Real Life Community Church - Portage, IN

A New Thing: Part 5

·49 min·4 clips

A man estranged for five years returns home, leading his neighbors to ask why his family is suddenly happy.

The episode begins with updates on Church of the Nazarene missionary statistics, including 531 missionaries serving in 96 countries. It then details a partnership with a church in Palmarcito, Guatemala, where a man reconciled with his wife after five years, leading to a new worship site in Los Angeles village. A portable chapel is being funded through memorial donations. The sermon transitions to discussing the Great Commission from Matthew 28:16-20. The speaker explains how early Christianity spread on the margins until Constantine centralized it, sometimes leading to colonization. He notes that the U.S. became a missionary-sending powerhouse, but 20 years ago, the Church of the Nazarene declared the U.S. a world area needing evangelization. This shift is attributed to living in a post-Christendom world where church attendance has declined for 50 years. The speaker critiques how churches became consumer destinations focused on felt needs, leading to megachurch growth but not mission fulfillment. He cites data showing 228 unreached people groups in the U.S., arguing that immigration brings the nations here, so mission work is now local. The speaker challenges listeners to re-embody the mission outside church walls, leaning into relationships with immigrants and neighbors. He shares a personal story from 2006 about befriending a Japanese family in Ankeny, Iowa, who moved back to Japan after the 2008 economic crash, leaving seeds of faith. The episode ends with a prayer encouraging bravery in following Jesus's commission.

As heard by us

A sermon that brings global mission home as a test of courage, neighborliness, and service.

This single-episode review follows a sermon on God doing "a new thing" as it turns the Church of the Nazarene's worldwide mission into a challenge for local faith.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want church beyond comfort? Press play for a sermon that brings the Great Commission back into lived, ordinary Christianity.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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