WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.800 When I was growing up, I had a pretty clear picture 00:00:01.800 --> 00:00:03.779 in my head of what a missionary looked like. 00:00:04.120 --> 00:00:06.459 They lived somewhere else, usually somewhere 00:00:06.459 --> 00:00:09.359 far away. They worked with people living in poverty. 00:00:10.359 --> 00:00:13.099 The people they served usually looked very different 00:00:13.099 --> 00:00:16.100 than me. And every so often, they would come 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:18.420 back to the church with some pictures and stories 00:00:18.420 --> 00:00:21.679 from places I couldn't pronounce. And we would 00:00:21.679 --> 00:00:24.559 take up a missions offering. And I want to be 00:00:24.559 --> 00:00:27.059 clear, none of that's bad. We should support 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:29.219 missionaries. We should care about taking the 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:32.719 gospel across cultures and across borders. Jesus 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:35.460 said all nations. We'll come back to that, though. 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:39.359 But somewhere along the way, I had also created 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.500 a category in my head. Missionaries were different. 00:00:42.799 --> 00:00:45.140 Not in a bad way. More like super Christians. 00:00:46.340 --> 00:00:49.619 You had regular Christians, then pastors, then 00:00:49.619 --> 00:00:52.299 missionaries. And apparently somewhere above... 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:54.579 that there were those people who could survive 00:00:54.579 --> 00:00:56.479 a church potluck without eating dessert first. 00:00:56.939 --> 00:00:59.340 I'm still working towards that level of sanctification, 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:02.439 but you get the point. Nobody necessarily sat 00:01:02.439 --> 00:01:06.439 me down and said, Cody, ministry is for special 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:10.120 Christians. Nobody said evangelism belongs to 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:12.420 missionaries. Nobody said disciple -making is 00:01:12.420 --> 00:01:15.579 primarily the pastor's job. But categories form 00:01:15.579 --> 00:01:19.579 even when nobody announces them. He's the pastor. 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:22.349 They're missionaries. And the rest of us, well, 00:01:22.469 --> 00:01:25.609 we support them. We give. We attend. We volunteer. 00:01:26.290 --> 00:01:29.629 Maybe we invite someone to church. But missions? 00:01:30.049 --> 00:01:32.290 Missions was something that happened somewhere 00:01:32.290 --> 00:01:35.790 else. And here's the part that I find almost 00:01:35.790 --> 00:01:38.730 funny looking back on it. A significant part 00:01:38.730 --> 00:01:41.950 of my own spiritual formation was happening through 00:01:41.950 --> 00:01:45.189 a mission organization. And I didn't even recognize 00:01:45.189 --> 00:01:48.180 it as missions. The North Arkansas Gospel Mission 00:01:48.180 --> 00:01:51.700 had been serving part of the Ozarks for generations. 00:01:52.719 --> 00:01:55.280 They started working in communities back when 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:57.680 a lot of the roads around here were dirt. And 00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:00.480 honestly, some of what they called roads then, 00:02:00.640 --> 00:02:03.340 most of us would look back and go, that's barely 00:02:03.340 --> 00:02:07.799 a logging trail. They evangelized through schools, 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:10.939 Sunday school type gatherings, long -term relationships, 00:02:11.219 --> 00:02:14.060 teaching, and eventually a camp ministry formed 00:02:14.060 --> 00:02:17.629 as well. And that camp became part of my story. 00:02:18.689 --> 00:02:21.770 I heard the gospel there. I was taught there. 00:02:21.849 --> 00:02:25.490 I was discipled there. God used people connected 00:02:25.490 --> 00:02:27.969 to that mission to help shape my faith, and he 00:02:27.969 --> 00:02:31.590 continues to do so today. So while I was picturing 00:02:31.590 --> 00:02:34.449 missions as something happening thousands of 00:02:34.449 --> 00:02:38.189 miles away, I'd been benefiting from local missions 00:02:38.189 --> 00:02:42.069 for years. I just hadn't connected the dots yet. 00:02:42.830 --> 00:02:45.289 And eventually, I had people like Henrietta help 00:02:45.289 --> 00:02:48.250 me connect them. She would tell us missionary 00:02:48.250 --> 00:02:51.150 stories from places that felt completely foreign 00:02:51.150 --> 00:02:54.009 to us. Different cultures, different circumstances, 00:02:54.250 --> 00:02:57.050 different lives. But she had this way of helping 00:02:57.050 --> 00:02:59.870 us see the people in those stories as people 00:02:59.870 --> 00:03:02.629 we could actually relate to. And then she would 00:03:02.629 --> 00:03:05.289 turn the whole thing around. Okay, what does 00:03:05.289 --> 00:03:08.289 that mean for you? What about your friends, your 00:03:08.289 --> 00:03:11.729 family? What about the people around you? How 00:03:11.729 --> 00:03:14.370 do you live like this? And eventually, I started 00:03:14.370 --> 00:03:17.110 to realize something. The mission field was never 00:03:17.110 --> 00:03:20.830 just somewhere I might travel to. I was already 00:03:20.830 --> 00:03:25.030 living in one. And so are you. Welcome to Grace 00:03:25.030 --> 00:03:26.389 in the Grind, brought to you by Arrow & Roots 00:03:26.389 --> 00:03:28.770 Coffee Company, where faith meets the everyday. 