Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Almighty God, you welcome you. Hey there. If you're new to Restored Church, we want to welcome you and thank you for tuning in. You're listening to a portion of our Sunday worship gathering. We believe the church is not an event, but a family you belong to. So we would love the opportunity to connect with you. If you want to learn more about our church or if we can help you in any way, please Visit our website, www.restoredtemecula.church and click on Contact. With all that said, we, we hope you enjoy the message.
[00:00:34] If you're a guest with us this morning, I just want to welcome you.
[00:00:39] So glad that you're here with us. My prayer is that you would encounter God when you're here with us.
[00:00:44] That who he is, that what he's done, that his grace, his mercy, it would encourage you, it would strengthen you.
[00:00:50] It would refresh you.
[00:00:52] One of the things that is important for all of us to recognize about our own lives and about the lives of everybody on the planet is there really is a difference between being in church and being in Christ.
[00:01:05] And man, oh man, I don't know about you, but I want to be in Christ.
[00:01:11] And the chances there's anybody here you're not yet in Christ, you haven't yet given yourself over to His Lordship, to His leadership in your life.
[00:01:18] Embrace this grace that saves you and redeems you. I pray that you would see him for who he truly is. There's a lot of opinions about Christianity. There's a lot of opinions about the church. There's a lot of opinions about Jesus.
[00:01:30] But I'm just here to tell you that nobody loves you like Jesus loves you. There's nobody like him in the whole world. So my prayer is that you would encounter him, you would see him for who he truly is, and that you'd yield to his lordship. And it would completely alter your life. It would transform you.
[00:01:44] It would satisfy the deepest longings inside of you and that you be.
[00:01:49] You take great pleasure in doing so.
[00:01:52] Now, this morning, we are continuing on our series right in the middle of a series called who We Are. Actually, it's an important series. I don't know about you, but it's important that you know who you are. It's important that I know who I am. And it's important that we, as a church family, know who we are. And the reason we called this series who We Are is because we're going through our church's six core values, okay? Our six core values. These are the six things that listen to me they drive everything we do as a church.
[00:02:20] I don't know if you know this, but what people value informs what they do.
[00:02:25] What people value informs what they do. And the inverse of that is also true, right?
[00:02:31] What people do reveals what they value.
[00:02:33] And so we want to be really candid about who we are, about what we value, because that informs everything that we do. Now, so far, week one in this series, we've covered our first and it's our most important value and that's the gospel, the good news of Jesus. And we talked about how the gospel is not advice about what to do.
[00:02:51] No, it's joyful good news about what God has done in and through Jesus. And we talked about how those what God has done and who he is. That has implications, get this for every single area of your life.
[00:03:03] I mean, just think of any area in your life.
[00:03:06] The reality of who God is and what he's done through Jesus is it literally impacts every single area of your life. And if you're like, how does that work? Journey with us and we'll teach you about how the gospel can be applied to every single area of your life. And guess what the result of the gospel is? Freedom. The Bible uses the word salvation. It's both eternal and you can experience it here and now. Freedom from things that keep you in bondage, freedom from sin, freedom from anxiety and fear and depression and worry. And some of these things that literally bind people from experiencing life the way God designed them to live. The gospel has the power to do that both now and forever.
[00:03:40] We talked about our second value, which is family. We talk about this quite a bit. The church is the family of God. It's not a building, it's not an event, it's not a business.
[00:03:48] It's the family of God. And then last Sunday I talked about our third value and that's dependence.
[00:03:55] Frankly boiling it down like we need God as much as we want to believe. Cultures lie that we can live a fruitful life being self reliant. It's not possible. We were created to be in right relationship with God, to rely on him, to depend on him, to need him and for him to be gracious and kind in his provision to give us that with which we need to fulfill his will on the earth.
[00:04:18] Value independence. It's a rejection of self reliance.
[00:04:21] And we talked about how those who depend on God, they stay with him, they remain in him. It's that John 15 abiding that remaining in Him. And if we do, we bear much fruit. It's a life With God, we talk about how that's why prayer is such a big deal for us.
[00:04:39] It's the engine that drives us.
[00:04:41] And so if you missed any of those messages, I want to encourage you, please listen back because this defines who we are as a church. Okay? Now today we're going to go through, you guessed it, our fourth value. Anybody know what it is?
[00:04:54] Staff deacons are, like, talking. Yeah, okay. It's mission. Okay, we're going to talk about mission today. So go and grab your bibles. Matthew, chapter 28, one of the most important chapters in all of the Bible, by the way, Matthew, chapter 28. If you don't have a Bible, no sweat, we'll have the words on the screen for you.
[00:05:17] And so what I'm going to do is, as you're flipping there, you can find verse 16, because that's where we're going to start.
[00:05:24] I'm going to pray for us and I would love it if you would join me.
[00:05:34] Heavenly Father, I thank you for your mercy and your love.
[00:05:50] I thank you that even, even on cloudy days, the sun is still shining beyond the clouds.
[00:05:59] And so I just, even now just feel kind of arrested by this idea that some of us in the room, it's been a little bit since we've felt the warmth of the love of the Father because it's been kind of cloudy. So I just pray for my brothers and sisters and myself too. I want to feel your love. Help us to experience the love of Jesus.
[00:06:23] Lord, would you teach us about your mission, how important it is, how amazing it is, and what it means for us.
[00:06:33] Have your way among us.
[00:06:35] Help me, Holy Spirit. I love you, Jesus. You're wonderful.
[00:06:40] It's in your name that we pray. Amen.
[00:06:43] Okay, so Matthew, chapter 28. We're going to read verses 16 through 20 now. I want you to. I want to set the stage just so you have a little bit of context about where we're picking up here in Matthew.
[00:06:53] This is after the resurrection, okay? So Jesus, get this, has already risen from the dead. Okay? This is the resurrected Christ here. So this is post resurrection, just before he ascends back up to heaven. Okay, listen, Christians in the room, what you believe is you believe that God became a man. He lived the perfect life in our place, died the death in our place, fulfilled all the messianic prophecies, all the things. His ministry was flawless. It was perfect. He was crucified because of it. They put him in a tomb. He.
[00:07:24] He literally died and he literally rose from the dead. And then from There, right after what we read, he's gonna ascend in bodily form up into heaven. Okay, you believe that if you're a Christian. It's wild, but it's true and it's incredible. And it can change your life. Now that's where we pick up in between. He's resurrected. This is in between his resurrection and his ascension back up to heaven. Okay, what does that mean? That means these are some of Jesus very last resurrection words.
