Category: Missio Dei: Abide and Go

John 15:16-17 NIV
¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

John 14:12-13 NIV
¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 

We did not choose Jesus, he chose us to bear fruit. “Fruit of abiding in Jesus includes prayer that is answered by the Father because of obedient remaining… Love and prayer cultivate a life of being on the move in Missio Dei.” (Pastor Nate)

In 14:12-13, Jesus promises that those who remain in him by believing in him will do even “greater things.” These greater things are of greater scope, in that Jesus desires to replicate his supernatural fruit in the lives of his disciples. Just as his obedience, his love, and his joy are replicated in and through our lives, so his greater works and overcoming prayer will be done through us.

Prayer: Lord, we are humbled that you have chosen us and sent us out in your name. Today, bear the fruit of your work in our lives as we abide in you. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Let’s worship to the song, “More to Come” by Passion Music (click here).

– LB

John 15:12-15 NIV
¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

“Jesus sanctifies our relationships with one another within the ‘centripetal’ remaining community. He sets these ‘one another’ relationships apart as special, part of our abiding in Jesus. This is uniquely Christian, uniquely replicating Jesus’ friendship with us, to one another through the command to love.” [Pastor Nate’s message]

The centripetal force, like the picture above, is the love of Jesus pulling us in. Because Jesus loved us first, we can love those he has placed in our campus ministries, missional groups and churches. Our communities are to be places of worship and where others can come and experience God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit, we want to do the things you do. Teach us how to love how you have loved us, so that many would come to know you Jesus. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Let’s worship to “Hosanna” by Hillsong (click here).

– LB

 

 

Let’s read aloud together the following scripture, confession and prayer:

John 15:7-8 NIV
⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Confession – Manila Manifesto – 5. God the Evangelist
The Scriptures declare that God himself is the chief evangelist. For the Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth, love, holiness, and power, and evangelism is impossible without him. It is he who anoints the messenger, confirms the Word, prepares the hearer, convicts the sinful, enlightens the blind, gives life to the dead, enables us to repent and believe, unites us to the body of Christ, assures us that we are God’s children, leads us into Christlike character and service, and sends us out in our turn to be Christ’s witnesses. In all this the Holy Spirit’s main preoccupation is to glorify Jesus Christ by showing him to us and forming him in us.

Let’s pray for our gatherings this week, as we proclaim Jesus’ victory over sin and death. As we abide in Jesus, may we do the work of Jesus on our campuses and in our cities.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, salvation belongs to you. In faith we believe that you can do all things for your glory. Empower us with your Spirit as we bring the good news to our friends, neighbors, and families. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Let’s Worship to “We Need a Miracle” by Charity Gayle (click here).

– LB

John 15:9-11
⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Jesus invites us into a relationship with him that can be richer and fuller and deeper. It is not a one moment thing when we said yes to Jesus and just continue on with our lives. Instead, Jesus invites us to remain, participating in this life every day. Remaining in Jesus’ love requires obedience, as Dr. Michael Gorman puts it, “at the very least, ‘abide’ means maintaining an intimate, permanent, covenantal relationship with Jesus, as part of the community of disciples.”(Abide and Go, p. 98).

When we remain in Jesus, we experience the benefits and blessings of being near him. We recognize his voice, we are familiar with his ways, and we know how to come to Jesus quickly. Let’s take a moment today, to remain and abide in his love.

Prayer: Lord, we love to be near you. Fill us with your Holy Spirit; transform our lives from the inside out. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Anointing” by Jesus Culture (click here).

-LB

Let’s prayerfully read aloud the following passages:

Psalm 1:1-3
¹ Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

John 15:1, 4 NIV
¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…  ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“Blessing is a state of abiding.” When we are planted in the Lord, we will be nourished, we will grow, and we will be blessed. The tree is a familiar metaphor for the blessed life; as it flourishes, others benefit. It has good roots and bears much fruit. In the same way, as we remain and abide in Jesus and his words, we will grow to be more like him.

Prayer: Lord, we want to abide in you! Help us remain close to you as we hold on to your word, that we would become more and more like you. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Let’s worship the Lord to “Abide with Me” by Matt Redman (click here).

-LB