The Joshua Project
The Joshua Project has put together a wonderful resource to help keep Christians ever-focused on the task of reaching unreached peoples with the gospel. Each day they highlight one unreached people group, tell you a bit about them, and share ways you can pray for them and participate in the mission to them. We encourage all of our church members to follow along and engage with this resource day-by-day.
Connecting the Stories
Sharing the gospel, the good news of what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross, doesn't need to be as awkward or as artificial as we often make it. Rather than marching up to someone on the street and attempting to promptly push our "four points" down their throat, it is better to see evangelism as a sort of elegant dance— an interplay between three stories: The Story, my story, and their story. This is something that we can and should be engaging in every day in one way or another with the people God has placed around us. For more on this, visit our Tell page.
P.A.C.T. - The Four Steps of a Missionary Lifestyle
Over the years, as a church we have come to identify what we call "the four steps of a missionary lifestyle." These steps are captured in the acronym P.A.C.T. (Presence, Awareness, Courage, Time). As a way of keeping them always before us, we have created P.A.C.T. bookmarks that are available for pickup at the Next Steps Table at the back of our Sanctuary each week. These bookmarks have questions (see below) to help stimulate our prayerful reflection and planning and to keep us moving outward as missionaries in the city which God has placed us. You might take out your journal and begin to consider these questions even now! For more on this, visit our Tell page.
Presence: "I'm here"
Consider those in your life who are not yet Christians—family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances. God places us where he does with a purpose (cf. Acts 17:26). He desires us to be present with those around us—as ambassadors, as a royal priesthood, as salt and light, as missionaries. Who are you already present with? Make a list. How can you pursue more meaningful presence with them and with others to whom God may be calling you?
Awareness: "I'm ready"
As you are truly present with those in your life, you’ll become aware of countless ways you can show and share the good news of Jesus with them. You’ll find that you can pray for them more intelligently, invite them more naturally (e.g. to meals, events, services), serve them more effectively, give resources to them more relevantly, and communicate the gospel with them more meaningfully. What opportunities can you identify? Dream and pray!
Courage: "I'm willing"
Here is where being on mission really starts to cost us—our time, our reputation, our money. Here is where we must lean into God for courage to actually go and do as he leads. Of the many things you could do to bring the gospel to those you are present with, what do you feel God is actually asking you to do? What are the next steps? Make a plan!
Time: "I'm not going anywhere"
A missionary’s task rarely follows a straight line. Persevere in love for those to whom God has called you. We go in circles to get somewhere!
Missions Prayer
Before Jesus ever called his disciples to go, he first called them to pray (Acts 1:4, 14; cf. Matt. 9:37-38). Therefore, on the second Sunday of every month, we set apart special time during our Sunday Service to pray for the cause of missions in our city and world. We pray for our strategic partners, our supported missionaries, current issues around the world, etc. We know that if any fruit is going to come from our labors, it will only be ultimately by his Spirit and grace.
Sunday Prayer Walks
It's good to pray within the four walls of our church. But it's even better to pray out in the community we've been called to reach! Therefore, on the fourth Sundays of every month, we meet after the service to do a "prayer walk" through the neighborhoods that surround our church building. As we go, we pray for any neighbors who are willing and look for opportunities to share the gospel with those who are open and ready to engage. Come join us!
Outreach Opportunities
In collaboration with our GO! Team, we try to schedule regular outreach opportunities for our church members to participate in. Often, these opportunities involve partnering with other ministries and non-profits (see our Firestarter List). But we are always open to new possibilities. If you have something on your heart, don't hesitate to reach out!
Seeker/Skeptic Studies
We will occasionally offer a seeker/skeptic study so those interested can take a deeper dive and learn more about Jesus and Christianity. We are also always willing to read along with any interested in engaging the Consider Jesus Next Steps Booklet.
Learning Labs
We recognize that living on mission for Jesus in our city and world is not always easy. Sometimes we get tripped up and need a little help. That's why we want to make regular training opportunities available for any who are interested. These will often be short, bite-sized "learning labs" held on Sundays after the service and will address topics such as: how to share the gospel; how to engage P.A.C.T. (the four steps of a missionary lifestyle) in your own life; how to use your personal testimony in evangelism; how to study the Bible with a pre-Christian; etc.
Short Term Mission Trips
At least once a year, we try to organize a short term mission trip to help serve and reach people for Jesus around the world. Among other things, our aim with these trips is threefold: (1) we want to see those outside of Christ come to know him; (2) we want to support and encourage those Christians who are already in the field and doing the work long term; and (3) we want to give the members of our church a greater vision of God's heart for the nations. We've done work in Nicaragua and the Philippines, and we've only just begun!
