A Fresh Vision: God-Dependent, Jesus-Rooted, Spirit-Led

Posted on Sep 24, 2015 in Vision & Values 2015 |

September 20th, 2015 – Brendon Gibson

A Fresh Vision: God-Dependent, Jesus-Rooted, Spirit-Led.

Mission: To fully love God and all people for God’s kingdom, pleasure and glory.

Values: Scripture, Prayer, Generosity, Diversity, Community, Creativity, Outreach, Justice, Love.
 
 
Text: Ephesians 1:3-14, 22-23; 2:19-22
 
A Summary:

Vision informs Values; Vision is expressed in Values;

Vision and Values guide Mission.

Trinitarian Focus – God the Father, Jesus the Son, Holy Spirit. We contemplate and celebrate God in three persons, blessed Trinity. We consider and cooperate with the Triune God in the work he is doing in the world.

Three Biblical images or metaphors inform and undergird the vision:

1. The Church as the Family of God à Called to be God-Dependent (Ephesians 1:5, 2:19).

2. The Church as the Body of Christ à Called to be Jesus-Rooted (Ephesians 1:22).

*See also Colossians 2:6-7; John 15:1-17

3. The Church as the Temple of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13; 2:21-22).

Three practices that help demonstrate and cultivate the vision:

1. Generosity – God-Dependent 

2. Scripture (Gospels) – Jesus-Rooted

3. Prayer (Listening) – Spirit-Led

 
A Few Questions to Consider: 
1. What are your thoughts and feelings regarding the mission, vision, and values that are being proposed?
 
2. How aligned are the mission, vision, and values with your understanding and experience of Emmanuel?
 
3. How well to the terms “God-dependant”, “Jesus-rooted”, and “Spirit-led” describe you as a Christian currently? (If you were to rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 on each of the three terms, what score would you give to each of them?) Why?
 
4. Brendon mentioned three practices that are essential for cultivating and demonstrating the vision: Generosity (God-Dependent, Scripture (Jesus-rooted), Prayer (Spirit-Led). How engaged are you in cultivating  these three practices? In addition to the ones Brendon mentioned, are there other practices you would associate with each of the three terms in the vision?
 
5. If according to Ephesians, we are the family of God, the body of Jesus, and the temple of the Holy Spirit, how should we conduct ourselves as a people in community?

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