MORE TO THIS LIFE: Integrity, purpose, mission and vision 8-20-23

MORE TO THIS LIFE: Integrity, purpose, mission and vision 8-20-23

 

INTRODUCTION

 

God is doing a new thing!

There has got to be more to this life!

The ontological question - What am I?  The inevitable question about God

The existential question - Who am I?  How should we exist?

Whose are we?

Why are we here?

What is your choice?

What is the point?

My story - How I got here?  How we got here?

What is your story?

Integrity - tests - honesty, hope, Lordship

Integrity - arenas of life - what we say, what we do, and how we interact with others.

 

Integrity and its impact on purpose, mission, and vision.

 

“Many use the term purpose, mission, and vision interchangably, but at Church Fuel, we teach them uniquely.  Purpose is your never-changing, deep sense of why.  Think “explore space.”
Mission is your next current, church-wide objective. Think “go to Mars.”
Vision is a preferred picture of the future.  Think “everyone has a spirit of exploration.””

   churchfuel.com

 

I.  INTEGRITY

 

“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.”

               Titus 2:7-8 NIV

 

               A.  Life

 

“You can focus on developing the five attributes of personal integrity: follow a set of values, be honest, help others, lead by example, and take responsibility.”

fingerprintforsuccess.com

 

        B.  Academia

 

“ICAI (International Center for Academic Integrity) defines academic integrity as a commitment to six fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility, and courage. By embracing these fundamental values, instructors, students, staff, and administrators create effective scholarly communities where integrity is a touchstone.”

academicintegrity.org

 

               C.  Work

 

“From a general standpoint, workplace integrity means having a set of strong values and principles, such as reliability, honesty, loyalty, and trustworthiness. However, at its core, we believe there is one phrase that encapsulates every definition: doing the right thing when nobody's watching.”

elearningindustry.com

 

           D.  Spiritual

 

“God not only has characteristics, He has character. The characteristics of God are often spoken of: compassion, holiness, righteousness, justice, and mercy, to name a few. But the Bible speaks of God's character, too — He is never changing: the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is faithful, trustworthy, true, and loyal. He can be counted on. His Word is everlasting. As a God of integrity, He desires a life of integrity in His followers.

 

Integrity is a God-like life of consistency and sincerity, with no deception or pretense. Integrity's overriding quality is wholeness. In fact, the word integrity is derived from the same root word as integer, meaning whole. In other words, no discrepancy exists between one's public life and one's private life. People of integrity have nothing to hide and nothing to fear.

 

Integrity is not reputation — others' opinion of us. Integrity is not success — our accomplishments. Integrity embodies the sum total of our being and our actions. Integrity is not something we have, but something we are. It inevitably shows itself in what we do and say. Integrity is needed because people are watching us. Will our behavior match our beliefs? Will our character correspond with our confession?”

               Rick Ezell from “Are you a person of integrity?”, lifeway.com, January 1, 2014.

 

II.  PURPOSE

 

           A.  Purpose defined

 

               “Purpose is your never-changing, deep sense of why.”

                  churchfuel.com

              

               B.  A purpose

 

               Why we exist.  “NASA’s mission is to explore space.”

 

               C.  Your purpose

                             1.  Glorify God.

                              2.  Love God and love others.

                              3.  Help people follow Jesus by helping them become fully engaged disciples of Jesus. 

 

           D.  Purpose and integrity

 

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

               Proverbs 4:25-27 NIV

 

III.  MISSION

 

            A.  Mission defined

 

               “Mission is your next current, church-wide objective.”

                  churchfuel.com              

              

               B.  A mission

 

How we will fulfill our purpose.  “NASA’s mission is to go to Mars.”

 

               C.  Your mission

                              1.  Reach 12 people for Jesus in the next year.

                              2.  Serve 100 food in the next 6 months.

                              3.  Start a discipleship group with 4 people two months from now.

 

            D.  Mission and integrity

 

“Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.”

              Ephesians 6:6 NIV

 

IV.  VISION

 

               A.  Vision defined

 

               “Vision is a preferred picture of the future.”

                 churchfuel.com 

 

               B.  A vision

 

What the result of a fulfilled mission looks like.“

 

               C.  Your vision

                             1.  People are coming to Jesus.

                             2.  People have food to eat.

                              3.  One of my disciples starts their own group in six months.

 

               D.  Vision and integrity

 

“After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’”

               Acts 13:22 NIV

 

CONCLUSION

 

Many years ago, Al Capone virtually owned Chicago. He wasn’t famous for anything heroic. He was notorious for filling Chicago with everything evil. How did he keep himself out of jail? That is where his lawyer came into play. Big Al’s lawyer was nicknamed “Easy Eddie.” He was excellent at keeping his boss out of jail and Al Capone paid him well. Eddie lived the high life and cared little for what happened around him. He only soft spot was his son. He gave his son everything. He tried to teach him right from wrong.

 

He wanted his son to better than him. Yet, with all his wealth and influence there was two things he could not pass on to his son: a good name and a good example. One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. He wanted to rectify wrongs. He decided he would tell the truth about Al “Scareface” Capone, clean up his tarnished name and offer his son a semblance of integrity. To testify against the Mob would cost him a great price, but he testified.

Within a year Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire. In his eyes he gave his son the greatest gift he had to offer and it cost him his life.

 

World War II produced many heroes. One such was Commander Butch O’Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to the aircraft carrier Lexington in the South Pacific. One day his entire squadron was sent out on a mission. After being airborne, Butch saw that his fuel gauge was low and knew someone had forgotten to top it off. He would not have enough fuel to complete the mission, and was commanded to return, but on his way back he saw a squadron of Japanese headed for the Americans.

 

The fighters were gone and the fleet was all but defenseless. He couldn’t get help in time. He had to divert the enemy from the American fleet. He dove into the formation of Japanese planes. Wing-mounted 50 calibers blazed as he charged in. he fired until he was empty and the began clipping wings with his own plane. The Japanese took off in a different direction and Butch O’Hare limped back to his carrier. Upon arrival he reported in and film from the gun camera showed the story. He had destroyed five enemy aircraft. This took place on Feb. 20, 1942 and for that action Butch became the first Naval Ace of WW II, and was awarded a congressional medal of honor. A year latter at age 29, Butch was killed in action. His home town would not allow his memory to fade, and today, O’Hare Airport in Chicago is named in his tribute.

 

And by the way, Butch O’Hare was the son of Easy Eddie. I just thought you ought to know the influence of a father.

          Contributed by Jeffrey Dillinger (many uses found, no attestation)

 

Integrity has a powerful impact on our purpose and mission and vision.  The effectiveness of our efforts to fulfill our purpose and mission and vision will (to a high degree) be determined by our integrity to our purpose and mission and vision.

 

INVITATION

 

It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word.  You may want to follow Jesus.  You may want to proclaim your faith.  You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things).  Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church.  If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now.  If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.