Moving Beyond Resolutions
A Call to Remembrance and Renewal
There's something about the turn of a new year that brings with it both hope and heaviness. We stand at the threshold of fresh possibilities, yet often weighed down by the guilt of resolutions already broken, goals left unmet, and the familiar cycle of "better luck next time." But what if the answer isn't found in making new resolutions at all? What if instead, we need to be reminded of commitments already made—pillars already established—that can guide us forward?
The Power of Remembrance
Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly reminds His people of truths they already know. Paul boldly reminded the Romans of familiar teachings. Jude stirred up his readers with reminders of what they fully understood. Peter wrote entire letters simply to refresh the memories of believers about the predictions of the prophets and the commandments of the Lord.
Why this constant repetition? Because we are prone to drift. In our consumer-driven culture, we've become accustomed to consuming religious content rather than living out transformative truth. We attend services, listen to messages, and then return to our routines largely unchanged. This creates mission creep—a slow slide away from our God-given purpose. We seek the familiar, the comfortable, the routine, and before long, we find ourselves off course.
We need guideposts. We need reminders. We need to rehearse our priorities constantly so we can stay on track and accomplish what God has called us to do.
The Priority of Our Mission
The church exists for a specific purpose. While we are indeed a family, a fellowship, and a community of believers, we are not primarily trying to build any of those things. We are building a church—and the church has a mission given directly by Jesus Christ: to make disciples.
In Matthew 28, Jesus commissioned His followers to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them everything He taught, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This isn't trendy church-speak or the latest ministry fad. This is the foundational task Jesus left for His church.
As one wise voice recently noted, the church's job is not to fix the world's problems—only Jesus can do that. The church's job is to disciple people into union with Jesus Christ. That is our singular, focused calling.
Groups: The Biblical Model for Discipleship
How do we accomplish this mission? Through intentional, relational environments where people can grow together. This isn't a modern innovation—it's a biblical pattern established in both the Old and New Testaments.
When Moses struggled to lead the people alone, his father-in-law Jethro wisely counseled him to organize into smaller groups to prevent burnout and provide better care. In Acts 2, when the church exploded from 120 believers to thousands, they devoted themselves to meeting in homes. There they committed to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking bread together, and prayer. They studied sound doctrine, cared for one another, shared meals, and prayed together.
And God blessed it. The church grew daily.
This relational model of discipleship transforms learning environments. More importantly, care happens best in these settings. When people grow together in small communities, there's familiarity with need and proximity to respond. There's the ability to pivot quickly when someone faces crisis. People are truly known and genuinely cared for in ways that simply cannot happen in larger gatherings alone.
Think of it this way: Jesus taught thousands on the Sermon on the Mount—an effective means of communication. But He also took Peter, James, and John to the Mount of Transfiguration, where He revealed things to those three that the crowds never witnessed. Both settings were essential. We need the corporate assembly and the intimate small group. What happens around a kitchen table cannot be replicated from a pulpit, and what happens in corporate worship cannot be duplicated in a living room.
Three Guiding Pillars
As we pursue this mission, three principles should guide our daily decisions:
Excellence in All Things. Not perfectionism or professionalism, but a wholehearted commitment captured in Paul's words: "Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all for the glory of God." This means bringing our full selves—all that we are—for all of His glory. When things go wrong, we don't phone it in. When circumstances don't cooperate, we still give our best. The mission matters too much for anything less.
Simplicity of Structure. The more complex something becomes, the more roadblocks appear between us and our mission. Simplicity creates freedom—freedom to do the next right thing, freedom to pursue our spiritual gifts with passion, freedom to focus on one thing and do it with all our might. As Paul wrote in Philippians 3, "This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Integrity in Service. No double standards. No masks. No compartmentalized faith where we're one person on Sunday and another the rest of the week. Instead, we commit to transparency, humility, and authenticity. We will be who we say we are, walk in grace, and live out what we believe every day of the week.
The Priority of Spiritual Disciplines
Finally, three spiritual disciplines should characterize our lives:
We are a praying people. In humble dependence upon the Lord, we commit to consistent prayer as essential for our spiritual wellbeing. Through prayer, we actively seek and submit to God's will.
We are a Scripture-saturated people. Because the Bible is God-breathed, free from error, and completely dependable, we commit to it as our rule of faith and practice. We teach and preach the whole counsel of God's word without alteration or neglect. As Jesus said in John 15, when His word abides in us and we abide in His word, we become His disciples indeed and bear fruit that remains.
We are a Spirit-filled people. The Holy Spirit—co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Son—has been given to all who repent and believe. He transforms us, affirms our faith, confirms we are children of God, and gives us both the ability and desire to follow Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing. With Him, we have access to all of Christ and all of the Father, right now.
Moving Forward
As we look toward the future, the path forward isn't found in elaborate resolutions or complex strategies. It's found in returning to these foundational commitments. It's found in remembering our mission, embracing the biblical model of discipleship, holding fast to our guiding principles, and practicing the spiritual disciplines that connect us to God's power.
We have been given everything necessary for life and godliness. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Word of God guides us. The power of prayer connects us to the Father's will.
The question isn't whether we can succeed in what God has called us to do. The question is whether we will commit ourselves fully to these time-tested, Scripture-grounded practices that God has always blessed.
Will we be a praying people? Will we saturate ourselves in God's Word? Will we walk in the fullness of the Spirit? Will we pursue our mission with excellence, simplicity, and integrity?
The new year doesn't require new resolutions. It requires renewed commitment to ancient truths that transform lives and change the world.
There's something about the turn of a new year that brings with it both hope and heaviness. We stand at the threshold of fresh possibilities, yet often weighed down by the guilt of resolutions already broken, goals left unmet, and the familiar cycle of "better luck next time." But what if the answer isn't found in making new resolutions at all? What if instead, we need to be reminded of commitments already made—pillars already established—that can guide us forward?
