REVIEW:

• God offers an invitation to all to believe and trust in him and his truth – his word
• Jesus calls those who believe his disciples – his learners, students, adherents, followers who learn to trust God, to be changed by him and to be partners with him in his mission
• As disciples we are on a journey with God – we learn and live along the way
• This journey includes every facet of our being and every sphere of our lives (see the 5 spheres graphic)
• Our life’s journey is to be with Jesus and others for God’s purposes – not by ourselves for our purposes
  • Therefore, the center sphere (relationship/environment) is our abiding relationship with Jesus, which in turn influences all the other spheres (relationships/environments) of our lives
  • The first sphere of relationships with others that we are to understand we are a part of is the church sphere – the relationships and environments of other disciples in the family of God.
  • We learn about who we are and who God is, as we grow and participate in the family of God, as God has prescribed us to.
  • It is in this journey with God, learning to be his people, with his people, that we understand how to be his people in our own homes and families – the home & family sphere.
  • We are called to be disciples wherever we go in the world – where we live, work and play (Eph. 6)

THIS WEEK: DISCIPLES IN THE WORLD

BETWEEN THE SEA AND THE SANCTUARY – THE CENTER OF THE WORLD

Deuteronomy 1:6-8 (NIV) – 6The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. 7Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. 8See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them.”

• In the center of the world – God’s promised land for his promised people.

FROM SOMETHING FOR SOMETHING

2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NIV) – 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.

• New creations
• Reconciled to reconcile
• Christ’s Ambassadors

Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV) – 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

• Salt of the earth
• Light in the darkness
• A city on a hill

MEANS FOR ME OR MEANS FOR THE MISSION?

Ephesians 6:5-9 (NIV) – 5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, 8because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free. 9And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

Be a disciple – an ambassador of Christ – as a boss or as an employee

Galatians 5:13-14 (NIV) – 13You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

• Love your neighbors

THE MODEL

Luke 19:10 (NIV) – For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

John 3:16-17 (NIV) – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

QUESTIONS:

•  According to the text, who is it that is to reach the lost?
• Where does Jesus do most of his ministry on earth – in the temple or in the world?
• Who do you spend most of your time with?
• How often are you out in the world? How are you when you are there?
• Do you know your neighbors? How could you start/grow these relationships?
• What is one step you can take towards being a disciple in the world, where you work, live and play?