Getting On Mission

After Jesus was arrested, Peter was hanging out in a public space. He was afraid of what people might think of him or do to him if they knew he was a follower of Jesus. Three times people asked if he was a disciple, and each time he denied being a follower of Jesus.

I imagine that Peter felt a lot of shame from his denial. Not only was he one of Jesus' followers, but he was one of Jesus closest friends. He failed Jesus during a really hard time.

Fast forward to after the resurrection. Go and read John 21:1-19. Go ahead. This will be here when you get back.

Peter denied Jesus three times. But Jesus wanted to show Peter that He had grace for him, so he asked three times if Peter loved Him. Jesus restored Peter. He accepted Peter, even with Peter's failure.

We are not perfect people. If Peter, one of Jesus' closest friends and followers, could mess up that bad, then so can we. There will be a time when we need to experience grace from God, and grace from others.

God will still use you despite your shortcomings and failures. After you mess up and you encounter Jesus, will you run away from Him or run towards Him like Peter did?

Respond by answering these questions:

1. What was Peter's response when he saw Jesus?
2. Why do you think Jesus gave Peter a second chance?
3. How do you think Peter felt after receiving a second chance from Jesus?

Take time to pray, confessing any failure and sin to God, and asking for forgiveness. Allow God's grace to restore you and allow His truth to sink deep. He is not done with you.

WORKING OUT THE DETAILS

Man, this is crazy. I don't know about you, but I get excited about all of the details of a mission trip. Think about this - our team is going to raise $36,000 together! Isn't that crazy? We will be spending an entire week with people who, just a couple weeks ago, were complete strangers, in a foreign land, experiencing foreign things. And there will be hundreds of people praying for us as we go.

Why do we do it though? What's the purpose of all of this? Why does it matter? It matters because Jesus matters. It matters because Jesus has changed us, and we want to share that transformation with the world.

The whole purpose of Jesus calling disciples was to spread His teaching, to share about salvation, to show the world God. Just a handful of guys changed the world. Look at Jesus' last words to them:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 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.” -Matthew 28:16-20

 Then in Acts, Luke writes:

He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” -Acts 1:8

Those are the words Jesus leaves His disciples with. We don't always know the plans or how they will be fulfilled. That can bring anxiousness. The promise isn't that the future will be made clear, but that the Holy Spirit, God's very presence, is with us, giving us power, even to the ends of the earth.

Be encouraged today - God is working. He is working out the details. He is preparing the way. We can't always see how He works, but He does. When we follow His call, when we are His witnesses, we receive the power from the Holy Spirit.

Respond to these questions below:

1. How did the disciples respond to seeing Jesus again? Did they immediately trust the plan?
2. What did Jesus tell the disciples to do?
3. Based on these passages, what do you think we need in order to accomplish what God has planned for us?