Season of Service: Arizona CityFest

We at imago dei believe that loving our neighbor is critically important. We are partnering with hundreds of churches and organizations to serve the city this year. We specifically are praying as to how we as a church will serve our city as a community of Christ followers at Imago dei. We want to see more people love Jesus and love their neighbor. We want to see the gospel both declared and demonstrated. That's why we at Imago Dei are very excited to partner with the many other churches in this season of service.

Simplified Missional Living by Jon Dodson

Eat with Non-Christians
We all eat three meals a day. Why not make a habit of sharing one of those meals with a non-Christian or with a family of non-Christians?

Go to lunch with a co-worker
not by yourself. Invite the neighbors over for family dinner. If it’s too much work to cook a big dinner, just order pizza and put the focus on conversation. When you go out for a meal, invite a non-Christian friend. Or take your family to family-style restaurants where you can sit at the table with strangers and strike up conversations. Have cookouts and invite Christians and non-Christians. Flee the Christian subculture.

Walk, Don’t Drive
If you live in a walkable area, make a practice of getting out and walking around your neighborhood, apartment complex, or campus. Instead of driving to the mailbox or convenience store, walk to get mail or groceries. Be deliberate in your walk. Say hello to people you don’t know. Strike up conversations. Attract attention by walking the dog, carrying along a 6-pack to share, bringing the kids. Make friends. Get out of your house! Last night I spent an hour outside gardening with my family. We had good conversations with about four of our neighbors. Take interest in your neighbors. Ask questions. Engage. Pray as you go. Save some gas, the planet, and some people.

Be a Regular
Instead of hopping all over the city for gas, groceries, haircuts, eating out, and coffee, go to the same places at the same times. Get to know the staff. Smile. Ask questions. Be a regular. I have friends at coffee shops all over the city. My friends at Starbucks donate a ton of leftover pastries to our church 2-3 times a week. We use them for church gatherings and occasionally give them to the homeless. Build relationships. Be a regular.

Hobby with Non-Christians
Pick a hobby that you can share. Get out and do something you enjoy with others. Try city league sports or local rowing and cycling teams. Share your hobby by teaching lessons, such as sewing, piano, knitting, or tennis lessons. Be prayerful. Be intentional. Be winsome. Have fun. Be yourself.

Talk to Your Co-workers.
How hard is that? Take your breaks with intentionality. Go out with your team or task force after work. Show interest in your co-workers. Pick four and pray for them. Form moms’ groups in your neighborhood and don’t make them exclusively non-Christian. Schedule play dates with the neighbors’ kids. Work on mission.

Volunteer with Non-Profits.
Find a non-profit in your part of the city and take a Saturday a month to serve your city. Bring your neighbors, your friends, or your small group. Spend time with your church serving your city. Once a month. You can do it!

Participate in City Events
Instead of playing XBox, watching TV, or surfing the net, participate in city events. Go to fundraisers, festivals, cleanups, summer shows, and concerts. Participate missionally. Strike up conversation. Study the culture. Reflect on what you see and hear. Pray for the city. Love the city. Participate with the city.

Serve Your Neighbors.
Help a neighbor by weeding, mowing, building a cabinet, or fixing a car. Stop by the neighborhood association or apartment office and ask if there is anything you can do to help improve things. Ask your local Police and Fire Stations if there is anything you can do to help them. Get creative. Just serve!

Grassroots Gospel Movement: Cells Groups

Our vision is to catalyze a grassroots gospel movement in our city. We are working to develop a culture where every believer is a leader! We are reminding others that the command to make disciples is for everyone (Mt 28:19) not just the professional pastors!

We will be fostering a missional DNA in the life of our leaders and church. Worship, mission and fellowship are Imago Dei's basic DNA building blocks.

We want this DNA to exist in the life of every leader and at every level of church's structure. For example, our smallest structure of the church is a “Cell Group.” These groups consist of 2-3 people and meet weekly for an hour for the primary purpose of fellowship.

Cells groups foster
• Fellowship- will be fostered in through our accountability with one another.
• Mission- we will gather to pray for those in need.
• Worship- we will gather to discuss the scriptural insights we have gained.


Our prayer is to see these Cells grow and multiply meeting throughout our city: in coffee shops, play grounds, parks, lunch rooms, offices, college campuses, high-schools etc.

Cell Groups
• Meet weekly wherever they want for 1 hour
• Composed of 2-3 people
• Multiply when the group grow to 4-5 people
• Not Co-Ed
• Review scriptural insights from weekly readings
• Ask accountability questions, sin is confessed
• Prays for salvation for those whom don't know Christ.
• Require members to be desperate for Jesus
• Requires members to be faithful to process

As you can see christian fellowship with one another is the primary DNA building block of these Cell Groups. Still these groups have elements of worship and mission as well! The reading God's word and the praying for Salvation for the lost completes the missional DNA that we believe is important for a gospel movement. Our prayer is to see these Cells grow and multiply meeting throughout our city: in coffee shops, play grounds, parks, lunch rooms, offices, college campuses, high-schools etc.

Yes, we will begin to gather in communities as the Lord grows our number, and yes in time, I believe we will come together in for a larger Celebration Service.

But the health of our church will come when ordinary people begin to rely more of the extraordinary power of God's word. When they use their gifts for ministry. We have got to raise the need to make disciples if this is going to happen, equipping and establishing cells throughout our city is our first step!

share your story: my gospel testimony

This video was recorded years ago. It's a personal testimony of my life and how Jesus pursued me in the midst of my rebellion. I share it #1 to give glory to God and #2 to encourage our people to share their testimony as a means to communicate the gospel. Testimonies are often the most powerful and personal ways to share the gospel.

