The group was asked the simple question, “Do you have any stories to tell about where you have seen God working in your life and in the lives of others in the past year?”

For more than an hour sisters and brothers in Christ told stories about the wonderful acts of our Father. What happened was delightful and amazing. In the beginning, some wondered if they had any stories to tell, but as a few began to relate the activity of God, the Holy Spirit started bringing things to mind.

There were all kinds of stories. Some told stories of hope and restoration. Others told stories of deliverance and victories. There were stories about families, neighborhoods, and virtual discovery communities.

As we listened to the stories of God’s activity in our lives and in the lives of others, we were transported beyond ourselves to see the hand and movement of God. Through tears and laughter, our bond as the family of God was strengthened. We were encouraged, challenged, and reminded that God never stops working.

We finally had to stop to move on to looking forward. With the hope of soon being able to meet face to face with our discovery communities, we discussed ways to reestablish and reaffirm the rhythms of linking, loving, listening, looking, and leaving.

Refreshing Others with Stories

The gathering outside beside the lake was not all that refreshed us. It was great, but the stories, oh the stories!

It only stood to reason that one of our takeaways was the need to have a story night when we are finally able to gather with our fellow discoverers. If what we had just experienced had moved, refreshed, and strengthened us so, we needed to give others the same opportunity.

What About Your Stories

Have you been wondering what God has been up to during the past year?

• Stop and tell yourself some stories of God’s activity in your life and in the lives of others.
• Plan a gathering with a group of fellow Christ-followers and start telling your stories to one another.
• Prepare to be amazed as well as encouraged and challenged to move forward.

Grace and peace to you on your missional journey

Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Since the death of Jesus was terrible in so many ways, why do Christians call the day he died “Good Friday?” The simple answer is because out of the dreadful bad came what was the ultimate good.

• Jesus is no longer on the cross. The cross is empty.
• Jesus is no longer in the tomb. The tomb is empty.

The Friday of the Easter season is when we remember what Jesus did for us. We recall the day Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross. In the crucifixion, Jesus has taken on the sins of the world and defeated the power of death, and His resurrection proves Him victorious.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Good Friday Meditation

Here is an exercise to help you remember the cross of Christ on Good Friday.

1. Darken your room and light a candle, and read Luke 23:44-49 three times.
2. When you have finished, blow out the candle and sit for a while in the dark meditating on the cross.
3. Watch the Good Friday Meditation: Thank God It’s Friday, from the Family of Freeman Heights written by pastor, Larry Venable.

Share with your friends!

The pandemic came on suddenly. One week we were going about life as usual, and then we were not. But the return is not going to be sudden or smooth.

We adapted to the situation of how life had to be lived, and now we have to adapt to returning back out into the world. This new movement can be as troublesome as the beginning of social distancing was last year.

Although life has gone on and we long to return to what was, things have changed, and many things will never be the same. People are nervous about returning to a somewhat normal life.

I am going to have “relearn” how to mingle with people. I haven’t experienced a casual hand share in a year. This reentry will be a time of uneasiness and rebuilding.

Returning from Isolation

I started pondering on people who have been removed from society and then have to merge back and the difficulties they might face.

• A prisoner after months and years apart from what is going on in the world
• A soldier returning after war or deployment
• An expatriate returning to his or her country of origin after years in another culture
• A patient waking up after months and sometimes years of being in a coma
• A caregiver moving back into society after intently focusing on the needs of a loved one

But there is another example that I believe we can learn from even more – Those returning from exile.

A Brief Look at the Biblical Exile

Somewhere around 606 BC, Babylon began removing captive Israelites to Babylon. Some years, later Babylon invaded Judah and Jerusalem falls in 587. Their society and the temple are destroyed, and the people are carried away into captivity.

Babylon ultimately falls to the Medes and the Persians, and the exile ends after 50 years when the Persian king Cyrus issued an edict in 538 allowing a portion of the exiles to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

The people of God had longed for years to return to life like it was before the exile, but when the homecoming occurred, they found how drastically things had changed. Some shouted in praise when the foundation of the temple was re-laid. But others wept when they compared the memory of the former temple with its replacement (Ezra 3:10-13). Their cries of “how long” were replaced with laments of “how small.”

