1. Reach out to "the leas of these"
2. Get involved civically
3. Throw parties and invite your neighbors
4. Take care of the city's environment
5. Stay put (especially relevent for San Francisco)
6. Give a gift of artistry
7. Be a positive presence, not a negative one
8. Participate in and help plan city events and festivals
9. Start ministires that address the city's specific felt or unseen needs
10. Leaders are readers
11. Pray for your city

To find our more about this, join a community group and start loving our city.

While tomorrow's service is a big deal, by no means is it the extent of Redeemer City Church. This church exists to make disciples. And while discipleship must include Sunday gatherings, it is also much more. I am praying that this church would leave a legacy within San Francisco. A legacy of gospel multiplication. A gathering of disciples who love Jesus and long to see other lives be transformed by the gospel to become disciples of Jesus. This is a life-long process, and one that I am excited to give my life to.

Would you pray that Redeemer City Church would be empowered by the Spirit of God to carry out our mission to make disciples who make disciples for the good of the city and to the glory of God?

You can read the other prayer points here:

• #10 - Salvation
• #9 - A Spirit of Humility
• #8 - Gospel Transformation
• #7 - Protection from the Enemy
• #6 - Favor with the City
• #5 - Servant Leaders
• #4 - Financial Provision
• #3 - Open Door for the Word
• #2 - Pleasing to the Lord

Colossians 1:10 (ESV)

walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

While there have been many to-do lists, last minute errands and tasks to complete before this Sunday, in the end - my greatest desire is that this Sunday would be pleasing to the Lord. As I look at my own heart, I am all too aware that it is possible to "successfully" to get things done, yet the attitude of my heart be completely contrary to what is pleasing to the Lord. Even more damaging, is a church that says the right things, does the right things yet is void of the fruit of the Spirit.

Would you join with us in praying that the ministry and legacy of Redeemer City Church would be pleasing to the Lord above all else?

You can read the other prayer points here:

• #10 - Salvation
• #9 - A Spirit of Humility
• #8 - Gospel Transformation
• #7 - Protection from the Enemy
• #6 - Favor with the City
• #5 - Servant Leaders
• #4 - Financial Provision
• #3 - Open Door for the Word

Colossians 4:2–3 (ESV)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. ³ At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ

Would you join with us in praying that God would open a door for the word, not only this Sunday, but many times over as we live as disciples of Jesus in San Francisco?

You can read the other prayer points here:

• #10 - Salvation
• #9 - A Spirit of Humility
• #8 - Gospel Transformation
• #7 - Protection from the Enemy
• #6 - Favor with the City
• #5 - Servant Leaders
• #4 - Financial Provision

Planting a new church takes money. Planting a new church in San Francisco takes more money. And while many people can get uneasy about the subject of church and money, the real issue has to do with stewardship. Meaning, the resources placed in our hands are not our own but belong to Jesus. Our job is to take care of it in a way that reflects the generosity, humility and servanthood of the gospel.

My prayer for Redeemer City Church is that God would bless us financially - simply that we might be a blessing to others.

Psalm 67:1–2 (ESV)

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, ² that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.

Would you join with us in praying that God's blessing and favor would be upon Redeemer City Church that we might be a blessing to San Francisco and that the saving power of the gospel would be known among all the peoples?

You can read the other prayer points here:

• #10 - Salvation
• #9 - A Spirit of Humility
• #8 - Gospel Transformation
• #7 - Protection from the Enemy
• #6 - Favor with the City
• #5 - Servant Leaders

There is no doubt that our task to make disciples cannot fall solely upon one person. The task of shepherding, caring, serving and leading must be a shared task. That is why we are praying for many leaders within Redeemer City Church. Leaders who are passionate about Jesus' fame and not their own, leaders who want to serve others at their own expense, leaders who delight in blessing others.

Would you pray that God would raise up a group of people who are passionate about making disciples of Jesus and are clothed in humility?

Matthew 20:25–28 (ESV)

But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. ²⁶ It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷ and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, ²⁸ even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

You can read the other prayer points here:

• #10 - Salvation
• #9 - A Spirit of Humility
• #8 - Gospel Transformation
• #7 - Protection from the Enemy
• #6 - Favor with the City

During this summer our core group to some time to study through the book of Acts together. While the early church faced persecution and opposition, they also had a good reputation with non-Christians:

Acts 2:46–47 (ESV)

⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Would you pray that Redeemer City Church would have favor with the city of San Francisco?

