GROWING ON MISSION TOGETHER

Transcription

1 GROWING ON MISSION TOGETHER

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3 INTRODUCTION... 4 STAGE 1: PREPARING THE SOIL... 9 WEEK 1 FAMILY Why Is the Gospel Good News?...11 WEEK 2 DISCIPLES Living Out a Devotional Life to Know God WEEK 3 MISSIONARY SERVANTS Living a Missional Life to Make God Known STAGE 2: PLANTING THE SEEDS WEEK 4 FAMILY Practicing the Biblical One Anothers WEEK 5 DISCIPLES Experiencing the Gospel in Community WEEK 6 MISSIONARY SERVANTS Developing a Clear Vision for Mission STAGE 3: NURTURING FOR GROWTH WEEK 7 FAMILY Hospitality: Welcoming and Including Others in Community WEEK 8 DISCIPLES Living a Gospel-Centered Life...41 WEEK 9 MISSIONARY SERVANTS Becoming a Team on Mission STAGE 4: BEARING OUR FRUIT WEEK 10 FAMILY Dealing with Conflict WEEK 11 DISCIPLES Teaching Others and Multiplication WEEK 12 MISSIONARY SERVANTS Serving Others NEXT STEPS...60 MISSIONAL COMMUNITY COVENANT NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 3

4 INTRODUCTION WHAT IS A MISSIONAL COMMUNITY? A missional community is a group of 12 to 18 adults who orient their lives around being on mission together to make the gospel known among a shared network of relationships, neighborhood, or target group of people. We do this by developing regular and intentional rhythms of devotion and mission as we do life together. In short, a missional community is a team of Christfollowers on mission together to make the gospel known. Living as Family Learning as Disciples Leading as Missionary Servants WHY MISSIONAL COMMUNITIES? Missional communities are the core of our church family where we live out our vision to demonstrate our passion for God and His passion for people, and our mission to make the gospel known to our city and the world. Together, we live out biblical community in the midst of our larger community so that the gospel is made known to our neighbors, co-workers, and friends. 4 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

5 Dear Missional Community Leader: Thank you for stepping up to lead a new missional community. You are embarking on a journey to take a group of strangers and lead them to become a team of people who are living on mission together to make the gospel known. This is an incredible task! One that we cannot and should not do in our own strength. By relying on the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, you will get the opportunity to see your missional community grow together in devotion for Jesus and on mission with Jesus. It is an amazing privilege to participate with Jesus in leading a group of people through these stages of growing on mission together. This leader s guide is designed to help you as the MC leader to facilitate a gospelcentered discussion each week for 12 weeks. These weekly discussion times will lay a foundation of shared vision, values, and identity for your missional community. Our prayer is that this process will equip your missional community to begin living on mission together as family, disciples, and missionary servants. NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 5

6 STAGES OF GROWING ON MISSION TOGETHER STAGE 1: PREPARING THE SOIL In this stage, your missional community will start to get to know one another and you will discover what it looks like to prepare the soil of your missional community by discussing why the gospel is good news, how we grow in our relationship with God through an active devotional life, and how we join God on mission through an active missional life. STAGE 2: PLANTING THE SEEDS In this stage, you will discover what it looks like to plant the seeds of the gospel as a missional community by discussing how we live out the biblical one another s, how we experience the gospel in community, and how we develop a clear vision for mission. STAGE 3: NURTURING FOR GROWTH In this stage, you will discover what it looks like to cultivate an environment for growth in your missional community by discussing what it looks like to practice hospitality, how to apply the gospel to our everyday lives, and how to become a team on mission. STAGE 4: BEARING OUR FRUIT In this stage, you will discover what it looks like to bear fruit as a missional community as you discuss dealing with conflict, teaching others, and serving others. 6 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

7 HOW TO USE YOUR MISSIONAL COMMUNITY MEETING TIME You should plan for each meeting to be about 1 & 1/2 hours in length. Here is a basic outline of what your weekly meeting should look like: 15 Minutes: Welcome & Hospitality Let everyone come in and get comfortable. This is a time for them to socialize and get snacks or coffee and find their seat. 20 Minutes: Set Up Discussion This is a time to ask some questions or do an activity that will facilitate people opening up and getting to know one another better, but also to lay a foundation for the main discussion. 40 Minutes: Main Discussion During this segment of the meeting, your group will read some passages of Scripture and discuss what these passages teach us about the particular main discussion topic for that week. 15 Minutes: Practice Finally, your group will engage in an activity that is designed to put into practice some aspect of the main discussion topic for that week. Are you ready to get started? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 7

