Connectional: Not defensive when found to be in the wrong

First Covenant Church of Willmar

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Connectional: Not defensive when found to be in the wrong

October 2, 2022 • Pastor Chris Pappenfus • Proverbs 9:8, Philippians 2:5–8

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We are midway through our series on Maturing in our values. We have explored what it means to be Biblical and Devotional and I encourage you to watch any sermons you may have missed over the past five weeks, they are available on the church app, YouTube, or our FCC Roku channel. This week we take up our value of Connectional. As the church, we are connected to one another and to Christ Jesus in a manner that is unlike any organization or religion. We are not merely connected by geography, shared beliefs or family relations; we are connected in the Holy Spirit. The One-True-God holds us together in love with Christ Jesus being the one in charge.

Because of our connectedness to one another and to Christ Jesus, Connectional maturity is an essential value for us to be pursuing. The first mark of connectional maturity is that Mature disciples of Jesus do not get defensive when they are found to be in the wrong. The opening 9 chapters of the book of Proverbs are devoted to the subject and pursuit of wisdom. Chapter nine provides an exclamation point to this section highlighting 9:7-10. Additionally, connectionally mature followers of Jesus are not consumed with elevating their own reputations in order to increase their social standing but instead seek only to elevate God’s reputation; recognizing that even in the face of rejection, the worldly are rejecting their creator God. Personal reputation is something Christians surrender when they become followers of Jesus and put on humility in its place. In preparation for this Sunday, read Proverbs 9 and Philippians 2:1-18.

Sunday Service with Guest Speaker, Kara Stromberg

November 6, 2022 • Superintendent Kara Stromberg

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.