Missions Emphasis Week
We know that missions is important to God and to the church. Yet, sometimes, in the midst of our own busyness and pursuits, sadly, we lose sight of this. That is why, as a church, we try to set apart one week of the year to focus explicitly on God's heart for the nations and his calling and equipping of us to reach them for Jesus. (You can find past messages from these weeks here.)
Ever Wondered?
We have an ongoing sermon series entitled Ever Wondered? We try to preach a new sermon for this series once a year or so. On these particular Sundays, we look to tackle tough questions that those skeptical or curious about Christianity might be asking—questions like: where can I find lasting happiness?; why should I trust the Bible?; aren’t Christians all hypocrites?; don’t science and faith contradict each other?; if God is so good, why is there so much pain in the world? We strongly encourage those in our church to invite their non-Christian friends on these Sundays as the services will be especially geared for them.
Connecting the Stories
Sharing the gospel, the good news of what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross, doesn't need to be as awkward or as artificial as we often make it. Rather than marching up to someone on the street and attempting to promptly push our "four points" down their throat, it is better to see evangelism as a sort of elegant dance— an interplay between three stories: The Story, my story, and their story.
The Story
Before we can share the gospel with others, we have to know it—by heart—ourselves. So we give ourselves daily to the reading of Scripture. And, as we do, we make note of the unfolding plot line—from Creation to Fall to Redemption and final Consummation. We learn to see Jesus—his person and work—at the center of it all. Every verse of the Bible becomes good news when run to and through the cross of Christ! What we come to find is that the Bible, with its myriad of authors and books, characters and stories, is, in the end, telling one story, The Story, the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Chapter 1: Creation
In an overflow of love and joy, God created all things: the sun, the stars, the earth, the sea, the plants, the animals. And as the climax and capstone of it all, he made us—in his own image, male and female. And, together, he put us over all he had made. And he saw that it was very good.
Chapter 2: Fall
We had God, we had each other, and we had the world, but it wasn’t enough for us. We didn’t want to be with God, in the image of God, under God. We wanted to be god. Adam and Eve chose to resist and rebel and we have all since followed that well-worn path. Because of our sin—and because God is good and wise, holy and just—he has put us and the world under a curse. No longer do we have free and happy access to his presence, for his eyes are too pure to look upon evil with favor. No longer do we enjoy deep fellowship with each other, but instead our relationships are characterized by selfishness and strife. No longer is our work in this world a mere joyful endeavor, but it's hard, stressful, and tragically vain. And, in the end, we die . . . both now and forever. When we leave the Author of Life we inevitably find nothing but death.
Chapter 3: Redemption
But in the midst of the curses, God, in undeserved grace, makes a promise. A child will come who will overturn the curse and redeem us. The whole Bible is given over to tracing the line of this child, until he comes in Jesus Christ—God’s own son. Jesus lives the life we should have lived, and yet, on that cross, he dies the death we should have died. He takes the full weight of the wrath of God. He becomes a curse for us. But when he rises on the third day, it is God’s evidence to us that the curse has been overturned by grace, that the door back to his holy presence has been opened, that the grave has been overwhelmed by life. In Jesus, we can be forgiven, washed, reconciled, and restored.
Jesus allows me to truly face up to who I am as a sinner without leaving me hopeless or condemned. He, at one and the same time, convicts me of my sin and comforts me with his grace. I am far more wicked than I ever feared and far more loved than I ever dared to hope. The cross won’t let me off the hook. But neither will it let me stay there.
Jesus allows me to truly face up to who I am as a sinner without leaving me hopeless or condemned. He, at one and the same time, convicts me of my sin and comforts me with his grace. I am far more wicked than I ever feared and far more loved than I ever dared to hope. The cross won’t let me off the hook. But neither will it let me stay there.
Chapter 4: Consummation
In the end, through Jesus God will make all things new—a new heavens and new earth. But he’s postponing this last act to make space and time for people to come to him. You see, Jesus’ work on the cross isn’t automatically applied to us. It must be received, like a free gift, with the hands of faith. We must own up to our rebellion, our mess, turn from our sin (it never delivered on its promises anyways), and trust in his work on our behalf—embrace his grace. And, when once we do, we are united with him, born again by his Spirit, our hearts of stone made soft and alive. And he starts to put our broken lives back together one piece at a time, until, at last, we see God again face to face in paradise.
For help with seeing Jesus at the center of The Story, check out the Hub Diagram along with its corresponding sermons and read this short article by Vern Poythress.
My Story
But learning The Story in this way, intellectually, or even theologically, we might say, is not enough. It must be brought to bear on our own lives. We must see how The Story touches and reorients our own stories. After all, Jesus is not only the center of The Story, he is the center of our own as well!
For help with seeing Jesus at the center of your own story, check out the My Story for His Glory Worksheet and our Sacred Path page.
Their Story
All of this, in many ways, serves as preparation for our bringing of the gospel to the unbelieving. We cannot give to others that which we don’t possess ourselves. We must know The Story and come to see how it connects with and reorients our own stories, before we will ever be able to meaningfully share it with others.