What we have gone through for the last year pales in comparison to the suffering, hardship, and longing of the Israelites, but I do believe that we can draw some similarities between their story and ours.

Here are a few observations about returning from exile.

• We, like they, are going back to a world that is different than it was before.
• Just as God did not need a temple to display His glory, He does not need a full church building to reveal His presence.
• For good or bad, some things will remain the same, while other things will be different.
• We do not return alone, but corporately as the people of God.
• Some will come back before others.
• Some will never come back.

Missional Challenge

Here are some challenges that affect us missionally.

1. Return Incarnationally

God’s ultimate answer to the exile was incarnation. God becomes flesh. Jesus comes and dwells with broken humanity.

This exile should end with incarnation as well.

We are the Body of Christ. We are sent to live in the midst of the brokenness and desperation of our world. Our family, friends, and neighbors need the presence of God’s people among them.

2. Return Missionally

God’s mission is a mission of restoration of what is broken and of those who are away from Him.

Our return should be marked by joy, hope, and a strong sense of being sent. We must allow God to transform us and the places where we live, work, learn, and play.

3. Return Compassionately

You must realize that not only have you changed, but so have your family, friends, and neighbors. As the return to a more normal life looms, many will continue to struggle with anxiety, worry, fear, anger, and disappointment.

Some will rejoice that we are back; some will cry that it’s not the same. If some do not get back when you do, welcome them when they do get home.

4. Return Expectantly

Expectancy is hard when things are difficult and different. Choose expectancy over expectation. The words are similar, but each has its own connotation.

Expectancy points to a sense of hope and wonder.

Expectation anchors us to a belief that something will happen in a certain way.

The Jews of Jesus’s day missed the Messiah because He did not meet their expectations of who and what He was to be. Don’t miss what God is doing by focusing on what you expect to happen or how you expect things to be.

A Blessing for Exiles

As we reopen the state, the nation, and the world, we must not design our return in our own power. We must focus on God and trust his plan for us. We must look to see where our Father is working and join Him. Perhaps the blessing that Henri Nouwen’s mentor, Jean Vanier, gave him at his ordination should be said over us as well.

May all your expectations be frustrated. May all your plans be thwarted. May all of your desires be withered into nothingness. That you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son and the Spirit.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

A Dynamic Movement

In Acts 1:8, Jesus had promised that the disciples would “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes,” and Acts 2:1-12 records the arrival of the Spirit at Pentecost. Peter declares that God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17). About three thousand people become followers of Jesus and “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38, 41).

God poured out His Spirit in the context of community and Acts 2:42-47 is a concentrated description of that community. What is created and what happens does not occur apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. If we stress only their activities, we miss the profound unity and fellowship the believers shared through the Spirit. There is no dynamic movement, the glory of God is not expressed, and God’s message of salvation does not overflow into the world without the power of the Holy Spirit.

What kind of community would provide evidence that God is doing something?

Evidence: God’s Glory on Display

Everyone was in awe of what God was doing (Acts 2:43). The presence of God was evident in the believers. When God is in the room, people take notice. They were overwhelmed, not with the disciples, but with the glory of God, and they responded with awe and wonder.

Evidence: Dependence through Prayer

Prayer reminds us that we desperately need God with us. Their devotion to prayer magnified God by showing their dependence upon him.

Evidence: Spirit Inspired Generosity

The fellowship of followers is empowered by the Spirit to move past humanity’s selfish inclinations and be a community of caring and sharing (Acts 2:44-45). The Holy Spirit transforms them to practice radical generosity, being concerned about the human needs of food, shelter, and health.

Evidence: Unity and Fellowship

In John 17:20-23, Jesus prayed that believers would demonstrate a supernatural unity that would amaze the world. Jesus draws His community together, and the Holy Spirit welds it together (Acts 2:46).

The unity of the church in God is the supreme testimony to the truth of the claim that Jesus is God’s authorized emissary. The existence of such a community is a supernatural fact which can be explained only as the result of a supernatural cause.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit, the community that Jesus builds is unable to display evidence of the presence of God.

