2020: Creating A Culture
This past Sunday we entered into a time of vision casting for what the church stands by on a core, foundational level. Pastor Robbie declared our identity as a church, what we have stood for, and how to how we plan to embody them even better this year! If you were not able to make it to our Gathering this past Sunday, know that we missed you and hope to be able to see you this upcoming Sunday! We also hope that your participation in our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting is going well - if you’re not familiar with what we’re talking about, check out our different plans at legacycity.church/21days and join us in this time of dedicated spiritual practice!
We entered into the second week of our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting this week - so many different people have joined us in so many different ways of doing this. Some of us are doing a more secular fast i.e. not spending time watching TV, or not spending time on Social Media; others of us are getting more physical with this time, doing fasts like a Jewish fast (only eating when the sun goes down) or a Vegetarian-type fast (only eating fruits, vegetables, and nuts). No matter what you feel God calling you towards, we hope that by giving up many different good things in your life, you are able to find more unique times to spend with God in prayer!
This week Pastor Robbie spoke about the many different things that make up Legacy City Church’s culture throughout many core tenets of our mission as a church, and the many phrases that instill these core tenets in a more natural way including specifically: Church is a People, Not a Place; Ministry Happens Better in Circles Than in Rows; and Our City, Our Responsibility!
“For far too long the church has been known for what it’s against, we want to be known for what we’re for! God, Kingdom, People, City. The next generation, the unchurched and dechurched, the least, the last, and the lost.” - Ps. Robbie
Church is a People, Not a Place. We say this all of the time! You see it when you come in on a banner, we have it on a t-shirt. But what does it mean? Because, when the word “church” comes up in conversation, the first thing we think of is a building. Depending on how you grew up or how long you’ve been in church, your mental image of the word “church” might be pews and steeples and red or green carpet. We have this mindset that church is a place we go to on Sundays, and it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that we aren’t just going to church; we are the church. The church is a people not a place and God is building his church! Scripture always refers to the Church as a body of people who, in covenant relationship seek to further the Kingdom of God here in this world. 1 Peter 2:5 states, ‘You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.’ Ourselves, as individuals and as a collective body are being built up as a spiritual household - we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, we dwell in the same household now! Not only living under the same spiritual roof, but we have been called to take action in our lives and communities; 1 Tim. 5:16-17 specifically calls us to this saying, ‘If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.’. We are called to care for those who need it, and when we come together and provide for each other, this love naturally spreads to all those around us, in all of our walks of life.
The second main point that Ps. Robbie spoke on is this American idea of solely individual faith and corporate experience. We believe that Ministry and the Christian Life happens much better in Circles rather than in Rows. We’re told things like:
‘Go in your room, shut the door, and study.
Master the art of "quiet time"—just you and God.
Read a book - by yourself.
Put headphones on and listen to a podcast - by yourself.
Go sit on a hammock and pray - by yourself.’
Do any of these sound familiar to you? This is how many people in our community understand the church and the Christian life to be - this isn’t what Scripture tells us! From the very beginnings of the church in Acts, we see something very different. Acts 2:42-47 states, ‘And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together (church gathering like this) and breaking bread in their homes, (smaller groups, circles) they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.’ This doesn’t really look like those phrases we looked at above, does it? Here at Legacy City, we want ‘community’ to be apart of each and everything that we do!
The last major cultural phrase and point made this past Sunday was ‘Our City, Our Responsibility’. One question, do you believe that God has planted you here in this community, that God has a distinct and specific purpose for you being in the Greenwood/Abbeville area? Scripture tells us that no matter where we are, no matter what situation we are in, we have been planted here for a purpose - this purpose is a holy purpose, to impact people for the Kingdom of God! In Jeremiah 29 we see this exact situation - while we are not facing exile in a foreign land like the people of Judah/Israel were, we see a very clear call from God that they were to seek prosperity for where they were being taken. Verses 5-7 tell us, ‘Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.’ Even during such an unfortunate time as the exile, the people of God were told to impact their communities for His sake, and their own sake.
Our calling Church, is to be ambassadors for the sake of the Gospel where we have been planted. We need to declare that a building is not the body of believers at large, we need to declare that we should actively be doing life together for our own edification and for the sake of others in community, and we need to embrace the place that God has rooted us - this mission is not about us, but for the glory and honor of the God that brought us out of darkness!
SOME KEY TAKE-AWAYS
2020: Creating A Culture - We don’t want to merely be a church that sits back and is passive about letting you and everyone in our community what we are about. We believe we’re doing things a bit differently than some church communities, our Culture is based on Scripture and empowered by You!
Main Scripture Passages - 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Tim. 5:16-17; Acts 2:42-47; Jer. 29:5-7
21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - Go to legacycity.church/21days for more details! We hope to Humble Ourselves, Seek God, Hear from Heaven, and Dwell in His Kingdom’s power during this time!
Church is a People, Not a Place - Many times, people will associate the ‘Church’ with a building or meeting place - this isn’t what Scripture tells us! The Church is made of believers, without believers there is no Church.
Ministry Happens Better in Circles Than in Rows - While we certainly value the great preaching we get to hear from Pastor Robbie, our Elders, and others - the core of ministry should be done living life together outside of corporate service. We believe that community is needed for ministry to be most effective.
Our City, Our Responsibility - Most of us live in the Greenwood area, be that Greenwood proper, or maybe even out in Abbeville - we have been planted here for a reason, we need to own ur place here and impact each and every person we can for the sake of the Gospel!
If this topic piques your interest or if you would enjoy listening to this sermon in more depth, check out Legacy City’s Podcast, available here, or on Spotify and Itunes.
To keep up to date with Legacy City Church and everything that God is doing in our community, please follow us on social media:
Facebook: LegacyCityGWD
Instagram: LegacyCityGWD
Twitter: LegacyCityGWD
Join us next Sunday as we continue our 2020 Vision-Casting series!
We’re saving you a seat, and know that You Are Loved!