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11 WEEK 1 FAMILY SET UP DISCUSSION To kick off our time together, let s spend some time getting to know one another. Let s go around and introduce ourselves: Any native Floridians? What part of Florida did you grow up in? Non-Floridians? Where did you move from and how long have you lived here? When and how did you first come to Mosaic? Where do you work and what is your role? What is one thing you are passionate about? (A cause, a hobby, a sport, etc.) MAIN DISCUSSION: WHY IS THE GOSPEL GOOD NEWS? The gospel is the good news that God came to rescue and restore all of creation in and through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Our souls have been rescued, our future has been redeemed, and our purpose has been restored. We discover this throughout the whole Bible in the narrative of the Gospel Story creation, fall, rescue, and restoration. Read: Eph. 2:1 22 and discuss the following questions: If we know Jesus, in what ways has He rescued our souls? (e.g., from slavery to freedom; from death to life; from darkness to light) NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 11

12 If we know Jesus, how has our future been redeemed? (e.g., we have been justified; we are being sanctified; we will be glorified) If we know Jesus, how has He restored our purpose? (e.g., to know God and to make Him known; as imagebearers of God) Why is the gospel good news to you? Practice: Remembering the Gospel Through Celebrating Communion (Luke 22:7 23; 1 Cor. 11:17 28) Spend minutes taking communion together. Remind people that this is a time to remember the gospel: we are saved by grace through faith! Our souls have been rescued, our purpose restored, and our futures redeemed through the work of Christ on our behalf. Pass out the bread and the wine or juice. Pray as a group. Encourage everyone to reflect on who God is and what He has done for you. After praying together, partake of the bread and the wine or juice together. Homework: Watch The Story ( 12 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

13 FOR BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED THROUGH FAITH. AND THIS IS NOT YOUR OWN DOING; IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD, NOT A RESULT OF WORKS, SO THAT NO ONE MAY BOAST. FOR WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS FOR GOOD WORKS, WHICH GOD PREPARED BEFOREHAND, THAT WE SHOULD WALK IN THEM. EPHESIANS 2:8 10 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 13

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15 WEEK 2 DISCIPLES REVIEW HOMEWORK What do you find most helpful about viewing the gospel through the storyline of creation, fall, rescue, and restoration? SET UP DISCUSSION What is a disciple? What does a disciple do? Do you consider yourself a disciple? Why or why not? MAIN DISCUSSION: LIVING OUT A DEVOTIONAL LIFE TO KNOW GOD In the beginning, God created human beings in His image. We were created to know God and to make Him known. In Adam s sin, our relationship with God was broken. Since the fall of man, God has been pursuing humanity, redeeming our broken story, and unfolding a plan to rescue a people who would know Him, who would be His people, and He would be their God. Through Christ, we are restored back into relationship with God. Read: Hosea 6:3; John 17:3; Phil. 3:7 11 How do we get to know God? What are the disciplines of the faith? How do these disciplines of the faith help us grow in our relationship with God? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 15

16 Practice: The Spiritual Discipline of Prayer Of all spiritual disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father...To pray is to change. All who have walked with God have viewed prayer as the main business of their lives. -Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline Homework: The Spiritual Discipline of Study Through the discipline of study, we come to understand who God is, what God is like, and how God works. Because the discipline of study is so important for transformation, it should be a part of normal church life for all Christians. There are a number of ways we can study the Bible, but one of the most effective and simple approaches to reading and understanding God s Word involves three simple steps: Step 1: Observation What does the passage say? Step 2: Interpretation What does the passage mean? Step 3: Application What am I going to do about what the passage says and means? This week, spend some time practicing the discipline of study with the following passage of Scripture: Phil. 3: NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

17 WEEK 3 MISSIONARY SERVANTS REVIEW HOMEWORK What did you find most helpful about studying the passage through the OIA Method (Observation, Interpretation, Application)? SET UP DISCUSSION What is a missionary? What do missionaries do? Do you consider yourself a missionary? Why or why not? MAIN DISCUSSION: LIVING A MISSIONAL LIFE TO MAKE GOD KNOWN In the beginning, God created us in His image. We were created to know God and to make Him known. In Adam s sin, our ability to image God to make Him known was damaged. Since the fall of man, God has been pursuing humanity, redeeming our broken story, and unfolding a plan to rescue a people who would know Him, who would be His people, and He would be their God. Through Christ, our purpose is restored. Read: Matt. 5:13 16, 28:18 20; Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:14 17; 2 Cor. 5:14 21 According to Scripture, as Christ-followers, what is our mission? (e.g., demonstrate the gospel; declare the gospel; make disciples) NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 17