[00:07:53] Last words are important. They carry weight, don't they?
[00:07:56] Let's check this out. Verse 16 says this.
[00:08:00] The 11 disciples, Judas was the 12th. Judas betrayed Jesus. He's not in the picture.
[00:08:07] The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. So Jesus told them to go there. Verse 17. When they saw him, they're seeing the resurrected Jesus. Okay?
[00:08:21] They worshiped, but some doubted.
[00:08:24] It's a whole other sermon. Verse 18.
[00:08:28] Jesus came near and said to them, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.
[00:08:37] Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Where it says all nations, there don't think borders, think all people groups, okay?
[00:08:47] Talking about all different types of people.
[00:08:50] So go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, of all people groups, all types of people, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. There's your Trinity, right? One God made up of three persons, in verse 20, teaching them to observe everything. I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.
[00:09:15] Okay? There's a lot here in these verses. But what I want to hone in on during my time here is I want to talk about this. What is the Christian mission? We're going to answer that question. We're going to talk about it for a bit, and we're also going to talk about what that even means for us. Okay? So when you leave here, if I do my job well, you'll be able to leave here going. Okay, I'm clear on what the Christian mission is. And I have a decent understanding of what that actually means for me as a person and for us as a church. You with me? Okay, great. What is the Christian mission? Now, depending on who you ask, you're gonna get different opinions on this. You're gonna get different opinions on what the mission of the church is. Some people will say the mission of the church is social justice, right?
[00:09:57] It's caring for the poor.
[00:10:00] It's caring for the hungry and the suffering and the outcast and the orphan and the widow and other vulnerable people.
[00:10:07] And hear me, all of those things are awful and they ought to be given attention, especially by Christians. Okay? All those things, doing all those things and caring for all those people, those are amazing things, worthy of your time and your effort. Amazing things that Christians ought to care about.
[00:10:24] But they're not the primary mission.
[00:10:26] So some people will say that it's social justice, but I'm here to tell you that's not the primary mission of the church. Some people will say that the mission of the church is to build community. Some of you, you have experienced like genuinely life transforming and life altering. If nothing else, you've experienced tremendous blessing at the way that God forms community and you've benefited from those relationships. Can I get an amen? Yeah. It's incredible, right? But some people will say that that's the mission of the church, to build community, connecting and strengthening and repairing relationships among people. Again, all amazing things, all worthy of your time and energy.
[00:11:01] They're amazing things that Christians ought to care about. But they're not the primary mission.
[00:11:08] Dude, back in the days, a long time ago, I heard about a church planter in Cleveland and the mission of his church plant was to cure loneliness in Cleveland.
[00:11:17] Sounds cool.
[00:11:20] Sounds great, right? There are all sorts of opinions about what the mission of the church is. But in Matthew chapter 28, Jesus gives Christians a very clear mission. It's actually known as the Great Commission.
[00:11:33] Right. You've heard this before. If you've been in church youth. If you haven't, you get to learn today. It's great. The Great Commission. And what is it?
[00:11:40] Go and make disciples. Yes, that's the Great Commission. That's the mission of the church. So you note takers.
[00:11:48] Groundbreaking first point for you. The mission of the church is to go and make disciples of Jesus.
[00:11:56] That's your first point. The mission of the church is to go and make disciples of Jesus.
[00:12:01] I'll touch on this a little bit later. But the church is made up of what people. Absolutely. We talk about it's not an event. Right. So you could also argue that it's not just the mission of the church, it's the mission of the Christian. Correct. Because that's who we are. The church is not an event. It's not a business. It's people. It's the family of God. And so the mission of the church is to go and make disciples of Jesus. The mission of the Christian, therefore, is to go and make disciples of Jesus. Now listen, that word go is really important. It's just as important as the make. Those are both Verbs, action, words, right? Go and make disciples, right? I'll talk more about the go here in just a bit.
[00:12:39] But I want you to see, the mission of the church is to go and make disciples of Jesus, okay?
[00:12:47] Now, if that's the mission of the church, if that's the mission of the Christian and you're a Christian in the room, it'd be really important for us to know exactly what a disciple is. For some of you, you're like, I wish I would have skipped this morning because I already know this stuff.
[00:13:00] Trust me, bear with me. There's gold here for you to apply to your life, okay?
[00:13:04] The word disciple has a meaning.
[00:13:07] The word disciple, it means a student. Raise your hand in the room if you're a student.
[00:13:12] Many of us, okay, so get this picture. It means a student, a pupil, a learner, or an apprentice, okay?
[00:13:22] So the idea of a disciple is. Here's the idea. Disciples learn how to do something from a teacher.
[00:13:30] They learn how to do something from a teacher. So if you've ever taken a cooking class, right, somebody taught you how to make a dish, or they taught you how to use your knife, or they taught you, whatever, you're a disciple of that teacher in the area of cooking. You with me?
[00:13:44] Nobody's with me. Okay, cool.
[00:13:46] So if you take a class, right, your cooking class, if you've ever got, like, golf lessons and someone teaches you how to swing a golf club, there's teaching happening there. You're a disciple of that teacher. They're teaching you. They're a disciple of a golf swing, painting, replacing the brakes on your car. Thank God for YouTube. You can learn anything on YouTube. You can be discipled by a. A slew of people who want to teach you stuff on YouTube. Some of them can be helpful. Some of them can be not helpful. Okay? Be careful on YouTube, playing an instrument, tons of music, a lot of musicians in the room. There's a day when you were taking lessons or you were learning in that process. I want you to get the picture here. Disciples, they learn how to do something from a teacher, okay?
[00:14:29] So here's how we at restored Temecula, here's how we define a disciple, okay? Because we're talking about going and making disciples of who?
[00:14:39] Yes, but of Jesus. We want to make Jesus disciples. Yes. Of all nations. Absolutely. But we're making Jesus disciples here, okay? So the disciple of Jesus is someone, get this, who's learning. They're a student, right? Someone who is learning to enjoy Jesus, obey Jesus and operate like Jesus in every single area. Of their life.
[00:15:04] Nothing's off limits. He's the king. We want his kingdom, his rule and reign everywhere. Okay?
[00:15:10] So I want you to get away from this picture of discipleship being like you, saying yes to God and then doing your own thing too. I'm saying yes to God all the time. Cause I'm learning about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I'm learning how to. To enjoy him. I'm learning how to obey him. I'm learning how to operate like him in every single area of life. Okay? So it's a lifelong process of learning.
