MissionDiscipleship Group Study Guide #5

Forming Disciples who make Disciples

Meeting Outline (75 Minutes)GATHERING (5 minutes)

• As people gather, allow 4-6 minutes to catch up with one another.

PRAYER (2 minutes)• Open with prayer. Try to start consistently and promptly at

4-6 minutes after the appointed time, to live into the expectation of honoring the group by arriving on time and ready to participate. TEACHING VIDEO (10 minutes)

• Screen the day’s teaching video. (First week only).BIBLE MEDITATION (15 minutes)

• Invite the group to listen to the day’s scripture as it is read and pick out the word or phrase that stands out to them.

• Invite a group member to read the passage slowly and clearly.

• Go around the circle and invite each person to share the word or phrase that stood out to them. At this point, we are only sharing the words, not commenting on why they stood out.

• Invite another member to read the passage a second time. • Go around the circle again, this time inviting each member

to share in one minute how the passage connects with their life today.TEACHING (5 minutes)

• Small group leader wraps up the Bible meditation, sharing a personal example of how the day’s scripture meets their life, or touching on the teaching bullet points given in each lesson. DISCUSS (30 minutes)

• Choose one or more of the discussion questions.LIGHTNING ROUND (5 minutes)

• Reserve 5 minutes at the end of the meeting for each person to share in 30 seconds or less their take-away for the day. CLOSE IN PRAYER (8 minutes)

• Invite people to share any prayer concerns they have. Close in prayer, using either the written prayer or praying extemporaneously.

Introduction Much has changed in the two millennia since Jesus called his first disci-ples, but the bedrock of our lives and faith remains the same. We follow the risen Christ who has called to all who would hear, “Follow me.”

Jesus’ followers soon learned that Jesus’ call “Follow me (Mark 1.17)” is always followed by his call “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . (Matthew 28.19)”. This is the life of discipleship: Entering into relationship with Christ and learning to be like him inevitably leads to going forth for him. Disciples disciple others.

Our call is like that of Jesus’ first followers: to go into our families, neighborhoods, and workplaces with new purpose which is found in the kingdom of God. In this post-Christendom time, no longer is the pattern of the church such that clergy carry out the mission of the church on the peoples’ behalf. As Jesus intended from the beginning, every Christian will become a disciple who is equipped to witness to the life of Christ in all the various spheres of his or her life.

Discipleship is following to go. It touches everything of life. And although Christian discipleship is a vast subject and a lifelong process, we stress five core patterns derived from Jesus’ own example:

• Attentiveness• Rhythm• Relationships• Leadership• Mission

All discipleship ultimately is intended to lead to mission, and all mission is deeply dependent on sound discipleship. They are part of the same activity of God in Christ. Our calling and sending are rooted in worship: the mystery and wonder of God’s incarnation, cross, and resurrection life.

This study on Mission will help us consider how our various relationships can bless us, and how we might bless others through them. We are grateful that you are entering into this group and hope that after completing these studies, you might consider leading a discipleship group.

Contents

Introduction iii

Devotions

1. God’s Mission has a Church 2 2. Jesus Sends His Disciples Into the Harvest 6

3. People of Peace 10 4. Confronting Obstacles in Leadership 14

5. Following to Go 18

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1GOD’S MISSION HAS A CHURCH

Jesus calls his disciples, “Follow me” in order to send them out, “Go for me.”

Being a missional church is all about a sense of identity, shared pervasively in a congregation that knows it is caught up into God’s intent for the world. It comes from having heard, one way or another, the still, small voice that says, “You are mine. I have called you to me. I join you to my compassionate approach to the whole world for its healing. You are witnesses to what I have done and what I will yet do.” Lois Y. Barrett et al.,

Treasure in Clay Jars: Patterns in Missional Faithfulness

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”. Genesis 12.1-3

Study of Clouds with a Sunset near Romeca. 1786-1801 | Oil on paper | 33.8 x 39.4 cmThe J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles Simon Alexandre Clement Denis | 1755-1812

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Opening Prayer Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen Prayer 8, For the Mission of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816

Video 5 | Mission (video available at www.stgeorgesnashville.org/community/discipleship-groups)

Bible Meditation |Matthew 28.16-20

Teaching Just as our forefather in the faith Abraham was blessed by God to be a blessing (Genesis 12.1-3), our life together in the Church is never intended solely for our own benefit, but for a pur-pose: to be a blessing for those outside the Church. As the Church, we are not called to be a mere symbol of the invisible God or to enjoy the fruits of our salvation alone. We are the visible body God has chosen that is sent out rather than merely settled down.

As we live into the legacy of Abraham’s call, mission is the very reason for the Church’s being. We, together, are appointed for a mission, for a purpose: to bear witness to Christ beyond the bounds of this parish. This mission is best done together; it is the commu-nity – the family of God – that is called out, not mere individuals.