18 How do we demonstrate the gospel? Why is serving others such a strong display of the gospel? How do we declare the gospel? Have you ever shared the gospel with someone? What was your experience? How do we make disciples? (e.g., journey with others; reproduce yourself) Have you ever been discipled by someone and/or discipled someone else? What was your experience? Practice: As Christ-followers, we get to participate with Jesus on mission by proclaiming the good news of the gospel. Through practice, we grow in natural confidence, ability, and fluency in rehearsing the true story of God s rescue and redemption. Pair up and share the gospel story in your own words with one another through the story line of creation, fall, rescue, and restoration. Remember, each time we retell the gospel story, we are also preaching the gospel to ourselves, reminding our own hearts of why the gospel is such good news. Creation: How were things meant to be? Fall: What went wrong? Rescue: What has God done to bring us back? Restoration: What is God doing to make all things new? Homework: Share the gospel story with someone this week. Try to do this over a cup of coffee or a meal. Remember, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that makes God s story come alive in our hearts. It is His work, and not our ability to tell the story perfectly or to convince or persuade that makes it good news. 18 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

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23 WEEK 4 FAMILY REVIEW HOMEWORK Who has a story about their experience sharing the gospel with someone this week? SET UP DISCUSSION Outside of your blood relatives, who do you consider family? What makes them family? What does it mean for us to live like the family of God? MAIN DISCUSSION: PRACTICING THE BIBLICAL ONE ANOTHERS From the very beginning of the story, we see that God s image is meant to be reflected through community, not merely through individuals. When God then calls Abraham and his family to be the means by which He would restore the world, God is using a family, a community of people to accomplish that end. God s purpose has always been to fulfill His mission through a family of people. Jesus makes clear in John 17 that the best tool we have to engage in mission is the Christian community living together as family. Read: Rom. 12:9 18; Col. 3:12 17; Eph. 4:1 6, What does it look like to live as members of a family? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 23

24 Which of the biblical one anothers do you find most compelling? Which ones do you find to be the most challenging? What do you think it would take for our group to regularly practice living out these one anothers? What are some practical ways that our missional community could put these into practice on a regular basis? Practice: Building Each Other Up (Eph. 4:29; 1 Thess. 5:9 11; 1 Cor. 14:26) Over the last several weeks, we have been getting to know one another. Let s take some time to practice building each other up. For this activity, write your name down on a piece of paper. Put all the names into a bowl. Go around the room and take turns drawing a name out of the bowl. Take a minute to think while names are being drawn, and then share something encouraging about the person whose name you pulled out of the bowl. What are some of the things you observed about this person? How have you seen God at work in them or through them? What have you noticed about their gifts and strengths? Homework: Scripture Memorization John 13: NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

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27 WEEK 5 DISCIPLES REVIEW HOMEWORK How did the Scripture memorization this week impact you? SET UP DISCUSSION What are some things in your life that you are devoted to? How do you know that you are devoted to something or someone? MAIN DISCUSSION: EXPERIENCING THE GOSPEL IN COMMUNITY How is it possible that the gospel should be credible, that people should come to believe that the power which has the last word in human affairs is represented by a man hanging on a cross? I am suggesting that the only answer, the only hermeneutic of the gospel, is a congregation of men and women who believe it and live by it. -Lesslie Newbigin Read: Heb. 10:19 25; Rom. 12:3 8 Why is it important for us to not only pursue Christ in a personal devotional life but also together in community? What does it look like for a community of people to be devoted to the gospel and to pursue growing together as disciples? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 27

