Commissioning Redeemer Church

If you’re here as part of the Redeemer Church founding membership, would you raise your hand really high.

So in just a few minutes I’m going to ask you to stand, and our pastors are going to gather around you and I’m going to lead us in a prayer of commissioning, but before I do that, since this is your last Sunday with us as covenant members of Cities Church, I want to send you out with an short exhortation. 

And the exhortation is simple. This is for the founding pastors and the members together — this is for all of Redeemer Church. Here’s the exhortation: 

Be humble because Jesus is real. 

Be humble in your work as a church, and be humble for one another. And I when I say humble I don’t mean to be shy or passive or genteel, but I mean to be imperturbable in the face of adversity because you are filled with a Bible-saturated, Spirit-empowered fresh, ancient faith in the power of God. 

I mean be humble because you have the kind of faith that in the moment when things are not going the way you want and you feel overwhelmed that you’re able to look up and see that the mountains full of horses and chariots of fire (see 2 Kings 6); 

Be humble because you have the kind of faith that knows a mustard seed, as small as it is, will one day change an entire ecosystem (see Matthew 13); 

Be humble because you have the kind of faith that plants seeds like crazy, and waters like crazy, but knows that only God gives the growth, and therefore only God gets the glory, and you are happy to give him the glory (see 1 Corinthians 3). 

Be that kind of humble because you have that kind of faith in the power of God, not in yourself — and when your faith is in the power of God, you can be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord because you know your labor in the Lord is not in vain because the Lord is risen (see 1 Corinthians 15). Alive. Watching.

Right now, in this moment, Jesus is seated at his Father’s right hand, and he looks at you Redeemer Church, and he smiles on you.

So Redeemer Church, with great love and affection for you, in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, I exhort you: be humble because Jesus is real.

Prayer of Commissioning 

Almighty God, we ask this morning that you look with favor upon Redeemer Church who has committed to be the body of Christ together in Roseville. Give them courage, patience, and vision to be a church that makes disciples of Jesus who love Jesus together. Indeed, Father, make them a church that glorifies Jesus by sinners being redeemed into his kingdom. Fill them with your Holy Spirit and with power. Strengthen their hands for the work you have called them to, and give these Twin Cities a harvest of your grace. In Jesus’s name, amen.

Prayer of Confession

Father, as we give you thanks for Redeemer Church, and ask your blessing on them, we confess our own shortage of faith, and our own dullness to your calling. We know that you intend for us all to be a witness to your gospel in these Twin Cities, and too often we have been slack. We have not pursued the good of our neighbors as we ought, and for that, we repent and ask for mercy. Forgive us for this sin, and for our individual sins as we confess them to you in silence …

Father, we celebrate your mercy. You are sovereign in your grace, and overflowing in your love, and we know you can forgive every sin. We embrace that forgiveness now. Jesus loves us and he has set us free. We were dead, but Jesus made us alive; we were lost, but Jesus has made us found; we were your enemies, but Jesus has made us your sons and daughters — all because he lived and died for us in our place, because he is risen from dead, because he is reigning for us now and coming for us soon. And it’s in his name alone that we live and pray, amen.