Key Scriptures: Genesis 12:1-3, Matthew 5: 14-16, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Genesis 12:1-3 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Matthew 5:14-16, You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23, Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.
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Lesson One: We are meant to participate in the work of the gospel.
• We gather together to be equipped to be sent out
Lesson Two: We have to infiltrate culture before we can influence culture.
• We must know something about the people we are trying to win for the gospel
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Lesson Three: Our neighbors don’t need us to be perfect—they need us to be present.
• Our neighbors don’t need us to be scholars—they need us to be present when life falls apart
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B.L.E.S.S.—5 MISSIONAL PRACTICES TO HELP INTRODUCE PEOPLE TO JESUS
B: Begin with prayer
When Jesus started His earthly mission, Luke 6 tells us that He went out on a mountain and prayed. Prayer is both how you discover your mission and how you live out the mission. Over and over again, we see Jesus retreating to pray. If you’re not sure who God is calling you to bless or where God is calling you to go to be a blessing, you can begin with prayer. And if you know the people you want to bless, begin praying for those people now.
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L: Listen
Asking questions and then listening was central to Jesus’s life and teachings. Consider the blind man in Luke 18. Jesus didn’t assume the blind man wanted to see. First, He asked, “What do you want me to do?” Then He listened (more on this story later). In the Gospels, Jesus asked many more questions than He answered. Of the 183 different questions He received, Jesus answered only a handful. Any relationship starts with listening to someone’s words and life. True listening may be the kindest and most loving gift you can give someone.
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E: Eat
Jesus liked to eat! Over and over, as in Matthew 9, we find Jesus with tax collectors and sinners… doing what? Eating! There is something about sharing a meal together that moves any relationship past acquaintance toward friendship–faster than just about anything else we can do.
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S: Serve
Jesus told us straight up, “‘The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” He modeled for us that once you begin with prayer, listen, and eat with someone, there is a good chance that you’ll discover how you can best serve the person God is asking you to bless.
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S: Story
When people were ready to listen, Jesus would share His story. Like when doubting Thomas came to him asking, “How can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” When you befriend and bless people, they feel relationally safe and want to know your story. Then, and only then, you can tell them how the love of God and Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection have changed you.