1. pray that this body would have genuine relationship with people outside the church
2. pray that we would be well respected in our community having a reputation of generosity and servanthood
3. pray for strategic relationships for open doors to serve the city

You can read the other prayer points here:

• #10 - Salvation
• #9 - A Spirit of Humility
• #8 - Gospel Transformation
• #7 - Protection from the Enemy

Spiritual warfare is just simply a part of the Christian life. It seems to be even more intense anytime we step out in faith, intentionally seek to share the gospel, or establish new works where there previously has been very little gospel influence. Would you pray specifically for protection against our adversary the devil who walks about like a roaring lion seeking to devour? Typically, his attacks come along the lines of:

• doubt
• fear
• condemnation
• spiritual depression
• heightened or intense temptation
• general opposition, hinderances or obstacles
• division
• physical sickness or pain

Would you join with us in praying for Jesus to restrain our enemy and provide us with protection?

You can read the other prayer points here:

• #10 - Salvation
• #9 - A Spirit of Humility
• #8 - Gospel Transformation

People can change for any number of reasons - how and why they change is of utmost importance. Guilt, fear and pride are all very strong motivators in our lives that cause us to stop doing certain things or start doing other things (New Year's resolutions anyone?).

However, gospel transformation is entirely different. The hope of the gospel is not only that we can change, but the source of that transformation is radically different. The good news of the gospel comes to us and shows us what Jesus has done for us. It reveals to us Jesus' perfect life and substitutionary death - all for our benefit. It reminds us that God is great - so we don't have to be in control. It reminds us that God is glorious - so we do not have to fear circumstances or others. It tells us that God is good - so we do not have to look elsewhere. It proclaims to us that God is gracious - so we do not have to prove ourselves.*

Gospel transformation is life-long change, not just a one-time conversion, and my constant prayer for Redeemer City Church is that the gospel would become our fluent language.

Would you join with us in praying for this kind of gospel transformation? Specifically, you can pray along these lines:

1. that the explanation and implications of the gospel would be preached with clarity
2. that the Holy Spirit would be working to bring illumination to our hearts concerning this gospel
3. that this gospel message would become woven into our very hearts and minds so that it would become the lens we see everything through

You can read the other prayer points here:

• #10 - Salvation
• #9 - A Spirit of Humility

*The four "Gs" (great, glorious, good, gracious) are taken from Tim Chester's book, "You Can Change"

We all know it is possible to do a right thing the wrong way, and in church planting it is especially true. The right message, gifted leaders and a strategic plan can all be undone with the ugliness of pride - and it resides in all of our hearts.

Would you pray with us that Redeemer City Church would be known as a group of people who make much of Jesus and not themselves as we pursue genuine humility?

1 Peter 5:5 (ESV)

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

Would you join with us in praying for the next 10 days for each of these things?

#10 - Salvation

The heart of the gospel message is that God saves sinners. This is my hope for my own life personally, and for Redeemer City Church as it exists in San Francisco. Would you join with us in praying for the power of the gospel to take root that lives might be transformed? Specifically, pray that God would rescue from:

• the power of darkness
• the bondage of sin
• the deception of freedom apart from Jesus
• the idols of success and self-dependence

San Francisco is a beautiful place to live and work. Yet, the city is also a broken city filled with busy people seeking fulfillment and finding identity in everything except the God who created them.  Jesus wants to change that. Join with us in praying for such a salvation.

We are excited to announce that Redeemer City Church officially begins on January 8, 2012! After months of prayer and planning, we are ready to open the doors and gather together as a church.

Sundays Are a Big Deal

While a church is more than just Sunday gatherings - Sundays are important. Sunday is the first day of the week. It is the day Jesus rose from death, triumphing over our sin, our enemy Satan and declared himself to be the one worthy of our worship. Because of what Jesus has done, we gather together as his church, on the first day of the week to proclaim this good news, worship God in song and remember what he has done through communion.

Planting a New Church is a Celebration

As we begin this new church, we invite you to join with us in celebration in what Jesus is doing in San Francisco. We believe that Jesus is the Chief Shepherd of his church and we respond to his lead. He is the one who makes all things new, restores that which is broken, brings life to that which is dead, and gives grace to undeserving. That is good news!