28 Have you ever experienced a community like this? What was your experience? What could it look like for us practically to stir up one another to love and good works? Practice: Lectio Divina (Read Acts 2:42 47) Lectio Divina is a particular way of engaging with Scripture. Any passage of Scripture can be used for this, but the passage should not be too long. You will read the passage four times, each time with a specific focus in mind. We recommend that you have someone read the passage out loud while everyone else listens. Read: The first time we read the passage, we read the Word of God slowly and reflectively so that it sinks in. After this first reading, ask if anyone wants to share what word or phrase jumped out to them without going into any explanation. Reflect: The second time we read the passage, we think about the text and ruminate upon it so that we take from it what God wants to give us. After this reading, ask if anyone wants to share what pictures or imagery came to mind as they listened to or read the passage. Respond: The third time we read the passage, we leave our thinking aside and simply let our hearts speak to God. We must take what we read in the Word of God into our daily lives. After this reading, ask if anyone wants to share how God is prompting them to respond to the passage. Rest: The final time we read the passage is where we simply rest in the Word of God. We listen at the deepest level of our being to God, who speaks within us with a still, small voice. After this reading, do not ask anyone to share; just rest in the passage. 28 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

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31 WEEK 6 MISSIONARY SERVANTS SET UP DISCUSSION Do you consider our city a mission field? Why or why not? Who are the unreached in our city? Who are the unreached in your circles of influence? MAIN DISCUSSION: DEVELOPING A CLEAR VISION FOR MISSION Read: John 1:14, 3:17; Luke 10:1 12; Matt. 11:19; 1 Peter 3:15 16; Col. 4:5 6; 1 Peter 2:11 12; James 1:27; 1 John 3:16 18 How did Jesus live on mission? How can we follow His example today? How can we actively seek out the unreached in our city? What does it look like to actively love our neighbors and serve our city? What would it look like for our missional community to demonstrate the gospel through good works of justice and mercy in our city? Practice: Identify Your Mission Your Neighbors, The Marginalized, or The Nations Think about the following groups of people that Scripture calls us to pursue on mission: our neighbors, the marginalized, and the nations. NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 31

32 Who are your neighbors? (Think about the people you see every day your neighborhood, your workplace, and your social circles) Who are the marginalized? (Think about the people in need of justice and mercy orphans and vulnerable children, the poor, and the homeless) Who are the nations? (Think about immigrants and refugees) Discuss the need for the gospel in each of those groups: our neighbors, the marginalized, and the nations. Which of these groups of people do you think God is calling you to pursue on mission? Homework: Investigate Your Mission Your Neighbors, the Marginalized, or the Nations Take the group of people that you ve identified as your target mission and spend some time this week investigating and learning more about what opportunities exist to connect with and serve this group of people. The goal is to begin formulating a plan of how you will engage in this target mission. Spend some time praying, asking questions, listening, and dreaming about how God could use you to impact this group of people. What does good news look like to this group of people? How can you share the gospel with this group of people this year? How can you serve this group of people in demonstration of the gospel? How can you show hospitality to this group of people and invite them into authentic community? 32 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

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37 WEEK 7 FAMILY REVIEW HOMEWORK Who is God calling you to pursue on mission? How is God calling you to serve them? SET UP DISCUSSION What is the best experience of hospitality you ve ever had at a dinner party, family event, or restaurant? What made that experience of hospitality so memorable? MAIN DISCUSSION: HOSPITALITY WELCOMING AND INCLUDING OTHERS IN COMMUNITY All around the world, hospitality is a key component of effective mission. How much more so should it be central to our missional strategy in a transient city like Orlando, a city filled with transplants nearly everyone in Orlando is from somewhere else! As a missional community, we have a great opportunity here, but it will require something of us that we create an inclusive culture rather than a closed-off silo. It s not enough that we fill our picture frame let s help others fill their picture frame too! Read: Matt. 25:31 40; Luke 14:12 14; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:1 2; 1 Peter 4:8 9 What does it look like to show hospitality? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 37

38 Why is food such a universal language of hospitality? How does showing hospitality demonstrate the gospel? How do we create a safe place for anyone to belong to our communities? What things hinder hospitality? Why do some groups become insular rather than staying inclusive and welcoming of others? What could it look like for our missional community to regularly practice hospitality? Practice: Share a meal together. Homework: Undercover Blue Shirt Coffee Connection Mosaic was and is built over cups of coffee. This weekend at Mosaic, look for someone in the lobby that looks new. (If you stop and look around, you can spot them. They are usually looking around, unsure of where to go.) Introduce yourself and ask them how long they have been coming to Mosaic. Invite them out for lunch or coffee. Get to know their story! 38 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

39 DO NOT NEGLECT TO SHOW HOSPITALITY TO STRANGERS, FOR THEREBY SOME HAVE ENTERTAINED ANGELS UNAWARES. HEBREWS 13:2 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 39

