by Mark Gambill

 

Many organizations have a mission statement; a concise declaration of their purpose, outlining its reason for existence and overall goals. At Christ’s Church, our mission statement is found on the church’s website home page: “We are a community that is devoted to following Jesus, loving people, and making a difference.” These phrases are also displayed prominently on a wall in the main lobby of the church building.

 

Here is what I find interesting about my church’s mission statement. If someone is following Jesus, they should be making a difference—and if they are not making a difference, then are they really following Jesus? More about that later.

 

The other phrase in our church’s mission statement is this: “Loving People.”

 

A quick biblical history lesson. In Jewish tradition, there are 613 commandments, known as mitzvot, that are derived from the Torah. These commandments cover a wide range of aspects of Jewish life, including religious practices, moral conduct, and social interactions. The mitzvot are traditionally divided into 248 positive commandments (things to do) and 365 negative commandments (things not to do).

 

Here’s the problem though, it was impossible for the Hebrew people to keep all 613 commandments. So, God in his infinite wisdom, reduced them to ten—the Ten Commandments. And guess what? They (and we) could not keep all of those either (for an interesting exercise, read the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20:2-17, and see how many you haven’t broken).

 

Jesus, being God in the flesh, reduced the requirements even further down to two: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 38, ESV).

 

Again, guess what? We have trouble keeping these two commandments. So finally, the apostle Paul reduced it to one commandment in Galatians 5:14: “The whole law is fulfilled by obeying this one command, ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself’” (NIRV, quoting Leviticus 19:18). The theory here is that how you love people shows how much you love God.

 

Our Mission Field

This past weekend our lead pastor, Brad Wilson, continued in our “All In” teaching series, and last Sunday he focused on the development of community in our church. In case you missed it, you can check out that message here. For Christ’s Church, our community is northern Cincinnati. I have visited churches that have a sign either over the doors leading out of the church building or next to the exit drive that say, “Now Entering the Mission Field.” I like what someone said about Jesus: Most of his ministry was spent in the community, not the temple.

 

Entering the Mission Field. That is what we are doing when we leave the church building and go out into our community. We just got our spiritual batteries recharged, now what? What happens when we leave our church community and enter the mission field? In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls us as his followers to be “salt and light” in the world. We are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-16). But if the salt stays in the shaker (i.e., the small community at Christ’s Church) or the light is covered and does not shine out, neither one will be useful for Jesus’ kingdom.

 

Recently, I have been working on having a mindset toward everyone I interact with that sounds something like this: “I’m going to be in Heaven one day with some of these people” or, more to the point, “I need to be thinking about those who right now are not destined for Heaven.” Whether I’m in the store, the sports venue, a restaurant, a Zoom call, or even our own church, there are people who don’t know Jesus!

 

A study of the religious landscape of America conducted in 2023-2024 by the Pew Research Center found that roughly three in ten U.S. adults are considered “religiously unaffiliated” (they have often been referred to as “nones”). This includes 5% identifying as atheist, 6% as agnostic and 19% as “nothing in particular.” There is plenty of work yet for us to do. In Jesus’ Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), our Lord instructs us, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19, NLT). The Greek word used in this passage for “go” is poreuthentes. A better translation of the word is “as you are going.” In other words, as you live your life, take Christ to your community.

 

Boots on the Ground

Practically speaking, how can we do that effectively? How can we as the body of Christ be salt and light where we live? How can we impact our community for him?

 

Bob Russell is a retired minister from Louisville, Kentucky, where he led Southeast Christian Church in phenomenal growth for forty years. I heard a sermon he preached at Southeast in which he spoke about Southeast’s mission statement, and it encapsulates the role of the church in the community. He said we are called to:

  1. Evangelize the lost.
  2. Edify (or build up) the saved.
  3. Minister to the needy.
  4. Be a conscience in the community.

(see https://bobrussell.org/the-oft-repeated-cycle-of-church-history/).

 

Some ways in which Christ’s Church is making a difference in our community include:

  1. Addressing social needs—direct assistance through food pantries, support groups, mentoring, etc.
  2. Community engagement—Using our building and property to maximum effect. Hosting events for other organizations and schools, offering classes, partnering with local organizations.
  3. Collaborating with other organizations to address community needs more effectively.

 

How can you get involved personally in reaching our community to make a difference? Here are five short and to-the-point action steps in which you may need to step up your game:

  1. Pray for the strength and boldness to do what God has called you to do.
  2. Serve others by opening your eyes to the needs around you, then doing something specific to alleviate those needs.
  3. Give to God and his church through your time, talents, and money.
  4. Engage; don’t sit on the sidelines, get in the game.
  5. Speak up for voices that can’t speak for themselves.

 

The saying, “Preach the gospel and, if necessary, use words” is traditionally attributed to the medieval Catholic friar, St. Francis of Assisi. There is no literary evidence that he actually said it, but the statement definitely should cause us to reflect on the idea that the actions of our lives preach a gospel every day, just as much as the words we speak.

 

Are you making a difference in our community? As Brad asked us this past Sunday:

“If Christ’s Church suddenly vanished from Mason, would our community notice? If Christ’s Church vanished, would our community weep? Would our community care?”

 

With over 35 years of business experience, Mark Gambill runs the East Region Real Estate Division for Albertsons; has three post-graduate degrees; has taught for over 30 years at various universities; and has been a member of Christ’s Church for over 25 years. He and his wife Karen have two sons, John and Matt, and three dogs, Winnie, Lia, and Tater.