Holiness is the Goal

“In reality, holiness is the goal of our redemption. As Christ died in order that we may be justified, so we are justified in order that we may be sanctified and made holy.” —J.I. Packer

Community Groups are Gathering

This is now the third week of Mystery's new Community Groups. Are you in one? We have several that currently meeting and it's not to late to get involved. In the New Testament Christians are primarily associated with community. There just is no such thing as a solo Christian that is experiencing all God has for them and certainly no such thing as individual gifted to build a kingdom community living alone and detached from the body.
One of our values as a church is community and part of the gospel identity we hope everyone at Mystery will carry is Family. We would encourage everyone that calls Mystery home and everyone looking for a home to get personally involved in a community a beleivers that not only worship on Sunday but live life together during the week.

CG's meet on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to give everyone an opportunity to know and be know.

Dissapearing Sin

"...The concept of sin among many conservative Christians has been essentially redefined to cover only the obviously gross sins of our society. The result, then , is that for many morally upright believers, the awareness of personal sin has effectively disappeared from their consciences. But it has not disappeared form the sight of God. " Jerry Bridges in Respectable Sins

Christian Stewardship

“Christian stewardship is the management of life and all its resources for the glory of God.” —Murray J. Harris

No Interest in Commitment

“If you have no interest in committing yourself to an actual group of gospel believing, bible teaching Christians you might question whether you belong to the body of Christ as all.”
– Mark Dever

Ownership Seminars pt 4

Acts 2:47: “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

If you are a Christian, the biblical expectation is that you join a single local church. It may not be Mystery, maybe it’s another church that loves Jesus and preaches the Bible, but we are to become a participant and a provider within a local body. You were not saved to be a consumer.

We invite you to help make Mystery happen. Owning Mystery is a declaration that you are moving from being a consumer to being an investor--that you are joining not simply just the community of Christ, but the whole cause of Christ. It is not what you can receive, but what you can give.

Jesus does not need us for anything, he invites us into participation. Mystery does; however need your help to accomplish God’s calling on our church in this city. We are asking you to own the church rather than simply watching and consuming. We are calling people to ownership; to live sacrificially so people can meet Jesus.

Dates and Times for the Fall Ownership Seminars are:
Dates: Fri 3rd, Sat 4th, Fri 10th, Sat. 11th, Fri 17th, Sat. 18th, Fri 24th, Sat. 25th
Times: Fridays from 6:30-8pm, Sat. 10am-Noon

Ownership Seminars pt 3

Who should take the Ownership Seminars?
The class is open to everyone. If it’s your first week at Mystery, if you believe in Jesus or not, this introductory class is a great place to get started for those who are merely curious and for those who are excited to get connected. We do ask that everyone considering making Mystery their church take this class to assess how they feel about God, the gospel, and who we are, praying for discernment and growth as they choose a local body of believers to call their family.
Discovering what church God would have you in is a very important matter. There is certain, necessary information that a person should know prior to making the decision to join a particular church. We hope to serve you by helping provide such information. We want to clarify for you What We Believe, Who We Are and What We Do as a church. We hope to help define the importance of the local church in God’s plan and in your life.

Dates and Times for the Fall Ownership Seminars are:
Dates: Fri 3rd, Sat 4th, Fri 10th, Sat. 11th, Fri 17th, Sat. 18th, Fri 24th, Sat. 25th
Times: Fridays from 6:30-8pm, Sat. 10am-Noon

Ownership Seminar pt 2

What's the Difference in Ownership and Membership?
The term member carries little weight or importance in our culture today. We are members at gyms, golf courses, websites, associations, and other organizations. Most memberships are painless to obtain and even easier to discard. We want people to become owners of Mystery. Members are usually just consumers, owners however are investors, they make things happen. Jesus never intended us to simply consume. We are told to love, to live, to serve, these can only happen as we give of our whole life. Ownership is a higher calling with greater responsibility than membership.

Ownership Seminars pt 1

What are Ownership Seminars?
Mystery’s Ownership Seminars are designed to be the first point of connection for those considering making Mystery their church home. This class is an 8-session course where you’ll form friendships, find answers and learn about the biblical truths and values our church is built on. Owning Mystery is the first step to take if you would like to become an “owner” in Mystery.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Heb 10:25 NIV


Sign Ups Have Begun for the Fall Ownership Seminar. You can sign up before or after our Sunday Gathering now through the end of the month.

Change vs. Transformation

An absence of transforming change to your life exposes that our methods of change, let's call them saviors, are cheap substitutes. It is obvious we all are looking for, wanting even desperate for change. It's blatantly apparent this election season. But what can a politician change?
They can change our situations I guess, but cheaper gas wont fix a broken marriage. They can change foreign relations with other nations, but that wont eradicate addiction. They could raise or lower takes, but that doesnt offer love and acceptance, maybe just the just to buy some more false hope.
Where does real change happen then you ask? It happens inside of a person. True transformation must be internal. Changing the things around us is just shuffling the furniture. To be really transformed there needs to be an agent of transformation. What's yours? Where are you looking for "salvation"? In your circumstances? Your behavior? Your Thinking? To a politician or even a priest?
Jesus says in John's gospel "I am the way, the truth and the life..." Basically "I am the change your looking for."
Many people will present themselves as Four year (or eight year) saviors over the next few months, but non of them can accomplish what I need. At best they might change the world world (thats the problem right not me) but they cant, they wont (I wouldn't let them) change me. I know that in the end the are powerless, functional saviors not the real thing. We all know this, that's why we have term limits.
But Jesus knows no limits. He will cross all boundries even death to love us, accept us, forgive us and welcome us- this is what changes a heart and transforms a life. He and only he can change the world, one heart at a time.

Not Just a Place

A Healthy church is not simply a place that looks a certain way. A healthy church is more a people who love, live & enjoy in a certain way that the world can see and which others long to experience and emulate.

Fellowship Involves Sharing

“Fellowship involves sharing what we have with others. One of the most valuable things we can share is ourselves: our time, our talents, and our energies in serving one another in the Body of Christ.” —Jerry Bridges

THIS IS THE WEEK

Mystery is re-launching this week. Ever fall we kick things off all over again and this year its not different. We will have new music, be installing a new elder, meeting new people and starting a new series in First John called "Children of God". Won't you join us, it'll be....well new and fun. Hope to see you this week 5:30 at Mystery.

God Forbid

"God forbid that we should be so interested in the words of the bible as to so miss the Word itself"
- Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones

RE:LAUNCH

This Sunday Mystery Re-Launches as a church for the new year. What does this mean? Well it means that we've made it through another summer. It means that new faces are showing up and old friends are returning. It means we're starting a new preaching series in the very practical book of 1 John, it means there's many new things to do as a church, many more people to reach and a city to be changed one life at a time. We'd like to invite you to join us this coming Sunday at 5:30. Same Location- Corner of Broadway and Ball in Webb City. The band will be rocking, there will be new friends to make, family to reconnect with and Jesus, whom we love, to worship in Spirit and in Truth. Please be in prayer for Mystery, for the weekend and for people who you can invite to hear the gospel and connect with as family.

Marketing pt 2

Mystery is taking a step in the marketing direction this fall advertising in Joplin's entertainment and arts magazine The Current. As a church in Joplin where religion comes before the gospel and church is more a buffet to fill ourselves on rather than commit ourselves to, we've struggled with how much we want to market Mystery. It's our hope that we would reach many people by word of mouth and through relationships built with people in our culture groups.
That said we are stepping into the advertising game. We decided to make ourselves accessible to people who might not normally check out a church. We are running at least 3 ads in The Current through August and into September aimed at poking fun at ourselves as Christians, addressing concerns non-Christians might have with church and trying to break the ice with unChurched people. We know it will ruffle some feathers, but it just might break down some barriers among people who we want to reach for Jesus. He hung out with the "wrong people" we hope we can too.
Here is the first of our three ads:

Marketing

"You can't market your church if your church isn't ready to sacrifice."
- churchmarketingsucks.com

A Community of Joy

Enjoy – The goal of man’s life is to bring glory to God. We glorify him most when we find our satisfaction, delight and joy in him. Mystery longs to be a joyous place. We are recipients of the greatest gift ever given and are entrusted with the greatest message the world has ever heard. God has rescued his people out of darkness and brought them into the light. He has saved his people from all our enemies (Satan, sin and death) and freed us to live a full life in him by His power and provision through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are confident in hope and certain in faith. In all things we rejoice, even in suffering and hardship. A full life is a happy life and happiness flows from knowing God’s sovereignty and salvation. Our joy will be expressed through worship of Jesus, fellowship with one another, service to the community and seeing others come to saving faith in Christ.

Ps 16:11 “You make known the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

John 16:22, 24 “…you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you…until know you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full”

Decline

“My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them...There is almost no genuine compassion or urgency about serving and reaching people who don’t know Christ. I think the bottom line really is our own spiritual narcissism. There are methods and you can talk about style, structure and music, but in the end it really comes down to your heart and what you care about..."

-Erwin McManus

Chattering & Twittering Birds

"Believers love to bring others to the House of God because they wish to do good to them. Did you ever notice how the little birds, when they find a heap of corn, begin to chatter and twitter as if they would call all the other birds to come and feast, also? Grace is generous and is never akin to churlish Nabal. Misers would rather keep all their wealth to themselves, but a man who is rich in faith feels his happiness increased when others have faith, too! As soon as we drink of the Water of Life, a sacred instinct within us bids us cry, “Come.” “Ho, everyone that thirsts, come you to the waters.” He knows not the Grace of God who has no desire that others should know it, also. You will assuredly long for the souls of others if God has saved your soul. Natural humanity, let alone our alliance to the Divine Nature, leads us to bid others come to Christ. "
- From Charles Spurgeon's Sermon A Call to Worship