Week three of the Roadmap of the Church led us to the mission of the church – using my church in particular as an example. What is our vision, our mission, our main objective? That’s what today was all about.
Our Ultimate Objective: to glorify GOD
Our Vision: to change the heart and soul of Northwest Arkansas and the world
Our Mission: to produce and release spiritual leaders who know and express the authentic Christ to NWA and the world
Our Strategy: small groups
What is a spiritual leader?
A spiritual leader is someone who experts influence on someone else’s spiritual life. This could be pastors, small group leaders, someone leading discipleship, college ministry leaders, etc.
What is a parable?
A parable in the Bible is an earthly story with heavenly significance. The passage of Matthew 25:14-30, the Parable of the Talents, exemplifies the church mission perfectly. You can read the full passage below, but basically, a man calls his servants together and gives them each a number of talents with no instruction. He later comes back to settle accounts with the servants and tells the servants who gave back more than he gave them, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” while the servant who buried his talent in the ground for safe-keeping is called a “wicked and slothful servant”.
This can be translated into the act of becoming a spiritual leader. We all have spiritual leaders pouring into us and God pouring His truth into us, as well. So what do we do with those gifts, that wealth of knowledge? Do we go out and multiply it, or do we bury it in the ground for safe-keeping until the time comes when we meet Jesus face-to-face? The big question that I took away from this lesson that I will continue asking myself is: Am I taking what God has temporarily given me and making the most of it? Am I sharing His truth with others? Am I loving others like He would?
Let’s all ask ourselves these questions often so that we can stay mindful of the precious and temporary gifts that God has given us.
You can find the rest of the Roadmap of the Church Sermon Series here:
Roadmap of the Church: Worship
Roadmap of the Church: Life-Change
For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[a] and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents,[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:14-30 ESV)
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