On Mission Together

At the end of his letter to the believers at Rome, Paul lists the names of many who have come alongside him and poured their lives into the mission of God’s kingdom. Through their acts of generosity, risk, and sacrifice, they embody what it means to be engaged in discipleship. We should likewise be giving our lives away for others in the context of the local church.

Application

1. Church is not a place—it is an action, an identity, and a lifestyle. How are you serving and taking ownership of the mission of the church? Who can help you grow in this area, and what other steps do you need to take to channel your energy towards God’s kingdom?

2. There are many potential obstacles to living out your faith. A few are church consumerism, busyness, fear, and vanity. Which of these tends to be a struggle for you? Why?

3. Paul lived in a posture of risk. What does it look like for you to take risks for God’s mission (comfort, a relationship, finances, etc.)? How can you move towards believing that “to live is Christ and to die is gain”?

4. One way to know if our lives are dedicated to God’s kingdom is to examine our calendars. Take a close look at how you spend your time—do you prioritize the things God is concerned about? How do your priorities need to change?

Key Points

• God has put within all of us a desire to fight for justice. It is easy for us to channel that passion towards lesser things; however, our fighting energy belongs to God’s mission and God’s people

• The people Paul names in this chapter are engaged with God’s mission—their lives represent a legacy of faithfulness. Phoebe uses her position of leadership to be a resource to others. Priscilla and Aquila risk their lives for Paul and for the gospel. Rufus’ mother invests spiritually in the next generation of believers.

• Scripture is clear how we need to be serving others. Instead, we often let church consumerism, busyness, fear, vanity, and many other factors hold us back from giving our lives to God.

• We know that God is already victorious over Satan through the power of the gospel. What he has done for us should radically change how we view and give ourselves for others.

Other Scripture References

Acts 18-19

Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

Luke 9:23-24