Every Believer Sent: Becoming Vibrant, Courageous Missionaries

We always have high hopes for what's coming. I don't think any of you sit on New Year's Eve and think to yourself, man, I hope I get that C word this year. Man, I hope they decide they've got to take an organ out of me. No, you're not thinking that way. We're always thinking. It's going to be good stuff. It's going to be happy stuff. Well, blessings are going to flow, and they will. Even in the midst of tough times, blessings flow. [00:22:08] (39 seconds)  #BlessingsInTheStorm

That word is discipleship. See, look at your faces. I thought we were going to get something warm and fuzzy. This is warm and fuzzy. The problem is folks misunderstand what it is. When you hear it, doesn't it kind of send a chill down your neck like, holy smoke, I'm not one of those people. Discipleship, you've got to be kidding me. [00:23:27] (36 seconds)  #DiscipleshipIsDoable

Stats tell us that well over half of Americans don't think it's their job to tell anybody about Jesus. They just stop my job. We don't want to offend anybody. Everybody has the right to believe whatever they want to believe, and that is absolutely true. But shouldn't they know the truth? If we know the truth, if the bridge is out, when you want somebody flashing their lights at you to stop you, the bridge is out that way. We'd like to warn people. We'd like to let people know. People are looking for truth. [00:24:12] (51 seconds)  #ShareTheTruth

If we just let Jesus do what he's going to do, if we just let him have our open heart and we become a vessel, he's going to do what he's going to do. And you're going to be a light. You're going to be a city on a hill. You won't be able to hide your faith. So, discipleship is just letting the light shine. [00:27:13] (36 seconds)  #LetYourLightShine

That's not a disciple. I know you don't want to quit having fun. That's not a disciple. When you're a disciple of Christ, you can have the most fun. And you'll remember it. That's worth something. [00:28:17] (24 seconds)  #DiscipleshipIsJoy

It's just scatter and seed. And then you can take a nap. Scatter seed. Go about your business. Do your day. Get up. Go back to bed. Rise. Sleep. Do your day. But as you go through the day, scatter the seed. Just scatter the seed. That's the missionary part. I say it this way to many, many people. All you have to do is get Jesus on the table. That's all. In the conversation. Get him in the conversation. Get him on the table. Just get the seed planted. [00:30:17] (55 seconds)  #ScatterTheSeed

The focus is not on controlling outcomes. It's not up to us, if the folks we're sharing with, believe or don't believe. It's not up to me. I don't have to talk you into something. I'm not arm twisting. I don't control outcomes. See, the disciples wanted clarity on timing and power. Jesus redirected them to mission and witness. [00:31:13] (34 seconds)  #TrustGodWithOutcomes

Of course, the disciples always wanted to know, when's the new kingdom come? And Jesus always wanted to say, just talk about it. It doesn't matter when it comes. Just talk about it. Let everybody know about it. You see, the mission is not reserved for pastors or missionaries, church planters. Every follower is sent. If you're a believer in Christ, you have a mission. We have a job. And it's easy. We make it hard. And it sounds hard. [00:31:48] (51 seconds)  #EveryoneIsSent

That means we need to be born again, right? That means we have a change coming. And we need to awaken hearts to their need for that change. For their need to believe what Christ is offering. [00:36:08] (28 seconds)  #AwakenHearts

You just let God in you use you to be you for Him. Magic. You're a disciple. You don't need a T-shirt. You don't have to go home and make a bunch of changes. Because Christ will change you from the inside. He'll do the changing. You don't have to. [00:38:13] (35 seconds)  #BeUsedAsYouAre

I hear people give testimonies sometimes about how they came to find Jesus, how they experienced Him in their life, how He began to change them. And I hear them testify about He's their whole world. He's their whole world. They start the day in prayer. They read Scripture. They talk about Him. Through the day, they end the day in prayer. [00:39:42] (46 seconds)  #JesusIsMyEverything

Just listen. Take it in. That's a disciple. Some of you are like that already. You don't even realize that's part of being a disciple. You're just doing what is natural for you. God is just giving you a heart for other people. You're practicing discipleship. See, it shouldn't scare you. It's who you are. [00:42:04] (29 seconds)  #ListeningIsDiscipleship

It means we never quit. We don't quit. We don't get discouraged. Being faithful over time is the mark of a true missionary. They'll face resistance, rejection, and setback. But understand even obstacles can advance the gospel. We don't stop being on mission. We're resilient. We're always sharing. This comes easier when you realize we're not in charge of the outcome. We're not in charge of the outcome. [00:46:35] (39 seconds)  #MissionResilience

I've known folks who have gotten bitter and have decided to not witness anymore. They're not going to share anymore because people don't want to hear it. But I promise you, there are people who want to hear it. Somebody doesn't want to hear it. What did Jesus tell the disciples? He said, I'm going to send you out there. And if the folks in town reject you, what did he tell them to do? Just shake it off. Shake the dirt from your feet and move on. [00:47:14] (37 seconds)  #ShakeTheDust

Turns out my dad was right. When you got hit in the batter's box by that kid who couldn't pitch for anything, and he just hit you, you'd hear that voice, shake it off. And I'm thinking, I don't think he means do the twist. What he means is keep going. We don't quit because we got hit. We're resilient. That's what a missionary looks like. [00:47:52] (37 seconds)  #ShakeItOffKeepServing

Everything begins with prayer and fasting. We have to be spiritually available to the Lord. Understanding and contextualizing the gospel. That's a big, fancy word. Contextualizing. I promise you, I didn't pick that word. I had to look it up. What it's talking about is making the gospel relevant. Helping people understand it. [00:51:07] (40 seconds)  #ContextualizeTheGospel