(6) MEANT FOR MISSION:                Gospels and 2 Corinthians 5.10-21

It is so very clear from the New Testament that Jesus was someone with a great mission – and that He calls his followers to share in that mission. The passages chosen for today help us to explore both THE MEANING and THE MESSAGE of mission.

1. THE MEANING OF MISSION (from the gospels)

   “COMMISSION”:

THE CALL TO MISSION: Both the first words of Jesus to his disciples as he called them to follow him, and the last words as the left them , speak clearly of the mission he ahs for us as his followers. Look briefly at the 6 gospel records of these moments and ask what they tell us about the nature and meaning of the mission to which Christ’s followers are called.  What important things do these verses tell us about our mission – its ‘who’, ‘when’, ‘where’, and ‘how’?

• Matthew 4.18-22
• Matthew 28.16-20
• Mark 16.15-16
• Luke 24.45-49
• John 20.21-22
• Acts 1.7-8
• Discuss together the implications for us.
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2. THE MESSAGE OF MISSION (from Corinthians)

   “RECONCILIATION”:

THE HEART OF MISSION:  Mission involves more than the expression through our lives of God’s love for the world; it involves the communication by our lips of his message to the world. In writing to Corinthian Christians, Paul puts in a nutshell the heart of the gospel message.

2 Corinthians 5.10-21

• How does Paul, here, express the gospel message? what are its implications?
• What , according to Paul, motivates the disciple to convey this message? (see the passage) How urgent is the message?
• What urgency does Paul show?
• What if it is not conveyed and received?
• Why must we do more than ‘just love people’ in Christ’s name? What is easier to do:  express God’s love or communicate the gospel message?
• What are the implications of this for Christian mission work?
• In what ways can we as individual disciples of Jesus, help communicate the gospel message to the world?

TO FINISH:  Pray generally for the effective communication of the gospel message to the world. And pray specifically for people in your life who you would love to see hear and respond to its message.

PERSONAL PRAYER:  ‘Lord, who have you put in my life for me to tell about Jesus?’