The Harmony Perspective

A lot churches shy away from social media platforms for the reason of the corruption within each platform. While there is plenty of ungodly content on each platform, there is just as much opportunity to reach the lost there too. Jesus crossed many different culture barriers, He dined with sinners, He healed people from pagan lands, He called out the heretical religious leaders of His day - He went where people needed Him. Social media is where people are now-a-days. Christ followers can meet them there. We have to be careful not to become keyboard warriors, bashing others and ridiculing them, but to use social media as an opportunity to show love, share Christ and the Gospel, and to get involved in the community(most local communities have their own SM pages). Imagine using SM to help solidify Acts 1:8 in your own personal life - that you can be a witness TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, right in your office. This doesn't mean churches and Christ followers stop physical interaction with people, but that we take advantage of the newest opportunities for the sake of the sharing the Gospel. 

Steering the ship isn't always as easy as turning the wheel. In a church with many many members, come many ideas and thoughts. It's necessary, as a leader, to make sure everyone is on the same boat trying to reach the same destination. This is why mission and vision are so important. Harmony has spent about the last 13 years turning the "ship" to be more of a relational/disciple making culture. We are trying to be more outward focused instead of inward focused, while keeping Christ the main thing, so that disciples will be made and people will grow in their faith. 

There are many ways to get involved within your community. One big way is to engage with the local schools. Schools are almost always looking for people to come alongside them and sponsor them, a teacher, or a child. Mentoring is becoming a growing idea lately, and tutors are sought out as well. Teachers need your support more than ever now that COVID-19 has shaken things up. Remember to check with your state's convention to see if they have any help with partnerships with your local schools. They may also be able to provide some training too.

Resources from this episode:
SC Heart 4 Schools

If you have a partnership with a school or an idea that has worked well in the past, we would love to hear from you. Also, if you have a specific topic that you'd like for us to cover, drop us an email at [email protected]

What is our biblical calling to engage with the community, and what does it look like to do that? What are your thoughts and what have you seen that has worked well in your church engaging it's community? Drop your comments, ideas, or questions at [email protected]

Today's resources:
Anatomy of a Revived Church

Trell Ross is a local church planter with a love for Jesus, a heart to share Him with a community, and a desire to see the Kingdom of God grow. Trell, with a solid core team, plans to launch Pioneer Church in August of 2021. Check out Pioneer at the following link. Help share their social media and support a local church plant.

www.pioneer.community
Use the "partner with us" tab to get in touch with Pioneer for any needed information. Pioneer will have a prayer and worship night March 19th, from 6 - 7:30pm and is open to anyone but you must RSVP for COVID reasons. You can RSVP at www.pioneer.community/events

Visit Pioneer on social media too. Be sure to like, follow, and share.
FaceBook: Pioneer Church
Instagram: pioneer.community
Twitter: pioneer_community

You can also get their "news letter" on their website. 

Sending your own people to form a new congregation may seem like a crazy idea. In reality, biblically, we are to train up and equip the saints so that they can do the work of the ministry. People can't go to work if we don't release them to go. We can raise up leaders everyday, but if we hoard them for ourselves, simply to make our lives within ministry easier, we fail on a part of discipleship - which is to release the disciple into ministry. 

For the ones being sent out, it may feel like family being torn apart at first. God doesn't call us to live a life of comfort and luxury, but to go and make disciples. Sometimes, this will look like mission trips, other times church events, but at times it may look like being sent out to form a new church plant in an unreached community. You are the saints that have been equipped to do the work of the ministry. God has chosen you to reach others for Him. You are on mission, you are awesome, you are the CHURCH. 

There are pockets of lostness all over. Often times, it's the communities right down the road that need someone to come to them and share the Gospel with them, but not just as a one time thing. New churches often grow faster than established churches and see a higher percentage of baptisms because of more personal evangelism within that community. Planting churches isn't a new idea, it's a Biblical method that still works and is needed today.

Finances: Satan can work through money to cause strife, disappointment, and anger to rage within marriages. God gives us the power of love and self-control. We must not work out of fear, but be honest where we are financially, communicate well with our spouse, and get back to honoring God with how we steward what He gives us.

Sharing daily responsibilities: Whether it's as simple as doing laundry,  loading the dishwasher,  parenting, or anything else, God ultimately designed marriage between a man and woman for us to be helpmates. We are to compliment each other in what we do. We are to serve each other as Christ served. We are to share in the marriage responsibilities. Satan will use cracks and gaps to make one feel like the other isn't pulling their load. Be sure you are pulling your load. 100% from each side.

Faithfulness: As a man would leave his father and mother, and become one with his wife, we are expected to stay faithful to each other. This could be with another person, a hobby, work, or numerous amounts of other things that satan will use to cause you to loose focus on your spouse and ultimately desire someone or something more than them. We must fight for our marriages, fight for each other - not against each other. Your spouse is not the enemy, satan is. Satan would love to see something that God designed and ordained be destroyed. Do not give him that pleasure. Fight!

“The Pursuit of God” - AW Tozer
“The Insanity of God” - Nik Ripken
“Hero maker” - Doug Ferguson
fighterverses - app

"The money challenge" - Art Rainer
"Leadership book summaries" - studyleadership.com
Youversion bible app

"Not Forsaken" - Louie Giglio
"I Will" - Thom S. Rainer
"I Don't Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist" - Norman L. Geisler and Frank Turek