John 17:1-8, 18
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.
18As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.
Jesus lived His life for God’s Mission
Luke 19:10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
A missional life is realizing that you have been chosen by God for a specific mission: His Mission
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
1. What is the mission?
The Bible is not a collection of different stories, but it is one single narrative or story.
“A King is building His Kingdom of people from every tribe, tongue and nation on the face of the earth.”
Matthew 24:14
“This Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come.”
God’s Mission is to be
Revelation 7:9
“After this I looked, and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hand, crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
God is building a Kingdom, His Kingdom is people from every tribe, tongue and nation on earth and they all glorify Him.
The
•There are nearly 7,000 unreached people groups in the world today.
•They still do not have access to the Gospel, they have no opportunity to come to faith in Christ
•We are only sending 3% of our missions force to the unreached and less than 1% of our missions funding
The
of our World Today
•1/3 of the world’s population does not have access to the Gospel
•Most missionaries are sent where there are already Christians and churches
That is why we are mobilizing Latin America
•Today there are over 100 million Evangelical Christians in Latin America!
•Over 500,000 Evangelical churches!
•We are mobilizing churches in 15 different countries
•Every week our team of pastors/mobilizers are mentoring churches
We have helped these churches send out almost 100 families, all serving among unreached people groups
2. What is the
?
“Every person desires to live his own life for his own purpose, or mission.”
We think that God exists to fulfill our life’s mission.
Our approach to God is that He exists for us.
The 3 temptations of Christ (Matthew 4):
•Stones into bread
•Cast yourself down from the pinnacle of the temple
•Bow down and worship me to have rule over the nations.
•Live your life for yourself
3. What does life on
look like?
•Living life as a “sent ones.” Change our perspective on life. (John 17:18)
•Almost 40 times Jesus talks about being sent, and John 20:21 before He ascends to the Father He says, “As the Father sent me, even so I am sending you.”
•We are all missionaries, sent out by God to fulfill His mission, not our own.
God is missionary in His nature:“Shalach” (Heb) to send
God sent Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Israel, the Prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus, the disciples, the church
“Sending, is the sum total and substance of all of God’s creativity and His activity.” —George Vicedom; The Mission of God
God’s Identity is to send
Our identity is to be “sent ones”
John 17:18 “As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”
John 20:21 “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
Join in with what God is
doing
“God is constantly inviting us to join in with what He is doing in the world.” —Henry Blackaby – Experiencing God
We must first abandon our life mission and embrace His.
The Good Samaritan - Luke 10:30-37
The priest and the Levite had the opportunity to join in with God, but they were busy with their own life’s mission.
God is giving us opportunities all around us and all around the world to join in His mission
Some opportunities God is giving us:
•Local missions opportunities
•Hospitals ; Homeless ; Single moms; Apartment complexes; schools; Addictions ministries etc.
•Internationals: students or refugees
•Christmas shoe boxes
•Missions trips and projects
•Come with us to the Middle East to work with refugees…
A Life on Mission with God
The only way to not get to the end of your life and have no regrets, is to live your life for His
You were made for a mission, and that mission gives your life meaning.
Life Group Discussion Questions:
Not in a Life Group yet? Sign up to get connected here.
Reminder to groups: the purpose is not to make it through every question. Feel free to skip around and let the conversation flow naturally. Leaders, help guide your group through these questions. Whatever you don’t get to discuss in group, you can study through on your own this week!
The following verses are part of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, where He speaks to His Father, emphasizing His mission, the glory of God, and His relationship with His disciples.
Read John 17:1-8
1. Verse 1 - How does Jesus’ request to be glorified relate to His ultimate purpose and mission?
2. Verse 4 - Jesus says He has brought glory to the Father by completing the work He was given. How does fulfilling God’s purpose in our lives bring Him glory? How can we ensure that our actions glorify God?
3. Verses 6-8 - How does Jesus describe His disciples and their relationship with the Father? How does Jesus’ teaching in these verses challenge us to live as His followers today?
Matthew 24:14 - “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” This verse focuses on the spread of the gospel and the role that believers in God’s global mission.
4. How does this verse shape our understanding of the global nature of God’s mission? What role do individual believers and the church have in ensuring the gospel reaches “the whole world”?
5. Ralph Canada said, “A King is building His Kingdom of people from every tribe, tongue and nation on the face of the earth.” How does the connection between the gospel being preached and Jesus’ return affect our sense of urgency in sharing the gospel? Read Revelation 7:9
6. The understanding and reality of the mission can cause some tension. The statement was made: “Every person desires to live his own life for his own purpose, or mission.” And later it was said, “We think that God exists to fulfill our life’s mission.”
• Do you agree that every person desires to live with purpose or mission?
• How do you determine what your mission or purpose in life is?
• What role does culture or upbringing play in influencing a person’s mission or purpose?
Jesus talked about being “sent” over 40 times. John 20:21 says, “Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’” This passage emphasizes Jesus’ commission to His disciples and the continuation of His mission through them.
“Sending is the sum total and substance of all of God’s creativity and His activity.” - George Vicedom
7. How does Jesus’ mission inform the mission He gives to His disciples?
8. Why do you think Jesus begins His commissioning with the phrase “Peace be with you”?
9. What does being “sent” by Jesus look like in the life of a Christ follower today? How can you reflect Jesus’ mission in your workplace, community, or family?
10. How does understanding that we are “sent” change the way we approach our daily lives?
“The only way to get to the end of your life and have no regrets is to live your life of His mission, and not your one.” - Ralph Canada