Who We Are

Who We Are | Mystery’s Gospel Identity

The simple answer is that we’re a church, but that has many meanings today. More precisely we’re a group of Christ-Followers gathered by God, growing in Christ, empowered by the Spirit to live our gospel identity, in gospel community and on gospel mission.

We are Worshippers
Everyone was made to worship. We all give ourselves and affections to something or someone. We’re hard wired to worship. Ever seen people at a concert or sporting event? Ever stood in awe of the mountains or the ocean? It’s in us and it longs to come out. We’re a church that worships Jesus. As Followers we live to enjoy him everywhere, please him in everything and love him completely.

We are Learners
To be a disciple is by definition to be a learner. We are Jesus’ disciples. He is our Master, Teacher and Friend. We follow him, learning to walk the way of Jesus and becoming like him. We know him and grow in him by the Spirit through the study of his Word.

We are Servants
Jesus is God. This was His claim, but His bold statement was not accompanied by arrogance or superiority, rather by meekness and service. Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. We live putting others first in caring, sharing, providing for and praying for them.

We are Missionaries
God is a missionary. He sent his Son to save the world from sin and He sends his church. We are to be a city on a hill, a ray of hope, an example of love and a witness to the truth. Every Christian is sent to live on mission sharing the gospel verbally and visually in their workplaces, neighborhoods, cultures and cities. It’s a lifestyle.

We are Family
When we, through faith in Christ, become a Christian we are adopted as God’s children. What great news! In Jesus we’re made brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers. This is the church. Christian growth always happens best in community living as God’s family.

West Central Lunch Buddies

West Central Elementary needs volunteers for Lunch Buddies and Trek Coaches! This is an incredible opportunity to be in the lives of these students and be an example of Christ's love to them! Please see Vance Eden or Patrick Snow for more info!

Exploring Mystery

If you're new to Mystery, want to know more about us, or are interested in membership, this is what you're looking for! Classes will begin next month, on Sunday, Oct. 10th from 4-7:30pm, so be on the lookout for sign-ups in the lobby!

GREAT DAY OF SERVICE

Immediately after service we will take to the streets of downtown along with the city and several other organizations to love and serve our neighborhood. We invite everyone to join us in this great gospel opportunity for restoration. There is something for everyone and there will be food and fun on main street after the work is done.

UPCOMING CONCERT AND WORSHIP NIGHT

Mystery is Hosting - HYMNS a PAGE CXVI concert Saturday Oct 2nd from 6-8pm - It's a night of music and worship in downtown Joplin.
Cost is your choice, but all donations will go toward and benefit West Central Elementary.

Welcome to the Gospel

Continuing our posts from our first time guest booklet...

What is the Gospel?
If you haven’t already noticed we use the word “gospel” a lot. Simply explained the gospel is the good news of God’s great grace in saving sinners through the sending of his only son Jesus Christ to be the substitutionary sacrifice for sin. It’s the story of God’s justice and mercy expressed in the Cross of Christ.

We were lovingly created by God to bear his image and find our identity in him alone. Slaving to find our happiness, satisfaction and significance apart from
Jesus leaves us ultimately alone and empty.

In denying God and dismissing him from our lives we deserve death, because he is just. But God, because he is also loving and kind, pursues his people, sending his son Jesus to live the perfect life we cannot live and die the death that we all deserve as rebels and enemies of God. He is that good and he loves us that much!

The gospel is the good news of God’s great love revealed in Jesus’ life, given in his death and extended to us through his resurrection. It’s offered to everyone called by God who acknowledges their sin, turns from their rebellious ways and trusts in Jesus for forgiveness and life. The gospel transforms, defines and motivates Mystery.
Knowing we are sinners saved by grace alone through Jesus Christ alone creates a community of grateful people, loved by God and extending his love. The gospel alone makes a Christian holy and humble, compassionate and confident.

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1John 4:10

Welcome to Mystery

We have a packet of information we hand out to first time guests at Mystery. It's a small little self printed booklet, but it is a great summary of who we are as a church. Of the next week we will be posting the contents of the booklet here. If you have never been to Mystery its a good introduction. If this is your church think of it as a refresher course.

Welcome

We’re really glad you chose to visit us and are excited to get to know you more! We love hearing other’s stories and learning how we can serve you best and connect you with others in our growing community of Christ followers.

Life’s not meant to be lived in isolation. Just as God exists in community as Father, Son and Spirit so we, his creation were made to live intimately alongside one another; sharing, caring, loving, praying and providing for each other in community.

At Mystery it is our hope that you will find a safe place alongside other sojourners to examine Christianity, explore gospel community and experience gospel grace.

As God’s image bearers we were made to live for something bigger than ourselves. It’s that deep longing for meaning we all know and yearn for. The good news is that God does have a plan and purpose for his people. In love he saves us and assembles us as his church. God then sends us out on his rescue mission to love and serve the world, seeking others to share in his love, experience his grace and participate in his great cause. Jesus is creating a new humanity that lives as his kingdom community for his glory, our joy and the good of the city.
This booklet is our first way of sharing who we are, why we exist, where we’re going and how you can share in what God is doing in our lives and in our city.

We’re glad you’re here and hope you’re experiencing and enjoying His grace.

New Series Starts this Sunday - REVISION

Mystery continues it's trek through Matthews gospel this week as we enter into the 4th discourse in chapters 18-20. We have titled the series "REVISION". Jesus is constantly challenging us to see the world as he sees it. Throughout this section even his own disciples continue to miss the points Jesus has been making. Who is the greatest? What makes someone important? What does mercy look like? How about marriage and money? These are certainly timely and relevant questions today. Jesus continues to lead us into seeing life through the lens of the gospel. Join us over the next several Sundays. 514 S Main in downtown at 10am as we Revision our lives in Christ together.

Red Flags of Discipleship

From the Acts 29 Network blog here is a great post with some thoughtful and challenging "Red Flags" of discipleship. Helpful warnings and corrections on the nature or nurturing others into Christ-likeness for Gods glory.

Red Flags of Dicsipleship

ArtWalk Thursday Sept 16th

Loving Our City

Here is a great recent post on the Resurgence web site addressing the topic of Loving Your City. It's by Acts 29 pastor Jonathan Dodson in Austin Texas and has four simple, but great ideas for engaging your city with the love God wants to share with people. Everyone should read this and then begin to prayerfully and purposefully put into into practice in your own life.

Raise the Roof!

God has been very good to our church. A year and half ago God graced us with a new home in downtown Joplin, right in the heart of the city and in the middle of all that we felt God was calling us to engage in as a church. It’s easy for me, and I am sure for all of us, to overlook and take for granted these things of grace, but God is doing great things in the hearts of people and in the heart of the city through our efforts and his blessing of a building.

As owners of 514 S. Main, we are called to be stewards of God’s resources. It’s inevitable, isn’t it, that once you buy something it always asks for more. (Call it the Fall) Our building has several needs now, and it’s our responsibility as a church to care for them together. We share in the ministry, mission and even money as a community. The primary and immediate concerns are 1. Repairing the Roof and 2. Fixing the rear Façade.













We knew the building would need a new roof—we just thought we might get another year or two out of the existing one. But that’s not the case. With the large amounts of rain and bad weather the need has come quicker than expected, and despite attempted repairs it has grown to be a sizable problem. With the removal of the big green metal façade on the back of the building, the rear of our place is now also exposed to the elements. Broken windows and unsealed brick need to be closed up so we can responsibly protect our investment.

Several of the leaders of Mystery have spent many hours talking to roof specialists and getting quotes. As you know, we have a LARGE space with a BIG roof. After a wide range of quotes, much talk and lots of prayer, we decided on a roofer that could do the work for a manageable cost. (By manageable, we mean if all of us contribute to the effort.) Fixing the roof was not optional at this point. It would continue to deteriorate rapidly, and this would not be a good act of stewardship on our part.

We know that things are tight for many of us, and that is why we are asking everyone to get involved in this project. If each individual contributes to the cause, no one person would have to bear the weight. Over the course of August and September we are seeking to raise the necessary funds to meet this needs. We are the church together, and that means we all currently have a need as a body.

What can you do? Give. If you would forgo a few things over the next couple of months, most everyone could contribute $50, $100, $500 or more, and it would go a LONG way. One hundred people mobilized for mission can tackle this with little to no effort. We are asking everyone who calls Mystery home and family to prayerfully and sacrificially give to this effort. Additionally, we will need everyone to serve. Along with money we need good old-fashioned hard work. We will be doing several things ourselves to cut costs, and all of us contributing will again go a long way. Please talk to Pastor Nate, myself or Vance Eden to find out how you can help with the physical and financial efforts over the next month.

There is a big need—but let’s remember we have a bigger God. I would ask us all, as we have done before, to rise to the challenge for the sake of the gospel as well as our personal growth and joy in Jesus. It’s my privilege to labor alongside you in the gospel to see lives transformed and a city changed for his glory and our good!