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41 WEEK 8 DISCIPLES REVIEW HOMEWORK Who has a story about their experience as an undercover Blue Shirt this week? SET UP DISCUSSION How long have you been following Jesus? What has been your biggest challenge in your walk with Christ? MAIN DISCUSSION: LIVING A GOSPEL- CENTERED LIFE In our sin, we constantly find our responses to life in our fallen world to be disconnected from the theology that we confess. Anger, fear, panic, and discouragement stalk our hearts and whisper in our ears a false gospel that will lure our lives away from what we say we believe. And, if we are not firmly rooted in the gospel and have not learned to preach it to ourselves every day, we will soon become discouraged and distracted. Preaching the gospel to ourselves is a spiritual discipline that is both proactive and reactive. It s reactive as we encounter temptation and frustration, or as we reflect back on our sin and circumstances and try to evaluate them with a gospel lens. But it s also proactive it goes on the offensive when we feed our souls in some regular rhythm before the events and tasks and disappointments of daily life begin streaming our way. To preach the gospel to yourself, then, means that you NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 41

42 continually face up to your own sinfulness and then run to Jesus through faith in His shed blood and righteous life. It means that you actively remember, again by faith, the fact that Jesus fully satisfied the law of God, that He is your propitiation, and that God s holy wrath is no longer directed toward you. Read: Rom. 12:1 2; Heb. 12:1 2; Gal. 2:20 What is it that is capturing your idle thoughts? What fear or frustration is filling your spare moments? What sin or struggle is weighing you down? How should the gospel inform these anxious thoughts? What does it look like to regularly preach the gospel to ourselves? What could it look like when we come together as a missional community to preach the gospel to each other? Practice: Preaching the Gospel to Yourself Here are a few Scriptures you can use to preach the gospel to yourself: Ps. 103:12, 130:3 4; Isa. 1:18, 38:17, 43:25, 53:6; Micah 7:19; Rom. 4:7 8, 8:1; Eph. 1:7; Col. 2:13 14; Heb. 8:12, 10: Make it a daily practice to 1) gaze on the beauty of Christ, 2) remember who you are as a child of God, 3) rest in His power and provision, and then 4) act in reliance upon Him. 42 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

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45 WEEK 9 MISSIONARY SERVANTS SET UP DISCUSSION What is an example of a successful team you ve been on? (i.e. sports team, team at work, etc.) What was the mission of that team, and what made you successful? MAIN DISCUSSION: BECOMING A TEAM ON MISSION Often our experience of the Christian life is that we gather on Sundays to hear an inspirational message and then we scatter throughout the week to take on the enemy and live on mission by ourselves. But this is not what God intended for His people. When Jesus called the first disciples in Matthew 4:18 22 ( And He said to them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. ), Peter and Andrew would have understood this in the context of fishing in first-century Galilee, which would have looked very different from our modern understanding of fishing. In that culture, fishing was something that was done as a team. You could not fish alone. You needed others in the boat with you, helping you with the nets. When Jesus said, Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men, they would have assumed this meant working alongside others as a team to accomplish the mission. Read: 1 Cor. 12:4 28; Phil. 1:27; Eph. 4:4 16 What does the analogy of the church as the body teach us about how we should function together as a team? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 45

46 Scripture teaches that we are to live on mission together, each playing our part, but in a collaborative way interdependent on one another to fulfill our calling. Why is this hard for us? How does this go against our natural and cultural tendencies? Practically, what would it look like for our missional community to strive side-by-side for the faith of the gospel? Think about your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to living on mission. In what ways do you need others to come alongside you to make the gospel known and to make disciples? Practice: Team-Building Exercise Time required: minutes Materials needed: large sheets of paper, writing paper, pens, and markers Divide everyone up into groups of 4 6 people and instruct participants to share with their group their individual strengths and the positive attributes they feel would lend to the success of their team. They are to write these strengths and attributes down on a piece of paper. Then, each team will be given one large sheet of paper, writing paper, markers, and a pen. Instruct them to make the ultimate team member by combining each team member s strengths and positive attributes into one imaginary person. This person should also receive a name, have a picture drawn of them, and have their different attributes labeled. The group should also write a story about this person, highlighting all of the things their imaginary person can do with all of their amazing characteristics. At the end of the exercise, each team should share their person with the group and read the accompanying story. This exercise will 46 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

47 help participants understand that as a group, they are capable of having more strengths and positive attributes than they would have working solo. Homework: Spiritual Gifts (spiritualgiftstest.com) and StrengthsFinder (strengths.gallup.com) NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 47

