Our new Vision Statement is to be an authentic, inclusive and sending community where the grace of Jesus Christ deeply impacts every area of our ordinary lives.

"Sending" is a word that was not emphasized in our original vision statement, and so I want to talk about it briefly.

We talked about what it means to be a sending church in the first sermon of the month (Our Vision & Identity).

When we trust in Christ, we become his ambassadors (or sent ones) -- sent into the world to represent our King.

This is something we get to do, not something we should be stressed out about. And it's something we get to do all the time, not just when we sign up for some church outreach. We are Christ's ambassadors when we go to work, when we go to school, when we go to the park, when we go for a run around the neighborhood. Wherever we go, we are sent there by King Jesus to demonstrate his love and proclaim his message.

But now - what does this look like practically?

Christine Sargent put together a list of some small things we can all do, and they don't require us to add on much to our lives. We just must be more intentional about what we're already involved in:

Identify
List three or four people who don’t know about the amazing love of Jesus. People that you see on a regular basis. This could be friends, family, neighbors or co-workers. Just identity them. Get them in your head.

Pray
Start praying for each of those people. Pray that God will soften their hearts and open their minds to hear His voice, and that He will open doors for you to share what He’s done in your life. Pray that His love for those people would be made evident through your interactions with them.

Set a good example
How do you treat the people on your list? How do they see you treat your family? What do you complain about on Facebook? Set a godly example by your kind spirit, gentle words and selfless actions.

Invite & Include
Invite them over to your house for dinner, or to your upcoming Superbowl party, or to your life group, or to a Sunday gathering with True Life. They might say no, but that's okay. They might say yes, too. Don't compartmentalize the people in your life. That's too exhausting.

Get Personal
Follow up with the people on your list. Ask how you can be praying for them. Ask how you can serve them.

Listen
Listen to their stories. Listen to their hurts. Listen to their fears. Don't be so quick to give answers and solutions, and just listen. Jesus stepped into our flesh, so let's represent him by emphasizing with others' stories.

Keep Asking "What's Next?"
Continue asking God to show you what is next for your relationship with each person (it's a question we should ask about all our relationships, actually). "Lord, what's next? What should I be praying for with them? What can I invite them to next? How can I share your love with them? How can I encourage them with your word? What is next?"

Pick a few of the above that resonate with you and be the Ambassador that God has invited you to be.