We exists to glorify God!
Missio Dei Church exists to glorify God by giving every man, woman, and child a repeated opportunity to hear, see, and respond to the gospel. This has been the mission of Missio from its earliest days. Although the church will grow in a variety of ways and change as God shapes and refines His people, our aim has remained the same.
“To glorify God” – We were created for God’s glory (Isaiah 43:7). In the Old Testament, the word for glory (כָּבוֺד – Hebrew kavod) may be rendered honor, dignity, or splendor, but can also mean weight. In the New Testament, the word for glory (δόξα – Greek doxa) points towards God’s excellence and majesty. The word carries with it the idea of praise which is why the “Doxology” sung by the church begins, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” Taking these two concepts together, to glorify God means we praise and worship Him because He’s worthy of it. He matters.
“…every man, woman, and child” – Jesus’ commission to His church is to make disciples of all peoples (Matthew 28:18-19). The early church father Augustine wrote, “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.” Augustine’s statement is often communicated like this: Everyone has a God-shaped hole in their heart that can be filled with nothing else other than God. Apart from a saving knowledge of God that comes through the proclamation of the Gospel, men and women, boys and girls, will spend eternity under God’s wrath for their sins (Romans 5:9,10; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 1:9). With utmost seriousness and urgency we desire that all may know and worship their Creator God.
“…the repeated opportunity…” – Sharing the good news of God’s salvation from our sins through His Son Jesus is not a one-and-done work. We like to think that God changes people overnight. We share the gospel, they hear it, and boom!!…their lives will never be the same. Although there are examples in the scriptures of this kind of radical, overnight transformation, the Bible also speaks of gospel-change like a planted seed (Mark 4:1-20; 1 Corinthians 3:5-7; 1 Peter 1:23). Although we WILL see the germination and fruit of that seed over the course of time, there is much happening below the surface before we see visible sprouts. The gospel works this way for the Christian and non-Christian alike (Titus 2:11-13). The Christian needs Jesus ever before their eyes, and as often as God gives us opportunity, we seek to speak and live before a watching world in such a way that Jesus might be seen as the treasure he really is (Matthew 5:16; 13:44).
“…to hear, see, and respond…” – The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a historical event. Communicating this good news of God’s work to restore a broken people to himself must be shared with words – spoken and written (Romans 10:14, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:1, 3). The Holy Spirit, by the grace of God, will take those words and transform hearts and lives through it (Romans 1:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 1:4). Those lives then become reflections of God’s saving grace and put His gospel on display (2 Corinthians 2:14-17; 3:1-3; 1 Peter 2:9-10). We are zealous for good works that reflect the love and mercy we’ve received from God. In both word and deed we seek to honor him and make him known (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17).
“…to the gospel.” – The word gospel means good news. The gospel is a shorthand term meant to communicate all that God is and does for us through Jesus. The whole of the Bible communicates this account of God’s work from Genesis to Revelation. The story unfolds in four great themes: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. In the gospel we find that a holy, righteous Creator God made us to love and be loved by Him. Our representative head, Adam, sinned (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 5:12) and in so doing, we are now all sinners by nature and choice (Romans 3:23). But God, being rich in mercy and love, sent His Son, Jesus Christ to atone for our sins by living a perfect life (1 Peter 3:18), dying a substitutionary death in our place (Colossians 2:14), and winning for us our salvation and freedom. The gospel tells us that we all stand guilty before a Sovereign God. He put forward his own Son to live the life we could not live, die the death we should have died (Romans 6:23), and rise from the dead that we would be declared right before Him (Romans 4:25; 6:22). In a word, the gospel is all about Jesus (Acts 2:36; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Philippians 2:10-11).