First Covenant Church is a people committed to Christ Jesus and to Jesus’ mission. To that end, we encourage one another to grow in attitude and action as together we live into our core values. We are Biblical, Devotional, Connectional, and Missional.
Last Sunday we began exploring the value of Biblical, recognizing that a biblically mature(telios) Christian recognizes the difference between right and wrong and then does what is right. Mature Christians aren’t merely hearers of the Word, they are doers of the Word. This week we will continue to explore what it means to be biblically mature so as not to be easily swayed by false teaching. Mature Christian believers are so grounded in the truth of God’s Word that they quickly recognize falsehoods. This maturity is not found through proof-texting or Google searches but through a holistic reading of Scripture that is practiced in a community of other believers and guided by the Holy Spirit. We are blessed to live in a time when the Bible is readily accessible and understandable. Truth is not hard to find. But falsehood is also prevalent and often deceptive in its appearance. The Apostle Paul has much to say about this in his letter to the Church in Ephesus.
In preparation for this Sunday, read Ephesians 4:11-16, paying close attention to verses 14-16.
Biblical - Week 2
September 4, 2022 • Pastor Chris Pappenfus • Ephesians 4:11–16
Missional: Find it more natural to do God's will than to ignore it.
October 30, 2022 • Pastor Chris Pappenfus • Luke 19:10, Matthew 11:29–30
This Sunday we discuss our tenth mark of Christian Maturity associated with or Core Values. Over the past ten weeks we have discussed what maturity looks like in regard to being Biblical, Devotional, Connectional, and now Missional. Last week we explored the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 realizing that Missionally mature disciples of Jesus are committed to making disciples who make disciples. Jesus’ instruction to the Church is to multiply. The second mark of missional maturity is that Jesus followers find it more natural to do God’s will than to avoid it. So often we live our lives so preoccupied with the worries and demands of the world that we forget that we are called to do God’s will. Even when we realize this is what we are called to do, we have no shortage of excuses for finding ways to avoid doing God’s will. Additionally, it seems that the confidence of knowing God’s will has become increasingly difficult to discern. However, there is a consistent and noticeable quality among mature disciples of Jesus; they find it more natural to do God’s will then to not do it. They have surrendered to cooperating with the Holy Spirit in ways that seem almost effortless - easy. In fact, they feel burdened when they fall into temptation and sin, not by righteousness. Jesus explains this plainly in Matthew 11:29-30, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Have you ever looked at a fellow sister or brother and thought, “They make following Jesus look easy.” Their secret is not that they are more “religious” than most, it’s because they have a deep and abiding “RELATIONSHIP” with a loving God. This relationship is open to all who would put their faith in Jesus Christ and experience what it means to love the LORD with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength; enabling them to love their neighbor out of the overflow of God’s love in their own life. As we conclude our Marks of Maturity series, read Matthew 11:25-30.
Missional: Committed to making disciples who make disciples.
October 23, 2022 • Pastor Chris Pappenfus • Matthew 28:19–20
This week we move into exploring Christian Maturity in our final core vale; we are Missional. On the surface this may seem obvious. Afterall, we have a Mission Commission, which oversees our missions budget. We financially support local and international missionaries and read about their mission work in our newsletter. Of course we are Missional! But what if maturing in our missional value is more personal and intrusive than that? What does it look like to be missionally mature? One mark of maturity is that missionally mature followers of Jesus are committed to making disciples who make disciples. This is the mission Jesus himself gave the Church in Matthew 28:19-20. Disciples are commanded by Jesus to make more disciples. Thus a missionally mature Christian is committed to making more disciples among more people groups in a more caring and just world. This includes the world right outside your front door. Join us this Sunday as we explore the Great Commission found in Matthew 28.