Week 6 - MISSION (Part 2)
WORSHIP
What can we praise or thank God for? (You could sing this or pray this to the Lord.)
What do we need to repent of? (This can be a time of silent or public confession.)
The Lord Supper
Leader:
We give thanks to God the Father that our Savior, Jesus Christ, before He suffered, gave us this memorial of His sacrifice, until He comes again. At His last supper, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, He took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this in remembrance of Me.” For whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Together, let us declare our faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed (1).
All:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit
the holy Christian (2) church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
Leader:
Together, let us pray as Jesus taught us to pray.
All:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Leader:
Take, eat, remember, and believe that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ was given for the complete forgiveness of all our sins.
Take, drink, remember, and believe that the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was shed for the complete forgiveness of all our sins.
(1) This creed is called the Apostles' Creed not because it was formulated by the apostles themselves but because it contains a brief summary of their teachings.
(2) Traditionally, “the holy catholic church”. That is, the true Christian church of all times and all places.
See an additional liturgical form for the Lord’s Supper under MEAL AND THE MEAL.
COMMUNITY
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Go around the room and finish this statement for each person: Through our time together, this is what I have come to appreciate about you …
Review
We have been working our way through the four key relationships and crucial priorities of a church family.
WORSHIP - Our Relationship with Jesus
DISCOVERY - Our Relationship with the Bible
COMMUNITY - Our Relationship with Each Other
MISSION - Our Relationship with Others
Last week, we considered MISSION (Part 1) and looked at how to live a missional lifestyle. This week, let’s consider MISSION (Part 2) on how to disciple others.
DISCOVERY & MISSION
Check In
How did your “I will …” statement from last week go?
How did your sharing goal from last week go?
Dig In
Ask God to speak to you as you read His Word.
Here are Jesus’ first words to His disciples:
Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
Here are Jesus’ last words to His disciples:
Matthew 28:18-20 (ISV)
18 Then Jesus approached [his disciples] and told them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age.”
Read the passages again (perhaps in another version).
Have someone retell the passages in their own words.
What stands out to you in the passages?
Do you have any questions about the passages?
What do the passages say about God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit)?
What do the passages say about people, including ourselves?
What do the passages say about the life God invites us to live?
Dig Deeper
How are Jesus’ first words to come, follow me and His last words to go, disciple people connected?
Be Disciples
The word “disciple” means “learner” or “student". But don’t think of a pupil in a classroom. Think of an apprentice on a job site.
How would you describe an apprenticeship between a master electrician and an apprentice?
What’s the purpose and the process of an apprenticeship?
Why is the relationship between an apprentice and a master such a helpful picture of being a disciple of Jesus?
The four key relationships and the four crucial priorities of a church don’t just apply to us when we come together as a spiritual family. They also apply to us as individual followers of Jesus.
Read the following together out loud …
As a disciple of Jesus …
1. WORSHIP - My Relationship with Jesus
I devote myself to connecting with and following after Jesus
2. DISCOVERY - My Relationship with the Bible
I devote myself to taking in and living out God’s Word
3. COMMUNITY - My Relationship with Each Other
I devote myself to loving a family of brothers and sisters in Christ
4. MISSION - My Relationship with Others
I devote myself to joining Jesus in discipling others toward Him by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle
Why is each relationship and priority important to being a disciple?
Which one would be good for you to focus on right now?
Disciple Others
Why is it important to first be a disciple before you disciple others?
What do you think of this definition of discipling others?
Discipling someone is a relational, biblical and intentional process of helping them become a disciple of Jesus, mature as a disciple of Jesus and then disciple others toward Jesus.
How have you been discipled? In light of our discoveries so far, what was the quality of your discipleship?
How have you discipled others? What’s the quality of this discipleship?
On a scale of 1-10, how ready are you to disciple someone else (10 being extremely ready and 0 not being ready at all)?
What if you were discipled first and could use the same process and materials to disciple others? Would that give you greater confidence in being a disciple yourself and discipling others?