We will know that we are living into God’s mission when we have been furnished with the understanding, means, and confidence to represent Christ and share the gospel in the various realms of our personal, professional, and social lives for the sake of the world.

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Discussion Questions As you reflect on Matthew 28.16-20, what in this passage do you experience as challenging today in your own life? What feels encouraging?

What are the obstacles to our/your embrace of mission as our ultimate priority as the Church/Christians? Why is this challenging to our modern ears?

What might God be saying to you today about his call to you and to this parish? How might you respond in the next two weeks?

Gather Prayer Concerns

Closing Prayer O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us; unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Prayer 3, For the Human Family, Book of Common Prayer, p.815

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2 JESUS SENDS HIS DISCIPLES INTO THE

HARVEST

In baptism, God gives Christians authority to bear witness to his kingdom

When Jesus sent out his disciples on his mission, he showed them his hands and his side. They will share in his mission as they share in his passion, as they follow him in challenging and unmasking the powers of evil. There is no other way to be with him. At the heart of mission is simply the desire to be with him and to give him the service of our lives. At the heart of mission is thanksgiving and praise. Lesslie Newbigen, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society

Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and help-less, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them author-ity over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. Matthew 9.35-10.1

Christ and the Woman of Samaria ca. 1715-1720 | Oil on wood | 119 x 162 cmThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC Benedetto Luti | 101666-1724

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Opening Prayer Almighty God, by our baptism into the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ, you turn us from the old life of sin: Grant that we, being reborn to new life in him, may live in righteousness and holiness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Collect 10, At Baptism, Book of Common Prayer, p.254

Bible Meditation | Romans 6.3-9

Teaching Jesus traveled through all the cities and villages teach-ing, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and affliction. The crowds gathered around him and his compassion was with them. They were harried. They were sick. They were scared. They were sad.

Jesus pulled aside his disciples, showing them these crowds – the ripe harvest, as it were, for God’s kingdom. “Pray,” he said to them, “that the Lord of the harvest will send out laborers into his harvest.”

Little did the disciples know, they were to be the ones being sent into God’s harvest.

In Matthew 9.35-10.1, Jesus calls his disciples to proclaim that God’s kingdom has come and gives them authority to go out in his name.

All Christians, by virtue of our baptism, are also called to bear wit-ness to God’s kingdom among us. As Paul points out in Romans 6, in our baptisms, we were buried into Christ’s death and raised with him into new life. It is Jesus, through our baptism, who calls us and it is his new life within us that gives us authority to go out as laborers in his harvest. Jesus sends us out together with lives that are marked by his grace.

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Discussion questions By virtue of your baptism, God has given you authority to be a worker in his harvest. Is it easy or chal-lenging for you to believe that? What makes it so?

Who are the people or the groups of people around you who might be “ripe for the harvest” into God’s kingdom? What are some practical ways that God might be inviting you to build or deepen your relationship with them?

Gather Prayer Concerns

Closing Prayer O God, you have made of one blood all the peo-ples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people every-where may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Collect at the end of Morning Prayer II, Book of Common Prayer, p.100

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3 PEOPLE OF PEACE

Jesus teaches his disciples his missionary strategy

Mission is God’s “yes” to the world. . . God’s love and attention are directed primarily at the world, and mission is “participation in God’s existence in the world.” David Bosch, Transforming Mission

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,and do not return there until they have watered the earth,making it bring forth and sprout,giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;it shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55.10-11

The Harvesters 1565 | Oil on wood| 119 x 162 cm The Museum of Modern Art, New York, USAPieter Bruegel the Elder | ca. 1525-1569

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Opening Prayer O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent, Book of Common Prayer, p.218

Bible Meditation | Luke 10.1-9

Teaching Last week we examined the call and authority Jesus gives to all baptized Christians to go out as laborers into his har-vest. This week we consider Jesus’ sending of the 72 disciples, ask-ing the question, “How do they know to whom they should go?” We want to learn to share the Gospel the way Jesus did.

Jesus’ missionary strategy is to look for “People of Peace.” Jesus tells us that the harvest is plentiful. There are people who are ready to hear and receive the message of the Gospel, and God calls us to be alert for the people the Holy Spirit has prepared to receive our testimony. Maybe these are long-time friends, or maybe they are people we only see once. In any case, we are invited to share with them how Christ has been present in our own lives. We can trust God to take it from there.

What is a Person of Peace? Jesus encouraged his disciples to watch for three qualities in a person:

• The person welcomes you (Matthew 10.14)• The person listens to you (Luke 10.16)• The person serves you or supports you (Luke 10.8)

In practical terms, this is as simple as keeping your eyes open for:• Someone with whom you “click” -- there is warmth and

you like one another. • Someone who wants to hear what you have to say about

Jesus.

