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Mission and Means
Shaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
When we believe in Jesus and pray in His name we will do greater works–spreading the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection–than He did.
“12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
— John 14:12-14
Sermon OutlineI. The Mission of Jesus’ Disciples v 12
“But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.”
— John 5:36
“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”
— John 17:4
“The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”
— Acts 5:16
“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”
— Acts 19:11-12
“and I left Trophimus , who was ill, at Miletus.”
— 2 Timothy 4:20
“ (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)”
— 1 Timothy 5:23
II. The Means of Jesus’ Disciples vv 13-14
“17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
— James 5:17-18
“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ”
— James 4:2-3
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
the tension of “asking anything in jesus’ name”
When we pray as Jesus commands in our text (v 14) in produces tension, at least from our perspective. Perhaps the tension stems mostly from the fact that we can know God’s will of desire, but we can’t know His will of decree.
For example God desires that all people would repent of their sins and be saved (see: Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11: 1 Timothy 2:4) but He has not decreed the salvation of all (see: Acts 13:48; Romans 9:15-21; 2 Timothy 1:9; 2:10)
Or, another example is that God desires that we all glorify Him by holy lives, but He also permits (decree) sin and will be glorified by His righteous judgment of sinners who do not repent.
How then can we pray in faith if we can’t know God’s will of decree? The answer is we should pray as best we know in line with His revealed will of desire, while at the same time submitting to the fact that we don’t know His will of decree - as Jesus taught us to pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) So, yes we can we should for example pray in faith that God would save all people and that God would heal those who are sick.
Pray For OUr UCC Missionaries & Mission EffortsJ. C. Ryle succinctly observes “There is no greater work possible than the conversion of a soul” and that the greater works we are called to as Christians is to be involved in the spread of the Gospel to those who have yet to hear and receive it. To this end, please pray for all at UCC to be engaged with their calling to “greater works” and in particular our UCC missionaries:
Taina: Serving in Italy in a local church and among victims of human-trafficking.
Paul and Anniina: Serving in a church plant in England.
Maija and Steven: Receiving more training now in the USA with a view fo going mack to the Muslim world.
Helena: On a mission training course and outreach in Moldova and Romania.
Josh and Annu: Serving in mission training in northern Finland.
Each Summer UCC sends out short-term mission teams to aid long-term near and far culture mission workers in a place of Gospel need. Would you pray about joining one of these teams this summer? Or financially and prayerfully supporting those that do?
Finally, please pray for pastor Shaun during the next few weeks who has been released by the elders and sent out by UCC to be involved in mission activity.
March 1-5: A large missionary conference in Thailand where he will be speaking about the Gospel needs of the Gospel in Europe (note he will be absent next Sunday).
March 6-8: Lecturing in the U.K. to students preparing for ministry on the theology of mission.
April 1-5: Helping to lead and speak at a larger church planting conference in Brussels about planting new churches among Europe’s most least reached peoples.
March-April: Teaching “Theology of Worship” at Agricola Theological Institute where the the liturgy of the church and the mission of the church will be linked.
As the Son of God who represents the Father in this world, Jesus has the authority to tell his disciples to do the work he is doing and to promise that he will help them through prayer. Realizing the importance of the great work Jesus has left for us to accomplish, we need to do two things: 1) be his witnesses by testify about who He is 2) come before him in prayer asking for his will to be accomplished as we do the work he commanded his followers to do. Since this passage is about prayer and mission, begin by sharing your experiences in being on mission. This could be a “mission trip” or a person in your life you are called to consistently witness to. What role has or does prayer play in this mission and what has it taught you about how prayerand mission work together.
Understand the Text (20 min)1. What does Jesus mean when he says his followers will do “greater works than these”?
In what way is the work the disciples will do greater than the work that Jesus did? Read Acts 2:41-47.
What happens when Jesus’ followers are committed to preaching and teaching the Gospel message of Jesus Christ? Read Romans 10:14- 15.
2. Read John 14:13-14. Does Jesus promise that he will give the disciples every single thing they ask for without limit? Is this too good to be true? How does this work?
What does it mean to pray “in the name of Jesus”? Read John 15:16 and 1 John 5:14-15.
When you pray, do you pray that God’s will be done, or that your will be done? How did Jesus pray? Read Matthew 6:9-13 and 26:39.
How would your prayer life change if you prayed for God’s will to be done and for his mission and purpose to be accomplished in this world?
3. What are some things you can pray for right now that you know God would want to grant for you and the people in your life? Make a list and commit to praying for these things in the coming week.
4. Read verse 13. We are called to pray in a way that the “Father may be glorified in the Son”. This reflects the loving relationship Jesus the Son has with His Father.
Do you see prayer as relational? Why or why not?
When you ask for things in prayer, is your desire to get the things you as for or to get God? What is the difference? (Think of this in terms of your kids or a friend asking you for something).
1. Option 1: Read the Lord’s prayer and talk through the main components of it. Why is the Lord’s Prayer a good model for the type of mission praying we are called to in this text?
2. Option 2: Discuss the challenges you face in prayer, particularly for others, and how you can overcome these.
3. What commitments could you make in praying for those who do not know Christ as Lord and Savour?
Back to Bulletin
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By United Community ChurchShaun Rossi // The Gospel of John
When we believe in Jesus and pray in His name we will do greater works–spreading the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection–than He did.