[00:15:36] We're all growing and learning in this process of following Jesus. The mission. It's the mission of the church to go and make disciples of Jesus. Okay, so this begs the question, how do we actually do that?
[00:15:53] It's a lofty goal. Sounds great. All the people, right? All different types of people. It sounds cool. How do we actually do that? Jesus, he's brilliant. He's the best teacher and the best leader ever. He tells us. Here, look back at verse 19, verse 19. He says, Go.
[00:16:09] That's a verb, Therefore. And make another verb. Disciples of all nations. Look what he says. He tells them how.
[00:16:15] Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Spirit, and then teaching them to observe everything that he has commanded.
[00:16:25] Okay? So Jesus, he tells them, he gives them the instructions. He gives them the answers. He tells how disciples are made. Two things. You caught them, right? Baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit, and then teaching them to observe. Let's break that down really, really quickly so that we all know what's happening here. Now, if you read that, you're going baptism. Yeah, I understand that. You know, when I put my faith in Jesus, I got baptized, right? I. I publicly identified with his death and his resurrection. And in the same way, like the old me that didn't wanna follow Jesus and didn't wanna obey God, wanted to be my own king. That guy, that girl, she passed away with Jesus. She's dead under the water with Jesus and this new creation of someone who's filled with the spirit of God, to live like Jesus was, if he was me. That's who I'm now embracing as who I am. And I'm stepping back into the world in that way. And I'm publicly identifying with Jesus. That's baptism.
[00:17:19] Many of you, if not all of you in the room, have been baptized. If you haven't, we'd love to explore baptism with you.
[00:17:24] As wonderful as water baptism is that's part of what he's getting at here, but it's not even close to the entirety of what Jesus is talking about here. When he talks about baptizing them in the. What the name.
[00:17:40] We think of name as just what we call each other.
[00:17:44] The Bible speaks about name as someone's essence, like who they are in all of its glory or in all of its.
[00:17:58] What's the opposite of glory? Not glory.
[00:18:02] And so I want you to see this baptizing in the name, okay? It certainly includes the physical act of water baptism, but it's deeper than that to baptize, what it means. It means to immerse.
[00:18:13] That's why when people get baptized, they go under the water, they get full immersion and come out of the water. It's what it means. It means to immerse. Okay? So think about this. Think of the implications here.
[00:18:24] Think about immersing people. If the name is the essence, everything that a person is and who they are, think about what it means to baptize, to immerse another person in everything that God is, everything that the Father is, everything that the Spirit is, everything that the Son Jesus is.
[00:18:45] That's what we're talking about here. We're talking about an immersion in who God is and what he's done. An immersion in the good news of the Gospel of Jesus that this rescue plan put together, planned up from the beginning, before the beginning of time by the Trinity himself, Father, Son, Spirit, then executed to impact you and me in our lives. Like immersing people in that. You with me in this.
[00:19:07] So it's more than just water baptism, although it includes that. It's part of a discipleship process, right?
[00:19:13] It's to immerse a person in who God is and everything God's done. To immerse them in God's character, to immerse them in God's attributes, to immerse them in God's actions.
[00:19:27] It means to immerse a person in who God is and everything that he's done. Okay? So that's the first thing Jesus tells us how to do. Okay? So we're gonna immerse people in who God is and what he's done. That's the baptizing them in the name, and the next thing he says, teaching them to observe.
[00:19:41] This one's pretty straightforward, right? It's pretty straightforward. Teaching people how to obey Jesus.
[00:19:47] Cause get this.
[00:19:49] It's not that easy.
[00:19:50] It can be really hard. Anybody in the room ever have a difficult time obeying God in the ways that he wants you to live. Yeah, it's difficult, right?
[00:19:58] It can be tricky. So teaching people how to obey Jesus, how to live, get this in his kingdom, how to live under his rule, how to embrace his reign and his way for your life and in the lives of the people around you. Okay, so I want to recap really quick because I want you to understand this. This is really, really critical for your life. Okay?
[00:20:19] Disciples are made according to Jesus. Disciples of Jesus are made by immersing people in the gospel, immersing them in the truth about who God is and what he's done and all the implications to every single area of their life. So there's the immersion and then by teaching them how to obey Jesus. That's how disciples of Jesus are made, according to Jesus. Okay, so I want you to think of it this way.
[00:20:44] In a sense, those two things, immersing and teaching those two things, they're like the strategies that God himself gives to. To accomplish the mission that he's on that he's recruiting and inviting us into. You with me, if it's helpful, think of it this way. Think of, like, NFL football. Actually, take this down. Cause I don't wanna miss it if you're taking notes. The second point is this. Every mission has strategies.
[00:21:08] Jesus just gave the strategies.
[00:21:10] Okay, I want you to think football starts like this week. I think NFL does, right? Somebody's fired up your fantasy team. Is it looking good or bad?
[00:21:20] Okay, that's fine.
[00:21:22] But just think of football. Because I think we're all familiar with football to some degree.
[00:21:27] But think about football.
[00:21:29] Think about what the mission of the football team is. The mission of playing that game. The mission of the football team is to what, is to score more points than your opponent. Correct?
[00:21:39] That's the mission. I want to score more points than my opponent does. That's the mission.
[00:21:44] What's the strategies that a football team implements to accomplish the mission of scoring more points than the opponent? Anybody have any ideas?
[00:21:54] Bingo. The plays you run.
[00:21:57] So you might not be familiar with football at all. That's totally fine. But you've seen enough. You know enough to know you got all these dudes running around doing different things. They're running plays that the coaches are telling them to run. Everybody's got an assignment in that play. They're all trying to execute that play to accomplish the mission of outscoring their opponent. Okay? So I want you to get this picture. There's a mission and there's strategies. Because every mission has strategies. Okay?
[00:22:22] So I want you to think about this, though.
[00:22:25] That's football. The same thing's true of every single area in your life.
[00:22:30] There's a thousand different missions that you're engaging in every day.
[00:22:35] Getting ready for the day, getting ready for bed, projects at work, agendas with parenting your kids.
[00:22:44] The list is endless. Okay? Things that you set out to do. That's a mission, right?
[00:22:50] This applies to every single mission in life.
[00:22:54] The church, the Christian has a mission according to God, right? The mission, you guys know this. To go and make disciples of Jesus and the strategies, Jesus just shared them, right? Immerse people in who God is and what he's done and teach them how to obey God. So you have the mission and the strategy. You have the mission and the plays that you run right now, in the same way, a football team, they can run a bunch of different plays, and the plays that they choose to run, they all supporting that mission. But they might look different. You might call a different play on the one yard line than you do if you're all the way on the other end of the field, you're contextualizing those plays for the circumstances that you find yourself in. You with me.
