Inspired
If God exists, then that changes everything about us.
He's inspiring. He gives the world identity and purpose. Without him, we have nothing though it may seem we have something. And those that have trusted him are inspiring. They hold fast to truth and love in the midst of a world that subtly and aggressively re-defines truth and love. In doing so, they train others to trust him. And we have been inspired to see all truth and love drawing people to him and him alone.
The world's story unfolds and reveals greatness and beauty among immense brokenness and pain. We either turn from him or turn to him. We either reject him or trust him. We either live as evolving self-centered survivalist, or we live with him as the epicenter to life.
We have been inspired to trust him and that has changed everything about us. And we want to see that inspiration multiply through people's lives among the world. We have been inspired to train people in truth and love, knowing God exists and inspires people to trust him.
Inspiring Training
Training is much more than what one does, but rather, about who we are. Our identity as people is to come from beyond us and from who we trust in the midst of what we do and how we live. Training then is inspiring others out of who we are in the midst of what we do for them to become and do accordingly. Though we may feel the weight and responsibility of training and life is on us, God reveals the weight, responsibility, and inspiration is on him. He has taken upon himself to be and do what we can never be or do. This is humbling for humanity, and entirely good and glorious. This is inspiring!
Inspiring Humanity
"Telos Center" then is an expression created to help teach the biblical, theological, and historical truth that what centers our heart identifies and aims our life.
Telos in Greek, the original language of the Bible's New Testament, is found in several Bible verses in the New Testament. One prominent verse is when Jesus says on the cross, "It is finished (telos)" in John 19:30. Another is Paul saying in 1 Timothy 1:5, "The aim (telos) of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart, good conscience and sincere faith."
The word Telos has several meanings, an important one is God being and accomplishing salvation to affect and ultimately love humanity. This is the gospel of Christ; incredibly powerful in its impact upon the world throughout history (c.f. Romans 1:16-17). We want to see people so affected by God, his word, and his work, that he becomes the epicenter and the aim of their lives. From scripture and throughout history, this Gospel has had a prolific and profound effect on people and is beyond any of us. We want to see people excited and inspired!
Inspiring History
Telos Center draws from deep and diverse history that builds upon the experience, teachings, research, influence, and the failures and successes of countless families, pastors, leaders, missionaries, professors, professionals, churches, organizations, institutions, agencies and companies. Common pieces of wisdom weave into a strong, tightly held precedent of being trained in truth and love for generations to centralize and cycle. We have been inspired by people handling truth lovingly, and have seen how truth-filled love deals with the world. This guides us and gives us wisdom for life, and life lived in health. That health can only come from the heart of truth and love.
Inspiring Heart
We want the world to see that God is the immovable epicenter of life, and especially of Christianity. He is as irreplaceable in culture as our hearts are in our bodies, a central organ without which nothing could operate. We recognize that he is the source of all that is truthful and loving in this world, and that he is also the only way for us to deal with evil. He is awe inspiring, and he transforms people by drawing their trust to rest in him regardless of suffering or success. We want people, including the Christian church, to place their life trust in him. A truster of him sees the world differently, as through his eyes.
Looking through history, the Bible, world religions, philosophies and countless stories of people throughout the world anchors the exciting reality that God is and is truthful and loving. It is how he affects people. It is how he attracts the world to trust him. He is different from anything we can dream up: he is the only existing creator, sustainer and life giver to the world.
Inspiring Humility
All of this inspires humility in the hearts of the world to trust him with the entirety of their life. We come to the point of using light-heartedness and humor to express our understanding of how hopeless we are without him, while hoping in him for the world to see the truth. We become capable of explaining who he is and what he has done without becoming defensive about our belief in him. He exists whether we do or not, and that helps us worry less about ourselves and freely love him and others.
Inspiring Hope
Telos Center organization has the opportunity to train people in truth and love that leads to the epicenter of life and Christianity. We identified training contexts to:
Build a network of core friends and advisors that ensures training longevity,
Produce content to inspire people to trust him,
Aggregate resources for people to learn from others,
Work to see church communities centralize him to become healthy, faithful and multiplying,
Encourage parents to relate healthier to their kids,
Inspire mentoring of older to younger people,
Resource pastors to be affected by truth that produces love for their families and people while mentoring pastors,
Help professionals see their workplace differently than mere customers, money, taxes, and legal,
Strengthen teachers and professors to use classroom context differently as an extension of their life in attracting students to learn deeply and love widely beyond them,
See neighbors attracted and affected by truthful and loving neighboring Christians for all to trust God and his good news for them - Christ Jesus.
Inspiring Help
Telos Center has been in the works for several years now, with founder Pastor Nathan Gunter, returning to his hometown of Sacramento to become a hub and headquarters for this long term, multiplying health throughout Northern California and where possible, to the world. With the support and help of family and friends, including his Auburn oversight church Elevation Church, his Roseville alma mater Valley Christian Academy, and his resource High Point | 963 Missions, Telos Center has launched in 2015 with an expansive vision centered and satisfied on the gospel to train people in truth and love.
We believe numerous people, churches, educational institutions, Christian schools, families, businesses and even culture will be blessed and benefited by people trained in truth and love. As the monthly core of financial supporters increases, Telos Center trains deeper, farther and wider. Join the excited and inspiring core of financial supporters today!
“That you may have certainty concerning the things that you have been taught.”
“Put the cookies on the bottom shelf (talking about making teaching accessible to everyone).”
“Wisdom from the older training young, teachable hearts and lives may not make a generation successful, but makes them, certainly and profoundly, sound.”