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• Someone who likes what you’re about enough to want to be

part of it, whether by making an introduction, sharing a meal, or offering encouragement.

Our role is to watch for those whom God has prepared ahead of time and to share something of our faith with them. We can trust that God will bring in his harvest, which is his people drawn close to his redeeming love.

Discussion Questions Can you name three People of Peace to you? Who are they? How might God be inviting you to reach out to them? What might you do in the next two weeks to nurture your relationship with them?

Gather Prayer Concerns

Closing Prayer Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Prayer for the Mission of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p.816

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CONFRONTING OBSTACLES IN OUR LEADERSHIP

Jesus empowers his disciples in the face of challenge

We are, quite possibly, full of fears deep down; the fear of making mistakes, because we lack an understanding of adequate methods of handling difficult people and situations; the fear of seeming intolerant, dogmatic, and insensitive; the fear of being unable to respond to people’s questions and their objections to Christian faith, and therefore of being made to look like a fool; and finally the fear of isolation and misrepresentation if we stand publicly for the values of honesty, integrity, and openness. . . Possibly one of the main difficulties the church in the West has in fulfilling its missionary calling is that it has lost the “art of witness.” Either Christians are nervous about or unskilled in testifying to the living reality of God with us. J. Andrew Kirk, Mission in the West: On the Calling of the Church in a Postmodern Age

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. . .Then he said to them, ‘I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’ Luke 24.36-40, 49

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The Scream 1893 | Oil, tempura & pastel on cardboard| 91 x 73.5 cm National GAllery of Norway Edvard Munch | 1863-1944

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Opening Prayer Remember, O Lord, what you have wrought in us and not what we deserve; and, as you have called us to your service, make us worthy of our calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Proper 1 Book of Common Prayer, p.228

Bible Meditation | Joshua 1.1-11

Teaching In today’s passage from Joshua, the nation of Israel has just lost its beloved leader of more than 40 years, Moses. His protégé Joshua is now emerging as the leader of the nation and he is charged with leading the nation of Israel out of the desert into a settled life in the Promised Land. Joshua needs to lead his people as they shift from a nomadic hunter/gatherer culture to a settled agricultural economy. And the people must accomplish this shift even as they battle with the tribes already living in the land the Israelites have been called to possess. What challenges and obstacles do you suppose Joshua faces?

In light of these challenges, the LORD speaks encouragement to Joshua: “I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and coura-geous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1)”

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Consider also the obstacles faced by Jesus and his disciples. What specific passages can you think of where Jesus is rejected or ignored? What passages can you think of where Jesus encourages his disciples?

Challenges and obstacles in leadership are inevitable, especially when the goal is transformation of culture in an organization. We see these in our churches, in our families, our businesses, and cities.

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Anticipating the obstacles that are to come, Jesus gives two promises to his disciples as he sends them out:

• The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to each Christian in baptism, clothing them with power from on high. (Luke 24.29)

• His own presence. “Remember, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28.20)”

We need not fear as Jesus sends us out into the world. He will never leave or forsake us, and he empowers us to be strong and courageous. God is with us wherever we go.

Discussion Questions Where are you now confronting challenges and obstacles in your own leadership (home, work, church, etc.)? What internal obstacles may be blocking you? What are the external obstacles? What might it look like for you to be strong and courageous right now?

Gather Prayer Concerns

Closing Prayer Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Fifth Sunday in Lent, Book of Common Prayer, p.219

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FOLLOWING TO GO

God sends us out because of his love for the world

There are religions . . . that do not have a missionary im-pulse in them; but Christianity has been pushed out into the world from the beginning, like a little fledgling bird nudged out of its cozy nest by its parents. That is in fact a good simile, because what drives Christianity (as distinct from Christendom) towards the world is not personal eagerness for exposure to the public sphere, not a desire to become big and powerful, nor a sense of its superior-ity over every other faith. No, it is “sent out” (that is what the word apostolic means), usually against its will, by the God who has called it into being, because of love . . . for the world. Douglas John Hall, Why Christian? For Those on the Edge of Faith

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As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fisher-men. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’” Mark 1.16-17

The Calling of Apostles Peter and Andrew c.1308-1311 | Tempura on panel | 43.3 x 46.2 cmSamuel H. Kress Collection Duccio di Buoninsegna | 1255-1318

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Opening Prayer Almighty God, we thank you that by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ you have overcome sin and brought us to yourself, and that by the sealing of your Holy Spirit you have bound us to your service. Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at their Baptism. Send them forth in the power of that Spirit to perform the service you set before them; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Prayer at Confirmation, Book of Common Prayer, p.309

Bible Meditation | John 21.15-19

Teaching In this final lesson of the series, we return to the place where we began: Jesus calls to people going about their daily lives, “Follow me and I will make you fishers for people.” The missionary calling of the Church is a calling to the whole Church and to every Christian, to build relationships and bear witness to God’s kingdom.