00:03:29.509 --> 00:03:32.050 Here we take time to notice God's presence in 00:03:32.050 --> 00:03:34.789 the middle of life's busiest moments, to find 00:03:34.789 --> 00:03:37.689 encouragement, clarity, and a reminder of His 00:03:37.689 --> 00:03:41.150 grace right in the grind of daily life. So grab 00:03:41.150 --> 00:03:43.610 your coffee and let's take a sip of this cup 00:03:43.610 --> 00:03:48.250 together. For the last several cups, we've spent 00:03:48.250 --> 00:03:50.789 a lot of time talking about what happens inside 00:03:50.789 --> 00:03:54.550 the life of the church. We talked about being 00:03:54.550 --> 00:03:57.990 known, being family, being shepherded, having 00:03:57.990 --> 00:04:01.210 biblical leadership, pursuing holiness, correcting 00:04:01.210 --> 00:04:04.069 one another, restoring one another, bearing one 00:04:04.069 --> 00:04:06.710 another's burdens. And those things are so important. 00:04:07.270 --> 00:04:10.770 They're deeply, deeply important to me. But a 00:04:10.770 --> 00:04:14.229 healthy church cannot become so focused on taking 00:04:14.229 --> 00:04:17.350 care of itself that it forgets why Christ sends 00:04:17.350 --> 00:04:22.050 his people back out. A holy, well -taught, well 00:04:22.050 --> 00:04:24.649 -shepherded body is not supposed to become a 00:04:24.649 --> 00:04:27.509 religious waiting room. We gather and then we 00:04:27.509 --> 00:04:31.649 scatter. Not because the gathering is unimportant. 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:35.189 We spent an entire episode earlier this season 00:04:35.189 --> 00:04:37.829 making the opposite point. The gathering matters. 00:04:38.389 --> 00:04:41.750 Worship the word and fellowship matters. The 00:04:41.750 --> 00:04:45.410 Lord builds his people through his people. But 00:04:45.410 --> 00:04:47.970 Ephesians 4 tells us that Christ gives leaders 00:04:47.970 --> 00:04:50.790 to equip the saints for the work of ministry. 00:04:51.230 --> 00:04:54.089 The body is being built up, matured, strengthened, 00:04:54.189 --> 00:04:57.470 equipped for something. And then Jesus says in 00:04:57.470 --> 00:05:05.689 Matthew 28, Not admirers, not attendees, not 00:05:05.689 --> 00:05:08.540 people who check a box on a card. Disciples. 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.939 And that distinction is important. More than 00:05:11.939 --> 00:05:15.699 I think we sometimes want to even admit. Somewhere 00:05:15.699 --> 00:05:19.000 along the way, I think a lot of us have unintentionally 00:05:19.000 --> 00:05:23.399 professionalized Christian ministry. Pastors 00:05:23.399 --> 00:05:27.240 preach. Missionaries evangelize. Youth pastors 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:31.600 disciple teenagers. Children's workers teach 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:34.500 the kids. Counselors deal with the really broken 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:38.589 people. And the rest of us attend. give, volunteer, 00:05:38.930 --> 00:05:42.389 invite someone every once in a while, make sure 00:05:42.389 --> 00:05:45.029 they're there on Easter and things. And again, 00:05:45.189 --> 00:05:47.509 nobody has to preach that from the pulpit for 00:05:47.509 --> 00:05:50.930 us to absorb it. In fact, most churches would 00:05:50.930 --> 00:05:53.610 tell you the opposite. Most churches would say 00:05:53.610 --> 00:05:55.930 every Christian is called to ministry. Every 00:05:55.930 --> 00:05:59.149 Christian should share the gospel. We are called 00:05:59.149 --> 00:06:01.689 to make disciples, and I believe they mean it. 00:06:01.990 --> 00:06:05.290 But sometimes there's still a disconnect between 00:06:05.290 --> 00:06:08.209 what we say and what we have actually learned 00:06:08.209 --> 00:06:12.329 to picture. That was true for me. Nobody told 00:06:12.329 --> 00:06:14.529 me ordinary Christians weren't missionaries. 00:06:14.870 --> 00:06:17.649 But when I pictured a missionary, I pictured 00:06:17.649 --> 00:06:20.750 someone somewhere else. When I pictured a pastor, 00:06:20.910 --> 00:06:24.370 I pictured someone doing real ministry. And when 00:06:24.370 --> 00:06:26.850 I pictured the average Christian, I pictured 00:06:26.850 --> 00:06:30.410 somebody supporting them. But Jesus did not give 00:06:30.410 --> 00:06:32.670 the Great Commission to a professional ministry 00:06:32.670 --> 00:06:36.509 class. He gave it to his disciples. And those 00:06:36.509 --> 00:06:39.850 disciples made disciples who made disciples who 00:06:39.850 --> 00:06:43.790 made disciples. That is how you and I are even 00:06:43.790 --> 00:06:46.449 sitting here talking about Jesus today. Somebody 00:06:46.449 --> 00:06:49.269 carried the gospel forward. Somebody taught somebody. 00:06:49.329 --> 00:06:51.930 Somebody walked with somebody. Somebody opened 00:06:51.930 --> 00:06:54.129 scripture. Somebody corrected. Somebody encouraged. 00:06:54.470 --> 00:06:57.149 Somebody prayed. Somebody spoke about Christ. 00:06:57.290 --> 00:07:00.269 And eventually that chain of ordinary faithfulness 00:07:00.269 --> 00:07:04.750 reached us. The Great Commission was never supposed 00:07:04.750 --> 00:07:09.329 to become the Great Committee. A missions committee 00:07:09.329 --> 00:07:12.250 can be wonderful. A missions budget can be wonderful. 