Redeemer is a church in Manchester always looking to grow closer to God and more in love with others. We’ve been looking at our habits as a way to do just that.
If we take stock of how we spend our waking lives now, we're probably a mix of good and bad habits. Maybe we scroll too much, drink too much, eat too much. There are good habits as well: time with people we love, exercising, and if you're a Christian, reading the Bible and praying together.
But here's the crucial question: What do we want to look like, feel like, be like in 10 years' time? The answer is simple yet profound: we decide now.
The Power of Small Things Over Time
The things we spend our time and energy on, especially the things we do every day, form who we are. Doing something 1% better each day makes a massive difference when those small percentages are stacked up over years and decades.
That means the habits we choose today will form who we are in the future. We decide now who we want to be in 10 years' time.
We underestimate two things at our peril:
The negative consequences of bad habits
The importance of small things over the long term
Consider this: a chocolate digestive biscuit is a solid choice. Two of these amount to about 160 calories. Let's round it down to 150 calories. If you have two of these every day in addition to what you're already eating, that would mean an extra 53,000 calories per year. That's the equivalent of 15 pounds in one year.
And that's just a chocolate digestive. Consider other small daily choices: looking at pornography online, refusing to meet with God's people for worship, holding on to just a little grudge each day.
We underestimate the negative consequences of bad habits, as well as how small things become big things over the long term.
Saved to a New Mission
Jesus has come to save us from this slow decline to the status quo. When He saves us to His new life, we have a new way of being because we are a new being! How foolish to think we can bring our old ways of being into this new life He's given us.
Today, we're going to focus on the mission of our life. Through Jesus, we are saved from our small missions to His big mission.
The practice of being sent—perhaps sharing Jesus with others isn't something you'd immediately think of as a habit or spiritual discipline, but it very much is. We'll learn how practising being sent on Jesus' mission is good for us, how it's good for others, and practically how to do it.
Understanding what it means to join God's mission can transform how we view our everyday lives.
Good for Us: Joining Jesus in Remaking the World
God Is the First Missionary
God is the first missionary. In fact, the reason this world was created to begin with was because God had a mission to create a people to enjoy all that He is. And Jesus goes first. In John's Gospel, Jesus calls Himself "the sent one" and refers to the Father as "He who sent me."
This is Jesus' identity—therefore, it's ours.
Why is being sent good for us? We get to join Jesus in the remaking of the world. This world has so much death that has come to the living:
Addictions
Abuse
Broken relationships
Financial and physical hardships
Actual death at the end of our lives (100% of us will experience this, and we don't really talk about it!)
In the middle of all this death, Jesus says: "Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24).
If you are a Christian, you are a "sent one." That means being saved from our small missions to God's big mission of people crossing from death to life.
The Trinity Sends Us
This sending overcomes all of our inadequacy:
The Father sends the Son and the Spirit
The Son sends the Spirit and His disciples
Jesus is sent in the power of the Spirit, and we are sent in the same way
As the Father has sent the Son, so we are sent by Him. So don't tell me you don't have enough—you have the Father, the Son, and the Spirit at work within you so that more of His life will be in the world.
We Are Christ's Ambassadors
Let's see one way this works out: "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).
The "therefore" comes after we're told we are a new creation in Christ. If that's you, then you are an ambassador.
An ambassador is born in one country but lives and works in another. The reason they're in this far country is to influence the people there for their own good. An ambassador doesn't take on the values of the country they're sent to—if they do, they cease to be ambassadors and become traitors.
But they love the people there and want to see more of their country's values impressed upon them. An ambassador doesn't make laws; they aren't really in charge, but they have a deep responsibility. And they work out their responsibility through winsome influence.
If this is who we are, then not acting like it is living a fake life. If you are a Christian, the real you is an ambassador for Jesus. We don't sit on our hands; we get to work! Jesus has enlisted every single one of us to be ambassadors for Him, to appeal to others to be reconciled to God—other lost sons and daughters to come home and find their loving Father—and this is happening in your domain, amongst the people around you.
We believe your neighbours are placed there by God: you are God's ambassador towards them. How are you appealing to them?
That also means Sunday morning worship isn't just about you showing up. How self-centred to think so! You have to be here for others. You can't be a decent ambassador if you don't show up for work.
Saved from Small, Lame Lives
All of this is true, but when we lose sight of this, we end up living for our small individualistic missions. This is an easy way to live a shallow life. Oh yes, it might look fine on the outside: we think about our houses, our pensions, holidays, fun times with friends, how to use our money for ourselves. It's not that these things are bad. It's just that for them to be the most important in our lives is simply too small. Really far too small.
We're called to something great! Something worth dying for! Your holiday, as lovely as that is, doesn't rate. Nor does your job, or your house, or whatever.
Being saved to Jesus' mission saves us from living small, lame, self-focused lives. This is good for those who are already Christians! If you're a Christian, you've made a commitment to Jesus: I will follow you. Your practice of being sent keeps that promise.
We often overlook how mission is first formative for us as Christians. A small, malformed heart won't practise being sent. In order that we not stay that way, Jesus has given us the gift of this practice of being sent.
