BE THE WAY - Week 5 — The Way MicroChurches

WORSHIP

At your meal, celebrate The Meal (the Lord’s Supper).
- Take bread and say, “The body of Christ, given for you.”
- Take a cup and say, “The blood of Christ, shed for you.”
- And have someone pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the sacrifice of Jesus.
What can you/we praise or thank God for? (You could sing this or pray this to the Lord.)
What do you/we need to repent of? (This can be a time of silent or public confession.)

Review

Let’s keep working through the four key relationships and crucial priorities of a follower of Jesus and a church family. We’ve looked at:

WORSHIP - Our Relationship to Jesus

Devote yourselves to praying, praising and prioritizing Jesus in everything

DISCOVERY - Our Relationship to the Bible

Devote yourselves to taking in and living out God’s Word

COMMUNITY - Our Relationship to Each Other

Devote yourselves to loving one another as a family of brothers and sisters in Christ

Today, let’s look at:

MISSION - Our Relationship to Others

DISCOVERY

Check In

How did your “I will …” statement from last week go?
How did your sharing goal from last week go?

Dig In

Ask God to speak to you as you read His Word.

Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV)
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have someone retell the passage in their own words.
What stands out to you in this passage?
What does this passage say about God (The Father, His Son Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit)?
What does this passage say about people, including ourselves?
What does this passage say about the life God invites us to live?

Jesus’ Authority and Presence

Why is Jesus’ authority and presence so important to our mission of making disciples of Jesus?

Go and Make Disciples

What does it mean to be a disciple of Jesus?
It may be helpful to think of a disciple in terms of today’s apprentice (or intern, trainee, mentee, medical resident). What’s the purpose and what’s the process of an apprenticeship?
What do you think of this definition of discipleship?

Discipleship is the relational, biblical and intentional process of helping someone both become a follower of Jesus Christ and mature as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Baptizing Them

Why does Jesus use “name” in the singular rather than “names” in the plural?
What does it mean to be immersed into each Person of the Trinity?
Why is baptism important to becoming a disciple of Jesus?

Teach Them to Obey

Why is obedience to Jesus’ commands important to being a disciple of Jesus?

Our Mission

Here’s The Way’s mission statement:

Our mission is to join Jesus in making disciples of those around us through a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle.

PRAYER - Pray for others to encounter Jesus.
CARE - Care for others’ needs.
SHARE - Share each others’ stories and Jesus’ Story.
DARE - Dare others to be disciples of Jesus.

Missional Questions

Why is joining Jesus at the center of our mission?
Why is the order of Prayer > Care > Share > Dare important?
How did you join Jesus in mission last week?
How did you resist joining Jesus in mission last week?
How is Jesus leading you/us to join Him in mission this week?

Say YES to the Holy Spirit

The Way is a MicroChurch ministry of the Vineyard. The Vineyard is a global family of churches that seeks to say YES to the Holy Spirit.

Watch this video.

What are your reactions to this video? What challenges does it raise? What hopes does it inspire?

For Now

Start using these two missional prayers.

For Yourself

Start your day and regularly pray throughout your day (especially as you transition from one activity to another or one location to another) …

Jesus, how can I join You in mission? Give me eyes to see and ears to hear and courage to do what You show me.

Stay attentive and be ready to follow the Lord’s leading.

For Others

Regularly pray this prayer for the people in your circle of influence or natural network.

Father, I pray for _______'s salvation. Help me to live a consistent and attractive Christlike life around _______. Show me _______’s needs so that I can serve him/her with Your love. Do something in _______’s life that can only be explained by Your presence and power. Deepen our relationship together. Open doors for me to have spiritual conversations with _______ and help me to share the Good News of Jesus with him/her. Overcome Satan's blinding of _______'s heart and mind so that he/she will turn from sin, trust in Jesus as Savior, follow Him as Lord and join a community of believers.

What strikes you from these two missional prayers?
What might you add to these prayers?
What would happen if you began to regularly pray the second prayer for a few people in your circle of influence or natural network?
Spend some time right now praying for them.

For Later

Here are some ideas for mission that your MicroChurch could try at a later time:

Paint a neighbor’s house.
Host a Matthew Party. Matthew Parties are named for the party Matthew threw for his tax collector and sinner friends on the evening he met Jesus. Matthew held this party so his friends could meet the Lord in a safe, hospitable setting (Matthew 9:9-13). Matthew Parties give your MicroChurch an opportunity to invite their friends to a gathering with your spiritual family. That way, unbelievers and spiritual seekers can discover that Christians are “normal” and this networking could lead to further connections, conversations and invitations to your MicroChurch. The sky’s the limit on what a Matthew Party could be. How about hosting a Thanksgiving dinner or going to a football game together or having a karaoke night or organizing a weekend camping trip? (Adapted from The Effective Church Group.)
Adopt a missionary to support with prayer and finances.
Volunteer together at a local ministry.
Go to the mall and ask people how you can pray for them.
Work through Follow The Way - FRUIT. 9-weeks on how to join Jesus in living a Prayer > Care > Share > Dare lifestyle.

In Summary

The church’s four key relationships and crucial priorities are: