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What We
Are Becoming
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Ends of the Church.
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Concerning the
Six Great Ends of the Church, a report to the 1997 General Assembly said,
"These words were first adapted by the United Presbyterian
Church in
North America
(a forerunner to our denomination) in the year 1906. They are our
church's common understanding of Christ's call to us for faithful
discipleship. They express the common ground of Presbyterian
mission. They are right on target with the needs of our world as
we enter yet another new century. Evangelical fervor is linked
with a passion for social justice. The nurture of community is
linked with fidelity to God's truth. Our worship is linked to how
we exhibit God's love for the world in our daily life. Now is the
time for all Presbyterians to reclaim this vision as our common
ground."
This is what First Presbyterian Church has committed itself to do.
We are looking to become and working to become a Six Great Ends
congregation, which means that, as a congregation, we are
beginning to take seriously what the Six Great Ends of the Church
are all about. The following is a lot to read. We know that this
is a lot to read. Just know that these Six Great Ends are our
defining values as a church, each of which can be capsuled in one
word as follows: evangelism, fellowship, worship, discipleship,
ministry, and mission. To learn more about these
Six Great Ends, click here.
By having this focus on the Six Great Ends, this has allowed this
congregation to capture the vision of Christ's great commission to
those who follow him, namely, to make disciples of all
nations. By being committed to and working to become a
Six Great Ends church, we believe that we will be more faithful
and more diligent and more successful in reaching for this grand
vision of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. To find out more
about our Vision Plan, go to the link you'll find on this page.
Won't you consider joining hands with us as we partner with God to
make disciples of all people everywhere, beginning with ourselves?
This is a challenging and exciting time in the life of this
church, and if you believe in Jesus Christ and want to make a
positive difference for Him through the life and work of the
church, very little would thrill us more than to have you as an
active and engaging part of our ongoing ministry.
 The
Six Great Ends of the Church
 Summaries
"Begin with the end in mind:
To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear
understanding of your destination."
(S. Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, P.98)
The First Great End of the Church: The Proclamation of the
Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind
Biblical Foundation - Matthew 28: 18-20, John 3:16, Acts
1:8, Romans 10: 9-15
The most elegant sentence that summarizes what the Gospel is, is
found in John's Gospel: "For God so loved the world that he
gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not
perish but have eternal life." To proclaim the Gospel is
simply to share with other people that God is love, and
that He's spared nothing, not even His Son, to show us how much He
loves us! It is sharing with other people what God means to you,
how He has changed you for the better, the blessings you've
received from Him, and the joy you know in serving Him and
believing in His promises in Christ. It is saying that God is
love, and that He loves you, and that He loves everyone else in
the world as if they were the only person in the world to love.
Spread the word far and wide: God is love, God is love,
God is love. Invite other people to check it out for
themselves. -- "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring
good news!" (Isaiah 52:7)
The Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind:
to share with other people that God is love.
 The Second Great End of
the Church: The Shelter, Nurture, and Spiritual Fellowship of the
Children of God
Biblical Foundation:
Acts 2: 38-47, 1 Peter 1: 22, 2: 1-5; Ephesians 4: 11-16
Fellowship is more than chit-chat and socializing as this can
happen about anywhere and with about everybody. Fellowship is
Christians who get together in a variety of ways and settings to
deepen their ties with each other and their bond with each other,
so that the church which they comprise grows stronger, and more
loving, and more confident and effective in its witness and
ministry.
And so, when we fellowship, we nurture each other, stroke each
other, encourage each other, lift up and support each other,
affirm each other, and equip each other for what God would have us
do both in the church and in the world.
The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of
God:
getting together to get equipped to server together as God's
people in Jesus Christ.
  The
Third Great End of the Church: The Maintenance of Divine Worship
Biblical Foundation: 1 Chronicles 15:25 - 16:36; Psalm 100, 150; Colossians 3: 15c-17
This third great end of the church simply means the you
worship God every Sunday, and between Sundays you render
Him all glory and honor and give to Him your allegiance and
loyalty. It all begins with regular and weekly
Sunday worship. This is to be the most significant hour of your
every week, the number one thing on your to-do-list as every
weekend approaches. Why? Listen to this from the Book of Order:
The life of a Christian flows from the worship of the
church,
where identity as a believer is confirmed and where one is
commissioned to a life of discipleship and of personal response to
God. The believer's life of response and discipleship flows into
the church's life of worship and service...From a Christian's
life in the world comes the need for worship; in worship one
sees the world in the light of God's grace; from worship
comes vision and power for living in the world...The rhythm of
the life of the believer moves from worship to ministry, from
ministry to worship." Worship is your heartbeat, your
breathing, your very life, your main purpose, which is to praise
and worship God, and enjoy God forever.