00:07:12.569 --> 00:07:15.750 Missions trips can be great. Missions agencies 00:07:15.750 --> 00:07:21.050 are awesome. But none of them relieve you of 00:07:21.050 --> 00:07:25.850 being sent. I've been on missions trips. My family 00:07:25.850 --> 00:07:28.430 supports ministry outside the U .S. We support 00:07:28.430 --> 00:07:32.290 a child in South America. My wife's family. has 00:07:32.290 --> 00:07:36.509 firsthand history with foreign missions. In the 00:07:36.509 --> 00:07:39.230 late 80s, early 90s, they left the U .S. and 00:07:39.230 --> 00:07:42.250 went to Canada to help plant churches. So I'm 00:07:42.250 --> 00:07:45.329 not about to sit here and take cheap shots at 00:07:45.329 --> 00:07:48.230 foreign missionaries. We need missionaries. We 00:07:48.230 --> 00:07:51.350 need churches sending missionaries. We need Christians 00:07:51.350 --> 00:07:54.389 giving sacrificially so people can go places 00:07:54.389 --> 00:07:59.629 most of us will never even visit. Jesus did not 00:07:59.629 --> 00:08:02.470 say make disciples of everybody within a convenient 00:08:02.470 --> 00:08:06.069 driving radius. He said all nations. Global missions 00:08:06.069 --> 00:08:09.529 are so important. But if there is one mindset 00:08:09.529 --> 00:08:12.910 we can simply not afford to keep, it's the idea 00:08:12.910 --> 00:08:16.230 that missions always happen somewhere else. That 00:08:16.230 --> 00:08:19.389 it begins when the plane takes off and ends when 00:08:19.389 --> 00:08:21.329 the church van pulls back into the parking lot. 00:08:21.790 --> 00:08:24.509 Because that mentality will absolutely distort 00:08:24.509 --> 00:08:28.240 what Jesus commanded. If the only time I think 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:31.040 of myself as being on mission is when somebody 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.620 hands me a matching t -shirt and a plane ticket, 00:08:33.820 --> 00:08:37.360 I've confused destination with an identity. Foreign 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:40.000 missions cannot become an excuse for ignoring 00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:42.639 our neighbor. Our local mission cannot become 00:08:42.639 --> 00:08:47.480 an excuse for ignoring the nations. It is both 00:08:47.480 --> 00:08:51.759 Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the ends of the earth. 00:08:52.809 --> 00:08:56.389 Acts 1 -8 gives us this expanding picture of 00:08:56.389 --> 00:09:00.350 witness. And the power behind it is not personality. 00:09:00.690 --> 00:09:03.210 It's not being an extrovert. It's not a salesmanship. 00:09:03.669 --> 00:09:06.649 Jesus says his people will be witnesses through 00:09:06.649 --> 00:09:09.730 the power of the Holy Spirit. So missions is 00:09:09.730 --> 00:09:11.950 not something we manufacture because the church 00:09:11.950 --> 00:09:15.230 calendar needs another event. Christ sends his 00:09:15.230 --> 00:09:19.929 people. A lot of this has become clear to me 00:09:19.929 --> 00:09:23.250 as I've gotten older. I travel some with my current 00:09:23.250 --> 00:09:25.789 job, and there have been times when I've been 00:09:25.789 --> 00:09:27.850 on the road with a coworker, and over a meal, 00:09:27.950 --> 00:09:31.649 the conversation moves beyond work. You know 00:09:31.649 --> 00:09:34.090 how that happens, and you just start talking 00:09:34.090 --> 00:09:37.370 about the day, then family comes up, then something 00:09:37.370 --> 00:09:39.690 harder comes up, and suddenly you're not talking 00:09:39.690 --> 00:09:41.669 about work anymore. You're talking about real 00:09:41.669 --> 00:09:45.029 life. I've had coworkers talk about traumatic 00:09:45.029 --> 00:09:48.149 things in their past. I've heard people describe 00:09:48.149 --> 00:09:51.580 places where the church responded poorly. Some 00:09:51.580 --> 00:09:54.159 have talked about church almost like another 00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:56.899 box you're just supposed to check. Some have 00:09:56.899 --> 00:09:58.919 been pretty open that they don't even believe 00:09:58.919 --> 00:10:03.759 any of it. And those are situations where I don't 00:10:03.759 --> 00:10:06.159 feel like I need to pull out all of these evidences 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:09.299 and debate someone. I'm not trying to trap somebody 00:10:09.299 --> 00:10:12.080 into an argument. I'm trying to live Christ in 00:10:12.080 --> 00:10:15.620 front of them. To listen, to care, to tell the 00:10:15.620 --> 00:10:19.779 truth, and yes, to actually talk about him. Because 00:10:19.779 --> 00:10:22.240 I think sometimes we can hide behind the phrase, 00:10:22.460 --> 00:10:26.379 live out your faith. Of course, we should live 00:10:26.379 --> 00:10:30.039 it. If what I say about Jesus is contradicted 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:33.299 by how I treat people, that's going to matter. 00:10:33.419 --> 00:10:37.639 But eventually, words matter too. Faithful witness 00:10:37.639 --> 00:10:41.259 is not me being really nice for 20 years and 00:10:41.259 --> 00:10:44.580 hoping somebody eventually guesses why. Christ 00:10:44.580 --> 00:10:47.440 is such a significant part of my life that he 00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:50.860 comes up. My wife comes up in conversation. My 00:10:50.860 --> 00:10:53.759 kids come up. Things that matter to me come up. 00:10:54.139 --> 00:10:57.100 Why would Jesus somehow be the one central part 00:10:57.100 --> 00:11:01.340 of my life that I carefully edit out? Now that 00:11:01.340 --> 00:11:03.460 doesn't mean beating somebody over the head with 00:11:03.460 --> 00:11:06.980 the gospel every time you sit down. It does not 00:11:06.980 --> 00:11:09.879 mean forcing every conversation. It doesn't mean 00:11:09.879 --> 00:11:11.899 turning somebody's grief into your opportunity 00:11:11.899 --> 00:11:15.299 to win a theological argument. But if Christ 00:11:15.299 --> 00:11:18.629 really is central to my life, Eventually Christ 00:11:18.629 --> 00:11:22.690 should come up. And sometimes we should be intentional 00:11:22.690 --> 00:11:26.110 about looking for that opening. Not manipulating 00:11:26.110 --> 00:11:29.029 the conversation. Not making somebody a project. 00:11:29.570 --> 00:11:33.210 Loving them. Listening. And caring enough about 00:11:33.210 --> 00:11:36.009 the condition of their soul that we're willing 00:11:36.009 --> 00:11:41.529 to speak. And I wish I could tell you that once 00:11:41.529 --> 00:11:44.029 I learned all this, I always recognize those 00:11:44.029 --> 00:11:49.259 moments now. But I don't. Not even close. Just 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:51.460 the other day, I had somebody open up to me about 00:11:51.460 --> 00:11:54.659 some things going on in their life. It was someone 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:58.940 I'd just met. And they started sharing. And I 00:11:58.940 --> 00:12:01.679 had other things on my mind, and that felt pressing. 00:12:02.100 --> 00:12:04.480 Things I needed to get done. Places I thought 00:12:04.480 --> 00:12:06.840 I needed to be. And instead of slowing down, 00:12:07.460 --> 00:12:11.460 I cut the conversation short. I probably would 00:12:11.460 --> 00:12:14.279 have taken another five minutes there if I would 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:17.919 have talked. Maybe ten. I don't know. But looking 00:12:17.919 --> 00:12:20.940 back on it now, it feels embarrassingly obvious. 00:12:22.220 --> 00:12:25.080 They weren't just making small talk. They were 00:12:25.080 --> 00:12:27.860 reaching out for some care. And I missed it. 00:12:28.340 --> 00:12:32.620 Because I was busy. I've got other situations 00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:35.580 I can look back on, too. When I worked in a school, 00:12:35.740 --> 00:12:38.039 there was a co -worker right down the hall going 00:12:38.039 --> 00:12:41.019 through some major family issues. I knew about 00:12:41.019 --> 00:12:44.820 it. I heard what was happening. And mostly... 00:12:45.129 --> 00:12:48.769 I said I was sorry and moved on. At that point 00:12:48.769 --> 00:12:51.129 in my life, I was burned out myself. I was struggling. 00:12:51.769 --> 00:12:55.389 I didn't have much emotional margin. And I can 00:12:55.389 --> 00:12:58.809 understand that version of me. But I can also 00:12:58.809 --> 00:13:01.470 look back now and think, man, even just saying, 00:13:01.570 --> 00:13:04.470 can I pray with you? Could have opened a door. 00:13:05.570 --> 00:13:08.830 Not because prayer is a technique. Because it 00:13:08.830 --> 00:13:12.659 would have meant stopping. Seeing them. And inviting 00:13:12.659 --> 00:13:14.980 God into a moment where somebody was hurting. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:19.139 This is why I don't want this episode to sound 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:21.960 like me standing over you saying, you need to 00:13:21.960 --> 00:13:26.460 evangelize more. I need to look up too. I need 00:13:26.460 --> 00:13:29.940 to slow down. I need to notice people. I need 00:13:29.940 --> 00:13:31.840 to stop assuming there will always be another 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:36.419 opportunity. And this is where I want to push 00:13:36.419 --> 00:13:39.500 harder. Because I think we've gotten very comfortable 00:13:39.500 --> 00:13:42.409 with certain measurements. Decisions, attendance, 00:13:42.710 --> 00:13:45.870 baptism. And let me be really clear about this. 00:13:46.169 --> 00:13:48.850 A person trusting Christ is worth celebrating. 00:13:49.250 --> 00:13:53.769 A baptism is really a time for celebration. Jesus 00:13:53.769 --> 00:13:57.110 commanded baptism. We are going to talk much 00:13:57.110 --> 00:14:00.029 more about that in the next cup. And when people 00:14:00.029 --> 00:14:04.190 gather with the church, that matters. But those 00:14:04.190 --> 00:14:07.669 are not the final metrics Christ gave us. Jesus 00:14:07.669 --> 00:14:12.440 said, make disciples. We have made decisions, 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:16.120 attendance, and baptism our scorecard. Jesus 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:19.559 gave us disciple -making as the commission. And 00:14:19.559 --> 00:14:23.500 if that sounds too hard, good. It should make 00:14:23.500 --> 00:14:26.360 us examine what we're doing. Because imagine 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:29.419 a church celebrating 50 professions of faith. 00:14:29.580 --> 00:14:34.360 Praise God! Imagine 25 people are baptized. Praise 00:14:34.360 --> 00:14:38.539 God! Now, ask the question that does not fit 00:14:38.539 --> 00:14:41.840 neatly into that annual report. Who is actually 00:14:41.840 --> 00:14:45.600 walking with them? Who is teaching that new believer 00:14:45.600 --> 00:14:49.200 how to read scripture? Who's helping them understand 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:51.720 the gospel when they fall back into old patterns? 