At Motor City Church, we are in the season we call “Heart for the House.” Heart for the House is all about making a difference together by giving our time, talent, and treasure.
Matthew 6:25-33 is a classic passage and ends with, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things (things we tend to worry about) will be given to you as well.” The focus according to this verse is God’s kingdom. Have you ever asked, “What can I do for God?” Yes, we are His kids and He has amazing things He has given us in the past and wants to give us in the future, but we are also His servants and He has a Kingdom focus. What does it mean to have a heart for the things God has a heart for?
God has a heart for the world. We are blessed at Motor City Church to have frequent opportunities to invest in or even participate in ministry to the world, to give to and serve on the world stage. We give to different projects and we have mission connections that allow some of us to actually go out on missions, a place to use our gifts and abilities to impact the world. We may drill a well or build a church or school, but in the end, it is about building an environment where people can experience the love of God. That's why missions exist. They provide an opportunity to advance God’s kingdom and watch Jesus change people. He changes our perspective AND changes the lives of those we take the mission to.
A heart for our community is another aspect of having a heart for the house. People need Jesus. Local outreach creates a space where people have opportunity to work together to create safe space within their neighborhood or within a neighborhood across town. It is love in action. It opens opportunities to help people and to pray for people in person, to bless them and to let them know God loves them. Sometimes local outreach is a fun event that creates a low stress, safe space for people to bring their families where kids are free to be kids and families experience God's love in a caring atmosphere. Do you reach out to your neighbors? Ask God what you can do for your neighbors and expect Him to move. Be ready to listen to God and obey what He shows you.
A heart for the house is not just for the world and community but it’s for the local body of Christ. The body of Christ, the church, is the answer to a lot of the world's problems. This is why it is important to be a part of the local church. Hebrews 10:25 exhorts us not to neglect meeting together. We tend to conflate “gathering together” and “assembling together”. We come to “gather'' most of the time, but we gather and then go home, unchanged by the experience. When we assemble, we interlock and work together for a bigger purpose - like a puzzle - to accomplish all that God has for the house and for the Kingdom. We make a space for people to say yes to Jesus. What are you doing to fit together with others from the house, to assemble and be used to build something together? God is the builder and He is using us to build the vision of His heart.
This same verse in Hebrews tells us to encourage one another. Competition is not encouraging. We need to learn the skill of encouragement. We are called to encourage each other. Encouragement starts with engagement. Get involved in the local body of Christ and get engaged. You will be encouraged and you will be in position to encourage others. Ecclesiastes 4:9 says that “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” Don't let each other do life alone. Stand back to back, protecting and helping each other. Stand arm in arm to help each other succeed. We are powerful together. We are equipped to fight for the Kingdom together. Be a part of a life-giving community. How are you encouraging other people?
Remember, our enemy, the devil, roars around seeking whom he may devour. Lions wait for their prey to be exhausted. They go after the one that's by themselves.When you live without assembly and family, you're in danger. Thinking of the puzzle analogy, the enemy is going for the edge pieces. When they're in place, they help with the vision, the big picture, the overall perspective. But they are also the ones that get lost or drop off the table. People who interlock and engage are protected and covered by those whom they are connected with.
You are invited to help us build, to join us and to assemble, to come together in one place for a common purpose. There's more to church than just attending. There is connection, purpose, making a difference. Encouraging one another allows us to experience God's presence collectively and then do something with what God has just shown us. Think outside yourself!! The goal of the church is to create space for you to learn who you are in Christ and impact the world around you in alignment with your identity in Him!