The Maintenance of Divine Worship: worship God every Sunday!
  The
Fourth Great End of the Church: The Preservation of the Truth
Biblical Foundation:
Deuteronomy 6: 4-9; Psalm 19, 119; John 14: 1-7; 2 Timothy 1:
13-14, 3: 14-17
This Great End of the Church is about preserving the truth and
"keeping the faith" of what we believe. It means becoming
grounded in the Bible and its stories and instruction, our faith
tradition, and the church's teachings concerning God,
Jesus Christ and discipleship, the community of faith, our lives
as stewards and servants of God in the world, among a host of
other things.
And once you solidly lay this foundation in your own life on the
road to building a life of faith and faithfulness to God and
Christ, then the preservation of the truth means to teach
and
share with others what you have been taught and learned.
You pass along and plant in the hearts of others what you have so
graciously and wondrously received, so that they will grow and
live in ways that please and honor God and His Son. In Psalm 19,
it is said: "God's word is perfect: it gives new life. His
teachings last forever, and they give wisdom to ordinary
people. The Lord's instruction is right; it makes our hearts glad.
His commands shine brightly, and they give us light." And then
in Psalm 119, you read, "God's Word is a lamp to
our feet and a light to our path." In preserving the truth in
your own life and passing it on to others, you become God's
faithful stewards, partnering with God to help ensure that future
generations will continue to praise God and to serve His Son,
Jesus Christ. The great end is nothing less than a charge "to
build faithfully on a foundation which others have laid, to water
in the fields that others have planted in order to guarantee to
succeeding generations the shelter and fruit with which God
intends to bless them."
The Preservation of Truth: to ground yourself in the truth of God, and then to
teach and share what you have been taught and learned.
  The
Fifth Great End of the Church: The Promotion of Social
Righteousness
Biblical Foundation: Leviticus 19: 1-4, 9-18, 32-37; Psalm 146; Amos 5: 24;
Colossians 3: 12-15b
The Great End of the Church is about doing what God says is
right and creating right relationships in the world,
and thus, becoming involved in ministries of social outreach,
change, and justice. In the Book of Order, it said that we
have been elected by God, not only to be saved, but to serve
(G-2.0500). Later on, in this same book, we read that, by faith in
Jesus Christ, we are "to participate in God's activity in the
world through our life for others by: 1) healing and reconciling
and binding up wounds; 2) ministering to the needs of the poor,
the sick, the lonely, and the powerless; 3) engaging in the
struggle to free people from sin, fear, oppression, hunger, and
injustice; and 4) giving ourselves and our substance to the
service of those who suffer (G-3.0300). We are to extend care
and compassion where needed. We are to work for justice and
righteousness where needed.
The Promotion of Social Righteousness:
Doing what God says is right and creating
right relationships in the world.
  The
Sixth Great End of the Church: The Exhibition of the Kingdom of
Heaven to the World
Biblical Foundation: Isaiah 11: 1-9, 61: 1-3, 8-11, 65: 17-25;
Matthew 4: 13-16; 13: 31-32; 1 Thessalonians 1: 2-3, 2: 11-13
This Great End of the Church is about living in a way that
clearly shows that you honor God as King and Lord of all. The
Old Testament talks about you, the people of God, as a light to
the nations, and that those nations and their rulers will be drawn
and attracted to you. Jesus Christ reinforces this truth when he
talks about his followers being "a light to the world" and "a city
set on a hill." Our Book of Order says that we "share with
Christ in the establishing of His just, peaceable, and loving
rule in the world (G-3.0300). This means that we not only talk the
talk, but walk the talk!
As I read somewhere: "The church is a lighthouse showing the
reign of God in our midst. As we reach our to world in need, our
values, words, and deeds will bear witness to the plan of God to
share His healing love with all people. When the world scrutinizes
what the Church does and says and then declares, 'There must
really be a God who loves us, after all!', then we are truly
fulfilling this Great End."
The Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World:
Living in a way that clearly shows that you honor God as King
and Lord of all.
The Six Great Ends In A Sentence:
1.
Share with other people the God is love.
2.
Get together and get equipped to server together has God's people
in Jesus Christ.
3.
Worship God every Sunday.
4.
Ground yourself in the truth of God and then teach and share what
you've been taught and learned.
5.
Do what God says is right and create right relationships in the
world.
6.
Live in a way that clearly shows that you honor God as King and
Lord of all.
The Six Great Ends in a Word:
1.
Evangelism
2.
Fellowship
3.
Worship
4.
Discipleship
5.
Ministry
6.
Mission |