2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The Apostles’ Teaching about the Mission of Christ

Through the apostles’ teaching, this community of believers had come to understand what God accomplished. They have heard the gospel. They have experienced the good news that God has achieved the salvation of the world through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Today we have biblical texts that reveal what Jesus taught the apostles about His mission, like Luke 4:18-19, where He said that the Spirit of God was on Him and He was sent “to proclaim good news to the poor…to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

We have Christ’s commissions:

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

John 20:21 (NIV)

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

A Missional Fellowship

These believers had started living as a family with God as their Father. They met in one another’s homes sharing meals and celebrating what God had done and was doing.

People long to have fellowship like theirs. But community can’t be the goal. If community is the goal, it becomes a destination rather than a dynamic. If the focus is on teaching, eating, fellowshipping, praying, and gathering and leaves out mission, God’s people turn inward and become immobilized. God intends for the community that Jesus builds to be a “missional” fellowship.

Acts 2 tells us that this community of believers enjoyed “the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Their fellowship was more than a meeting. Their lives expressed the love and generosity they had experienced in Christ Jesus and they pressed outward to make disciples.

Christ’s Community on Mission

This new community was given a task. The mission of Jesus was to declare and demonstrate the good news, and His followers were sent with the same mission. They continue to declare and demonstrate God’s good news to others. They are now part of God’s reconciling mission to the world.

This fellowship of believers demonstrated the gospel by caring for the poor, the hurting, and those on the margins. Their transformed lives gave evidence to the good news they proclaimed. They were filled with joy and purpose and celebrated gathering together. They were bound together in love for God and one another. The very community into which they had been formed became a testimony and a witness through their words and deeds.

The message they declared was an invitation to follow Jesus and discover Him as the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6). It was an invitation to find God’s good news of forgiveness and liberation from bondage to sin through repentance. It was an invitation to find wholeness and fullness of life. It was an invitation to be part of the community of the redeemed where they could learn to fellowship with their Father and fellow believers and where they could be transformed into the image of their Savior.

God’s Mission Continues

Today, we must understand that this fellowship in which we are linked is more than a “holy huddle.” Our fellowship itself is to be extended to others. We are called to go and pursue Christ’s mission and make disciples who make disciples, inviting them into community with us so they might discover Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life.

These rhythms have repeated through the centuries and continue today. People whose lives are transformed by the good news gather in Christ’s community. They devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching and prayer, partnering in fellowship, breaking bread with glad and sincere hearts, living generous lives, going out to extend God’s good news to their family, friends, and neighbors. And they grow community day by day.

The community that Jesus builds is sent as a missionary to demonstrate and declare the gospel as it pursues the mission of God.

2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV

We 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.

Acts 2:42-47 describes the community that Jesus builds. God’s people are centered on Christ and linked together in fellowship. They come together and find unity around prayer, meals, the apostles’ teaching. They are also committed to meeting the needs of others. Jesus has a purpose for the community that He creates that goes beyond simply gathering together.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This passage tells us that God was moving and that everyone was in awe as the believers partner together. In their devotion to the apostles’ teaching, they would have learned about the instruction of Jesus to love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:25-28) and the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). They would have heard stories like the radical generosity of Zacchaeus after his encounter with Jesus (Luke 19:1-10).

Grace leads to generosity

God’s grace had been poured out on them through salvation in Christ Jesus and had bound them together. This grace overflowed in a generosity that reveals their commitment to caring for the needs of others.

They centered their lives on Jesus and cared for one another because they have been given everything in Christ. They shared meals and possessions because they had been rescued, saved, and adopted into God’s family. John the apostle wrote,

1 John 3:16-18 (NIV)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

A lifestyle of blessing

The believers were actively involved in meeting needs. It was more than random acts of kindness or part of a program that involved their giving from a distance.

The emphasis is not on the method of their sharing but their habit of lifestyle generosity. They did not sell all their possessions and not everyone sold (Acts 4:34-37), but they practiced periodic acts of sacrifice to meet specific needs. Their giving was organic as opposed to organized as they responded as needs arose.

They were not coerced or forced into this generosity. Their commitment was a spontaneous expression to the Holy Spirit’s prompting of how to care for others.

A commitment that challenges

The members of this community moved beyond feel-good fellowship to embrace the tough things in life. We are challenged to a counter-cultural lifestyle that runs against the grain of our American and Western mindset. We often look for ways to explain away their radical generosity because we do not want to live this way.