So make plans to join us on January 8th at 5:30 pm. You can read more about our Sunday gatherings here.

Our core group is moving in high gear to line up the final details for our first official service on January 8th so stay tuned for a more detailed announcement of the times and specifics. But until then - rejoice with us, our God has provided abundantly beyond what we could ask or think!

Here are a couple of pictures of the building which was originally built in 1910.

• We already have plenty of churches and lots of room for all the other people. Let’s get them filled before we build other churches
• A new church will just take people away from existing churches
• Help should be given to the struggling churches first. We need better churches, not more churches.

Although these statements appear to be ‘common sense’ to many people, they rest on several assumptions. The error of this thinking will become clear if we ask, “Why is church planting crucially important?”

Church Planting is a Biblical Mandate

Jesus’ essential call was to plant churches.Virtually all the great evangelistic challenges of the New Testament are basically calls to plant churches, not simply to share the faith. The ‘Great Commission’ (Matt.28: 18-20) is not just a call to ‘make disciples’ but to ‘baptize’. In Acts and elsewhere, it is clear that baptism means incorporation into a worshipping community with accountability and boundaries (cf. Acts 2:41-47). The only way to be truly sure you are increasing the number of Christians in a town is to increase the number of churches.

Paul’s whole strategy was to plant urban churches.The greatest missionary in history, St.Paul, had a rather simple, two-fold strategy. First, he went into the largest city of the region (cf. Acts 16:9,12), and second, he planted churches in each city (cf. Titus 1:5).Once Paul had done that, he could say that he had ‘fully preached’ the gospel in a region and that he had ‘no more work’ to do there (cf. Romans 15:19,23). This means Paul had two controlling assumptions: a) that the way to most permanently influence a country was through its chief cities, and b) the way to most permanently influence a city was to plant churches in it. Once he had accomplished this in a city, he moved on. He knew that the rest that needed to happen would follow.

Planting New Churches is Healthy for the Entire Body of Christ

It is a great mistake to think that we have to choose between church planting and church renewal. Strange as it may seem, the planting of new churches in a city is one of the very best ways to revitalize many older churches in the vicinity and renew the whole Body of Christ.

Often times, in efforts to reach out to unchurched people, a new church will take risks and bring new ideas into the whole Body. It is the new churches that will have freedom to be innovative and they become the ‘Research and Development’ department for the whole Body in the city. Often the older congregations were too timid to try a particular approach or were absolutely sure it would ‘not work here’. But when the new church in town succeeds wildly with some new method, the other churches eventually take notice and get the courage to try it themselves.

Likewise, in older congregations, leaders can emphasize tradition, tenure, routine, and kinship ties. New congregations, on the other hand, attract a higher percentage of venturesome people who value creativity, risk, innovation and future orientation. Often older churches ‘box out’ many people with strong leadership skills who cannot work in more traditional settings. New churches thus attract and harness many people in the city whose gifts would otherwise not be utilized in the work of the Body. These new leaders benefit the whole city-Body eventually.

A Kingdom Mentality

New church planting is the only way that we can be sure we are going to increase the number of believers in a city and one of the best ways to renew the whole Body of Christ. The evidence for this statement is strong–Biblically, sociologically, and historically. In the end, a focus on the Kingdom of God rather than our own personal kingdoms will keep us fixated upon Jesus’ call to go and make disciples of all nations.

Taken from “Why Plant a New Church in the City?” from the Redeemer City Church Vision Packet (adapted from “Why Plant Churches?” by Tim Keller) - download HERE

However, often the church drifts from this mission. This happens when a church lets something else take over as the primary mission: a building project, an unstated theology of “people should come to us,” personality of the preacher, the size of the church, making budget, keeping programs running or sometimes simple laziness.

Ultimately, when mission drift occurs indefinitely the church stops reaching people.

The term “missional” is simply the noun “missionary” adapted into an adjective. Thus, a “missionary” is someone who acts like a missionary (e.g. understands a culture, proclaims the faithful Gospel in a way that people in culture can understand, and uses parts of that culture to glorify God). A “missional church” is a church that acts like a missionary in its community.

What Do Missional Churches Look Like?

