The Church in Today’s Mess

The Church in Today’s Mess

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:16-17)

10 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. 16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” 17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (John 10:10-22)

38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  (Acts 10:38)

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19)

Our Vision- To transform lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our Mission – To connect people with God, Others and Destiny.

We have been given the great commission to:

… Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)

With the great commandment we are commanded to love God and love others.

37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)

At the Rock, “We believe a great commitment to the great COMMISSION and the great COMMANDMENT will grow a great church!”

Our purpose statement: We exist to see people connect with God, Others and Destiny, as lives are transformed through the living Word of God.

RockPoint will connect people with GOD:

1. God – by promoting personal intimacy with God (vertical relationship)
2. Others – creating spaces and communities such as Life Groups (horizontal relationships)
3. Destiny – Helping people discover, develop and deploy gifts

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free,19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  (Luke 4:18-19, NIV)

The Spirit of the Lord empowers us to tackle the global giants. We will do our part and take down giants in the name of Jesus by GRACE initiatives.

G- God-Centered Church (WORSHIP)

• Grow as a God-centered church that start other God-centered churches that reconciles people with God in authentic relationship with Jesus Christ (John 17:3) – the only mediator between God & this
• Reach the world, one person and family at a time with the life-changing Gospel of Jesus Christ
• Reach out to non-believers and those that have fallen out of relationship with the Lord.
• Our goal is to connect 10,000 with God, in 10 years (by 2031) (Very doable, we need a system)
• Our goal is to have impact in every continent in 10 years
• Connect people in meaningful relationships, in a social media age, to “do life” with others outside the walls of the church.
• Multiply our efforts by planting other churches to impact our global community with the message of Jesus Christ. (Matt 28) – New church plants are very effective discipleship platforms.

R – Resource servant-leaders (DISCIPLESHIP)

• Beginning with our NEXT Gear Class series, develop disciples that love others, serve our community, and glorify God in total worship. (John 4:23-24)
• Provide avenues for people to spiritually mature through personal spiritual disciplines & interactions in Life Groups. (Philippians 1:6)
• Beginning with SHAPE Class, empower believers to discover and develop their gifts, and provide platform for the deployment of their spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:7) for the advancement of God’s Kingdom.
• Provide support and training for less fortunate churches and ministries

A – Assist the poor

• Minister to victims of social injustice by
  • Legal education and awareness
  • Social justice advocacy
  • Pro-bono legal defense
  • Empowering the oppressed with principles of love and unity

• Provide support, and resources to the poor through:
  • Orphan care, foster care and widows initiatives
  • Set up food pantries
  • Clean water projects

C – Care for the sick

• Provide ministry to the sick (spiritually, physically, mentally)
• Build hope through God’s Word
• Collaborate with Health care providers to help care for the sick
• Health education and seminars

E – Educate the next generation

• The next generation is vulnerable and under severe attack/influence of the enemy
• We will educate the next generation about the awesome power/truth in God’s word
• Educate the next generation by providing tools for academic and/or vocational success
• Equip the next generation with tools to discover and fulfill their destiny
• Partner with schools to identify issues and promote our mission
• Provide educational resource and tools to underserved and less privileged

Our Guiding Principles

Prayer – 1 Thessalonians 5:17; James 5:16b; Ephesians 6:18

Outreach – Luke 19:10; Acts 5:20,42; Luke 15:4-7

Worship – John 4:23-24; Psalm 29:2; Hebrews 12:28-29

Excellence – Ecclesiastes 9:10a; Colossians 3:23-24

Reproduce Leaders – Ephesians 4:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:2; Exodus 18:21

Faith – Hebrews 11:6; Matthew 19:26

Unity – John 17:20-21; Psalm 133:1; Ephesians 4:3

Stewardship – 1 Timothy 6:17-19; Romans 14:12; Luke 19:15

Empathy – 1 Corinthians 9:20; Hebrews 4:14-15

Strategic approach

• Frequently rehash the vision and mission in clear and concise manner
• Be creative and innovative in devising means to accomplish the mission; work collaboratively with other organizations and groups.
• Target sinners/unchurched (Luke 5:32)

Call to Action:

1. Pray – Join us in regular prayer
2. Sow – Give toward our church building for God
3. Join the Team – Become active in ministry. The harvest is plenty…
   1. Be missional with us

God-centered church plant

Raise servant leaders,

Assist the poor- Social activism: homelessness, prison ministry, sex trafficking, abuse, injustice

Care for the sick, and least of these

Educate the next generation.

4. Outreach – Do whatever it takes, short of sin, to reach as many as we can for Jesus. We must be intentional about reaching people for Christ.