Reach Up - Reach Out - Reach Across

Girl: Down here. I’ve been wondering what is it that God has planned for our Church?

Pastor Jan Paulsen: I’m drawn to the statement by or rather the description by Ellen White where she describes the Church as being the theatre of God’s grace, where the grace of God is on display for humanity. I think God is really saying through the Church as a preferred instrument. I want to speak to humanity. I have a plan for their future, but I need the Church to be the one to carry this, to communicate this. So it is more than an appeal, an invitation and in a sense also a command for the Church to do this. Without Tell the World, as it were and this describes the mission we have. Without this the Church really has no reason for being there. The Church is a chosen instrument by which God communicates salvation in Jesus Christ to the world. So God says to us – Go, tell the world.

Girl: What does tell the world mean to us today? How does it involve me and my family?

Elder Mark Finley: The Church in the book of Acts was consumed with three things – first - reaching up, second – reaching out and third – reaching across. The Church in the book of Acts reached up to God. They knew God. They sought Him in prayer. They opened their hearts for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Secondly, they were passionate about reaching out. There was a mission that the Church in the book of Acts had for the community. They sensed that they could not be faithful to God unless they participated in Christ’s mission of reaching the lost. And thirdly they reached across. Across to one another. This emphasis of reaching up, reaching out, reaching across, this emphasis on personal devotional life, active witness and fellowship. This is the model that Christ himself has given us in the book of Acts. As the Church follows this model, we will see dramatic, powerful, supernatural results.

Girl: Now let me get this straight – reach up, reach out and reach across. Is it really that simple? Can you tell me a little bit more about it?

Dr. Ella Simmons: Typically, we think of reaching up, reaching up to God as praise and worship often in a formal setting in the Church, but it is so much more than that. Yes, it includes that but there is Bible study, studying God’s word and thereby studying God’s character. Getting to know who God is, building relationships with God. Through our lives, just our daily living everything that we do bringing honor and glory to God. That’s reaching up.

Girl: Now I understand reach up, but what does reach across mean? How does unity fit in?

Pastor Charles Tapp: The apostle Paul in first Corinthians 12 he talked about the Church being this body. But he also described it as being many different members. Very unique differences. One being a foot, another being a hand, another being a ear, so forth and so on. It means that we must come together and be unified. But it also means that we must have room to accept the differences that each of us bring to the table. To bring these different entities together we come up with something very unique that would have never ever existed had we not given the time to bring these separate entities together to create this stronger unit which is really the body of Christ.

Girl: Is being part of our community reaching across?

Pastor David Jamieson: It goes back to kindergarten, grade one and grade two when we would bring a little trinket or favorite object to school and we would have show and tell. And it’s the same kind of concept today. People in our society want to see Christ before they are willing to listen to someone sharing Christ. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Girl: I like the part about show and tell but I don’t understand the reading out part. I’m just a kid. What can I do?

Elder Mike Ryan: This is an area that probably Seventh-day Adventists had been the strongest in and for years, in fact, that we have been so mission driven, reaching out is in a corporate sense it reaches from not only our members of our family and the community in which we live but it can also reach out all the way to countries in which we have very little presence. And we recognize that we have a responsibility and a privilege to go there and to deliver the three angel’s messages and the gospel. So this is a vital part of Adventism.

Girl: Reach up, reach out, reach across, sounds simple to me. Pastor Paulsen, what do you think?

Pastor Jan Paulsen: Ever since we began as a Church in the middle of the 19th century, mission is what has described that defined us as a Church. And it’s only going to happen if the people who make up the Church, who are part of the Church, will accept their role and function. What is it? What is God expecting of you and me? God is expecting of us faithfulness. Whatever talents, skills, energies, gifts you have, make them available for the mission which is God’s mission entrusted to the Church. So really the big question, the final question that comes to all of us at the end of the day is – will you, will I, be part of God’s plan?