Matthew 28:16-20

I don’t know what you signed up for when you said Jesus to Jesus, but I know for myself: I didn’t surrender my life to propping up an institution, or keeping the lights on in a building, or even to ensuring butts in seats for a weekly gathering of like-minded people. NO! I gave my life to follow Jesus, to be part of God’s kingdom movement-come from heaven to earth. I believed with every fiber of my being I could and would be part of what God is doing in the world. God is on the move, right here and right now, through ordinary people like like you and me.

Living the Jesus life is an adventure unlike any other.

IT’S A GAME CHANGING LIFESTYLE.

It’s not something we can simply put on our weekly to-do list and check it off and believe we are done. We are never done, because God’s never done working in and through our lives. Jesus’ invitation is a full body, whole life, invitation! It’s a way of life. And so, it is with our homes – our homes are the physical hub of this lifestyle—where we make the choice to step into Jesus’ agenda instead of asking Jesus to conform to ours. What an invitation—a game changing lifestyle!

• Pray with your eyes open. Rely on the nudges of the Holy Spirit to lead you forward.
• Love Regardless. No matter who our neighbors are or what they may believe or have done.
• Share Your Story. Honest and open sharing what God is doing in your life, be willing to simply tell somebody what’s happening, right here right now.
• Mentor Someone. This has been Jesus’ plan all along. Invite folks into contagious discipling relationships.

PRAY, LOVE, SHARE, MENTOR

Your home—apartment, house, trailer, condo becoming the Jesus hub in your neighborhood. All because you intentionally followed Jesus and lived that Jesus life right out loud. Not only when you gather in a building, not only during Bible study, but every single day of your life. A way of life—a game changing life style!!!

“Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28: 18-20 NIV).

So Don’t Wait….GET AFTER IT!

Jesus’ commission wasn’t a suggestion, wasn’t a, well maybe you should consider this in your free time, no this Great Commission was a command.

You’ve got a job to do as a follower of Jesus. Get after it. It’s not about what we do within the walls of the church, it’s about being the church outside of these walls. So many of you are out there meeting your neighbors, praying for people you never thought you’d be praying for, loving the family next door regardless. We all need the reminder that we are called to love God, others and self.

SO, MY FRIENDS – Get after it! Don’t wait! You’ve got one life to live.

You just might find yourself:

• Picking up your neighbors to take them to church
• Gathering around on your back porch for a Saturday Night worship Watch party sharing your story of how Jesus was your comfort through grief. Or how Jesus restored your broken marriage or how Jesus helps you navigate the challenges of raising kids in this all-new day, all-new challenging season.
• Maybe you’ll be extending the edges of your table, your TV tray or your fit pit and suddenly your yard as the gathering space where folk come to laugh, to learn and to love.
• You might find yourself hosting a life group each week. You never imagined you’d become one of those people and yet, because of Jesus, because of the power and authority of the Holy Spirit in your life—your home is the hub and it’s become a game changing lifestyle.

If you haven’t figure this out by now, it’s not just your neighborhood that’s going change—you, you are going to change—you are going to be transformed in the process! We aren’t here to play church, we aren’t gathering to give each other a pat on the back and then go about our normal lives, no we are here, we are present to experience—God’s kingdom coming from heaven to earth—when we gather and when we scatter—in our classrooms and living rooms, while working behind a desk and while mowing our grass—it’s a game changer, it’s the game changing life I’ve given my life too, and I pray the same is true for you!

Lord Jesus you’ve imputed your authority to us. Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, we can step into our back yards, we will march in the streets, we knock on doors, we will pray for the sick, and extend the edges of our tables, love regardless, and lead folks to faith through our stories, we mentor our neighbors, friends, and strangers, gifting them with the opportunity to have a life-change, a life-altering encounter with you, the living God. God we are praying for Holy Disruption as we receive the invitation of a lifetime. We step into the adventure that is your Kingdom Come, on earth as it is in heaven. And today we lean into your promise to be with us to the very end of the age—we’re more than counting on it. Amen. Amen.

Rachel Billups
Ginghamsburg Senior Pastor
rachel@ginghamsburg.org