On a Mission from God.  Pt 2
Bring the Party with You 

This Sunday, Simon Lace  brings us the talk in the latest of our EBC services. We encourage you to reflect on the bible text and join us in the prayer that follows below.

 
Here are some questions to consider:

Readings
1 Peter 3:8 and following (NLT)
Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.  Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing… 
…if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NLT)
Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Prayer
Loving God, help us to be loving, kind, tenderhearted and humble. In your mercy, forgive us when we are not – and strengthen us to do better! By your Holy Spirit working within us, help us to put aside fear and doubts, so that we might be intentional in bringing people closer to you, by our invitations and by our prayer, our care and our willingness to share our experiences of You, O God. Dear Lord, help us to be your witnesses, in word and deed, here at EBC, in our neighbourhoods, in the places we work and at the places and spaces we pass through. Help us to be faithful friends to our brothers and sisters in Sierra Leone and at Tearfund and Christian Solidarity Worldwide… and even to the ends of the earth. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

Questions to Consider

1. In this series, we have talked about being attractional, invitational and incarnational as a church. What do you understand by those terms – and which of them are you best at?
2. Could you be more intentional about helping the church to look and feel more attractive?
3. Could you be more intentional about inviting people to come to church?
4. Could you be more intentional about embodying the Christian message (which is being ‘incarnational’) outside of church?
5. Think about the Apostle Paul’s ‘chameleon-like’ approach of becoming “all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some”. What might you personally do differently in the light of this?
6. Thinking about the idea of incarnating the Gospel, and the threefold approach of PRAYER, CARE and SHARE, consider the following:

1. Who will you try to save?
2. What can you pray for them? (If you’re not sure, ask them!)
3. How can you show that you care about them?
4. How might you share with them what God has done in your life, and what God, and the church, mean to you?

7. The Baptist Union Declaration of Principle includes this statement:

It is the duty of every disciple to bear personal witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to take part in the evangelisation of the world.
So… are you doing your duty?