REAL LIFE’S VISION AND MISSION

• Vision: Reach the world for Jesus one person at a time.
• Mission: Make biblical disciples in relational environments.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV) 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to

me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy

Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

• • To obey everything Jesus commanded us includes obeying Him with how we handle our finances.
  • To not talk about finances is to not fulfill the mission Jesus has given us.

WHAT IS A DISCIPLE?

The definition is in the invitation.

Matthew 4:19 (NKJV) Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

A disciple is someone who is committed to following Jesus.

• If we are followers of Jesus, He is our leader—not the other way around.
  • We don’t know best.
  • We don’t ask for Jesus’ blessing on plans, actions, and decisions we’ve made without Him.
  • We ask Jesus where to go and what to do next. We ask for His leadership and help as we follow Him.

1 Corinthians 11:1 (NIV) Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

A disciple is someone who is committed to being changed by Jesus.

• Jesus will accept you right where you are, but He loves you too much to allow you to stay there.
• We allow Jesus to change us into something different than what we were when we first gave our lives to Him.
  • This includes our hearts, minds, behaviors, emotions, motives, actions, and the way we spend our money.
  • As He changes these thing in our lives, He gives us His perspective on what is really important in life. He makes us more and more like Him.

A disciple is someone who is committed to the mission of Jesus.

• We realize this life is not about us, and we are here to accomplish a mission.
• Jesus gives us this mission in Matthew 28:18-20.

WHY DO WE OBEY? BECAUSE JESUS IS OUR SAVIOR.

• Jesus saved us from something, for something.

WHAT DID JESUS SAVE US FROM?

Romans 3:23 (NIV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6:23 (NLT) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. o     Sin causes both physical and spiritual death. Spiritual death is eternal separation from God (in hell).

John 3:16 (NIV) For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 (NIV) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• God doesn’t just tell us He loves us. He showed us, demonstrated it, proved it to us.
• The more we experience God’s infinite, unending, unconditional, perfect love, the more we will desire it.

Romans 12:1 (NIV) Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

• Our way of saying, “Thank you, I trust you. I want to experience more of you, and worship you…”

WHAT DID JESUS SAVE US FOR?

Romans 10:14 (NLT) 13For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” 14But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?

We are God’s representatives, His ambassadors.

2 Corinthians 5:16-20 (NIV) 16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of

reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

o We are ministers of reconciliation, reconciling the world back to God.

SO WHY TITHE? List the reasons that stand out to you most:

1 John 4:19 (NIV) We love because he first loved us.

WHAT DO YOU DO NOW? WHAT IS YOUR NEXT STEP?

• Repent and take action. Talk with someone and ask for help.
• Get connected for accountability and encouragement.
• Praise God and remain faithful! Encourage others!
• Take a step of faith and trust God to increase your generosity.
• Take ANY step towards growing in every way to be like Jesus—be ALL IN!

QUESTIONS TO DISCUSS IN LIFE GROUP OR WITH YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS