Mondays for Mission Teams 5.18.15
Mondays for Mission Teams 5.18.15
We are doing a weekly “West Workshop” on Mission Teams over the next couple months, and so I’m going to share notes from them on Mondays that may (or many not) help in your Mission Team Leadership.
Don’t We Need to Study the Bible?
Problem: Since we went through “The Shift” in Fall of 2013 and charged every Mission Team to own the mission of the Church, a reoccurring question has been: “What about Bible Study?” There’s a sentiment that in order to engage with Scripture on deep levels you have to sacrifice mission or vice versa.
Teaching: Before moving on to the workshop notes, I want to take a quick moment to drop a few observation from Jesus’ life.
Jesus never commanded the disciples to go study Scripture.
Jesus’ commands were relatively limited. He did a lot of teaching and a lot of modeling behavior, but as far as direct commands to his disciples there’s really only four: (1) Love God (2) Love Your Neighbors (3) Pray Like This: Lord’s Prayer (4) Go and make disciples. Conspicuously missing is the command to, “Go and study the Bible.”
Jesus shows that study should lead to a life transformed by Scripture.
That’s not to say Jesus didn’t value the actual time of study, just that he valued the transformative power of God’s Word lived out in reality more. We should be very aware of how Jesus interacted with the “skeptics” (Scribes, Pharisees, Lawyers) in the Gospels. They knew the Bible better than anyone, yet Jesus had many pointed things to say about their lives.
Jesus Himself is the point of studying Scripture.
On a couple of occasions we see Jesus interacting with Scripture directly. The summary can be found in Luke 4:21, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” We can never forget that the Bible isn’t ultimately about us and what we must do, but about God and what He did through Jesus.
Workshop:
We have addressed this before. Here are some links to previous content:
Balance Between Mission and Discussion
Balance Between Relationships and Bible Study
We did come up with a three lists: (1) Wrong Thoughts (2) Must Do’s (3) Available Tools
Wrong Thoughts
Must Do’s
Available Tools
We have to sacrifice study for mission, vice versa
Create Team Alignment
Team Huddle
We don’t have time
Create Team Balance
Daily Bible Readings
We need expert teachers
Simply share what you’re learning
Survival Guides
We need supplemental content
Prepare as a Leader, Participant
Utilize Sermons
We only grow spiritually through study
Take a holistic approach to discipleship: Worship, Love, Compassion
One Life App – Core Leaders
We never want to under-emphasize the importance of studying the Bible. It’s just that we want to emphasize the correct relationship between Jesus-us-others. What are some of the best practices you have introduced on your Mission Teams to ensure daily reflection on Scripture while living out the Mission of God?