00:14:52.320 --> 00:14:56.039 Who notices when they disappear? Who answers 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:58.419 the questions they are too embarrassed to ask 00:14:58.419 --> 00:15:01.960 publicly? Who is showing them what marriage, 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:05.559 parenting, work, money, repentance, forgiveness, 00:15:05.940 --> 00:15:10.049 and suffering look like under Christ? Who's teaching 00:15:10.049 --> 00:15:13.509 them how to follow Jesus in ordinary life? And 00:15:13.509 --> 00:15:16.549 eventually, who's helping them learn to disciple 00:15:16.549 --> 00:15:20.169 somebody else? Because if all we did was get 00:15:20.169 --> 00:15:23.830 them to a decision, we did not finish the commission. 00:15:25.269 --> 00:15:28.470 If we're counting newborn sheep, but nobody is 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:32.350 making sure they are fed, protected, known, and 00:15:32.350 --> 00:15:35.730 brought into the life of the flock, our numbers 00:15:35.730 --> 00:15:39.070 may look impressive, while our obedience? is 00:15:39.070 --> 00:15:42.549 incomplete. I want to hit that a little harder, 00:15:42.649 --> 00:15:45.649 because a newborn believer should not be expected 00:15:45.649 --> 00:15:48.929 to survive on their own Bible reading and one 00:15:48.929 --> 00:15:52.129 sermon a week. We would never treat a newborn 00:15:52.129 --> 00:15:55.090 child like that. Nobody brings a baby home from 00:15:55.090 --> 00:15:57.549 the hospital, sets a loaf of bread on the counter, 00:15:57.710 --> 00:16:00.529 puts the pediatrician's phone number on the fridge, 00:16:00.590 --> 00:16:03.610 and says, everything you need is in the house. 00:16:03.690 --> 00:16:08.389 Good luck. That's ridiculous. A newborn needs 00:16:08.389 --> 00:16:11.750 a parent. Feeding, protecting, teaching, patience, 00:16:11.990 --> 00:16:15.370 correction, repetition. A lot of repetition. 00:16:15.470 --> 00:16:18.690 Anyone with small children knows that discipleship 00:16:18.690 --> 00:16:21.549 model is basically say the same thing 4 ,000 00:16:21.549 --> 00:16:24.649 times and pray eventually something sticks. But 00:16:24.649 --> 00:16:27.450 spiritually, we sometimes expect maturity to 00:16:27.450 --> 00:16:31.590 happen automatically. It doesn't. Matthew 28 00:16:31.590 --> 00:16:34.370 does not allow us to separate evangelism from 00:16:34.370 --> 00:16:38.070 discipleship. We proclaim Christ. People repent 00:16:38.070 --> 00:16:41.049 and believe. They're baptized. They are taught 00:16:41.049 --> 00:16:43.830 to observe everything Christ commanded. That 00:16:43.830 --> 00:16:48.570 is not one moment. That is a life. And that means 00:16:48.570 --> 00:16:51.190 the Great Commission involves people at different 00:16:51.190 --> 00:16:53.850 places along the road. There are people around 00:16:53.850 --> 00:16:58.090 you who do not know Christ at all. Love them. 00:16:58.250 --> 00:17:02.769 Know them. Listen to them. Tell them about Christ. 00:17:03.289 --> 00:17:05.269 There are people around you who are brand new 00:17:05.269 --> 00:17:08.849 believers. Walk with them. There are people who 00:17:08.849 --> 00:17:13.049 know Christ but have drifted. Maybe they've become 00:17:13.049 --> 00:17:16.150 disconnected. Maybe they got hurt. Maybe somebody 00:17:16.150 --> 00:17:18.950 sinned against them. Or maybe they made sinful 00:17:18.950 --> 00:17:21.930 choices themselves. Maybe it's a combination 00:17:21.930 --> 00:17:25.230 of all that. Walk with them. Love them enough 00:17:25.230 --> 00:17:28.089 to tell them the truth. And where the church 00:17:28.089 --> 00:17:31.589 has failed them, do not defend sin just because 00:17:31.589 --> 00:17:34.819 Christians committed it. Sometimes that means 00:17:34.819 --> 00:17:37.819 listening to some hard realities. I've had conversations 00:17:37.819 --> 00:17:42.299 like that. A co -worker once told me about a 00:17:42.299 --> 00:17:45.440 time where her family was in crisis. They were 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:47.740 active in a local church. They were serving, 00:17:47.859 --> 00:17:51.319 connected. And when the family crisis became 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:55.160 messy, people got uncomfortable. Instead of leaning 00:17:55.160 --> 00:17:59.119 in, the church pulled away. And this person and 00:17:59.119 --> 00:18:02.160 their children were left feeling more alone. 00:18:03.589 --> 00:18:06.349 at the exact moment the body should have been 00:18:06.349 --> 00:18:09.750 moving towards them. What do you say to that? 00:18:10.730 --> 00:18:15.650 You don't offend it. You don't say, well, churches 00:18:15.650 --> 00:18:18.849 are imperfect, as though that makes neglect acceptable. 00:18:19.509 --> 00:18:22.869 No. Sometimes Christians sin against people. 00:18:23.369 --> 00:18:25.750 Sometimes whole groups of Christians respond 00:18:25.750 --> 00:18:29.970 badly. Sometimes we protect our comfort instead 00:18:29.970 --> 00:18:33.329 of bearing someone else's burden. Call it what 00:18:33.329 --> 00:18:38.049 it is. But then you also help someone see that 00:18:38.049 --> 00:18:41.049 the sin of people does not make Christ unfaithful. 