PENTECOST • 5

Missions - who is it for and what does it look like for us?

SONGS FOR PRAYER

SET PRAYER

God of all nations and peoples,

your Son commanded his disciples

to preach and heal throughout the world.

Grant us, by the power of the Holy Spirit,

the zeal to proclaim the good news of peace and justice,

and gather all humanity into life with you. Amen.


reading for: Tuesday Night, 28 June

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Missions is for Everyone, Every Follower of Jesus

  • READ

    Is missions for a special group of people (pastors, missionaries, evangelists, leaders or "staunch Christians") or is it for everyone?

    Luke 10:1 answers that for us. Earlier, Jesus called and gave his 12 disciples (apostles) power and authority to proclaim that the kingdom of God had come (Luke 9:1-2). And if you find it odd that Jesus is doing the same thing again, as if the previous sending wasn't effective or successful, you're wrong. This time, he sends out 72 other disciples. These 72 represent all of us. The fullness, completeness of people. Just as God created the heavens and earth in 7 days (Genesis 1) and asked Moses to appoint 70 elders (Num 11:16), Jesus is now also sending out "everyone".

    This pattern and call for everyone to follow Jesus is constant throughout the scriptures.

    Earlier in Luke 9:23, Jesus says that "If any of you (Everyone who) wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily and follow me."

    In the famous Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, everyone is to go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit.

    Finally, when the Holy Spirit was poured out in Acts 2, or what we know as Pentecost. Everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4), people from all over the world (Acts 2:7-11). And Peter, explaining the significance of the moment, quotes Joel 2 in Acts 2:17-21, that God has said he will pour out His Spirit on all people, even on servants, men or women. So that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

  • REFLECT

    Missions is for everyone. We cannot follow Jesus and not be on mission with Him. The Holy Spirit has been and wants to be poured out on everyone. All the other instructions from Jesus (Luke 10:2-17) would just fly by our ears if we  think or believe that missions isn't for you.

    But what is missions?

    Missions is simply loving our neighbour - representing Jesus and pointing to Him through our lives to people He has placed around us.

    How? With the words that we say, things that we do and decisions that we make.

    Words, actions and decisions that reflect Jesus whom we are following. So that our neighbours can get a feel of who Jesus is through us.

    Do you have a close friend or relative that you can easily confide in? Try asking him/her what they see in your life that reflects and shows Jesus.

    With his/her answer, prayerfully consider how you can concretely grow in living a life that is missional for the 2nd half of 2022.

reading for: Wednesday Night, 29 June

Isaiah 66:10-14

The Blessing of the Lord For Mission

  • READ

    Do you as God's servant (Temple) believe that the blessing and hand of the LORD is on you?

    This is the one and resounding statement about all who serve the LORD will have.

    Jerusalem in the Old Testament, is the center and heart of Israel. And most significantly, where the temple of God is. The temple of God is of course the location where God has designed and decided to be his dwelling place on earth.

    But in this time of writing in Isaiah, Israel is completely devastated. (Think Ukraine in terms of the destruction its experiencing because of Russia's invasion) So God is now speaking about the future hope of what Israel, particularly what Jerusalem will become in the future.

    In the New Testament, guess who is now Jerusalem, the new temple?

    Paul in 1 Cor 3:16 says, "Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?"

    For "We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord." Ephesians 2:21

    So as the new Jerusalem, we as God's temple are now meant to have the kind of blessing on us:

    A glory we are meant to have from God (v. 11)

    A peace like a river we are to have from God (v. 12)

    A glory from the nations, from others that God gives to us.

    An extension of the generations represented by children (Natural and spiritual) that is being nurtured and perpetuated through us.

    Finally, we will be a place and refuge of comfort (v. 13)

    Why then are we so blessed?

    So that God's glory will be declared to the nations (v. 19)  and that all humanity will come and worship the Lord (v. 23).

  • REFLECT

    Are you feeling unworthy and far from being the dwelling place of God? Do you feel unworthy of having his blessing and hand on you?

    You are not alone, and it is in God's pattern in choosing what is foolish and unworthy in the eyes of the world, to bear his glory (1 Cor 1:26-30)

    Or perhaps you might already be in such a position of blessing. Do you know why God has brought you to such a position?

    Its so that others (the nations), unbelievers will come see and experience God's glory through us. So that one day, they too will come and worship Him.

    In short, we have been blessed, so that we can be a blessing to others (Gen 12:2). This is what it means to be on missions.

    As you prepare to start your day tomorrow, as you "wake up strong", would you pray that the Father's name will be hallowed in you so that God's glory and blessing can be experienced by others?

reading for: Thursday Night, 30 June

Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16

God's Missional Work in His Church

  • READ

    When we think about missions, we usually think about God's mission to the world, to the unbelievers.

    But what if I were to tell you that His church, is also part of God's mission?

    In other words, God's mission work must also take place in the body of Christ (the church).

    Consider for a moment the letters of Paul, writing to the church of Corinthians, Ephesians, Romans  and in this case, the Galatians. He writes, explaining the significance of the gospel of Jesus, to people who have already accepted and are following this gospel.

    How can it be that spiritual, Christ followers can be caught in transgression? (v.1)

    How can it be that spiritual, Christ followers are being deceived and caught in their own pride? (v. 3)

    How can it be that parts of the church is sowing in their flesh (v. 8)?

    How can it be that people in the church are growing weary of doing good (v. 9)?

    All this is only possible, if God's mission work, isn't just for the "world" who are unbelievers, but also for us, his body, the church.

    In an often quoted text in Ephesians 5:25-27, we miss out the picture of Jesus and His church:

    "as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault."

    God's continual missionary work in us, His church, is to make us holy and clean, so that we will be without spot or wrinkle, but holy and without fault.

  • REFLECT

    We often complain and sometimes are stumbled by how "fleshly" our brothers and sisters in Christ are. But Paul's words and exhortations in Galatians 6, would not sound strange if God really had an ongoing missional work in His church.

    For the LG leaders and core team members in the LG, do we see LG and the function and purpose of LG as part of God's mission work in the church?

    For us who are members of the LG, do we see ourselves as part of God's ongoing mission work where we are becoming more and more holy and without fault?

    As each of us prepare to meet again this week for LG, I wonder how that will change the 2 hours that we spend together if we were to see that God is doing an ongoing work in every one of us.

    And when you hear a testimony/praise report about another person's life, or if he/she sounds like he is struggling and fighting against his flesh, how will you respond?

reading for: Friday Night, 1 July

Psalm 66:1-9

A Missional Praise

  • READ

    Can you imagine and picture this Psalm as an invitation to praise and look to God?

    Hey everyone! Come and make a joyful noise to God!

    Sing and glorify him! Praise Him! (v. 1-2)

    Let's speak about His awesome deeds! Let's speak about his great power and how his enemies will fall! (v. 3)

    Let everything on earth worship and praise Him! (v. 4)

    Open you eyes and see what He has done! Among us He has done awesome things! (v. 5)

    The red sea was parted that a nation could run away from their enemies. (v. 6)

    Not even nations can act without his permission (v. 7)

    For He alone keeps and sustains us. Our lives, our very being is in his hands (v. 9)

  • REFLECT

    If you were to write or sing a song of praise that captures God's missional heart and invitation, how would that look like?

    What great deeds would you speak of? What awesome things would you sing of?

    As you consolidate and end your week, why don’t you write down a few moments where you saw God move mightily in your life and those around you?

    And as you do, offer it as praise unto Him.

Season of PentecostCNL