Posted By: Tim Mannin
ENTRY EIGHTEEN, the final entry in our writing series, EIGHTEEN, which is all about some of in's and out's of this church.
This is the 18th entry and if this were golf this would be the last hole. Ha! Therefore, this is the final entry in this writing series about OKC Community. Writing eighteen entries seems like quite a bit, but in the grand scheme of the story and heart of this church—this writing series is just a drop in the bucket of what is really happening and what God is really doing. With that said, we hope it provides a helpful and beautiful picture of some of the what and why’s behind OKC Community Church. As I stated in the introduction—this is not a theological statement of faith, or purposed to be some sort of creative doctrinal thesis. This writing series was simply aimed to help people. To help people in their everyday lives and to learn about the heart behind this church. While, there is still much to be said—for now we’ll call this a good place to begin.
Now, I mentioned golf. The feeling at the end of a golf game for me is typically satisfaction. Satisfaction that the embarrassment and torment of a game I cannot master is finally over…at least until the next time I dare to tee it up. Golf is an incredibly maddening sport because occasionally you will experience the sweet and unforgettable feeling of the perfect shot followed by the confusing and endlessly frustrating feeling of another shank shot off your six iron. However, it bids you to come back for the intoxication of possibly having another all to rare, perfect shot.
Isn’t this a familiar feeling we have when it comes to matters of our faith? Some moments, days, or weeks are full of excitement, joy, and fulfillment while others are frustrating, full of regret, and can feel empty. The roller coaster we live as followers of Jesus is quite the ride at times. We aim for perfection, only to mess up…once again. We pray to God looking for answers, only to wonder “is he ever going to answer?” Walking with Jesus isn’t always easy, it doesn’t always make sense, and if we ever choose to be serious about it—well, it can at times feel maddening.
Why am I ending this writing series with such a messy reality? Yes, following Jesus is hard and won’t always seem logical—but why end this series talking about this part of the story? Because, following Jesus isn’t about the hard things, messy things, confusing things, or scary things it calls us to. Following Jesus is about the good things it calls us to.
We live in a broken, not yet restored world—so the roller coaster of challenges will continue, but the Good News in the mess we live in is found in Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus, we carry the best news the world will ever hear. Let me say it again…following Jesus is about the good things it calls us to.
We’ve been called to:
- love the Lord our God with all our heart mind soul and strength
- love our neighbors
- love our enemies
- pray continually
- be kind, generous, encouraging, and just
- worship our Father in Heaven
- shine God’s light in the darkest places in this world
- forgive others, extend mercy, and live gracefully
- to obey God and all of his commands
- to help the poor and mend the broken
- to care for the widow and orphan
- to give hope to the hopeless
- be courageous
- be faithful
We’ve been called to many wonderful things. Things that are good. These are things that matter. OKC Community Church is building a community of people who desire to become people who do things that matter everyday.
What if you did something that MATTERED every day?
Chances are you’ve had too many days that have gone by without doing anything that truly matters for God’s Kingdom. Following Jesus is about pushing our way through the mess in order to show the world the good things that God has called us to. The stuff that really matters, the stuff that makes Jesus good, the things that make Jesus followers good. Far too often the reputation of Christians from non-believers is that they are judgmental and hypocritical. We must let them taste and see that He is good (Psalm 34:8) and that he’s called us to some good things.
Doing Things that Matter is a call to a group of people to make a difference and to live a life that doesn’t fall for the trappings of this world that will keep you grounded in the sea of sameness. Trappings such as; life consuming careers, the pursuit of the American dream, worldly materialism, and misguided spiritual philosophies that are about doing good and living well.
We aren’t asking you to be a good person.
We’re dreaming that we become good people that live the Gospel in such a way that we change the world around us all for the glory and goodness of Jesus our King. That will call us to do hard things, good things, courageous things, loving things, and incredibly faithful things—or in other words…it will call us to do things that matter.
We hope to pull ourselves and others out of the mess as best as we can. We hope to be the church the best way we know how. And we really hope and pray that we become people who actually do things that matter every day.
Our story as a church has just begun…may we always remember who the author of this story is and may we never grow weary or lose heart. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2-3).