00:18:41.369 --> 00:18:44.950 The failure of one local body does not redefine 00:18:44.950 --> 00:18:48.970 Christ's design for his church. And if God gave 00:18:48.970 --> 00:18:54.210 the opportunity, you help that person move back 00:18:54.210 --> 00:18:57.970 towards communion with Christ's people. Not because 00:18:57.970 --> 00:19:01.130 what happened didn't matter. Because Christ still 00:19:01.130 --> 00:19:06.940 does. And there's another side of this. Sometimes 00:19:06.940 --> 00:19:10.500 we hear make disciples, we immediately imagine 00:19:10.500 --> 00:19:13.000 mature Christians finding immature Christians 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:16.359 and teaching them. And that's part of it. But 00:19:16.359 --> 00:19:18.759 I think there's a richer picture. Because none 00:19:18.759 --> 00:19:21.380 of us ever reaches a point where we no longer 00:19:21.380 --> 00:19:24.200 need discipleship ourselves. The Great Commission 00:19:24.200 --> 00:19:27.140 does not create a line of people all looking 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:30.920 towards one expert. It creates generations of 00:19:30.920 --> 00:19:34.359 disciples. Learning from those who came before 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:37.660 us. Walking faithfully with people beside us. 00:19:37.980 --> 00:19:40.920 And pouring into those who are coming after us. 00:19:41.660 --> 00:19:45.200 That is very different from a church as an audience. 00:19:46.039 --> 00:19:48.660 It is very different from ministry as something 00:19:48.660 --> 00:19:51.940 done by the guy with the microphone. You may 00:19:51.940 --> 00:19:54.559 have followed Christ for 40 years. Praise God. 00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:58.420 Who are you pouring into? And who still has permission 00:19:58.420 --> 00:20:01.250 to speak into your life? You may have followed 00:20:01.250 --> 00:20:03.789 Christ for six months. You need people ahead 00:20:03.789 --> 00:20:06.910 of you. But do not assume you have nothing to 00:20:06.910 --> 00:20:10.250 offer anyone else. You can encourage. You can 00:20:10.250 --> 00:20:13.490 serve. You can pray. You can tell somebody else 00:20:13.490 --> 00:20:16.630 what Christ has already taught you. And every 00:20:16.630 --> 00:20:19.390 healthy believer should have people around them. 00:20:19.990 --> 00:20:23.049 People who have gone before them. People walking 00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:26.250 beside them and people coming after them. Not 00:20:26.250 --> 00:20:29.940 in some rigid organizational chart. in the ordinary 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:34.380 life of the body. There are two ditches here. 00:20:34.460 --> 00:20:38.000 A church can become so inwardly focused that 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:41.680 it forgets the world outside. We can study, fellowship, 00:20:42.019 --> 00:20:44.759 eat together, build programs, have excellent 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:48.079 theology. We can become spiritually well -fed 00:20:48.079 --> 00:20:52.319 and completely housebroken. We know exactly how 00:20:52.319 --> 00:20:54.619 to behave inside the church building. We know 00:20:54.619 --> 00:20:57.160 when to stand, when to sit, what words to use. 00:20:57.799 --> 00:21:00.920 But we have almost no meaningful spiritual engagement 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:05.059 with anyone outside those walls. That is a problem. 00:21:05.779 --> 00:21:08.799 But there's another ditch. A church can become 00:21:08.799 --> 00:21:12.039 so obsessed with reaching people that it does 00:21:12.039 --> 00:21:14.220 not actually disciple the people it reaches. 00:21:14.980 --> 00:21:18.000 Everything becomes about the next decision, the 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:20.660 next baptism, the next attendance record, the 00:21:20.660 --> 00:21:24.559 next big event, the next campaign. And the people 00:21:24.559 --> 00:21:28.730 already there remain spiritually thin. So scripture 00:21:28.730 --> 00:21:31.130 will not let us choose between evangelism and 00:21:31.130 --> 00:21:33.710 discipleship. It will not let us choose between 00:21:33.710 --> 00:21:36.450 reaching people and shepherding people. It will 00:21:36.450 --> 00:21:39.049 not let us choose between caring for the flock 00:21:39.049 --> 00:21:43.369 and seeking those outside of it. A healthy church 00:21:43.369 --> 00:21:47.750 does both. It gathers, it forms, it shepherds, 00:21:47.750 --> 00:21:52.369 it teaches, it corrects, it encourages. And then 00:21:52.369 --> 00:21:56.170 it sends believers back into homes, workplaces, 00:21:56.309 --> 00:21:59.799 neighborhoods. Schools, restaurants, job sites, 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:02.980 ball fields, and communities where they live 00:22:02.980 --> 00:22:07.519 as Christ's people. And then they come back together. 00:22:07.980 --> 00:22:10.339 They're strengthened again. And then they go 00:22:10.339 --> 00:22:16.480 back out again. That rhythm continues. Some of 00:22:16.480 --> 00:22:18.759 us keep waiting on some dramatic call to ministry. 00:22:19.019 --> 00:22:22.200 And God may give you one. He may send you overseas. 