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51 WEEK 10 FAMILY REVIEW HOMEWORK What are your top three spiritual gifts and top five strengths? SET UP DISCUSSION Which of the five styles of conflict best describes how you typically deal with it? 1. Avoiding or withdrawing from conflict 2. Giving in or accommodating 3. Standing your ground or trying to win 4. Negotiating or compromising 5. Collaborating on a resolution MAIN DISCUSSION: DEALING WITH CONFLICT New people and new friendships are exciting, but over time, people are difficult. As a culture, we tend to bail out when things get difficult. But if you do life with people long enough, misunderstandings will happen, hurt feelings will happen, and sin will happen. This is an opportunity to bring the gospel to bear on our relationships. Read: Phil. 2:1 2; Eph. 4:1 3, 4:29 5:2; Col. 3:12 13; 1 Peter 3:8 9 Why do we avoid conflict and bail out when things get difficult? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 51

52 What golden opportunity is missed for our good and for God s glory when we run from conflict? How does the truth of the gospel empower us to survive the storms that come with any relationship? According to Scripture, what does dealing with conflict in a Christ-like way look like? What does it look like for us to actively pursue unity, reconciliation, and restoration as a missional community? Practice: When others offend us, God expects us to extend mercy, because our heavenly Father has shown mercy to us, and His nature is to be merciful. Luke 6:36 says Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Here s some biblical terms that we need to understand as Christ-followers: Justice is giving people what they deserve (good or bad; blessing or punishment). Mercy is not giving people the bad or punishment that they deserve. Grace is giving people the good that they do not deserve. When we yield our lives to Jesus Christ, we become recipients of both God s grace and mercy. Forgiveness is a response to the gospel we forgive others because we ve been forgiven! Let s take a few minutes in prayer to quietly search our hearts and minds. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any unforgiveness you may be holding onto. Thank God for His grace and mercy in your life and ask Him to help you forgive as you ve been forgiven! 52 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

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54 GO THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS MATTHEW 28:19a 54 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

55 WEEK 11 DISCIPLES SET UP DISCUSSION Who are some of the people that you have learned the most from when it comes to following Jesus? MAIN DISCUSSION: TEACHING OTHERS AND MULTIPLICATION When Jesus told His disciples to Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, He assumed they knew how to do that because they had just spent three years following Him, watching Him, and being discipled by Him. Just like Jesus first disciples, we are called to learn the gospel, live out the gospel, and lead others into the gospel. Our job is to learn from Jesus and then put it into practice ourselves. As we do this, there will be seasons for buckling down to invest in our own growth as disciples, and there will be seasons for adding new people, training new disciples, and multiplying into new missional communities. Read: Gen. 1:28; Matt. 28:18 20; Acts 6:7, 11:19 30, 13:1 3; Col. 3:16; 2 Tim. 2:2 How is multiplication a part of our mission? What does it look like for us to take ownership of one another s discipleship? How is multiplication a natural outworking of discipleship? What holds you back from teaching others? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 55

56 How do you underestimate your capacity to teach others about God? What steps can we take to begin teaching others what we are learning about God? What can we learn from the book of Acts about making and multiplying disciples? How will we know when it is time to send out some of us from this group to start a new missional community? What are some things we can practically do now to prepare our group to multiply our missional community in the future? Practice: Share what you are learning with each other. Throughout our time together over these last few months, what has been the most impactful thing you ve learned? What has been something you ve taken away from our times together that you have been able to put into practice in your life? Homework: Read through the Mosaic Discipleship Guide: thisismosaic.org/news/mosaic-discipleship-guide. 56 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

57 WEEK 12 MISSIONARY SERVANTS REVIEW HOMEWORK What is your main takeaway from the Mosaic Discipleship Guide? SET UP DISCUSSION What is the greatest act of service you ve experienced or witnessed? MAIN DISCUSSION: SERVING OTHERS Serving others is hard, but like forgiveness, it is a response to the gospel: just as we forgive because we ve been forgiven, we serve because Jesus came and served us. Our culture teaches us that we are number one and that we are to always look out for number one. We are brought up to look out for our own interests first and to put the interests of others last if we consider them at all. But Scripture calls us to the complete opposite. Serving others is all about putting the needs of others before our own. Scripture tells us that if we really want to love others, we must serve them. Read: Mark 10:42 45; John 13:3 5, 13 15; Phil. 2:3 11; 2 Cor. 8:9 What does it look like to follow Jesus example of servant leadership? How is this type of leadership different from what we typically experience? NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 57

