God is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the kingdom of God in all the world, make disciples in all nations, and care for those disciples. And this comes from Matthew 28 and verse 18. So just a few chapters forward from where we left off in Matthew chapter 24, Matthew 28 and verse 18.

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen. What an amazing mission that we have in front of us and an amazing mission that will always be our mission that we need to advance.