[00:23:38] The same thing's true for the Christian. The same thing's true for the church. A collection, a local expression of the body of Christ in a place. Okay, we are running plays as a church to accomplish the mission of going and making disciples.
[00:23:51] Here's what it looks like for us in restored Temecula, in case you're wondering.
[00:23:55] I'll start with the adults, and then we'll make way to youth. It'll make our way to kids, adults.
[00:24:02] What are the plays, what are the strategies that we, as Restored Temecula run to accomplish the mission of going and making disciples of Jesus?
[00:24:11] Okay, you're actually doing one right now.
[00:24:14] You're running a play right now.
[00:24:17] You're in a Sunday worship gathering. Okay? This is one of our. This is one of our strategies. This is one of the plays that we run. Okay?
[00:24:24] Why? Why are we running this play? Please tell me you're paying attention.
[00:24:28] Okay, why are we running this play?
[00:24:33] Yes. Because it reinforces. It's a play we're running to accomplish the mission of going and making disciples.
[00:24:40] If we do this, if we come together weekly, every Sunday, we come together to offer God praise, to bring him praise, to bring him offerings to love on him, to serve him, to minister primarily to him and to one another through his Word and through different sacraments. What's gonna happen over time, you and I are gonna grow as disciples of Jesus. We're gonna learn more about how to enjoy him. We're gonna learn more about how to obey him. We're gonna learn more about how to operate like Jesus in every area of life. Are you guys with me? So what we're doing, you're running a play right now. You're running a play to outscore your opponent. You're running a play to go and make disciples of Jesus versus disciples of fill in the blank. That culture would want you to do some area, that culture wants to disciple you.
[00:25:26] So you're engaging in one right now. Adults, that's one another play. Another strategy that restored Temecula runs is gospel community.
[00:25:36] It's a big deal.
[00:25:38] You guys gathering together for the Lord's Supper, that's a sacrament.
[00:25:42] There's something beautiful and mysterious about Jesus giving us the direction and the command to do that in remembrance of him. That in some spiritual way that I don't even fully understand. God is doing something in your formation when you do that around the table.
[00:26:00] So that's just the Lord's Supper. You guys know you have agendas. When you guys gather together, there's ways where you're growing as disciples. That means the mission is in some way advancing the mission of going and making disciples of Jesus. Right? Doing life together.
[00:26:16] I don't wanna see a show of hands, but no doubt if you've been in gospel community for more than a little while, you've been confronted with conflict in relationship.
[00:26:25] That's inevitable.
[00:26:27] A skill of a disciple of Jesus can learn how to navigate conflict with other people. Get this in the ways that Jesus does.
[00:26:36] And when you learn that and you grow in that way, you experience more and more freedom, dare I say, salvation and in your life.
[00:26:44] So Gospel community is a, is a. Is. Is an incredible opportunity to grow as a disciple of Jesus. It's one of the plays, the strategies we run to accomplish the mission. Which is what?
[00:26:55] Go and make disciples. You're with me. Great. Awesome. Okay, so that's gospel community. Another one, the prayer room.
[00:27:00] Okay, I don't have time, running out of time. But the prayer room, like engaging with God, not just as an individual, engaging with God corporately as a body. And has powerful implications and powerful impacts on your formation into a disciple of Jesus. Like, hear me, this is a hot take. But I actually kind of believe it.
[00:27:24] I've said this to people before and I believe it.
[00:27:27] And I'll speak personally. So I'm not going to speak for our team or the church. I'll just speak for me personally. I cannot disciple people as well as God can in the prayer room.
[00:27:38] I have some gifts, I have some strengths. I want to leverage those for the kingdom. But I'm here to tell you, like, I got nothing on him. His presence, he can do things in an instant that I can't do in 10 years as a pastor. That the other leaders in the church, your gospel community leaders, the staff, like, we want to give our all. But, like, how many of you guys know God's a better leader and discipler than any of us are?
[00:28:00] The program is massive for that. Okay, that's one of them. Alpha, Another opportunity to help people grow as disciples of Jesus on their journey of, like, do I even, do I even believe any of this?
[00:28:12] Does any of this even make sense?
[00:28:14] That's a, it's, it's a really safe environment. Alpha's starting back up here in just a few weeks. Be thinking about who God might want you to invite and do it. And then one more thing. Socials, time together, memory making and relationship building, those are important things. Okay, so I just gave you a handful. I gave you all the plays we run as a church, all the strategies that we implement to support and accomplish the mission that God has given each one of you and us collectively as a church.
[00:28:43] Alright? The plays we run to immerse and teach adults. And the outcome, if we run those plays, they're contextualized for us, but they're reinforcing the same plays that Jesus said immerse and teach. The outcome of that is what it's. Disciples of Jesus. People who are learning, not arriving.
[00:29:02] There's a difference between learning and arriving. Huh? Anybody in the room here arrived? It's like you're the supreme disciple of Jesus. No, none of us have.
[00:29:09] We're learning and we're doing it together. And that's God's idea and his plan.
[00:29:15] Okay, youth, can I talk to you guys for just a second?
[00:29:18] I already said it, but you guys are participating in one right now too.
[00:29:22] You're in this Sunday worship gathering. And I'm so glad that you're here.
[00:29:26] You guys are my favorite people in the room.
[00:29:30] But seriously, this is as much for you, if not more than anybody else.
[00:29:36] The same things. Offering God praise and worship and love and ministering to him not to get something from him, but just to bless him because he's worthy and he's wonderful and he's been so good to you.
[00:29:49] So you youth in the room, you're doing one right now. Well done. There's a lot of other places that you can be right now honor you and bless you and in your corner and cheering you on. And I speak for every adult in this room. And we're like, we have your back and your discipleship to Jesus. You're doing one play right now. You guys have midweeks, too. You get with Doran, you get with other leaders, and you guys can grow in that space.
[00:30:10] And I'm really excited about this next season of. We have language around how we want to approach things for you guys with youth. And you've probably heard this if you're in youth ministry, but you have seasons where you're rooted and seasons when you're reaching, right? Those rooted seasons where you guys can utilize various formation tools and apply them to your life and grow in those areas. And then other seasons where you guys can collaborate in your formation to reach out to your friends through youth. Alpha. Beautiful. It's amazing. It's that push and that pull. It's like, I think it's healthy. I think it's good. But all of that exists for your formation and even the formation of other people who are not yet in your youth group group. It's beautiful. It's wonderful. But I want you to see, these are plays that the youth are running to accomplish the mission of God, to go and make disciples, okay? You guys also have socials, you have summer camp.
