Motivating the Church to
Abandoned Devotion
Producing Vision for the
Great Commission
MOBILIZATION NOW
• Finding the few interested in mission
• Challenging them to go
• Getting them to the field
CHALLENGE
• We need more than a few to fulfill the
Great Commission
• The more people we send the more
support is required to send them
SOLUTION
• Where can we find both more people to go
and more people to support them
• THE CHURCH
HOW DO WE MOBILIZE THE
CHURCH FOR THE GREAT
COMMISSION?
TOOLS
• Information
– Doesn’t always stick with us – motivating in
the moment
• Short term mission
– Only thinking about mission those two weeks
and not about their part while they are still in
their home country
• Prayer
– Good but not always focused on unreached
New Approach
• Abandoned Devotion
– Some have misunderstood this to mean that
we are abandoning Jesus
– What we really mean is leaving all else in
pursuit of devotion to Jesus alone.
Rich Young Ruler – Mark 10:17-22
• Young man:
– Running – knelt - asking
• Jesus’ response:
– Only God is good
– Follow the commandments
• The young man’s further pressing
– Sensing there is more..
• Jesus clarifying his earlier response
– The commandments must touch our hearts
and change the way we live.
• The young man leaves sad because of his
great amount of possessions
Abandoned Devotion Produces
Passion and Vision for the
Great Commission
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Embracing Sacrifice
Cultivating the Beatitudes
Deepening our dependence on God
Understanding True Treasure
Embracing Sacrifice
• The call is repeated in Luke 9:23
• God wants not just individuals but
churches to embrace the call to sacrifice
• It is a call to do what is uncomfortable for
the sake of the gospel
• More than just seeker sensitive churches
How?
• Calling the Church to more prayer for the
unreached/unengaged and message
bearers
• Sacrificial prayer that involves fasting
How?
• Calling the Church to giving – where the
tithe is the beginning and encouraging
people to give a little more each year –
20%, 30%, 40% , 50%
How?
• Calling the whole church not just the few
to understand who are and how to disciple
the unreached/unengaged
Cultivating the Beatitudes
• This is a call to the body to internalize
God’s commandments
• Quality vs quantity
• Lead us into His likeness
• Poor in Spirit, Mourn, Meek, Hungering
and Thirsting for Righteousness, Merciful,
Pure in heart, Peacemakers, Persecuted
for Righteousness
• In Paul’s letters we have examples of how
he prayed for the church to grow –
becoming what we behold
• Ephesians 1:15-19 – spirit of wisdom and
revelation, understanding, know the hope
of our calling
• Ephesians 3:14-19 – strengthened with
might, Christ dwelling in our hearts,
comprehend and know the love of Christ,
filled with the fullness of God
• Philippians 1:9- Love may abound more &
more, discernment, filled with the fruits of
righteousness
• Colossians 1:9-14 – filled with knowledge
of His will, walk worthy, being fruitful in
every good work, increasing in the
knowledge of God, strengthened, patience
and longsuffering with joy
• 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 – increase and
abound in love, establish your hearts
blameless in holiness
• 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4 – Paul commends
them about their faith growing and being
faithful in the midst of persecution
How?
• Highest calling -image and likeness of
Christ
• People of the Word
• People of prayer
• Called to be in the world – not avoid the
world
Deepening Dependence on God
• The rich young ruler was a man who
trusted in his possessions instead of in
God
• Often the Church’s trusts in the amount of
the offering or the number of people
attending
Deepening Dependence on God
• Definitely the Church should be wise and
good stewards
• Called to the impossible not the possible
How?
• The Church needs to be stretched
• John 15:5 – Without Me, you can do
nothing.
• The Great Commission can often seem
impossible
How?
• The Church is called to be faithful to her
part
• Lean into God
• Dream impossible dreams
• Don’t squelch the youth who have often
been at the forefront of great moves of
God
Understanding Treasure
• The rich young ruler wanted eternal life but
didn’t see treasure of heaven as more
valuable than treasure on earth
• The Church is to call people out of their
dependence on the world
• Do we as the Church value things or
reputation, or money in a bank account?
• What makes the Church secure?
Measuring Treasure
• Treasure is measured by our likeness to
Jesus – the more we become like Him the
greater our treasure
• When this is truly how we measure
treasure, it will change us
How?
• Church’s treasure in Christ changes how
they
– Make decisions
– Spend her money
– Spend her time
– How she prays
– How she uses her talents and abilities
• One message bearer is useless without a
Church behind them
– Praying
– Supporting – with talents and abilities
– Giving
– Making decisions focused on discipling the
unengaged
Reflection Thoughts
• Each one of us is part of the Church
• This is not just a call to pastors but to
every person to wholeheartedly pursue
Christ
• The call is costly
• We can’t lower the standard so we feel
better
• We must maintain Jesus’ high calling