We have traced the path as Jesus called his disciples to himself and taught them attentiveness to the Father’s voice, the life-giving rhythms of abiding and fruitfulness, the tri-fold relationships that give our lives shape and purpose, and his lessons about leadership. All these are ways that Jesus forms his disciples to go forth as fishers for people.

Jesus invites us to consider afresh our own lives and calling as mis-sionaries. What would it look like for us embody our calling in our life and in our relationships?

Our close Christian friendships and family relationships are a source of joy and vitality that propel us into our calling. Jesus himself did not enter into his mission alone, but went with his closest friends, the twelve disciples. Jesus also draws us into close Christian friendships so we can go forth together. Who might these people be for you?

Then, to whom might God be sending you? To someone nearby? To a widow or a new family in your neighborhood? What might it

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look in like in those cases to follow Jesus’ injunction to Peter, “Feed my sheep?” How might God be inviting us to bless and serve the people to whom God sends us, and how might we respond when we are invited to give an account for the hope that is within us?

We leave today with the words of Jesus’ commission to his disciples ringing in our ears: “Do not be afraid. . . Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28.10, 20).” Discussion questions Who is God calling together as your team? Think about the close Christian friends or potential friends who are ready for an invitation to join with you to answer God’s call. You might consider gathering those people for conversation over a casual meal, a walk, or coffee.

To whom is God sending you? Is there someone or a group of people in your neighborhood, your friend network, or in your work-place with whom you and your friends might build a relationship and find ways to serve?

Gather Prayer Concerns

Closing Prayer Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Collect from the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Book of Common Prayer, p.215

EpilogueThank you for devoting your time and energy to these months of intentional discipleship. We pray you have learned to hear the voice of our Lord more clearly and that you feel more confident and equipped to follow where he leads. As with anything, we only finally learn by doing, so we encourage you to heed Jesus’ call to you and “Go Forth.” We hope you might gather a small group of friends or neighbors into a discipleship group of your own, or that you might discover God calling you to lead a Missional Community.

Missional Communities are groups of 20-50 people (or 4-7 families including children) who are committed to growing in Christ through regular fellowship and intentional missional engagement with people outside the church. Starting a Missional Community takes inten-tionality but is not complicated. Here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Who is your leadership core? Gather a group of 4-5 friends who will lead the Missional Community together. Start sharing a casual meal once a month. After you eat, read a short scrip-ture passage, share prayer concerns, and pray together. Read-ing the Bible together can be as simple as opening the Bible, reading a passage, and asking what stands out to each person, or you can use a lesson from these booklets.

• Pray with your leadership core about the people to whom God might be sending you. Do you have neighbors God is calling you to invite for a monthly cookout? Is there a local school or a non-profit you would like to serve together on a regular basis? Is there a favorite hobby your group shares into which you can invite people to join?

• Start doing those activities together and invite others to join you.

• Attend to your rhythms of monthly meals, scripture and prayer, and connecting with people outside the church. Keep listening for God’s guidance for your group.

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APPENDIX

CHARACTER QUESTIONS | UP• Do I make enough space for prayer?

• Am I enjoying prayer?

• Do I pursue intimacy with Jesus or avoid it?

• Do I give Jesus time to speak to me every day?

• What situation or what person is weighing on my heart?

• Am I living in the power of the Spirit?

• Do I live with abiding sense of God’s presence?

• Am I living in a state of peace, or am I afraid or nervous?

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APPENDIX

CHARACTER QUESTIONS | IN• Do I love the people in my community?

• Am I resting enough?

• Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, resent, or disregard?

• How are my relationships with my friends?

• Do I grumble and complain about anything?

• Am I experiencing intimacy in relationships?

• Do I keep my promises?

• Am I creating the impression that I am better than I really am?

• How easy is it for me to trust people?

• Am I jealous, critical, irritable or touchy?

• Am I discipling others?

• Is my family happy?

• Am I getting enough sleep/eating well?

• Am I making myself vulnerable to others?

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APPENDIX CHARACTERQUESTIONS | OUT• Do I have a heart for people who don’t know Jesus?

• How often do I share my faith? And what does that look like?

• Do I leave time for relationships with those who don’t know Jesus?

• Who are the pre-Christians I am praying for right now?

• Do I have a vision for mission?

• Am I spending my energy trying to look successful?

• Am I ashamed of the gospel?

• Am I a servant?

• Do I intentionally spend time with the poor?

• Do I find it easy to recognize persons of peace?

• Can I take risks?

• Am I generous with my finances to those who don’t have enough?

Source: 3DM Europe

Personal Notes

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Personal Notes

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