[00:31:01] Are you guys getting the picture here? All of the plays, all the plays that we run on every level, to immerse and to teach people the outcome as disciples of Jesus. Kids, same thing. They're here for the first part of Sunday worship. They're watching what it looks like for adults to model how worth God is of their praise.
[00:31:24] So when you sit there, just so you know, if you're like, I don't like this song, hands in your pockets.
[00:31:32] Those little ones are looking at you and they're going, yeah. I guess God's only really worthy of audible praise and worship.
[00:31:39] When we like the material.
[00:31:42] Be careful, okay? I'm not saying that to coerce you or manipulate you. I am saying that maybe, just maybe to convict you a little bit. Come ready to bring God offerings of praise. Even if you're having a terrible week, even if it's really hard, you can do this. You can go inside, and even with your voice, even you can go, God, I'm having a really hard time. Help me believe that you're. Help me believe that you are as faithful as you say you are. You could do that. That. Get this. That's actually an act of faith. That's an act of you trusting him enough to engage in prayer and praise in ways when it's hard and costly. You with me? And guess who watches you do that?
[00:32:17] The little ones. And guess what they're gonna do when they have a hard time. They're not gonna go on YouTube and type in something that gives them a dopamine hit whatever. They're gonna go, oh, I watched my mom and my dad and my aunties and my uncles go before the Lord with praise.
[00:32:32] Guess what's gonna happen? They're gonna grow as disciples of Jesus.
[00:32:39] So I just want you to see everything that we do, it's intentional. It's a play we're running. It's a strategy, ultimately, to accomplish the mission that God has given us, to go and make disciples.
[00:32:48] Okay, kids, ministry right now. They're learning strategies, running plays. They're growing over there, okay? They have their own socials. They have their own fourth and fifth grade winter camp. That's huge. Okay?
[00:32:57] All of these strategies to accomplish the mission.
[00:33:04] I want you to see that we do what we do for a reason.
[00:33:08] We do what we do for a reason.
[00:33:10] Every mission has strategies. Okay, this begs a question that, again, having the answers to these questions as a Christian is really important.
[00:33:21] But this begs a question. Excuse me.
[00:33:25] Cool.
[00:33:26] Yeah. Jesus said it. We should do it.
[00:33:29] But, like, really and truly, when the rubber meets the road, like, why does this even matter?
[00:33:36] Like, does the outcome of discipleship, is it really that big of a deal?
[00:33:43] The answer to that is overwhelmingly yes.
[00:33:47] And I know that in your heart of hearts, you would be like, yeah, but I want you to see why.
[00:33:56] Flip over to Matthew, chapter four.
[00:33:58] Matthew, chapter four. Actually, I'm just going to read it to you because I have it in a different translation. I have it in the nlt.
[00:34:03] Check this out.
[00:34:06] I want you to see why the outcome of discipleship really matters and why it's such a big deal. Matthew, chapter four. Check it out. This is the nlt. One of my favorite translations puts it this way. It says this one day, as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who's also called Peter, that's the apostle, Peter and Andrew. So Peter and Andrew are brothers. He sees these two brothers and they're throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. So the professional fisherman, verse 19. Jesus called out to them, come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people.
[00:34:51] And it says they left their nets at once and followed him.
[00:34:54] Okay, this is a famous passage of scripture. This is the famous account of Jesus calling, get this, some of his very first disciples.
[00:35:03] Okay, now some translations. I think it's like the niv. I grew up in the niv so I tend to kind of. If I'm going to memorize scripture, at oftentimes we'll just go to the niv. But I think it's the NIV that says, come, follow me. I'll show you how to fish for people. The NIV says, make you fishers of men. Maybe you've heard that before. I'll make you fishers of men.
[00:35:24] So Jesus, his first disciples were fishermen.
[00:35:28] I want you to consider for just a second two things.
[00:35:35] One, how godly the hobby of fishing is.
[00:35:40] Just gonna leave that out there. Wives put that in your ear.
[00:35:46] In all seriousness, I want you to know this. I want you to consider what happens with fishing.
[00:35:55] I want you to think about this for a second. What happens with fishing? You have fish who are being brought from one realm into another realm.
[00:36:08] Are you seeing it yet?
[00:36:10] Fish that are in the water, One realm being transferred to another realm, okay? Out of the water.
[00:36:19] The mission of going and making disciples of Jesus is the same thing, guys.
[00:36:24] It's the same thing. What do we do? It's like fishing. We go to people just like you go to fish. If you want to fish, you don't expect the fish to come to you. You don't just be like, okay, I'm going to camp out here at Gardner Middle School, and they'll show up eventually. And then when they get here, then I'll, you know, I'll fish. No, no, no. You go to the fish, right? You don't wait for fish to come to you. You seek them out.
[00:36:47] That's the go part of the mission.
[00:36:52] Go and make disciples of Jesus, okay? So I want you to see this. If fishing is done well, a transfer takes place, okay? What happens is we help. We partner with God. We help transfer people literally from one realm to another, from one kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, into a completely different kingdom.
[00:37:15] Do you see this? It's powerful.
[00:37:19] This is what Paul says. The Apostle Paul In Colossians, chapter 1, verse 13, he says this. He, the he, there is God the Father has rescued us from the domain of darkness and what transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
[00:37:41] Do you see the imagery here?
[00:37:45] It's powerful stuff, okay? It's like. It's exactly what happens with fishing.
[00:37:50] A transfer takes place. And listen, it's. Don't just think in a future reality, like going to heaven after you die. That's real. That's a huge part of it. But that's not the entirety of what we're getting at here, okay? It's not just a future reality, okay? It's a present reality. Look at the language he uses. He has rescued us.
[00:38:12] Like, he has transferred us.
[00:38:17] This is a present reality, okay?
[00:38:19] And Jesus says, if you follow me.
[00:38:23] It starts with a D. But what do we call people who follow Jesus?
[00:38:27] Yeah, Great. Awesome. Okay, so disciples. Jesus says, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
[00:38:40] Here's the point.
[00:38:41] Point number three. The outcome of discipleship to Jesus is fishing for people.
[00:38:57] That's also known as evangelism.