Often times I share my story in 2-3 minutes with strangers I meet. I never find someone who doesn't want to hear a good story! Last time I checked, the gospel is a great story about a good guy kicking some evil butt and raising up and army of people to join in the battle with a promise that we all will one day will win!

I believe stories are a universal common connection. The important things to hit in sharing your story isn't dramatic points (such as my story) rather real life pain and recognition of sin and rebellion against God and how he pursued you and redeems and restores you. Don't give people religion self help stories. They can get that at Barnes and Noble. They need to know Jesus is the Savior who died and rose again!

You might need to re-learn the gospel or learn it for the first time. For those of you that don't have the dramatic testimony, there had to come a point in your life when your faith became real and you better understood the need for the gospel in your life and your deep need for Jesus. Remember we all have sinned (Rom 3:23).

I encourage you to explore your story with God and learn to communicate it with the people you meet. Let your story share the Good news about Jesus. Don't ignore sin, Jesus payment for sin and salvation through faith! People respond to people's story and experiences, your testimony should reflect the gospel. Go for it! Share your story!

good news/bad news gospel

In the south, the old Romans Road is the main message for the gospel proclamation. I used it for years. Today I find that the gospel narrative approach has much more big picture of the gospel than these bullet pointed facts!

Regardless of the way we share or understand the gospel, it's important that we get the fundamental's of the gospel down. Sin. Substitutionary Atonement (Christ dying in our place for our sins) and salvation by faith!

A Gospel Narrative

The gospel has to include sin, Christ's sacrifice and salvation by faith if it's really going to be good news! Good news means that hell bound sinners like me and you can be set free by placing our faith in Christ the who died and rose again!

Literally that's what Gospel means, Good news! Watch a short video on this presentation of the Big Story of God and the Gospel. There are many ways in which the gospel can be communicated.



Key texts
Rom 3:23 All have sinned
Rom 6:23 Sin penalty is death

Rom 5:8 Christ died for sin
Eph 2:8-9 You are saved by Faith

Gospel vs. Religion

In a city like Phoenix, it's obvious that there are lots of good religious people in the valley! Take for example the Mormons in this city. If you know one, you know they are some of the nicest people you will ever meet. I have actually worked with several and truly can testify, that though I disagree with them theologically, I have always been impressed with their ethics.

They are known for their hardworking values and their strong commitment to those strange doctrines (which I will save for later). You can't go a week in this city without seeing those young men in their white shirts peddling their Huffy mountain bikes just to knock on one more door to get one step closer to secure their salvation!

Although I find their doctrines antithetical to the gospel entirely, I am not writing right now to compare and contrast Mormonism to main stream evangelical theology. Rather I am writing to remind and inform those interested in our church how the gospel differs greatly from religion and good works.

As we look at scripture we see that good people are not good enough! Being good, simply doesn't cut it. Salvation is by grace not by works, (so this messes things up for the Mormons) (Eph 2:8-10). The Bible teaches that you can have great intentions and lots of good works but miss the gospel and get the one way ticket for a hell bound train! Ouch!

Jesus ripped and railed on the religious people of his day! The Pharisee's were the guys who did all the good works but rejected Jesus as the messiah and missed his gospel message!(Matthew 23)

Our church is not interested in creating good people, rather gospel-centered people. A people who readily confess their weakness and accept the fact that they are totally depraved by sin, being born into sin and standing in total need of redemption (Psalms 51:4-5, I Peter 3:18)

Religion actually makes my job harder. In essence religion says, If I do good, I get God! The gospel says, I am bad and yet (b/c of Jesus) I still get God!(Romans 5:1 Romans 5:8)

Here are a few ways to differentiate the gospel from religion.

Concerning Salvation.
•The Religious say, “Because I am a good person I am saved and will go to heaven right?”
•Gospel centered people say,“ I could never be good enough, but b/c Jesus’ payment for my sin, I am saved by grace and will go to heaven!”

Concerning Spirituality
•The Religious say, “B/c I pray and go to church and read the Bible or do good, I am accepted and will grow! I help myself and make myself into a better person.”
•Gospel-centered people say, “I’m accepted by God b/c of Jesus death! I’m a sinner saved by grace and b/c I am so grateful I obey. I pursue holy living, my spirituality is evidence of God's grace working in me! It's not about me.

Concerning Security
•The Religious say. “When I screw up I feel God is angry with me and I am afraid he hates me.” I live in fear!
•Gospel centered people say. “When I screw up I realize I grieve God but know His love for me is unconditional b/c of Jesus payment of sin! I stand in awe and amazement that I have acceptance and security in God’s love for me. I live in freedom not fear!”

Concerning Suffering:
•The Religious say, “I am angry at God, b/c life isn’t working and not fair! I obeyed and why am I still suffering? I deserve more!”
•Gospel centered people “ I am in pain and this world is broken but I trust your promises God. You God work all things for my good even when it's hard.”

Even believers need to rehearse the gospel. We Christians must avoid falling into a dead legalistic, religious exercise that renders us impotent, hollow and numb! We need to sit and savor in the sweetness of the gospel. rehearsing the crazy love of God by saying "I am loved by God not matter what I do." Why? Because Jesus was the substitute and was sufficient payment for my sins and satisfied the righteous demands of God, therefore you should live in freedom. The Father loves you!(I Peter 2:24 ,I John 2:2 Romans 3:23-25)

Our prayer is at imago dei is that sinners would see the savior and start living a life of freedom not of fear, a life that would reflect a picture of the gospel.

Resources: Books: A Gospel Primer Article by Tim Keller and Acts29