Jesus Christ is on a mission. He is on a grand adventure to redeem and restore human lives to the kingdom of His Father. This is nothing new. Ever since He broke out of the tomb on Easter Sunday, Jesus has been on the loose, pursuing His redemptive mission in our homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools. And He invites us to join Him. Jesus says to us: “Come, follow Me” (Mark 1:17).
STEP 1: MISSION MINDSET
Jesus is pursuing His Father’s mission to redeem and restore all things, and He invites us to join Him. We don’t go FOR Jesus. We go WITH Jesus. We aren’t Jesus-salespersons. We are Jesus-followers. We are watching and listening for where His grace can be applied and a little good can be offered.
STEP 2: MISSION PRACTICES
Joining Jesus on His mission is as simple as enjoying the people around us, investing in a couple pre-Christian friends, and then seeking, recognizing, and responding to what Jesus is already up to in their lives. We get into position for this by putting the 5 Mission Practices into play every day:
(1) SEEKING THE KINGDOM
(2) HEARING FROM JESUS
(3) TALKING WITH PEOPLE
(4) DOING GOOD
(5) MINISTERING THROUGH PRAYER
STEP 3: MISSIONAL COMMUNITY
We support one another as we learn to take up this missionary lifestyle by gathering regularly with our missionary friends to share our stories of how we are joining Jesus on His mission in daily life.
SEEKING THE KINGDOM – How did you see Jesus at work this week?
HEARING FROM JESUS – What has Jesus been teaching you in His Word?
TALKING WITH PEOPLE – What kind of conversations are you having with pre-Christians?
DOING GOOD – What good were we able to do (or could we do) around here?
MINISTERING THROUGH PRAYER – How can we help you in prayer?
STEP 4: A MISSION TRIP TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD
We intentionally enjoy and invest in the people with whom we live, work, and play. We call this “neighboring.” Over time, we get to know them, share stories, and see what Jesus might be up to in their lives.
*** Adapted from Pastor Greg Finke’s books: Joining Jesus on His Mission (2014) & Joining Jesus Show Me How (2017)