Having amassed a stockpile of possessions, belongings, and material things, our closets, cabinets, garages, and storage units are full of our stuff. We are in so much debt that we do not have any margin to assist those in need.

The challenge is to be aware of the needs around us, to move to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and to hold our possessions loosely.

Missional generosity

The community that Christ builds proves that it belongs to Him when it is committed to meeting the needs of others. This requires

• Time
• Personal resources
• Money
• Energy
• Tension
• Sacrifice

Generosity is part of a missional lifestyle. It is using what you have to serve people and bring glory to God.

2 Corinthians 9:10-13 (NIV)

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

Acts 2:42-47 reveals that discovery communities, like churches, are centered on Christ. One of the distinguishing marks of the community that Jesus builds is that its members are linked together in fellowship.

Luke, the writer of Acts, uses the Greek word koinonia in Acts 2:42, which is often translated as “fellowship.” It is a word that is broad and rich in meaning. It refers to “sharing something in common” and “joint participation.” This community that Jesus builds is not a collective of individuals. It is a body of believers in partnership with one another.

The Vocabulary Is Plural

Consider the plural description of the community of believers described in the passage.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

• They devoted themselves…
• All the believers were together…
• They sold…
• They continued to meet together…
• They broke bread…
• The Lord added to their number…

Their Fellowship Was Distinctive

The fellowship of the Christ-followers was different from all other fellowships. They shared a common faith that was markedly distinctive.

• Their lives centered on Christ made their fellowship distinctive (1 Corinthians1:9)
• The indwelling of the Holy Spirit made their fellowship distinctive (2 Corinthians 13:14)
• The teaching they adhered to made their fellowship distinctive.

Sharing Life Together

God intends for His people to have more than a weekly meeting in common. The fellowship of these believers meant that they shared life together. The New Testament depicts God’s people in relationship like a family. This passage presents the idea that they loved being together and did things with each other, over and over again.

• were together – verse 44 (an imperfect tense which means that they made it a practice of gathering together)
• Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together – verse 46

They did not live compartmentalized lives. They enjoyed each other’s company and were committed to one another.

A Remedy for Fragmented Society

Our western culture is immersed in individualism, which masks the value of the community that Jesus builds. The fellowship of believers linked in their one another family has the capacity to attract those who do not have a relationship with Christ. Jesus told His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Randy Frazee, in his book The Connecting Church lists some of the key problems that society faces that are addressed by a community linked together in fellowship.

(1) The problem of individualism

• Self over Others
• Discord over Harmony
• Individual Rights over Community

(2) The problem of isolation

• Internet shopping
• Rear driveways
• Privacy fences
• Automated drive-throughs

(3) The problem of loneliness

• Physically detached from each other
• Change places of residence frequently
• Do not know our neighbors

Partners in the Gospel

God’s people are linked together in service. The Greek word koinonia can be translated as “partnership,” “communion,” “participation,” and even “generosity.” Paul used it to refer to partnering in ministry (Philippians 1:3-5.) It can also mean sharing material possessions seen in 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 and evidenced in Acts 2 verse 45.

The fellowship of the church was a partnership as the believers joined together to advance God’s mission.

In this passage from the second chapter of Acts, we see that the believers were linked together in fellowship with God and with one another.

Larry Crabb writes,

There’s no higher dream than experiencing God as He moves through every circumstance of life to an eternal encounter with Himself where transformed people will enjoy perfectly loving community around Jesus Christ, the source of Perfect Love.

Let’s spend some time in Acts chapter 2 verses 42-47 to examine the idea that discovery communities are centered on Christ.

Acts 2:42-47 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Verse 42 tells us that the early believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

The Apostles Teaching Centered on Christ

What Did the Apostles Teach?

Luke concludes his gospel with a couple of stories. One is the account of two disciples on the road to Emmaus following the crucifixion of Jesus. They had not yet learned of the resurrection, but Jesus appeared to them as they journeyed. As they traveled, Jesus explained to them everything written about Him in the Old Testament scriptures (Luke 24:27).

A few verses later he recounts a second story. Jesus now appears to the gathered disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem and “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45-47). He reminds them that they are witnesses of all that God has done and is doing and that God will fulfill his promise of sending the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:48-49).