Everyone Discipled / Everyone Discipling
1. Initial Discipleship
Follow The Way (Online / Kindle) is a discovery discipleship curriculum for groups of 3 or 4. It’s based on a relational, biblical and intentional discipleship process of helping someone become a disciple of Jesus, mature as a disciple of Jesus and disciple others toward Jesus.
Here’s the journey:
Follow - 1-week introduction to following Jesus and Follow The Way
Faith - 11-week guided tour of the main events, characters and storyline of the Bible
Fruit - 9-weeks on how to join Jesus in mission by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle
Filling - 8-weeks on how to be filled with the Spirit and live an everyday supernatural life
Foundations - 8-weeks on the basic building blocks of your identity and maturity in Christ
Freedom - 12-weeks on how to personally and practically embrace your freedom in Christ
2. Ongoing Discipleship
Ongoing discipleship can take place in your MicroChurch family. As your spiritual family gathers for Worship, Discovery, Community and Mission, people will continue to grow as followers of Jesus.
So invite newcomers to your MicroChurch where they’ll experience discipleship through your gatherings AND get them involved in a Follow The Way Discovery Discipleship Group to give them personal discipleship attention.
NEXT STEPS
Option 1
Divide up into Discovery Discipleship Groups of 3 and 4 (usually gender-based, though two married couples would work) and start working through Follow The Way.
Continue to meet as a MicroChurch using the Gathering Guide for your gatherings. This guide will help you practice Worship, Discovery, Community and Mission in your gatherings. Here’s the PDF BOOKMARK FILE.
NOTE: You probably won’t be able to get through all the sections and questions on the Gathering Guide at every gathering. No problem. Try to cover them all, though, over a few weeks. They will keep you focused on the four key relationships and crucial priorities of the church.
Prayerfully consider who else could join you as you start your Discovery Discipleship Groups and your MicroChurch.
Option 2
If you have a smaller MicroChurch (6 of less people) and you can have consistent attendance for the next 9 weeks, your MicroChurch could work through Follow The Way - FRUIT (Online / Kindle). This would help your MicroChurch take a deeper dive into the mission of the church.
Once again, prayerfully consider who else could join you as you start. Invite them along.
After that, continue to meet as a MicroChurch using the Gathering Guide and form new Discovery Discipleship Groups with new people starting at the beginning with Follow The Way - FOLLOW (Online / Kindle).
LEADERSHIP FORMATION
2 Timothy 2:1-2
1 You then, my child, be empowered by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 And what you heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will also be competent to teach others.
For those who are interested in exploring the possibility of leading a MicroChurch, see Lead The Way. Take a deeper dive into critical leadership values and skills.
Reflect On
Facilitating Notes
For the sake of time, or more importantly, to encourage deeper sharing, you could divide into groups of 2 to answer the following questions.
Ask these pairs to connect midweek to see how their “I will …” statements and sharing goals are coming along and how they can continue to support and pray for each other.
If you don’t divide into pairs, record each other’s “I will …” statements and sharing goals and remind each other of them during the week through a text or an email.
What truth is God highlighting for you from the passages?
What would keep you from believing or obeying this truth?
What blessing would you experience if you believed and obeyed this truth?
Live Out
How will you live this truth out this week? (“I will…”)
Who needs to hear this truth? How will you share it?
Closing
Who will facilitate next time? (See FOR THE FACILITATOR for help in leading a gathering.)
Pray for God’s help as you seek to follow Jesus this coming week.
You’re encouraged to share a meal together.
Dive Deeper
For a deeper dive into discipleship, read DISCIPLE: The Noun and The Verb (Kindle / High Res PDF / Lower Res PDF).
Jesus calls every believer not only to follow Him but to help others follow Him as well. Yet many still wonder what that really looks like in daily life. DISCIPLE: The Noun and The Verb offers a clear biblical foundation and practical steps for embracing both our identity and our mission as disciples of Jesus.
At just two chapters, it’s a brief, accessible read designed to equip anyone who wants to grow—and help others grow—as a follower of Christ.
This book lays out The Way’s philosophy of discipleship.