Sending disciples: following | Vision & Mission
Over these weeks I am reflecting on our vision & mission document. It is available on our website and printed at church, and fits on a side of A4 with relevant Bible verses on the back.
Our mission statement is – making, growing, sending disciples of Jesus.
Sending out disciples of Jesus means we all go wherever God calls us to go: into all the world as salt and light – to our friends and families, neighbours, workplaces and beyond – in love and self-sacrifice.
We do that by following, going and standing firm; today we are looking at following Jesus with courage, trusting he is with us.
Here are some Bible verses to help us see what it means:
Joshua 1.9: [The Lord said to Joshua,] ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’
Isaiah 41.10: ‘[The Lord says,] ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’
Matthew 4.19: ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’
John 8.12: Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’
John 15.4: [Jesus said,] ‘Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.’
The third part of our mission statement – sending disciples of Jesus – is not about us sending people to other countries to do mission work. That is part of it, but a very small part. Mostly it is about us sending each other into all the places we go during the week: home, work, shops, sports, social activities and so on – being disciples of Jesus when we are scattered, not only when we gather on a Sunday.
The catchphrase of the book of Joshua is, ‘be strong and courageous’. Joshua was a young man, following one of the greatest leaders God’s people have ever had: Moses. And he had a huge task: to conquer the Promised Land so God’s people could settle having been freed from slavery in Egypt. He had every reason to be afraid! We have different challenges: living by Christian values, standing out from the world, talking to people of Jesus – it’s hard, and often scary. When the Bible says, Do not be afraid’ it’s not because things will be easy, or ok, or straightforward – it’s because God is with us.Â
Jesus echoes this promise made to Joshua when he tells his disciples, ‘Remain in me, as I also remain in you.’ We bear fruit wherever God sends us, not because we are awesome or special but because Jesus is! He never sends us where he isn’t going himself. This is a simple truth, but deeply profound, and so important to take hold of in our hearts, because this is not optional. Jesus sends, and we go – but we go as followers, we go by following where Jesus leads us.
Where is Jesus leading you this week? In a sense the question is easy to answer by rephrasing it: what am I doing this week? Where am I going? Who am I meeting? Think about those places, those people – and ask yourself, how can I show and share Jesus with them? Ask for God by his Spirit to give you courage to be a faithful disciple of Jesus wherever he sends you.
Let’s pray.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
thank you that because of your great love
we can be called children of God.
Help us to make new disciples of Jesus:
sharing and showing his way, truth and life.
Teach us to grow as his disciples:
faithful to your Word and full of your Spirit.
Send us out into the world as his disciples:
worshipping you with our whole lives.
Pour out your Spirit upon us:
fill us and make us new day by day,
that we might bring you glory and praise.
Amen.