Part Three: Mission Clarity & Mission Focus

Matthew 28:19 — 19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you…”

I was sharpening a pencil the other day. (Yes, I still use pencils.) Immediately, it gave me a good picture of our need for renewal in our lives. You write with a pencil until the led gets dull. Then it needs sharpening. In the same way, you can know something, or practice something, or believe something, and yet the truth of it can grow dull or ineffective. We all need sharpening. We all need to be renewed.

Consider an area of your spiritual life that is in need of renewal. Do you need a refresher course on what you believe and why you believe it? Do you need renewal in a specific area of your life where you have grown dull and ineffective? Do you need to give up areas of sin or disobedience in your life and seek God’s restoration? Do you need to get back on track with God’s will, plan, and intended focus for your life?

In relationship to our need for focus as a church body, consider the simplicity or the practicality of the Great Commissions. Jesus commanded all of His disciples to make disciples. The ‘imperative’ in His command is not on the ‘going’, instead it’s on making disciples. Meaning, the central point is that we would continue to do what Jesus did while here on earth with His inner circle of followers. We must heed the words of Jesus in that He makes clear that we are to go to all nations. We are to baptize and teach all things He commanded. Still, the central point is disciple-making.

Now, disciple-making should take place in every area of our lives and in every aspect of ministry. For example, the most important disciples I will ever train are my children. This doesn’t just take place at church, but foremost in our home. In the church, we are making disciples as we teach and also in community as we meet for various programs and activities. So, disciple-making is happening all the time. We are teaching those around us by our words and our actions. Still, disciple-making is so much more intentional and continues to be a huge challenge for the church. We can easily get hyper-focused on our own needs and preferred activities. We can settle into a consumeristic mindset doing church with our own lives in mind rather than focusing on investing in others. Or, as another example, we can so easily fill our time in ministry with so many things that we complicate what it is we were to be focused on in the first place.

Jesus was always focused on discipleship. He taught in the synagogue, addressed the religious leaders, healed the sick, traveled constantly, and spent incredible amounts of time in prayer with His Father. But every teaching and healing was accompanied by direct ministry with His inner circle of disciples. Consistently, doing life together, He never even had a permanent home during His earthly ministry. He included these men in just about everything He did and taught.

How about you? It’s important to understand we cannot experience genuine renewal without focus and clarity in specific areas of life, like our motives, purpose, and mission. The same is true of the church. Without focus and clarity on our purpose and mission, we will grow dull and ineffective in our fellowship and ministry. It begins with mission clarity and continues as we are committed to our mission: to help people say ‘yes’ to Jesus. Which means being committed to seeking and saving the lost. This includes sharing the grace and love of Christ with all people as we disciple, not just meet or greet or share with them what we believe. Instead, in grace, do life with and come along side our family, neighbors, friends, and community as we utilize our God-given gifts and proclaim the truth of God’s Word to a world in need.

As we continue in our new sermon series “RENEW” I hope we will consider this challenge in everything that we are doing here at Emmaus, from studies to programs and worship. Let us consider how discipleship should grow and impact every area of our ministry here at Emmaus and also personally in our everyday lives. Would you take sometime, right now, to pray and connect with just ‘one more person’ God has placed in your life?

In Christ,

Pr. Nick Dyrud