Incarnational – Missional churches are deeply connected to the community. The church is not focused on its facility, but is focused on living, demonstrating, and offering biblical community to a lost world. It means following the example of Jesus, God becoming man. We are now commissioned to become part of the community in which God has placed us as redemptive agents.

Indigenous – Churches that are indigenous have taken root in the soil and reflect, to some degree, the culture of their community. An indigenous church looks different from San Francisco to Senegal to Singapore. This means that churches must become humble students of the varied peoples and cultures surrounding them to communicate the Gospel truth in ways the culture understands.

Intentional – Missional churches are intentional about their methodologies:

• Intentional about producing missionaries instead of consumers in the discipleship process.
• Intentional about equipping people to live every day with Gospel intentionality.
• Intentional about building a great city and not just a good church.
• Intentional about planting other churches to go and do the same.
• Intentional about Biblical fidelity merged with contextual engagement.

Jesus is Our Example

In all this, Jesus serves as our primary example. The incarnation – God becoming man – helps us understand and relate to people. The cross provides the framework for our theology (what we believe and how we relate to God). But it’s the incarnation that provides the framework for our missiology (what we believe and how we relate to culture).

During His earthly ministry we see Jesus loving people, spending time with people, and sharing His life with people. We see an outcast ministering to outcasts, we see grace offered to a prostitute, an adulterer, and a tax-collector. We see a God-man moved with absolute compassion because He sees those around Him are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). And He says I am here. I am here to “seek and save that which is lost.”

A missional church sees that people and culture are not enemies of the church, but broken treasures that God is restoring. Restoration is only made fully and freely available through the Gospel delivered by God’s sent people, the Church. That’s missional. We have a sender (Jesus), a message (the Gospel), and a people to whom we are sent (real people in culture). These are the themes that we are committed to living out together as Redeemer City Church.

Taken from “What is a Missional Church” from the Redeemer City Church Vision Packet (adapted from “Christ, City, Church?” by Jonathan McIntosh) - download here

However, it is not that these churches have fallen into some sort of blatant heresy. Most likely, it is that over time, they have let the message of the gospel slip in favor of another way to try and draw people or even change people.

Replacements for Gospel Motivation

A few of the most prevalent replacements that can crowd out the gospel:

1. Moralism – using fear, rules and commands as the basis for discouraging sin and encouraging holy living, which sadly, results in increases self-righteousness among the rule-keepers and despair among those who feel they can’t live up.
2. Pragmatism – when in an effort to reach new people, church leaders spend more time focused on techniques of useful principals than actually pointing people to the only thing that has real power to change both hearts and lives.
3. Activism – out of a desire to get involved in the public square and influence policy, Christians of every political stripe often begin to equate the spread of the gospel with the growth of a particular political party.

What is tricky is that usually these -isms start with good intentions and noble aspirations: a deep desire to help people change and grow, a desire to reach out to people who are far from God, or a desire to use influence to change the way things are done. Unfortunately, when something other than Jesus is our primary goal, (no matter how good that goal is), we will eventually start taking shortcuts to get what we want accomplished.

Marks of a Gospel-Centered Church

A gospel-centered church understands that change or transformation of any kind, especially authentic heart-transformation, cannot happen apart from the gospel of grace.

A gospel-centered church roots itself and keeps the focus of all activity – teaching, worship, outreach, social activism and discipleship – honed in on the gospel: the riches of the grace of God available because of the sacrificial death of Jesus for sinners.

Because of this, a gospel-centered church is committed to:

• Reading and teaching the entire Bible in light of the gospel message
• Preaching the gospel to believers, not just unbelievers
• Leaders applying the gospel to themselves first; church leaders are a model of repentance
• Developing a leadership culture marked by ever increasing “gospel-astonishment”
• Being known for an atmosphere of grace (gospel-centered churches are a safe place for seekers, skeptics and those outside the faith)
• Producing people who not only know the doctrine of the gospel but who also love the person of Jesus Christ

The Heartbeat of Redeemer City Church

These are some of the themes that we are committed to living together at Redeemer City Church. At the end of the day, grace isn’t just something we “get” and the cross is not just some object in time. These things hinge on a person.

Jesus.

Taken from “What is a Gospel-Centered Church?” from the Redeemer City Church Vision Packet (adapted from “Christ, City, Church” by Jonathan McIntosh) - download here