58 How would taking on the posture of a servant change the way you interact with the people in your life: friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers? What could it look like for our missional community to regularly serve others? How is our generosity with our time, treasure, and talent a part of how we serve others? What holds you back from being generous with your time, treasure, and talent? Where is God leading you to increase your generosity? Practice: Discuss and choose together a way you can generously and sacrificially serve others as a group this week. Here are some ideas to help you get started: Host a garage sale and have everyone contribute items for the sale. Donate the proceeds to one of Mosaic s church planting or global mission partners. Volunteer with Love Made Visible to provide child care for a Parent s Night Out event or a Foster Parent s Meeting. Provide meals for an adoptive or foster family at Mosaic. Organize a service project for your missional community with a local nonprofit. 58 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

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60 NEXT STEPS AS A MISSIONAL COMMUNITY RHYTHMS & SPACES This is just the beginning; now the adventure begins! As you continue meeting together in a regular rhythm of living as family, learning as disciples, and leading on mission, your goal is to allow the things you ve discussed together over the last 12 weeks to become natural and normal. As a missional community, we must organize and plan so that we can accomplish the mission. If we want our missional communities to be filled with disciples who make disciples, we must be intentional and strategic about how and where we meet. We need to find ways to engage both as a fellowship of believers and as a team of missionaries sent to reach our city. We recommend the following three spaces: Social Space: When we meet in this space, we are focused on living as family. We want to create an environment where we can be intentional about pursuing one another. Often this looks like practicing hospitality, sharing meals with one another, and participating with one another in community events and recreational activities. It can also look like celebrating birthdays and holidays together, as well as caring for one another through the difficult seasons of life. It s all about creating a safe space for anyone to belong to our communities as we do life together. Devotional Space: When we meet in this space, we are focused on learning as disciples. We want to create an environment where we can be intentional about pursuing Jesus together. Often this looks like facilitating 60 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

61 a time of reading and discussing Scripture, reminding one another of the gospel and our mission, and helping one another to apply the gospel and the truth of God s word to our hearts and lives. Serving Space: When we meet in this space, we are focused on leading on mission. We want to create an environment where we can be intentional about pursuing the unreached. Often this looks like loving our neighbors and serving our city by meeting the practical needs of those God has sent us to share the good news with. This often looks like volunteering together to serve with a local nonprofit organization, club, or social event. But it can also look like supporting one another in various missional opportunities locally and globally. A monthly rhythm could look something like this: Week 1: Devotional Space Week 2: Serving Space Week 3: Devotional Space Week 4: Social Space However your missional community decides to organize when, where, and how often you meet, the important thing to remember is that throughout the month, you want to find ways to be living as family, learning as disciples, and leading on mission! On the next page, you will find the Missional Community Covenant, which is a tool that you can use to talk through the rhythms and spaces with your group and commit to living this vision together. We recommend revisiting the Missional Community Covenant with your MC once every six months to a year to remember what you ve committed to as a missional community and to include anyone who may have recently joined your MC. NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 61

62 MISSIONAL COMMUNITY COVENANT On Mission Together to Make the Gospel Known! We believe the gospel is the good news that God came to rescue our souls, redeem our future, and restore our purpose in and through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. As a missional community, we are a team on mission together to make this gospel known. As a missional community, we are committed to helping one another grow in our devotion to Jesus and mission with Jesus. The purpose of the covenant is to discuss what we are committing to live out together as a missional community. Love God: We are disciples; therefore, we will pursue Jesus together. We will grow in our devotion to Jesus this year. We will strive to regularly practice spiritual disciplines together. We will celebrate communion together. We will help one another to learn, study, understand, and put into practice God s Word. 62 NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE

63 Love People: We are family; therefore, we will pursue one another. We will get to know each other s stories. We will be involved in each other s lives. We will demonstrate the gospel to each other. We will regularly share meals together. Serve the World: We are missionaries; therefore, we will pursue the unreached. We will grow on mission, loving our neighbors and serving our city together. We will regularly share the gospel and make disciples among a target group of people this year. We will serve this group of people in demonstration of the gospel. We will show hospitality to this group of people and invite them into authentic community. NEW MISSIONAL COMMUNITY LEADER S GUIDE 63

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