Mission Possible

We’ve made an incredible amount of progress this year in launching local services alongside our existing locations and it’s been so encouraging to hear stories of the depth of community that’s emerging across these smaller gatherings. However, there’s a genuine risk that we become too focused on services and neglect the core mission. When we say helping people become total followers of Jesus Christ, we don’t just mean helping people grow but also helping people discover Jesus in the first place.

That’s why we’ve taken three weeks to focus on the area of outreach. We want to make sure we focus on the core things that matter. And even though I was involved in crafting the Mission Possible series, I’ve been surprised at the impact on my life as we’ve taught through it.

Here’s three things I’ve appreciated.

It’s given us something tangible to do.
Jenny gave us two practical things to try to do each week. Eat with three people, one of whom should be outside of church; and, bless three people, again one of whom should be outside of the church. It’s so simple and serves to help us become more missional. What I’ve loved is how accessible it is even if you don’t have much time. I realise how many interactions I already have with people. What it needs from me is not necessarily more time but more intention.

It’s enabled us to involve our children.
As Jenny and I have been talking and thinking about ways of blessing people, we’ve been able to take our girls along for the journey. They get the simple practices really easily and have even started to think of ways they can bless others too. It means we’re having conversations as a family that we just weren’t having before. It means they’re growing up in an environment where these practices and conversations are normal.

It’s changed the way I’m looking.
Have you ever noticed how when you learn something for the first time, it’s like you suddenly start noticing it everywhere. It’s called frequency illusion. It’s not that these things are more frequent, it’s just that we’re now noticing what has always been there. I’ve found the same at work this week. The more I think about ways to bless one person, the more I notice ways to bless others.

So those are my reflections. I wonder what yours are? Maybe so far, you haven’t really put any of this into practice. Please don’t be discouraged but take a moment and start noticing right now. May God open our eyes to see the opportunities that are all around us.

Much love,
Simon


This post is part of the Senior Pastor’s weekly blog. Go to the blog feed >>