3 Reasons the Mission of the Church Is Not About “Me”
“Welcome Wednesday is not about me.”
We share these words with the students in Thrive Youth Ministry each year as we prepare to welcome the 7th-grade students moving into Thrive from Connection Kids. We call this event “Welcome Wednesday” and it’s one of our favorite nights of the year!
Throughout the evening, we have team-building competitions, entertaining get-to-know-you games, and special activities to ensure our new students know they are part of the Thrive Family. The night culminates in a special ceremony where we interview our new students, give them a Thrive t-shirt, and take a few moments to pray over them. Overall, the whole night is a blast, but the best part of the evening for me is watching our current students welcome in our new students.
Watching middle and high school students spend their evening welcoming, focusing on, and caring for other students instead of themselves brings joy to my heart. Why? Because it’s not natural, but it’s exactly what God designed for His Church.
Human nature is self-centered. We focus on what we want, what makes us comfortable, and what benefits us most. In fact, it’s easy to think that way. It takes little to no effort because our nature is to think inwardly. It’s not wrong to take care of yourself, but it is dangerous to make things about us that were never supposed to be.
God’s design for His Church wasn’t meant to be about us. And we see that clearly in the book of Acts. The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter preaches an incredible message, and this is the result:
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God, and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:41-47)
The focus of the Church was simple – learn God’s Word, care for one another, and worship Jesus. And as they did those things, God added to their number of new believers!
Many years have passed since those moments, but the mission of the Church is the same:
We share these words with the students in Thrive Youth Ministry each year as we prepare to welcome the 7th-grade students moving into Thrive from Connection Kids. We call this event “Welcome Wednesday” and it’s one of our favorite nights of the year!
Throughout the evening, we have team-building competitions, entertaining get-to-know-you games, and special activities to ensure our new students know they are part of the Thrive Family. The night culminates in a special ceremony where we interview our new students, give them a Thrive t-shirt, and take a few moments to pray over them. Overall, the whole night is a blast, but the best part of the evening for me is watching our current students welcome in our new students.
Watching middle and high school students spend their evening welcoming, focusing on, and caring for other students instead of themselves brings joy to my heart. Why? Because it’s not natural, but it’s exactly what God designed for His Church.
Human nature is self-centered. We focus on what we want, what makes us comfortable, and what benefits us most. In fact, it’s easy to think that way. It takes little to no effort because our nature is to think inwardly. It’s not wrong to take care of yourself, but it is dangerous to make things about us that were never supposed to be.
God’s design for His Church wasn’t meant to be about us. And we see that clearly in the book of Acts. The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter preaches an incredible message, and this is the result:
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God, and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:41-47)
The focus of the Church was simple – learn God’s Word, care for one another, and worship Jesus. And as they did those things, God added to their number of new believers!
Many years have passed since those moments, but the mission of the Church is the same:
1. We’re called to learn God’s Word.
- Do you have a daily time to read and meditate on God’s Word?
- Do you hide God’s Word in your heart to keep you from sin? (Psalm 119:11)
- Do you apply its truths to your life each day?
2. We’re called to care for one another.
- Do you practice compassion for those in need?
- Are you actively sharing God’s love with others?
- Can people tell you follow Jesus by the way you love His people? (John 13:34-35)
3. We’re called to worship.
- Is your whole life surrendered to Jesus? (Romans 12:1-2)
- Are you concerned with how you can serve Him and serve others?
- Do you take time each day to remember the mercy Christ has given you?
Welcome Wednesday may only come once a year, but the lesson from it can be lived every day. It’s not about me.
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