The Great Commission – The Means: As You Are Going
COMMUNITY GUIDE
The Community Guide below is based on Sunday’s teaching for our new series: The Great Commission. As your whole Community gathers (online or in-person), use the Community Guide below to give shape to your time together
Begin by Practicing the Lord’s Supper Together (5 minutes)
Begin your time by partaking of the bread and the cup together. Have each person bring their own Communion elements or provide elements for the group. To facilitate your time, you can either ask a member of your Community to come ready with a short prayer, scripture reading, or assign someone to read the Apostles Creed we’ve provided below. For those of you that may not be familiar with the Apostles Creed, it is a proclamation of faith that has been recited throughout the years and has often been used as an act of worship and reflection prior to receiving the Lord’s Supper. It is a proclamation of what we as followers of Jesus believe. After reading this ancient creed (aloud), spend a moment in silence before continuing:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day, he rose again from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church (universal Christian church), the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
CHECK-IN (10 MINUTES)
As we focus on this series, we want to continue to create space for checking in on each other but doing so in a shorter amount of time. Take a few minutes to do a whole person check-in (emotional, spiritual, physical) with your Community, creating space for each person to answer the question below:
What is one way we can be praying for you or your neighbors?
If the need arises, spend a few minutes praying for one another, asking God to meet needs and help each person carry what feels heavy right now.
Read this overview:
This Sunday, Christian continued our series on the Great Commission by focusing on the word “Go” in Matthew 28:19. This word speaks to both the immediacy of Jesus’ command (“Go now and make disciples”) and the circumstances in which we do it (“make disciples as you go”). We see both of these dynamics in the ministry of Jesus. He went from town to town proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of heaven (Mark 1:38), and he taught his disciples as he went from town to town. So in Matthew 28:18-20, after having discipled them like this for over three years, Jesus told his disciples that it was time for them to continue the pattern he set for them: to make disciples as they went, starting from where they already were, and to keep going from there “to the ends of the earth” (Acts. 1:8).
The Great Commission has a global scope: Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations, which means that Christians must go to all nations. At the same time, the Great Commission also has a very local focus: Disciples are made as people are baptized and taught to keep all that Jesus has commanded (Matt. 28:19-20), and baptizing and teaching happen up-close, through local, personal relationships. Therefore, as a local church, we must practice the type of localized, personal discipleship that Jesus modeled. But we must also keep our eyes on the global horizon, because Jesus has called us (along with our brothers and sisters around the world) to make disciples of all nations. This is why we are passionate about equipping, sending, and supporting people (maybe even you!) who go out from our local congregation to engage in localized, personal discipleship in other parts of the world. We grow in faithfulness as disciples who make disciples as we help each other keep both the global scope and local focus of the Great Commission in view.
QUESTIONS (20 Minutes)
How were you convicted and/or encouraged by the teaching this week?
What are some practical ways that you can incorporate/live out certain principles mentioned in the sermon? If you were to incorporate this truth into your own life, how would the next week be different?
Take time to pray for our Global Missions partners. You can find them grouped by region here: cornerstonesimi.com/missionary-partners. Consider making this a regular rhythm for your group. If you would like more information about how to pray for or support our partners, please email global@cornerstonesimi.com.
Missionary Practice For The Week Ahead: BLESS (10 Minutes)
If you do at least one of these practices every day, you will not only become more like Jesus, but you will help others find Jesus too! In your time together as a community, ask the questions, “Who did you BLESS this week? This time of sharing will keep the Great Commission at the forefront of who we are called to be as followers of Jesus. It will also provide the opportunity to celebrate and encourage one another on the journey.
ᐅ B.L.E.S.S.
(B)egin with Prayer:
Pray for the people in your life and the places that you’re in.
People: Who do you live, work and play with that is far from God? Pray that God would create spiritual curiosity in them, and then spend time with them.
Places:
Where does pain exist here? Pray for healing.
Who makes the decisions here? Pray for integrity.
Who throws parties here? Pray for community.
Where are the pennies spent here? Pray for provision.
(L)isten:
Listen to and discover the needs of others and for the places where God is at work.
Before you can help others find Jesus, you need to listen to them first - their hopes, pains, challenges and dreams. In your interactions with others today, take the posture of a learner. Lay down assumptions and practice being present in conversations.
(E)at:
Share meals, drink coffee, and spend time with people in your life that don’t yet know Jesus.
Who can you eat with (or have coffee with) that is far from God? A co-worker over lunch? A neighbor during the day? A friend or family member over the weekend?
Is there a place that you regularly visit (coffee shop, gym, etc.)? Ask God to grant you opportunities to eat with people.
(S)erve:
Who can you serve this week? Who do you know that has a practical need? Ask them how you can help.
Before jumping into serving, have you taken the time to pray for, listen to and eat with these people? Doing these things first helps you discover the way that you really need to serve them.
(S)tory:
Share the story of Jesus and what He is doing in your life with others.
Start by sharing how God has blessed you and made a difference in your life.
Share your story in such a way that demonstrates that Jesus is also at work in their life.
Don’t feel like you have to tell your life story at once. Think “bite-size” stories.
Prayer (10 Minutes)
Spend a few minutes praying for God’s grace over each other, that we might become a people who make Jesus our Lord, and that there might be a sweeping renewal of the Holy Spirit in our city. Ask that God would stir up within us a desire to be with him in prayer and to serve him, one another, and our neighbor in love.