“12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
— John 14:12-14
Sermon OutlineI. The Mission of Jesus’ Disciples v 12
“But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.”
— John 5:36
“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”
— John 17:4
“The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”
— Acts 5:16
“And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.”
— Acts 19:11-12
“and I left Trophimus , who was ill, at Miletus.”
— 2 Timothy 4:20
“ (No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)”
— 1 Timothy 5:23
II. The Means of Jesus’ Disciples vv 13-14
“17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”
— James 5:17-18
“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. ”
— James 4:2-3
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
— 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
the tension of “asking anything in jesus’ name”
When we pray as Jesus commands in our text (v 14) in produces tension, at least from our perspective. Perhaps the tension stems mostly from the fact that we can know God’s will of desire, but we can’t know His will of decree.
For example God desires that all people would repent of their sins and be saved (see: Ezekiel 18:23; 33:11: 1 Timothy 2:4) but He has not decreed the salvation of all (see: Acts 13:48; Romans 9:15-21; 2 Timothy 1:9; 2:10)
Or, another example is that God desires that we all glorify Him by holy lives, but He also permits (decree) sin and will be glorified by His righteous judgment of sinners who do not repent.
How then can we pray in faith if we can’t know God’s will of decree? The answer is we should pray as best we know in line with His revealed will of desire, while at the same time submitting to the fact that we don’t know His will of decree - as Jesus taught us to pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) So, yes we can we should for example pray in faith that God would save all people and that God would heal those who are sick.
Pray For OUr UCC Missionaries & Mission EffortsJ. C. Ryle succinctly observes “There is no greater work possible than the conversion of a soul” and that the greater works we are called to as Christians is to be involved in the spread of the Gospel to those who have yet to hear and receive it. To this end, please pray for all at UCC to be engaged with their calling to “greater works” and in particular our UCC missionaries:
Taina: Serving in Italy in a local church and among victims of human-trafficking.
Paul and Anniina: Serving in a church plant in England.
Maija and Steven: Receiving more training now in the USA with a view fo going mack to the Muslim world.
Helena: On a mission training course and outreach in Moldova and Romania.
Josh and Annu: Serving in mission training in northern Finland.
Each Summer UCC sends out short-term mission teams to aid long-term near and far culture mission workers in a place of Gospel need. Would you pray about joining one of these teams this summer? Or financially and prayerfully supporting those that do?
Finally, please pray for pastor Shaun during the next few weeks who has been released by the elders and sent out by UCC to be involved in mission activity.
March 1-5: A large missionary conference in Thailand where he will be speaking about the Gospel needs of the Gospel in Europe (note he will be absent next Sunday).
March 6-8: Lecturing in the U.K. to students preparing for ministry on the theology of mission.
April 1-5: Helping to lead and speak at a larger church planting conference in Brussels about planting new churches among Europe’s most least reached peoples.
March-April: Teaching “Theology of Worship” at Agricola Theological Institute where the the liturgy of the church and the mission of the church will be linked.
As the Son of God who represents the Father in this world, Jesus has the authority to tell his disciples to do the work he is doing and to promise that he will help them through prayer. Realizing the importance of the great work Jesus has left for us to accomplish, we need to do two things: 1) be his witnesses by testify about who He is 2) come before him in prayer asking for his will to be accomplished as we do the work he commanded his followers to do. Since this passage is about prayer and mission, begin by sharing your experiences in being on mission. This could be a “mission trip” or a person in your life you are called to consistently witness to. What role has or does prayer play in this mission and what has it taught you about how prayerand mission work together.
Understand the Text (20 min)1. What does Jesus mean when he says his followers will do “greater works than these”?
In what way is the work the disciples will do greater than the work that Jesus did? Read Acts 2:41-47.
What happens when Jesus’ followers are committed to preaching and teaching the Gospel message of Jesus Christ? Read Romans 10:14- 15.
2. Read John 14:13-14. Does Jesus promise that he will give the disciples every single thing they ask for without limit? Is this too good to be true? How does this work?
What does it mean to pray “in the name of Jesus”? Read John 15:16 and 1 John 5:14-15.
When you pray, do you pray that God’s will be done, or that your will be done? How did Jesus pray? Read Matthew 6:9-13 and 26:39.
How would your prayer life change if you prayed for God’s will to be done and for his mission and purpose to be accomplished in this world?
3. What are some things you can pray for right now that you know God would want to grant for you and the people in your life? Make a list and commit to praying for these things in the coming week.
4. Read verse 13. We are called to pray in a way that the “Father may be glorified in the Son”. This reflects the loving relationship Jesus the Son has with His Father.
Do you see prayer as relational? Why or why not?
When you ask for things in prayer, is your desire to get the things you as for or to get God? What is the difference? (Think of this in terms of your kids or a friend asking you for something).
1. Option 1: Read the Lord’s prayer and talk through the main components of it. Why is the Lord’s Prayer a good model for the type of mission praying we are called to in this text?
2. Option 2: Discuss the challenges you face in prayer, particularly for others, and how you can overcome these.
3. What commitments could you make in praying for those who do not know Christ as Lord and Savour?
Back to Bulletin