LEAD THE WAY
The Core
6. MISSION (Part 1)

CONNECT

  • Connect through care, prayer and loving accountability for previous “I will …” statements.

DISCOVER

MISSION - Our Relationship with Others

Join Jesus in discipling others toward Him by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle.

Mission (Part 1)

We’ll divide our consideration of the church’s Mission into two parts. Mission (Part 1) looks at how to live a missional lifestyle (ENTRY and GOSPEL) and Mission (Part 2) at how to disciple others (DISCIPLESHIP).

Missional Living

1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NIV)

1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

  • What does this passage say about God our Savior’s mission and our mission?

1 Peter 3:15-16 (NIV)

15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

  • What does this passage say about our mission?

How do these two passages speak to a missional LIFESTYLE?

The Mission

Our mission is to Join Jesus in discipling others toward Him by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle.

THE WHAT

Join Jesus

  • Why is it important to Join Jesus in mission rather than pursuing mission on our own?

  • How would this impact your focus and your faith?

In Discipling Others toward Him

Let’s define our term. 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. 

  • What’s the purpose and the process of an apprenticeship?

  • What does this say about being a disciple of Jesus?

  • Once again, the next session on MISSION (Part 2) will take a look at how to disciple others toward Jesus. Stay tuned.

THE WHO

John 4:35 (NLT)

You know the saying, “Four months between planting and harvest.” But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest.

  • Where is your mission field? In other words, who is Jesus calling you to reach for Him so they in turn can reach others for Jesus?

Here are some possible mission fields:

1. The most obvious is your circle of influence or natural network—THOSE AROUND YOU.

  • Where you live, learn, work and play. You don’t have to go somewhere else to be on mission with Jesus. Just look around you.

  • As you interact, connect, eat and do life with others see this as an opportunity to share Jesus’ love and life with them.

2. God may call you to look beyond your given circle of influence to see some other people, place or pain.

  • People - An ethnic group, sub-culture or age group

  • Place - A foreign country, part of your city or college campus

  • Pain - An addiction, a medical condition, a financial situation or an injustice

  • Who is Jesus asking you to reach?

    Using the Circle of Influence Map below, who are 3 to 4 people that the Lord is calling you to focus on? Include people who need Jesus AND believers who need discipleship. Then see where all of this could lead. Fill in the possible people who could be influenced by your 3 to 4 people coming to faith and maturing in Christ. Get a vision for the mission!

  • Use this Circle of Influence Map with your MicroChurch.

THE HOW

By Living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare Lifestyle

PRAYER — Pray for others to encounter Jesus.

CARE — Care for others’ needs.

SHARE —Share each others’ stories and Jesus’ Story.

DARE — Dare others to be disciples of Jesus.

  • Why is each mission priority important?

  • Why is the order of these mission priorities important?

  • How does each missional priority show up in Colossians 4:2-6?

    2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

PRAYER

Talk to God about people before you talk to people about God.

Start using these two missional prayers.

For Yourself

Start your day and regularly pray throughout your day (especially as you transition from one interaction, activity or location to another):

Jesus, how can I join You in mission? Give me eyes to see, ears to hear and courage to follow Your leading.

Stay attentive and be ready to follow. Usually, the only way to know if the Lord is leading you is to try it. Faith could be spelled T-R-Y. So give it a try.

For Others

Regularly pray this prayer for the people on your Circle of Influence Map.

Father, I pray for _______'s salvation. Help me to live a consistent and attractive Christlike life around _______. Show me _______’s needs so that I can serve him/her with Your love. Do something in _______’s life that can only be explained by Your presence and power. Deepen our relationship together. Open doors for me to have spiritual conversations with _______ and help me to share the Good News of Jesus with him/her. Overcome Satan's blinding of _______'s heart and mind so that he/she will turn from sin, trust in Jesus as Savior, follow Him as Lord and join a community of believers.

CARE

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

  • Why is caring such a significant way of entering and impacting your mission field?

  • Give an example of each of the following types of caring:

    • Practical Care

    • Sacrificial Care

    • Supernatural Care

COMBINING PRAYER & CARE

  • The Vineyard has used the following 5 Step Prayer Model both in worship gatherings and on the streets.

 

5 STEP PRAYER MODEL

Here’s a simple model to follow when praying for someone. This is only a model and not a magic formula.

1. ASK

Ask, “How can I pray for you?” or “What would you like Jesus to do for you?” Listen well and it may be helpful to reflect back their request. “So you’re asking for …?”

2. INVITE

“Come, Holy Spirit, Come!”

Invite the Holy Spirit to come and reveal God’s presence and love. Let the person know that you’ll pause for a moment to just be still. This gives space and time for them to experience God’s presence and love and for you to listen for direction from the Spirit. Be okay with a bit of silence. Your comfort will make them comfortable.

3. PRAY

Pray for what the person has requested and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. If appropriate, lay hands on them. It’s helpful to keep your eyes open—not to stare, of course, but to stay attentive to how the person may be encountering the Lord. This allows you to join in with what the Lord is doing in the moment.