[00:39:03] Now, evangelism is one of the most important things for any Christian to be involved with.
[00:39:18] But that being said, sometimes I talked about, you know, there's different opinions about what the mission of the church is, right? Social justice or building community. Some believe that the mission of the church is evangelism.
[00:39:33] And if you're wondering what I mean by, in its simplest form, evangelism just means, like, sharing the gospel, okay?
[00:39:41] And as vital as that is, listen to me. This is the hot take.
[00:39:46] The mission of the church is to go and make disciples of Jesus, though.
[00:39:53] Okay? So hear me. That definitely and certainly includes evangelism. But. But it's not exclusively evangelism.
[00:40:02] It has to include evangelism. But that's not the entirety of what the mission is getting at, okay? Here's why. Because when the mission morphs into evangelism, the main goal shifts from making disciples to making converts.
[00:40:23] Do you see the difference?
[00:40:26] Let me read this to you. Justin Leonard, he wrote a really, really helpful, great book on evangelism called Get Real. I think I should have this quote for you guys.
[00:40:34] Yes, this is what Justin Leonard said. Or John. Sorry, John Leonard, not Justin Leonard. He says this quote.
[00:40:42] We need to change our vocabulary when we describe a Christian.
[00:40:48] Jesus didn't command us to go out and make believers.
[00:40:53] He commissioned us to go and make disciples.
[00:40:57] We need to move away from a big decision definition because all the emphasis is on making the decision, praying the prayer, or walking down the aisle.
[00:41:08] Is that all Christ asks of us?
[00:41:12] Western evangelicalism has infected the world with this heresy that if you have made the big decision, you're okay.
[00:41:21] In the discipleship approach, the moment of decision is played down.
[00:41:26] A decision to follow Christ is celebrated as a first step. Just like with our children when they take that first step. We applauded them. But their training wasn't over. It was just beginning.
[00:41:40] One difference between a convert making approach and a disciple making approach is that the convert making method takes a brief time. Get this, you can make a convert in a few minutes. It takes a lifetime to make a disciple. End quote.
[00:42:00] Here's what he's saying.
[00:42:03] He's saying evangelism is really important.
[00:42:06] Like, it's critical.
[00:42:08] It's absolutely important. It's critical, but it's only part of the equation when we talk about the mission of God.
[00:42:16] Because the mission of God is not to simply make converts, it's to make disciples of Jesus.
[00:42:22] Okay, listen, conversion, what conversion is, is when someone goes, yes, I wanna follow Jesus, Yes, I want to become a disciple.
[00:42:29] Massive, huge, critical part of the journey. Okay? Conversion is a vital part of that equation, but it's only the beginning of the journey.
[00:42:38] I hate to say this, but I gotta say it in love. Some of you, you've been stuck on chapter one of your story for a long time.
[00:42:46] There's a whole incredible adventure of discipleship to Jesus awaiting you. But it literally means you need to engage in, get this, discipleship to Jesus.
[00:42:58] Don't believe the lie of the enemy that conversion is all that God has for you. There's so much more, so much more glory, so much more beauty, so much more adventure of saying yes to, to King Jesus.
[00:43:12] My next point, it's almost my last one, it's this. Converts are awesome, but disciples are what God is really after.
[00:43:20] Converts are awesome, we celebrate that. But disciples are what God is really after.
[00:43:26] Friend, are you living like a convert or are you living like a disciple? Like a disciple?
[00:43:34] Maybe you're like, I don't know.
[00:43:36] Here's how you know.
[00:43:37] Do you fish for people?
[00:43:41] Do you fish for people?
[00:43:46] Like fishing for people is part of what it means to follow Jesus. Follow me and I'll make you fishers of men. Moving towards people the way that God's moved towards you to help see them.
[00:44:01] It's not dependent. You don't control it, but you participate in it to help see them transferred from one realm to another.
[00:44:09] Converts are awesome, but disciples are what God is really after.
[00:44:13] Okay? Hopefully by now you have an understanding of at least the basic one of what the Christian mission is, what the mission of the Christ follower is, what a mission of the Christian is, what a mission of the church is.
[00:44:29] I want to close in just a bit with this. What does it mean for us, okay? If the mission is going to be actually of value to us, if it's going to be something we value and something we prioritize and something that literally is like, it Drives everything that we do. And it's not just a value on paper, but it's a value in practice and something that really, really matters to us. It has some implications.
[00:44:48] Okay? The mission to go and make.
[00:44:53] It's incomplete without the going, right?
[00:44:56] It's incomplete without the going.
[00:44:59] So listen, if you're a Christian in the room, it means that you've been sent by God.
[00:45:10] If you're a Christian in the room, it means that you've been sent by God. Do you realize what that makes you?
[00:45:17] My next point. Every Christian is a missionary.
[00:45:21] Every Christian's a missionary.
[00:45:24] I'm gonna say it again. Every Christian is a missionary. Okay? Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, if you're a Christian, you're a missionary. Missionaries are not just people who plant churches. Missionaries are not just people who move overseas to tell people about Jesus. If you're a Christian, you have been sent by Jesus. You are a missionary.
[00:45:47] Every Christian is a missionary because every Christian, every disciple, has been sent by Jesus. Some more quotes for you, quickly.
[00:45:54] Jeff Vanderstael says this quote, hopefully this will take the pressure off of you.
[00:46:00] You don't need a seminary degree or a Bible school education.
[00:46:04] You don't need a title or a position.
[00:46:07] Jesus disciples, get this, had none of these, but they had been with Jesus, and Jesus was with them by his spirit.
[00:46:17] He is with you too.
[00:46:21] Everywhere you go, whatever you do, you are a missionary sent by Jesus to love like Jesus, overcome sin like Jesus, proclaim the gospel like Jesus, and see people's lives changed by the power of the spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.
[00:46:39] You are always on mission.
[00:46:43] Every part of your life, every activity and event is part of Jesus mission to make disciples. End quote.
[00:46:50] That's a sensitive, pastoral, beautiful way to articulate this.
[00:46:55] Charles Spurgeon says it this way. Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.
[00:47:09] Whoa.
[00:47:11] Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.
[00:47:22] Right now, I'll let the spirit do his thing. Listen, whether you're a student, whether you're a stay at home mom, whether you are a teacher, whether you are a manager, whether you're a business owner, whether you're a designer, whether you're in law enforcement officer, whether you're a fireman or whether you're retired or somewhere in between, whatever you are, if you're a Christian, you are a missionary. Listen to me. Sent by Jesus to the people around you.
