"Bringing people to Jesus and heaven to earth" is a statement that captures our evangelistic and missional heart (by missional, we mean getting out there and helping people). The first half is based on John 1:41–42 where Andrew tells Simon, "We have found the Messiah!" and he brought him to Jesus. The second half is based on the Lord's prayer from Matthew 6 where Jesus teaches us to pray "Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven".

You see, we want you to know that Jesus is our only hope. Trusting in him brings healing to our hurting lives and hope to all of humanity. By trusting Jesus, keeping his commands, and following his example, we can find freedom, healing, peace, and unity in the kingdom of God. This is the meaning of God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” There IS hope for humanity...right here on earth...but it only comes through Jesus. When we come to Jesus, heaven comes to earth.  This is our mission.

Bringing people to Jesus means that we see the needs of our friends and neighbors and invite them into our community to find hope, healing, and guidance from Jesus. Bringing people to Jesus helps people find their true purpose in life, make sense of the world around them, and find true hope and healing. We respectfully and gently share the message of Jesus with others as often as we can in conversation, during our Sunday services, our weekly groups and programs, and through our local and global missional partnerships.

​Bringing heaven to earth means that God is actively restoring his edenic vision for humanity through the kingdom of God as we trust and follow Jesus. Though it will not be perfect and complete until his return someday, we faithfully continue the work of the kingdom until then, pursuing personal holiness, living out the whole mission of the church, exercising compassion, demonstrating mercy, and advocating for justice in all areas of life and society. It's the basis of our teachings and discipleship, so that His will would be done “on earth as it is in heaven” through our personal lives, our ministries, and our missional partnerships locally and globally. When people outside the church encounter the people of God, they should be able to say, "If this is what heaven is like, I want more of it!"

VIDEOS

WHERE HEAVEN AND EARTH OVERLAP
This short video from the Bible Project does a great job of helping us visualize what this means.

THE TEMPLE: WHERE GOD AND HUMANITY OVERLAP
This short video from the Bible Project does a great job of helping us visualize God's place among us.

HEAVEN AND EARTH PODCAST SERIES

This podcast series from the Bible Project does a great job of explaining further what this means.

PASTOR JIM'S PAST SERMONS

Review this sermon series from Pastor Jim about the Gospel that Jesus preached—the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Review this sermon series from Pastor Jim explaining what the Bible says about Heaven, Hell, and the Final Judgment.

BOOKS

Here are a few books you could read for more consideration of our mission as the church. Each of these are available for Kindle but we'll also have some paperback copies available at church.
"The King Jesus Gospel" by Scot McNight 
"Surprised by Hope," by N.T. Wright 
"The Divine Conspiracy," by Dallas Willard
"Bringing Heaven to Earth," by Josh Ross and Jonathan Storment (an entry-level, easy to read book, capturing the heart of this statement for the average person)

Note: Every book we read, video we watch, or podcast we listen to will likely contain various statements that are either confusing or with which you or I might disagree. Biblical study always requires personal, Spirit-led discernment, careful analysis and discussion, as well as humility to learn and the granting of charity for different perspectives.