Consider the way Jesus attempts to reach the woman at the well in John 4 and notice how all the stories connect . . .
Consider the way Jesus attempts to reach the woman at the well in John 4 and notice how all the stories connect . . .
The Story
First, Jesus helps her get The Story straight. “[S]alvation is from the Jews” (v. 22). The Samaritans had the wrong temple, the wrong text, the wrong story. “I who speak to you am he [the Christ]” (v. 26). He is the fulfillment of all Old Testament expectation, the center of The Story.
My Story
Then, Jesus makes meaningful connections from The Story to her story. “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (v. 10). He sees her thirst. He knows she is searching. He shows her that he is the answer—the one who can make sense of her story and bring needed rescue.
Their Story
The connection was electric. It lit her up. The joy of it all propelled her towards others. “So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’ They went out of the town and were coming to him” (vv. 28-30). The Story had invaded and reoriented her story. And this moved her towards their story.
Strategic Partnerships
One of the ways we promote an "every saint sent" missionary lifestyle among our members is by forging strategic partnerships with other ministries on mission in our city and around the world. Here are a few we are currently partnering with in various capacities . . .
Foster the City
Foster the City is a coalition of churches committed to providing a loving home for every child in foster care. We dream of the day when there will be a waiting list of families rather than a list of children in need of a home.
Foster the City is a coalition of churches committed to providing a loving home for every child in foster care. We dream of the day when there will be a waiting list of families rather than a list of children in need of a home.
CityTeam
CityTeam is a community united by the belief that God has called us to love our neighbors as ourselves. It’s a place where all are welcome, and where everyone from volunteers to donors and staff all play an important role in living out God’s restorative love to our neighbors in need.
CityTeam is a community united by the belief that God has called us to love our neighbors as ourselves. It’s a place where all are welcome, and where everyone from volunteers to donors and staff all play an important role in living out God’s restorative love to our neighbors in need.
Kids Club
Kids Club is an after school program in elementary schools designed to teach positive life skills to children through games, music, and Bible discussions. It is open to all students in the school. Clubs meet once a week for an hour and a half on elementary school campuses.
Kids Club is an after school program in elementary schools designed to teach positive life skills to children through games, music, and Bible discussions. It is open to all students in the school. Clubs meet once a week for an hour and a half on elementary school campuses.
International Students, Inc.
International Students, Inc. exists to share Christ’s love with international students and to equip them for effective service in cooperation with the local church and others.
International Students, Inc. exists to share Christ’s love with international students and to equip them for effective service in cooperation with the local church and others.
Acts 29
Acts 29 is a diverse, global family of church-planting churches characterized by theological clarity, cultural engagement, and missional innovation.
Acts 29 is a diverse, global family of church-planting churches characterized by theological clarity, cultural engagement, and missional innovation.
Arms of Love International
The mission of Arms of Love is to give abandoned and abused children in Nicaragua and the Philippines a home, a family, and a future, with the hope that they will become the leaders of tomorrow in their communities and churches.
The mission of Arms of Love is to give abandoned and abused children in Nicaragua and the Philippines a home, a family, and a future, with the hope that they will become the leaders of tomorrow in their communities and churches.
The Sihora Clinic
Friends of Sihora Clinic (FOSC) is a Partnership of Churches in the South San Francisco Bay Area that Supports a Medical Clinic in Sihora (MP), India, through Financial, Spiritual, and Organizational avenues
Friends of Sihora Clinic (FOSC) is a Partnership of Churches in the South San Francisco Bay Area that Supports a Medical Clinic in Sihora (MP), India, through Financial, Spiritual, and Organizational avenues
Wycliffe Bible Translators
Wycliffe’s vision is to see the Bible accessible to all people in the language they understand best. They've helped people around the world translate the Bible into their own languages, and also support language development, literacy, and other spiritual and physical needs.
Wycliffe’s vision is to see the Bible accessible to all people in the language they understand best. They've helped people around the world translate the Bible into their own languages, and also support language development, literacy, and other spiritual and physical needs.
For a more extensive outline of our core partners, potential partners, and other opportunities, check out what we call our Firestarter List.
Meet the GO! Team
The GO! (Global Outreach) Team at Mercy Hill has a number of stated and significant purposes: (1) to help propel our church outwards with loving concern for our neighbors and the nations; (2) to help every saint lean into their calling as a sent one of God; (3) to develop in us the missionary heart and stimulate the missionary lifestyle; (4) to help us connect our everyday lives to the grander mission of God; (5) to spread a passion for ministering in the 10/40 window as well as the 408 and 9-to-5 window; (6) to help us focus and prioritize our missional energies and resources as a church; and (7) to pioneer new ground as the Lord leads!
