Failing Forward
Are you looking for a church that has it all together?
“1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” —1 Corinthians 11:1
“12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.” —Philippians 3:12–15
Step 1: Face the Facts
Life Groups shrank in engagement last Spring and shrank in facilitators since
We’ve baptized a bunch of people… and have no idea where they are.
Our church is NOT in financial trouble, but many of our families are.
We closed a room in OneKids on what is traditionally “Launch Sunday” because we don’t have enough volunteers willing to serve.
Am I alarmed by these things? No. Because…
… we are working with a crystal-clear LONG-RANGE vision
… this is the case in much of American church-world
… Jesus and the early church had worse things going on:
“53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. 56 And they went on to another village.” —Luke 9:53–56
“21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” ” —Matthew 16:21–23
“1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” —1 Corinthians 5:1–2
How is this hopeful?
We are not yet what we will become… and God has given us time.
“6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”” —Luke 13:6–9
Want to dig deeper? Check out the “Work” tab under Topical Library in your free RightNow Media Account (“browse” > “Topical Libraries” > “Work”)
- You can serve others with others.
- You can join one of our first-come-first-serve Life Groups (Write “Life Group” on the back of your Connect Card.).
- You can join the “Strengthening Your Marriage” bootcamp starting next Sunday evening, 9/17/2023. (Write “Marriage” on the back of your Connect Card).
- Description automatically generatedYou can form your own group with a personal invitation and the RightNow Media content we’ve been talking about
– https://app.rightnowmedia.org/join/onemissoula
– text the code ONEMISSOULA to 49775
One Missoula Church gives back to God through sacraficial giving that we use to help others discover and strengthen a relationship with Jesus Christ. We’ve removed every barrier and inconvenience to make this sacrificial act as accessible and simple as possible. At present, here are the avenues avialable to us:
- Sunday Morning - offering boxes on the communion tables at theback
- Snail Mail - postage-paid envelope included in the handout
- Text “1MSO” to 888-364-4483
- Online at https://onemissoulachurch.com/give
- Via the One Missoula App under the “Giving” tab