In Acts 2:1-13, Luke records the events on the Day of Pentecost as the Holy Spirit comes to indwell the believers. Also, remember that Jesus had told them that the Holy Spirit would be their teacher and remind them of everything he had said while he was with them (John 14:26).

Acts 2 continues with a sermon delivered by Peter and provides an example of the apostles’ teaching and how it centers on Christ (Acts 2:14-36). Peter emphasizes

• Christ’s work and mission
• Christ’s crucifixion
• Christ’s burial
• Christ’s resurrection
• Christ’s ascension
• Christ’s ongoing work

Acts 2:36 NIV

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

Because the Apostles had been eyewitnesses of the life and mission of Jesus, it stands to reason that He would be at the center of their teaching. They would tell the new believers the story of God’s Son. They would point to His teaching, miracles, death on the cross, rising from the dead, and ascension into heaven.

At the very center of the Apostle’s teaching would be the Good News of Jesus.

Fellowship of the Believers Centered on Christ

The believers found their identity in what Jesus had done for them. It was Jesus who had given them new life and salvation, and their fellowship was centered on Him.

1 John 1:1-4 NIV

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

The believers centered their lives on Christ as they shared life together.

Breaking of Bread Centered on Christ

The breaking of bread points to two things. One, is simply that they shared meals with one another, and two, they observed the Lord’s Supper. People can come together and eat for many reasons, but in these early church gatherings, it was Christ that drew them together. Observing the Lord’s Supper helped them stay centered on Him. When they broke bread, they were reminded of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:22-26).

Prayers Centered on Christ

Their prayer would have been centered on Christ because Jesus had taught His disciples to pray in His name.

John 14:13-14 NIV

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 15:16 NIV

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

These Christ-centered prayers were for one another, for those in need, and for fulfilling God’s mission.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” If He is the builder, we must stay centered on Him.

Ephesians 1:22-23 NIV

And God placed all things under his [Christ’s} feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

• Do nothing – (this would be inconsistent with our mission)
• Try to share in our own strength – (this is a recipe for failure)
• Ask God to do in and through us what we cannot do in our own power – (this is the only way get the job done) 

Sometimes we hesitate to pray for ourselves. Maybe we feel guilty asking for things. Perhaps we fall into the trap of doing things on our own rather than in the power of God’s Spirit. 

Peter Wagner, in On the Crest of the Wave, writes,

“…all the carefully planned mission strategy in the world will be of no avail unless it is activated by divine power. According to our records, the very last words Jesus spoke to His disciples before He left this earth were: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you shall be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Nine Missional Prayers for the Journey

While the list of things we could pray for this year is almost endless, here are nine short prayers that will help keep you focused on your missional journey. 

1. Lord, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and the power He gives to be a witness to those in my circle of influence. (see Acts 1:8)
2. Lord of the harvest, open my eyes that I might see the ripe fields around me. (see John 4:35)
3. Transforming Christ, let others see that my old life is gone and I am new in You as a sign that You can reconcile and transform anyone. (see 2 Corinthians 5:17-19)
4. Master, break my heart for those in my circle of influence who do not know You as Lord and Savior. (see Romans 9:1-3)
5. Father, fill my mouth with Your words that I might boldly share the mystery of the Good News. (see Ephesians 6:19-20)
6. Jesus, thank You for choosing me and sending me out to bear fruit that will last. Give me a bountiful harvest. (see John 15:16)
7. Lord, may I shine like a lighted city on a hill so others see You in my life and are drawn to You. (see Matthew 5:14-16)
8. Father, open doors of opportunity for me to share Your message, and may I share it clearly. (see Colossians 4:2-4)
9. Jesus, it is my desire to join You on Your mission of seeking and saving those who are lost. (see Luke 19:10)

Missional Challenge

• Download the printable, 9 Missional Prayers for the Journey, and place it where you will see it throughout your day.
• Use it as a bookmark for your daily Bible readings.
• Share a copy with a friend.
• Copy them to your prayer journal.
• Pray these prayers for yourself.
• Find a partner and pray them for each other.
• Move out and join the Father on His mission.

Download

What’s on your prayer list?

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

And, as we enter the journeys of 2021, let us live as “sent ones” reminded that just as Christ came and lived among us, we are sent a lost and broken world:

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year on your missional journey,
Terry