Living On Mission: We the Church
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
The first time we find the church mentioned in scripture is in Matthew 16. When responding to Jesus’ question. “But who do you say that I am”, Peter declares “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”. In His response Jesus said, “I will build my church…..” This declaration was a foretelling of what was about to happen in the days ahead as Jesus would provide His followers with a mission. A mission the Church is entrusted to engage in and complete by and through the power of the Holy Spirit. What does it look like as We the Church own and give ourselves to the mission Jesus has given us?
Monday – We the Church have been given the Holy Spirit
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive……..” John 14:16-17
- Key Thought: We are not called to live on mission on our own, the Holy Spirt, our Helper, is with us forever.
- Prayer Focus: Thank the Father for being sealed with the Spirit, ask the Father to be continuously filled with the Spirit.
Tuesday – We the Church are God’s instrument for the evangelization of all peoples
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
- Key Thought: Jesus declares that we will be His witnesses to the world.
- Prayer Focus: Pray that Jesus will clearly reveal to you what His calling to be a witness looks like in your life.
Wednesday – We the Church have received the ministry of reconciliation
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come. All this from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;” 2 Corinthians 5:17-18
- Key Thought: We are a new creation, we’ve been reconciled to God through Christ, we’ve each been given the ministry of reconciliation.
- Prayer Focus: Give thanks to God for being reconciled with Him, ask God who he is placing in your life that you may be a minister of reconciliation to.
Thursday – We the Church are Christ’s Ambassadors
“…And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us…” 2 Corinthians 5:19-20
- Key Thought: We are Christ’s ambassadors; God has chosen to make His appeal to the world though us.
- Prayer Focus: Lord God, teach me, fill me, and send me as your ambassador to those you’re bringing into my life who are living far from you.
Friday – We the Church join God where He is working
“…Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does” John 5:19
- Key Thought: As the Son joins the Father in what He is doing, we have the responsibility to discern where He is at work and join Him in it.
- Prayer Focus: Lord God show me where you are at work in my life, here within Calvary, in our community, and beyond, that I may join you in it.
Saturday – We the Church are one Church
“…you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household…Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone”Ephesians 2:19-21
- Key Thought: We the Church, are not just a collection of individual congregations. We the Church are a singular, unified body of people who have confessed faith in Christ, strive to follow Him in repentant lifestyles, and join Him in the mission of reconciliation.
- Prayer Focus: Lord help me see and understand the breadth and depth of the Church, the Body of Christ, that you have called to your mission, the evangelization of all peoples from our neighborhoods to the nations.
Sunday
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Psalm 122:1
Gathering together for worship is a joyful privilege.
- Key Thought: I can be excited to go and worship the lord!
- Prayer Focus: That God would prepare my heart for worshiping him today!