We’re starting 2020 thinking about the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. We started in 1 Corinthians 12-14 looking at Spiritual gifts, and for the rest of the month of February, we’re going to look at three passages in the book of Acts, reflecting on the Holy Spirit’s work to empower the early believers in their faith in Jesus, their evangelism to outsiders and their love for one another.
2020 Vision
Over the next three years, we hope with God’s help to make a number of strategic changes; to enable more mission, discipleship, community and leadership development within Christ City Church. God willing these changes will involve:
- Starting a morning congregation
- Developing a broader ‘families & children’ ministry, including a youth group
- Enabling existing staff members to go full time
- Multiplying our City Groups
- Facilitating dozens of life groups
- Partnering with a mercy ministry in the city
- Raising up more leaders (including our internship/apprenticeship program)
- Establishing a team of elders
- Equipping members more in the area of faith & work
To help us gear up for these changes, we want to revisit what we’re about (with 2020 vision!) by thinking about…
- February 9th – What kind of church could we be? (Acts 2:42-47)
- February 16th – What kind of disciples could we make? (Acts 4:1-37)
- February 23rd – What kind of leaders could we have? (Acts 6:1-15)
‘Should’ vs ‘Could’
When preparing this series of talks, I had given them the titles:
What kind of church should we make?
What kind of disciples should we make?
What kind of leaders should we have?
However, on reflection, that seems to leave the emphasis more on us and what we will (and what we should) do. And that, in turn, could lead us to pride if we ‘achieve’ these things or to despair if we ‘failed’ to achieve these things.
Instead, I want us to think about what ‘could’ happen; if we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and shape us, if we made ourselves available to Him and allowed Him to empower us, just as He did those early believers. We cannot control what He does and the book of Acts is not a prescription for the church for all time, rather it is a description of what happened initially. But, it does give us inspiration, ideas, excitement, possibilities and a framework to think about what the Holy Spirit MIGHT do in our midst…what He COULD do!
Ultimately, we rest firmly on what Jesus said in Matthew 18:16:
I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
This enables us as people (and as Christ’s church) to make plans, but also to hold all of our plans loosely and humbly as we let Jesus guide and lead, and as we seek to do what we do for His glory.
Please Pray
I ask that as we move into this series you’d be praying for yourself and for us as a church that we’d be open to the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us. That you’d be available to Him and willing to be used by Him.
And part of us seeking God for the future is to ask Him to provide financially. For us to keep growing and reaching out we will need more resources. Not just people, but money. So, please be praying that God will provide for us as we move forward, and for the role He wants each of us to play in that.
Strategy & Vision Night (9th Feb)
To help us think about the future, we’re going to have a strategy and vision night on Sunday 9th February, 6.00-7.15 pm, after the service and we’re asking EVERYONE to come along…we’re going to give you all pizza!
The evening will consist of:
- Our AGM – Going over our financials for 2019 and the budget for 2020
- Our strategic plans – where we will invest the money
- Our roles – how each of us has a part to play as we go forward
If you have any questions or suggestions as we prepare for or go through this vision series, please don’t hesitate to contact one of the leadership team. We’d love your input.