Remembering our purpose | Pastor Muriithi Wanjau

I began with a family update—Carol and I are new grandparents—and a warm welcome from Nairobi. Then I invited everyone into a quick “five-finger” exercise to name a condition I called Forgotten Purpose Syndrome: the odd way we lose sight of what we intended to do. It’s funny in the kitchen; it’s tragic in institutions, and most dangerous in the church. Many of us quietly drift from the reason Jesus called us, filling our lives with good activities while missing the main thing.

We looked at Matthew 4:18-22 through its Jewish backdrop. In Jesus’ day, only exceptional students became disciples of a rabbi, living close enough to “wear his dust.” Jesus overturns the system by choosing ordinary fishermen—not the elite—and he calls them, “Follow me.” They immediately understand the honor and the comprehensive nature of the call: not a class, but a life. Three years later, after life-on-life apprenticeship, Jesus commissions them in Matthew 28 to do for others what he had done for them: go, make disciples of all nations, baptize into the life of the Triune God, and teach obedience through embodied example.

I pressed this home: our core business isn’t merely attending, serving, giving, or even leading programs. Those are inputs, like fertilizer; Jesus is looking for fruit. Fruit is people—real lives—who are learning to obey Jesus because we walked with them. And anyone can do this. Jesus chose the unremarkable on purpose to show this is within reach for high school students, executives, artists, parents—anyone willing to follow and multiply.

We considered the genius simplicity of Jesus’ method. It’s not simplistic; it’s world-changing. Within 300 years, ordinary disciples turned the Roman Empire upside down. I shared stories: a lawyer named Lynn who returned to Edinburgh to start Rooted groups on buses and sidewalks; a filmmaker, Matrid, who built prayer into her film crews and left two churches in her wake; and executives Ishmael and Carol who discipled a rugby team into a network of churches. This is what happens when we remember our purpose.

I prayed that in our transient city, our new building would be a tool—not our identity—to equip us to be outposts of the kingdom wherever God sends us. And I invited those ready to surrender to Jesus to step into a life of purpose, not just a spiritual transaction, but an “all of life” response to the One who calls, “Follow me.”

Key Takeaways

• 1. Remember the purpose you carry We lose our way when we elevate good religious inputs above Jesus’ primary assignment. The Great Commission calls us beyond activity into reproduction—disciples who make disciples. Purpose is recovered when we reorient our calendars and relationships toward people, not programs. Fruit has names and stories, not just attendance and budgets. [04:43]
• 2. Discipleship is life-on-life imitation Jesus didn’t run classes; he invited people into his life. Teaching obedience happens best when people watch you obey in ordinary moments—homes, workplaces, and interruptions. Proximity creates plausibility: the closer they get, the more they believe obedience is possible. The goal is to walk so closely that his “dust” settles on us. [14:17]
• 3. Fruit matters more than inputs Prayer, giving, serving, and study are beautiful means, but they are not the end. Like fertilizer, they’re wasted if no crop emerges. Ask regularly: who am I discipling, and who are they discipling? Let that question reshape how you invest time, attention, and courage. [19:04]
• 4. Ordinary people multiply the Kingdom Jesus chose fishermen to prove this mission isn’t for spiritual elites. The Spirit delights to work through students, creatives, executives, and retirees who simply obey. Start with a few, stay close, and keep it reproducible—simplicity sustains multiplication. Movements begin at kitchen tables, film sets, rugby fields, and buses. [16:27]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:27] - Becoming grandparents and family intro
• [01:33] - Nairobi, Mavuno, and partnership
• [02:33] - The five-finger “purpose” activity
• [04:43] - Forgotten Purpose Syndrome defined
• [05:30] - When institutions forget their purpose
• [07:16] - Calling of the first disciples
• [09:42] - Jewish rabbi–disciple context explained
• [12:52] - Jesus chooses ordinary, uneducated followers
• [15:48] - The Great Commission unpacked
• [16:27] - Core business: make disciples
• [19:04] - Inputs vs fruit: where’s your harvest?
• [21:22] - Anyone can multiply—teen revival
• [24:14] - Stories of everyday disciple-makers
• [35:24] - Prayer of surrender and next steps

Bible Reading

Matthew 4:18–22 — While he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Observation Questions

1. What exactly happens in Matthew 4:18–22? Which details stand out about the men Jesus calls and their response? (look for who, what, and how in the passage)
2. How did people in Jesus’ culture understand the phrase “Follow me” as used to call disciples? [09:42]
3. What does the text say about the immediacy and cost of the disciples’ response? Why might leaving nets and family have been seen as an honour? [08:58]
4. Read Matthew 28:18–20 (the commission described in the sermon). What are the two main activities Jesus commands his disciples to do, and how do they relate to being “made” into disciples? [15:48]

Interpretation Questions

1. Why would Jesus deliberately choose ordinary fishermen rather than the religiously elite? What does this choice imply about who can be used to multiply the kingdom? [12:52]
2. How does the rabbi–disciple pattern (living with and imitating a teacher) help explain the call to “teach them to obey”? What does this say about the role of example versus instruction? [14:17]
3. What is meant by describing prayer, giving, serving, and study as “inputs” and fruit as the true measure of success? How should this reshape the priorities of a Christian community? [19:04]
4. What are the practical reasons simplicity in discipleship (start small, stay close, reproduce) promotes large-scale change? How does the Roman Empire example illustrate this? [24:14]

Application Questions

1. Make a list of the people you currently invest time in. Who are you actively discipling—people whose lives are changing because they watch you obey Jesus? If you don’t have names, what small change this week will help you identify at least one name? [19:19]
2. Who is one person you can invite into regular life-on-life time (coffee, a walk, a lunch, a shift at work) for the next three months so they can see you obey Jesus in ordinary moments? What specific first step will you take this week? [14:17]
3. Look at your regular Christian activities (church attendance, serving roles, Bible study, giving). Which of these are mainly inputs for you, and which are producing reproducible fruit? How would you rearrange time next month to favor fruit over inputs? [19:04]
4. What excuses stop you from starting to make disciples (not ready, not gifted, too busy)? Which excuse is the most honest for you, and what one practical action could you take to move past it this week? [20:51]
5. Consider your workplace, school, or hobby group: what simple, reproducible way could you start making disciples there (a short weekly gathering, mentoring one person, inviting people to a story of faith)? Name one specific plan and the first date you will try it. (Think small and repeatable.) [29:29]
6. If you have never committed your life to Jesus, reflect on the claim that surrender is an all-of-life response, not a one-time transaction. What practical steps would you take in the next seven days to explore that decision with another believer or a small group? [35:24]