Keep your prayer short and simple—“Jesus-length” prayers. And don’t preach through your prayer; just pray. The prayers that Jesus and the early church prayed were usually quite short and direct. In fact, in many ways, they were more declarations, even commands, than prayers, such as, “In Jesus’ name, medical condition be healed” or “In Jesus’ name, demon come out.” Jesus has authorized us to use His name boldly and compassionately for His Kingdom.

Pray something like this: “Lord, thank You for Your loving presence and Your healing power. I pray that You would heal _____’s knee. Knee, be healed in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

4. CHECK

Ask, “What’s happening?” or “What’s God doing?” For example, if the person asked for prayer for their knee, you could ask them how it’s feeling or how the level of pain is now or if they can do something they couldn’t do before. If the person asked for prayer for wisdom in some life decision, you could ask if they are getting any thoughts that may be helpful. If the person asked for a breakthrough in some relationship, you could ask if they are getting any ideas on how to seek reconciliation. If the person asked for help in overcoming some trauma or addiction, you could ask if they are experiencing any new hope.

After checking, you may want to return to prayer, thanking the Lord for what He is doing and asking Him to continue to do more.

5. NEXT?

Ask, “What’s next?” What about getting together again to pray? Does the person know Jesus? How could you introduce them to Jesus? Could you invite the person out for coffee? How about inviting them to church? How can you use this prayer encounter as an opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with them and possible discipleship to Jesus?

5 Step Prayer Model PDF File

Original Version

This video covers the original version of the Vineyard 5 Step Prayer Model.

 

SHARE

Share Your Story

Sharing each other’s stories opens hearts.
Sharing Jesus’ Story changes hearts.

Share Jesus’ Story

DARE

FOLLOW THE WAY - FRUIT …

 

BOTH/AND MISSION

Individual AND MicroChurch Mission

Mission is both an individual and a MicroChurch calling.

Consider our PATHWAYS:

  • The Individual

    • DAILY CONNECTS AND MISSIONAL LIVING — Connect with Jesus through Bible reading and prayer, and join Jesus in mission to your circle of influence by living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle.

  • The MicroChurch

    • COMPASSIONATE OUTREACH - Together show Jesus’ love through prayer walks, park cookouts, family assistance, hospitality for international students, refugee sponsorship, and local ministry partnerships.

Each person is called to join Jesus in mission, and so is the MicroChurch. That’s why this question is in the Gathering Guide:

  • How is Jesus leading YOU/US to join Him in mission this week?

Equip each person for their individual mission, AND lead your MicroChurch to prayerfully discern how Jesus is leading your MicroChurch to join Him in mission.

Situational AND Sustained Mission

Another thing to keep in mind is the difference between situational AND sustained mission, both individually and as a MicroChurch.

Sometimes, God calls us as individuals to minister to someone in the moment or as a situation arises—for example, praying for a server at a restaurant. Other times, He calls us to go the distance in a relationship and continue ministering to someone over time. They may be people in our family or people we live or work alongside.

The same is true for a MicroChurch. Sometimes, your MicroChurch may have a workday at a neighbor’s house or serve a meal at a homeless shelter. Other times, God may call your MicroChurch to serve monthly or weekly with a local ministry or to intentionally walk alongside a struggling family over time.

Mission may be a moment, a season, or a long-term relationship. The key is to prayerfully discern how Jesus is leading us to join Him in mission.

 

Contact4Impact

A great resource for mission, especially to those where one lives, learns, works and plays, is Contact4Impact.com. Where there’s no contact, there’s no impact. So join Jesus and another brother or sister in living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle in your circle of influence.

Mission and Kids

Get your kids involved in mission. For example, encourage them to practice a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle with their friends and at school. Also, take them with you when you go out for prayer outreach. Kids have a way of making people feel comfortable so it’s often easier to start conversations with people when a kid is present. And, of course, bring them along when you do other mission activities like park cookouts or work days.

 Gathering Guide

LIVE / LEAD

  • What did you discover in this training session?

  • What is your “I will …” statement flowing from this training?

  • If you’re working through BE THE WAY as a group, who will facilitate the next session on Mission (Part 2)?

Continuing Ed Sessions on Mission (Part 1)

PRINTABLE PDF

  • LEAD THE WAY - Mission (Part 2)

LEAD THE WAY

The Core

  1. Lead

  2. MicroChurch

  3. Worship

  4. Discovery

  5. Community

  6. Mission (Part 1)

  7. Mission (Part 2)

Continuing Ed

  1. Praying Paul’s Prayers (Lead)

  2. Replicate (Lead)

  3. Disciple-Making Movements (MicroChurch)

  4. Financial Giving (MicroChurch)

  5. Our Meal and His Supper (Worship)

  6. Baptism (Worship)

  7. Hermeneutics (Discovery)

  8. Mature Community (Community)

  9. Child and Youth Safety (Community)

  10. Welcoming New People (Community)

  11. Spiritual Gifts, Prophecy and Tongues (Community)

  12. Doing the Stuff - 1 (Mission-Part 1)

  13. Doing the Stuff - 2 (Mission-Part 1)

  14. Doing the Stuff - 3 (Mission-Part 1)

  15. A Guide for Guides (Mission-Part 2)