[00:47:53] Valuing mission, it being one of our core values that drives everything that we do. Valuing mission means every one of Us is a missionary. So by Jesus, that's one thing that it means. Here's the next thing it means. If we're going to value mission, it means this. It means that we prioritize being missional over being attractional.
[00:48:14] We prioritize being missional more than we prioritize being attractional. Okay? Churches will do all sorts of really creative things, wonderful things to attract people.
[00:48:24] It's actually not bad in and of itself. They do all sorts of things, throw really impressive events and bring in famous speakers and influencers that can draw a crowd and bring people in. You know, hiring a killer band that just slays on the stage, lasers and fog machines and all the things, right?
[00:48:41] They can do that.
[00:48:43] Hear me? Attracting people is not a bad thing at all.
[00:48:49] Attracting people is not a bad thing at all. But I want to be clear. When I say we value mission over attraction, I'm saying we focus on going to people instead of getting them to come to us.
[00:49:01] In other words, we fish.
[00:49:05] Why?
[00:49:07] Because Jesus did and we want to be like Jesus.
[00:49:11] Okay, that doesn't mean Jesus wasn't like, attractive.
[00:49:14] You could argue he's the most attractive person ever.
[00:49:17] Friend of sinners.
[00:49:20] You ever experienced feeling like an outcast, like you don't belong. It's like one of the worst feelings you could have as a human being. Like, gosh, I feel out of place. I'm not sure if people really like me or accept me or whatever.
[00:49:30] Dude, is there anybody more attractive than the most VIP person ever going, hey, you outcast all these people, they reject you, they just tolerate you, whatever. All the things that betray you, I want you.
[00:49:42] I love you.
[00:49:44] There's never been a more attractive person in the history of the world than Jesus.
[00:49:48] So I'm not anti being attractive. That's not what I'm getting at at all. But our primary focus is on going to people, pursuing them in love.
[00:49:58] You see the difference?
[00:50:00] I hope so.
[00:50:03] Valuing mission means we prioritize being missional over being attractional. And one final thing really, really quickly. I don't have time to break it down too much, but my final point is this. The mission includes everyone.
[00:50:16] Here's what I mean by that.
[00:50:18] Okay? We obviously want not yet Christians to know the love of God and become disciples, right?
[00:50:25] Amen.
[00:50:26] Like, we really want people to know the love of God, the not yet Christian. We want them to know the love of God and to experience the kingdom of God and to give their life to Jesus and embrace his rule and reign in their life.
[00:50:37] But we equally want Christians to grow as disciples.
[00:50:42] Okay, so the mission of God includes both. The mission of going and making disciples includes the not yet Christian and the Christian. You with me?
[00:50:54] All right, Stand with me if you're able.
[00:50:57] I'm going to call the band up. I'll close with this.
[00:51:10] I just did that to get your attention, Actually. I want to tell you a story quick. I think I have time for it.
[00:51:22] When I was a kid, any youth in the room, tell me if you guys can identify with this. When I was younger, I used to love hearing stories about my family.
[00:51:33] Like, stories about just, like, family members and grandparents and just, like, things that would happen kind of before me and things that were just. I don't know, I just. I liked it.
[00:51:41] And I was fascinated by one family member in particular.
[00:51:46] My great uncle Eugene is my dad's uncle. My great Uncle Eugene. The reason I was fascinated with Great Uncle Eugene was because he was a scout in World War II.
[00:51:57] So he was in Europe, he was in Luxembourg. And he would scout.
[00:52:02] And his mission.
[00:52:05] His mission was to go behind enemy lines.
[00:52:09] Okay? So he would go into German territory. He'd go behind enemy lines, and he'd scout. He'd gather information, right? And he'd bring that information back strategically for the war.
[00:52:21] And the reason I was so fascinated by my great uncle was because I would hear these stories about. About how he would. How he would what. We would get engaged in these scouting missions.
[00:52:34] Like, there's stories of, like, super close calls.
[00:52:39] Like, he'd be held up in this house, and, like, the Germans would, like, surround the house, and he'd, like, see their boots.
[00:52:50] They'd be that close. And he'd eventually get away. But, like, that level of, like, danger. And you can play, dude, that level of danger. It's crazy.
[00:53:01] And there's a story, too, where, like, again, another thing. Like, he's held up in a house, and it's winter time, and so he's got a. He has this huge coat, really, to stay alive.
[00:53:11] And again, Germans around the house. He's got to make a run for it. He makes a run for it, but he's got this. This. This. This coat. It's going to. It's going to drag him down. It's going to. It's going to keep him from running fast. He ditches the coat, they shoot the coat, but he gets away ways. Crazy stuff.
[00:53:23] But the story that I wanted to share with you before I get out of here is my favorite story about my great uncle.
[00:53:36] Before he left for the war, his wife Mabel gave him A modest gift.
[00:53:45] It was a pocket watch.
[00:53:49] Youth in the room. A pocket watch is like.
[00:53:54] It's a watch that you put in your pocket. It's sort of like an apple watch.
[00:54:00] But he gave him this pocket watch, right?
[00:54:04] And as you can imagine, husbands, imagine being away at war, you're away from your bride. Like, that pocket watch, man, that's like, okay, I can. I can kind of, like, be settled a bit and like, okay, I have this. Like, it obviously means something to him, right?
[00:54:19] But there's a story. He's. He's behind enemy lines. He's scouting in Luxembourg, right? The Germans are tracking him, so they're on his tracks. They know he's there. They're trying to find him, all these things. And so he has to flee.
[00:54:30] Thankfully, he's able to flee to safety again. He crosses back out of enemy territory, back into Allied territory.
[00:54:39] And he gets a few miles in, And he's like, oh, no pocket watch. Like, it's not on me. Where's the pocket? It's lost.
[00:54:56] So the dude goes miles back into anime territory. Like, you know, the thick of the movie, like, through the barbed wire, you know, the mud. All this to go and retrieve this pocket watch.
[00:55:11] Despite the danger, despite the threat of the enemy, he goes back into enemy territory to retrieve the watch. And what's. It's like a needle on a haystack, dude.
[00:55:20] Incredibly, dude finds the watch and brings it back, Gets back to safety and brings it.
[00:55:29] And I've always, Like, he's from a young boy. The first time I heard that story, like, I've always loved that story because it's like, I think it strikes a nerve in young boys. It's like, it's brave and it's courageous, and it's like, it's dangerous, you know, it's like, even maybe a little bit reckless.