00:22:22.700 --> 00:22:26.049 He may call you into vocational ministry. He 00:22:26.049 --> 00:22:29.210 may radically rearrange your life. But before 00:22:29.210 --> 00:22:32.009 you start asking where God might send you someday, 00:22:32.230 --> 00:22:36.769 look at where he already has put you. Who works 00:22:36.769 --> 00:22:40.230 beside you? Who lives near you? Who sits in the 00:22:40.230 --> 00:22:42.369 bleachers with you? Who's on the road with you? 00:22:42.809 --> 00:22:46.509 Who keeps ending up at the same table? Who keeps 00:22:46.509 --> 00:22:49.109 opening up about their life? Who keeps making 00:22:49.109 --> 00:22:51.710 little comments that might actually be an invitation 00:22:51.710 --> 00:22:55.970 to a deeper conversation? We can make finding 00:22:55.970 --> 00:22:58.829 God's will sound incredibly complicated while 00:22:58.829 --> 00:23:01.289 walking past the people He has already put directly 00:23:01.289 --> 00:23:05.890 in front of us. And here is where I need this 00:23:05.890 --> 00:23:09.410 to be personal. Because good intentions are not 00:23:09.410 --> 00:23:12.609 enough. I have people around me where the door 00:23:12.609 --> 00:23:17.150 opens, and I do not always take the hint. I have 00:23:17.150 --> 00:23:20.269 neighbors I could know better. People nearby 00:23:20.269 --> 00:23:23.609 where I could simply make more effort to stop. 00:23:24.329 --> 00:23:28.609 Talk. Listen. Build a relationship. And maybe 00:23:28.609 --> 00:23:34.269 you do too. Mission does not usually fail because 00:23:34.269 --> 00:23:38.109 Christians hate the people around them. A lot 00:23:38.109 --> 00:23:40.730 of the time, it fails because we're distracted, 00:23:40.930 --> 00:23:46.390 busy, tired, rushed, self -conscious. We assume 00:23:46.390 --> 00:23:49.809 somebody else will say something. We assume there 00:23:49.809 --> 00:23:52.269 will be a better moment later. And sometimes 00:23:52.269 --> 00:23:56.660 there is. Sometimes there isn't. So maybe one 00:23:56.660 --> 00:23:58.519 of the most spiritual things some of us could 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:02.480 do this week is leave 10 extra minutes in the 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:06.220 schedule. Look somebody in the eye and ask a 00:24:06.220 --> 00:24:10.039 second question. Not just, how are you? But, 00:24:10.119 --> 00:24:15.079 no, really, how are you doing? And when somebody 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:19.960 tells you, listen, if somebody shares something 00:24:19.960 --> 00:24:22.890 heavy, instead of automatically saying, I'll 00:24:22.890 --> 00:24:26.329 pray for you. Maybe sometimes we can ask, can 00:24:26.329 --> 00:24:28.990 I pray with you right now? Not as a performance. 00:24:29.750 --> 00:24:32.549 Not loudly enough for the whole restaurant to 00:24:32.549 --> 00:24:36.849 hear how spiritual you are. Just pray. And if 00:24:36.849 --> 00:24:39.910 the conversation opens towards Christ, walk through 00:24:39.910 --> 00:24:44.390 the door. So take a look around your life. First, 00:24:44.450 --> 00:24:47.569 look outside. Who do you know who does not know 00:24:47.569 --> 00:24:50.809 Christ? Not as a project. Someone you genuinely 00:24:50.809 --> 00:24:56.150 care about. Second, look beside you. Who follows 00:24:56.150 --> 00:24:59.509 Christ but needs someone walking with them? Maybe 00:24:59.509 --> 00:25:01.549 they're new in faith. Maybe they're struggling. 00:25:02.230 --> 00:25:05.650 Maybe they're drifting. Maybe they're wounded. 00:25:06.970 --> 00:25:11.549 Third, look to those who have gone before you. 00:25:12.789 --> 00:25:16.369 Who is strengthening you? Who knows you well 00:25:16.369 --> 00:25:20.009 enough to say, Cody, I think you're missing something 00:25:20.009 --> 00:25:24.910 here. And finally, Look to those coming after 00:25:24.910 --> 00:25:28.150 you. Who are you intentionally pouring into? 00:25:28.589 --> 00:25:32.369 Because this does not happen by accident. Disciples 00:25:32.369 --> 00:25:35.369 do not just appear fully formed. Somebody walks 00:25:35.369 --> 00:25:39.589 with them. And underneath all of this, there 00:25:39.589 --> 00:25:43.849 has to be love. Not numbers. Not church growth. 00:25:44.190 --> 00:25:46.769 Not winning arguments. Not proving we're right. 00:25:47.069 --> 00:25:52.200 Love. For God so loved the world. That is where 00:25:52.200 --> 00:25:56.839 this begins. If I love people, I cannot be indifferent 00:25:56.839 --> 00:26:00.059 about whether they know Christ. If I love the 00:26:00.059 --> 00:26:03.220 new believer, I cannot be satisfied that they 00:26:03.220 --> 00:26:06.019 prayed a prayer and got baptized while nobody 00:26:06.019 --> 00:26:10.240 actually walks with them. If I love the believer 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:13.500 who has drifted, I cannot shrug and say, well, 00:26:13.539 --> 00:26:17.619 they know where the church is. If I love the 00:26:17.619 --> 00:26:20.240 mature believer, I can encourage them to keep 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:23.529 going. And if I understand my own weaknesses, 00:26:23.829 --> 00:26:26.890 I will let other believers do the same for me. 00:26:27.869 --> 00:26:31.390 Mission is not using people to build a church. 00:26:31.809 --> 00:26:34.470 It's loving people because God loves people. 00:26:34.970 --> 00:26:39.349 And desiring that they know Christ. Follow Christ. 