Sincerely,
Your Pastor – Steev Inge

Baby Day This Sunday

A few people have had a couple questions concerning Baby Dedication Day this Sunday. So here is a little more about it.

We take this time to recognize Gods gift of children and present them to Jesus, recognizing they are first his and then call parents to steward his gracious gift well loving an leading them to Jesus as they grow. We will introduce kids to the church in order for the body/family to know our children and pray for them as the church seeks to also lead and love our kids collectively. During this time we introduce the kids and their parents, call them to the great responsibility and joy of parenting and then as a church present them to God and pray over them to know and receive God's provision, protection and saving faith as they grow. To acknowledge God’s grace in giving children, all Parents to recognize their God-given responsibility and ask for help from their community of faith in raising their children.

It's a fun time to give back to God and remind us all of our call as a church. I wold greatly encourage any regular participants of Mystery to include their 2 and under children....oh and parents get a free book.

Baby Dedication Day September 12th

Sunday September 12th during our morning worship gathering we will be presenting our children to the Lord and praying for God's provision and protection upon their life. If you have a child age 2 and under we encourage you to be a part of this special day. Invite your family and friends as we celebrate together as a family all that Jesus is doing through the blessing of children in our church.

What is the Bible About?

The Bible Is Not Basically about You

This is a good post from Justin Taylor with a great video based on a talk given by Tim Keller. Click here to view and read the whole post.

Bulletin Anouncements.

Do to some technical difficulties we had no bulletins this past Sunday....have no fear though. If you want to remain in the know (and you should) here is all that's important this week at Mystery:

Packs and Snacks Mystery is partnering with West Central Elementary and gathering items backpacks, snacks for kindergarten students, kleenexes, lice kits, & small rewards.

Community Groups Being a Christian means being in Community. It is living alongside others on mission that we grow in the gospel. Find a group gathering near you and sign up today to join one. Committing to a Community Group is the best thing you could do this fall to experience Jesus.

Raise the Roof! We're sprucing up the place inside and out! Be sure to grab a Raise the Roof card if you haven't gotten one yet!.

Art Walk Thanks to everyone who helped make Art Walk a success! Art Walk will continue next month on September 16th. There are many ways to help with set up on Wednesday and hosting, bringing food, and clean up on Thursday. If you have any questions, please ask Cathy Jo or Rachel Eden.

Third Sunday Prayer - Join us Sunday, September 19th from 7-8pm to confess our need for God and cry out for him to do a great work in our city, church and in the hearts of his people. We would like to see all our members attend this gathering.

New Series Beginning Sunday - The Kingdom is Like...

Jesus was a great teacher, even more so he was a great story teller. He painted pictures with words that both revealed and concealed the truths of his Kingdom. This week we begin Chapter 13 the fifth discourse in Matthews Gospel. We've entitled the series "The Kingdom is Like..." We will be looking at some of the stories Jesus tells to express the mysteries of Kingdom life and living. Join us for the next four Sundays mornings at 10am as we let God examine our hearts and explain some of the rich treasures of the gospel life.

West Central Mission - Open Hose Tonight

Our partnership with West Central Elementary continues today from 4-6pm. Mystery will be loving on the students and faculty by providing games and popsicles for the children and families visiting the school for open house. For many this is their first encounter with the school so we want them to feel safe and served. Bring your handmade welcome sign and enjoy the privilege of serving our cities schools and students in the name of Jesus.

FALL 2010 COMMUNITY GROUPS FORMING

Its that time of year again. Community Groups are forming right now. They will officially kick off the week of August 23rd in neighborhoods and homes throughout the city. There is one just right for you, your family and your friends. This is a best thing you could do to learn about, grow in and experience Jesus this semester. Get in and commit to a group of people where you can eat, laugh, love, be loved, cry, pray and serve together. Life was never meant to be a solo affair and the Christian journey is designed to be done together. Jesus said the world would believe in him as the say his people in living in loving, missional community.
You're invited!

Living Without Basic Needs Simulation

Living without basic needs simulation - Thursday, August 12, 8:30 am
to 12:00 pm at South Middle School.
This experience will greatly open your eyes to what families living without basic needs experience every day - decisions they make, fears and frustrations they feel. A vast mjority of Joplin leaves at or below the poverty level. AS a church that wants to engage our city and seek to rebuild, repair and transform lives with the gospel this is an amazing opportunity to involve yourself and your community group with.
Let your community leader or pastor now so we can get your name on the list. Space is limited. You can also connect Economic Securities Corp Debbie Markman 417-781-0352 x222