[00:55:45] And, like, he risked his life to go back into enemy territory.
[00:55:52] Why?
[00:55:58] Because when something is precious to you, you'll do whatever it takes to get it back.
[00:56:07] Friends, that's the heart of God.
[00:56:13] Listen.
[00:56:15] That's the heart of the Christian mission.
[00:56:20] The Bible says Jesus came to seek and save the lost, right?
[00:56:25] Think about it. God came to seek and save the lost.
[00:56:30] And I was just thinking about this. I'm like, oh, like, people are the pocket watch, you know? Like, that's really cool, Lord.
[00:56:37] People are the pocket watch. People who are precious to God. They're lost in enemy territory. Yet Jesus, in his grace and in his kindness, in his love and in his mercy, he left the safety and the comfort of Heaven. He. He crossed enemy lines, if you will. Right? He comes to earth. Why?
[00:56:57] For the same reason.
[00:57:00] Because when something is precious to you and it's lost, you do whatever it takes to get it back.
[00:57:12] Friends, when we talk about mission, ultimately, mission requires valuing people.
[00:57:23] It requires valuing people, valuing them the way that Jesus values them.
[00:57:29] Hear me? Valuing them enough to go and to keep going back for what's lost.
[00:57:36] To help, to participate in rescuing them, transferring them from one kingdom to another from the danger of enemy territory and deliver them into the kingdom of God where they belong.
[00:57:49] Listen, the reason I tell you that story is because I want you to understand the heart behind the mission of God. But listen, you won't go unless you value other people the way that Jesus values you.
[00:57:59] If you haven't received that, if you haven't, like, encountered that kind of sacrificial, brave, courageous love, if you. If you're not aware of your value, you won't view other people in the same value and you won't go, let alone make what I want you to see.
[00:58:20] I want you to see this morning is that Jesus mission was you.
[00:58:29] You are the pocket watch. Like Jesus mission, it was you. But get this, it didn't end with you.
[00:58:36] Can I give you one more Bible, verse?
[00:58:39] John, chapter 20, verse 21.
[00:58:42] Jesus said to them, again, peace be with you. Look at this. As the Father has sent me.
[00:58:48] Jesus, go and make as the Father has sent me. That's mission. As the Father has sent me. What does he say? I also send you.
[00:58:59] Here's my question, just to the Christians in the room for just a second. If you're a Christian, who is God calling you to go to?
[00:59:07] Who is like, specifically, who has God called you? You, you, you, you, you. Your name, your. Your situation, your circumstances. Who has God called you to go to?
[00:59:17] If you got a spouse, it certainly involves them 100%. You got kids. It certainly involves them. You're in a gospel community. Certainly involves them. Who?
[00:59:25] I'm not talking about just them.
[00:59:27] That's clear. You've been called to go to them. Okay, but. But who else?
[00:59:32] Like, who in your life is lost in enemy territory?
[00:59:36] Who in your life? Maybe they're a Christian even.
[00:59:39] And they've drifted. And they've drifted into darkness. And they don't see it and they're not aware of it. Like, who has God called you to go to?
[00:59:48] Maybe they aren't a Christian. Maybe. Maybe they don't know the love that God has for them. Listen, unless the people that God has Sent. Go to them. Listen to me. They're not going to make it out of enemy territory in their own strength, just like you couldn't.
[01:00:05] Just like I can't.
[01:00:11] Who is God calling you to go to.
[01:00:20] Another chance? There's somebody here. You haven't been rescued by Jesus yet.
[01:00:24] You're lost in enemy territory.
[01:00:27] It's scary, it's dark. You don't know what to do.
[01:00:30] You haven't yet yielded to his saving grace. You haven't yet realized that, like, you're that precious pocket watch that he wants to rescue. You're the one that's lost and he wants to bring you in. If you haven't received Jesus as Lord and Savior, I'm here to tell you right now, you can.
[01:00:43] You can.
[01:00:45] You gotta know you're precious to Him.
[01:00:49] And get this, you're not just precious to Jesus. Listen to me.
[01:00:53] You're precious to his disciples, too.
[01:01:07] We value mission because of what's at stake.
[01:01:11] The precious souls of people like me and people like you.
[01:01:16] Let me pray for us, Father. I'm gonna let my words be feared right now. Holy Spirit, I just invite you to speak to the hearts of your people.
[01:01:28] I'm gonna get out of your way after I make a couple requests.
[01:01:34] Father, please help us see that the mission of God is not solely on our shoulders.
[01:01:41] If anybody here in the room is dealing with condemnation right now, or I'm not enough, and all that, that's garbage.
[01:01:47] That's not from your spirit. That's not your voice.
[01:01:50] Jesus, help us to see that this mission is a partnership with you. That last verse I didn't have time to get to, but that last verse says, and behold, I'm with you always.
[01:01:59] Jesus, you give us the mission, you give us the strategies, and then you say, and I'm going to be with you doing it. It's a partnership. It's us with all of these values that we've been going through. Gospel, family, dependence. Now mission dependence flows into mission because we do it with you. It's a remaining with you. It's the work that you're doing. Help us to see that. Help us to not take on more pressure on ourselves that isn't meant for us to carry.
[01:02:22] I pray that every single one of us in this room would see the biblical reality that all of us are missionaries.
[01:02:28] You've sent us where we are right now as our mission field.
[01:02:32] And the mission is to go and make disciples of Jesus. Whether that be go across the street, across the hall, across the room, or across the globe.
[01:02:42] And I ask right now, Lord, that you would show us the who the people on your heart that you are desiring, that we would partner with you and go to, maybe invite them to join us and sit next to us on Sundays when we worship.
[01:02:56] Or even if maybe they wouldn't do that, invite them to Alpha where they can explore and grow, dare I say, even as a disciple of Jesus, before their conversion even happens.
[01:03:08] And help us to see that you came for us because we were so valuable and precious to you. And may we view other people with the same kind of value that you view us with.
[01:03:22] Help us, Holy Spirit, I pray.
[01:03:25] Help us to value mission the way that you do.
[01:03:28] It's in your name that I pray. Amen.
[01:03:31] Okay, we don't have a ton of time. That's my fault. But. Prayer team, would you make your way to the front? For the next several minutes, we're going to respond with praise. You can come forward for prayer at any time.
[01:03:43] But I want to encourage you, let the voice of the Lord guide you, because maybe, just maybe, he's calling you to go to somebody, buddy, because he wants to see the population of heaven increase with disciples of Jesus. Love you guys very much. Enjoy him.