The Power of Remembrance
Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly reminds His people of truths they already know. Paul boldly reminded the Romans of familiar teachings. Jude stirred up his readers with reminders of what they fully understood. Peter wrote entire letters simply to refresh the memories of believers about the predictions of the prophets and the commandments of the Lord.
Why this constant repetition? Because we are prone to drift. In our consumer-driven culture, we've become accustomed to consuming religious content rather than living out transformative truth. We attend services, listen to messages, and then return to our routines largely unchanged. This creates mission creep—a slow slide away from our God-given purpose. We seek the familiar, the comfortable, the routine, and before long, we find ourselves off course.
We need guideposts. We need reminders. We need to rehearse our priorities constantly so we can stay on track and accomplish what God has called us to do.
The Priority of Our Mission
The church exists for a specific purpose. While we are indeed a family, a fellowship, and a community of believers, we are not primarily trying to build any of those things. We are building a church—and the church has a mission given directly by Jesus Christ: to make disciples.
In Matthew 28, Jesus commissioned His followers to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them everything He taught, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This isn't trendy church-speak or the latest ministry fad. This is the foundational task Jesus left for His church.
As one wise voice recently noted, the church's job is not to fix the world's problems—only Jesus can do that. The church's job is to disciple people into union with Jesus Christ. That is our singular, focused calling.
Groups: The Biblical Model for Discipleship
How do we accomplish this mission? Through intentional, relational environments where people can grow together. This isn't a modern innovation—it's a biblical pattern established in both the Old and New Testaments.
When Moses struggled to lead the people alone, his father-in-law Jethro wisely counseled him to organize into smaller groups to prevent burnout and provide better care. In Acts 2, when the church exploded from 120 believers to thousands, they devoted themselves to meeting in homes. There they committed to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking bread together, and prayer. They studied sound doctrine, cared for one another, shared meals, and prayed together.
And God blessed it. The church grew daily.
This relational model of discipleship transforms learning environments. More importantly, care happens best in these settings. When people grow together in small communities, there's familiarity with need and proximity to respond. There's the ability to pivot quickly when someone faces crisis. People are truly known and genuinely cared for in ways that simply cannot happen in larger gatherings alone.
Think of it this way: Jesus taught thousands on the Sermon on the Mount—an effective means of communication. But He also took Peter, James, and John to the Mount of Transfiguration, where He revealed things to those three that the crowds never witnessed. Both settings were essential. We need the corporate assembly and the intimate small group. What happens around a kitchen table cannot be replicated from a pulpit, and what happens in corporate worship cannot be duplicated in a living room.
Three Guiding Pillars
As we pursue this mission, three principles should guide our daily decisions:
Excellence in All Things. Not perfectionism or professionalism, but a wholehearted commitment captured in Paul's words: "Whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all for the glory of God." This means bringing our full selves—all that we are—for all of His glory. When things go wrong, we don't phone it in. When circumstances don't cooperate, we still give our best. The mission matters too much for anything less.
Simplicity of Structure. The more complex something becomes, the more roadblocks appear between us and our mission. Simplicity creates freedom—freedom to do the next right thing, freedom to pursue our spiritual gifts with passion, freedom to focus on one thing and do it with all our might. As Paul wrote in Philippians 3, "This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Integrity in Service. No double standards. No masks. No compartmentalized faith where we're one person on Sunday and another the rest of the week. Instead, we commit to transparency, humility, and authenticity. We will be who we say we are, walk in grace, and live out what we believe every day of the week.
The Priority of Spiritual Disciplines
Finally, three spiritual disciplines should characterize our lives:
We are a praying people. In humble dependence upon the Lord, we commit to consistent prayer as essential for our spiritual wellbeing. Through prayer, we actively seek and submit to God's will.
We are a Scripture-saturated people. Because the Bible is God-breathed, free from error, and completely dependable, we commit to it as our rule of faith and practice. We teach and preach the whole counsel of God's word without alteration or neglect. As Jesus said in John 15, when His word abides in us and we abide in His word, we become His disciples indeed and bear fruit that remains.
We are a Spirit-filled people. The Holy Spirit—co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Son—has been given to all who repent and believe. He transforms us, affirms our faith, confirms we are children of God, and gives us both the ability and desire to follow Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing. With Him, we have access to all of Christ and all of the Father, right now.
Moving Forward
As we look toward the future, the path forward isn't found in elaborate resolutions or complex strategies. It's found in returning to these foundational commitments. It's found in remembering our mission, embracing the biblical model of discipleship, holding fast to our guiding principles, and practicing the spiritual disciplines that connect us to God's power.
We have been given everything necessary for life and godliness. The Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Word of God guides us. The power of prayer connects us to the Father's will.
The question isn't whether we can succeed in what God has called us to do. The question is whether we will commit ourselves fully to these time-tested, Scripture-grounded practices that God has always blessed.
Will we be a praying people? Will we saturate ourselves in God's Word? Will we walk in the fullness of the Spirit? Will we pursue our mission with excellence, simplicity, and integrity?
The new year doesn't require new resolutions. It requires renewed commitment to ancient truths that transform lives and change the world.
Posted in Holidays
Posted in #NewYear, #Resolutions, #Mission, #Vision, #GreatCommission, #Prayer, #HolySpirit, #TheWord, #Bible, #Excellence, #Simplicity, #Integrity
Posted in #NewYear, #Resolutions, #Mission, #Vision, #GreatCommission, #Prayer, #HolySpirit, #TheWord, #Bible, #Excellence, #Simplicity, #Integrity
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