00:26:39.950 --> 00:26:44.049 Belong to his people. Grow into maturity. And 00:26:44.049 --> 00:26:47.329 then help somebody else do the same. That is 00:26:47.329 --> 00:26:50.960 disciple making. From beginning... to maturity, 00:26:51.099 --> 00:26:56.500 to multiplication. Jesus says in John 20, As 00:26:56.500 --> 00:27:00.160 the Father has sent me, even so I'm sending you. 00:27:00.740 --> 00:27:05.140 Sent. That means Christianity cannot remain completely 00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:10.160 contained in a seat. We sit under the Word. We 00:27:10.160 --> 00:27:14.380 sit beside brothers and sisters. We gather. We 00:27:14.380 --> 00:27:19.000 worship. We receive, learn, are corrected, are 00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:23.230 encouraged. and are equipped. And then we stand 00:27:23.230 --> 00:27:28.309 up. We walk out. We carry Christ with us into 00:27:28.309 --> 00:27:30.650 the ordinary places God has already placed us. 00:27:31.309 --> 00:27:33.809 Not because the church gathering failed to hold 00:27:33.809 --> 00:27:36.750 our attention. Because the gathering is part 00:27:36.750 --> 00:27:39.329 of how Christ prepares his people to live faithfully 00:27:39.329 --> 00:27:44.289 when we leave. You're not only a church attendee. 00:27:44.710 --> 00:27:47.910 You're a part of Christ's body. You're not only 00:27:47.910 --> 00:27:51.039 somebody being discipled. You are being formed 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:54.480 into someone who disciples others. You are not 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:57.619 only someone who receives ministry. You have 00:27:57.619 --> 00:28:01.539 been given gifts for ministry. You are not waiting 00:28:01.539 --> 00:28:04.220 for the mission field. You're already standing 00:28:04.220 --> 00:28:08.259 in it. So here's what I want to challenge you 00:28:08.259 --> 00:28:13.279 to do. Not 20 things. Three conversations. This 00:28:13.279 --> 00:28:16.440 week, have one intentional conversation with 00:28:16.440 --> 00:28:21.319 someone who does not know Christ. Listen. Ask 00:28:21.319 --> 00:28:24.519 questions. Look for the opportunity to talk about 00:28:24.519 --> 00:28:27.599 him. Have one intentional conversation with a 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:31.380 believer you can encourage or help grow. Maybe 00:28:31.380 --> 00:28:34.099 someone new to the faith. Maybe somebody struggling. 00:28:35.099 --> 00:28:39.180 Maybe somebody you haven't seen in a while. And 00:28:39.180 --> 00:28:41.640 have one intentional conversation with someone 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:46.539 who strengthens you. Ask a question. Ask for 00:28:46.539 --> 00:28:50.970 prayer. Tell them where you're struggling. Let 00:28:50.970 --> 00:28:54.869 somebody disciple you. You may find one person 00:28:54.869 --> 00:28:58.450 fits more than one category. That's okay. This 00:28:58.450 --> 00:29:01.869 is not a checklist. It's a way of retraining 00:29:01.869 --> 00:29:04.849 our eyes. Because once we start seeing people 00:29:04.849 --> 00:29:08.109 differently, our ordinary week starts looking 00:29:08.109 --> 00:29:11.869 a whole lot more like a mission field. Somebody 00:29:11.869 --> 00:29:14.690 did this for you. Maybe you know exactly who. 00:29:15.089 --> 00:29:18.019 Maybe it was a parent, a pastor. Sunday school 00:29:18.019 --> 00:29:22.700 teacher, a youth leader, a friend, a missionary. 00:29:23.140 --> 00:29:26.140 Maybe it was somebody like Henrietta, who kept 00:29:26.140 --> 00:29:29.779 taking stories about faithfulness somewhere far 00:29:29.779 --> 00:29:32.779 away and turning them around until you realized 00:29:32.779 --> 00:29:36.279 Jesus was calling you to faithfulness right where 00:29:36.279 --> 00:29:41.160 you stand. Or maybe you can't trace it back neatly, 00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:45.839 but none of us invented Christianity. We received 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:49.519 the gospel. Somebody carried it to us. Somebody 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:52.680 taught us, prayed for us, answered questions. 00:29:53.400 --> 00:29:57.640 Somebody stayed, corrected us, pointed us back 00:29:57.640 --> 00:30:01.900 to Christ. And by the grace of God, now we get 00:30:01.900 --> 00:30:05.339 to do the same. We learn from those who came 00:30:05.339 --> 00:30:08.680 before us. We walk faithfully with the people 00:30:08.680 --> 00:30:12.180 beside us. And we pour what we have been given 00:30:12.180 --> 00:30:16.150 into the people coming after us. That's not a 00:30:16.150 --> 00:30:20.230 ministry strategy. That's discipleship. That's 00:30:20.230 --> 00:30:24.049 the church living as the church. That is a sent 00:30:24.049 --> 00:30:27.950 people. Before you move on to the next thing 00:30:27.950 --> 00:30:32.329 today, think of the names. Who does not know 00:30:32.329 --> 00:30:35.210 Christ? Who needs someone walking beside them? 00:30:35.809 --> 00:30:38.829 Who are you pouring into? Who's pouring into 00:30:38.829 --> 00:30:41.650 you? Don't wait on a mission trip to live on 00:30:41.650 --> 00:30:45.150 mission. Don't wait. for a title to start making 00:30:45.150 --> 00:30:49.250 disciples. And do not assume somebody else will 00:30:49.250 --> 00:30:51.690 have the conversation God may have put in front 00:30:51.690 --> 00:30:56.069 of you. We have been gathered, we are being formed, 00:30:56.309 --> 00:31:00.750 and Christ sends us. Thanks for listening to 00:31:00.750 --> 00:31:02.710 Grace on the Grind, where we keep the coffee 00:31:02.710 --> 00:31:04.369 strong and the faith stronger.