Good for Others: Crossing from Death to Life
This practice is good for others, and if you're a Christian, you've hopefully heard this before. The problem is just because we know it's good for others doesn't mean we always follow through. In fact, the normal thing is to hear something like this and not follow through—and just feel guilty. Can you change that up?
"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24).
People are dead and need life. Maybe this is easy to forget if people are materially well-off or have good family or friends. You can be very good, very religious even, but Jesus is clear, over and over again: without Him, people are dead. And without Jesus, people are not just separated from God's love now but will be eternally separated from Him.
The reality of hell is something we need to reckon with. We don't often think about it because maybe it's socially awkward or it scares us, but Jesus talked about hell more than any other person in the Bible. This should motivate us to love more! There are right and just consequences for how we live, whether someone surrenders to or rejects Jesus. If we're too polite to bring God's teaching on hell to bear in our lives, we will not be loving people well.
But the fact remains: people can cross over from death to life! How amazing for them!
If you love someone else, you want their best, right? And what is this but the best? If you're a Christian and you love someone, you will be practising being sent. It's the only way.
This doesn't mean guilting anyone or trying to force anyone into anything, but it also doesn't mean a laissez-faire approach of just letting life happen. There's a gospel-driven intentionality that comes from the overflow of love towards another. (This is something we don't have by ourselves, by the way!)
Paul writes in Romans: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!'" (Romans 10:14-15).
It's good for others to hear. And by not practising being sent, we become someone else's "no." By not talking to someone about the gospel, we ensure that they won't surrender to it. We become their "no."
But when we talk about the gospel, there's always an opportunity for someone to come and cross from death to life. God has enlisted us, and has enlisted others! Who knows who you're talking to and the positive ripple that can leave in their community?
Dormant Gifts Come to Life
When people surrender to Jesus, gifts that God has given them—gifts that have previously been dormant—come to life. Our gifts come to life when we come alive.
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:10).
This is to us, yes, but it's also to other people who will believe in the future. Just think of all the diamonds in the rough that are out there, that God wants people to discover. In the process of uncovering them, the church is more mature, the world is a better place, relationships are restored. Others have gifts that will stay dormant unless God brings them life through our practice of being sent.
When we practise being sent on a regular basis, in everyday kinds of ways, we'll never know the extent of the ripples. But we can always be certain that God will use it in ways beyond our own power. Isn't that what we want for others? Exploring how to have a meaningful life begins with this understanding of being sent.
How to Do This: Following Jesus' Example
First: Take the Step to Christianity
"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24).
Jesus doesn't send us without showing us how. Just as the Father has sent the Son, we are sent.
How Was Jesus Sent?
Out of Comfort Out of the comfort of the Trinity—perfection non-stop, all the time, in all possible ways. You can't add to it because it's already maxed out. And this is what Jesus leaves as He is sent.
In Human Flesh Taking on our flesh, the language, the customs, the daily lives of those around Him. He didn't have to; He chose to.
And He Worked in Two Ways:
Actions: He served others by healing, washing feet, taking notice of the downtrodden.
Words: As He served others, He taught us about who we are, who He is, what it's like to live in His Kingdom.
Without His words, we would have been at a loss to interpret the actions. Without His actions, we'd be at a loss as to how to apply His words. Being sent requires both: doing only one is like a single-winged aeroplane, only ever going in circles.
Following Jesus as Sent Ones
If we follow Jesus, and He's the Sent One, we take our cues from Him as we practise being sent:
Out of Our Comfort What's not comfortable? Difficult Christian beliefs that we don't like. Talking to others—maybe uncomfortable. The Christian life isn't a more comfortable life; it's a better one.
There are times when hanging out with people happens later or is less convenient to my life. But I'm not ruled by comfort first, so the discomfort is part of what it means for me to be a sent one. Maybe you'll have some late nights—I hope you will!
In Human Flesh Jesus came in human flesh, and so we take on the "flesh" of the people we're called to. Their problems can be our problems; their joys can be our joys. When we talk, we do so in ways that connect with others, on their terms.
We organise our lives around others. Coffee mornings, social events—we don't make something and have people organise their lives around us; it's quite the opposite!
For you, that might look like listening a lot to a neighbour so that when you serve them, you do it well. When you talk to them about Jesus, it can connect with them. Nobody here is destroying their lives for people who aren't believers, but if you offer a little of your life to God so that it can be organised around others, it's a much more rewarding life!
Actions Ways that we can serve others in such a way where they ask us: why are you doing this? This is beyond being a good neighbour. This is supernatural serving and requires the Holy Spirit to be at work in you. If you're just sort of nice, not horrible—who cares? That's status quo. We're called to be a different kind of people, and the Holy Spirit enables us to be just that.
For your neighbours: how do you serve them? Do you know their names? Have you invited them over for dinner? What makes sense to them in how to serve them?
Words Lastly, it's important for us to communicate the great reality of God's love to people. This requires words. In fact, if we don't use words, others will think that Christianity is about being nice. What a wonderful way to make sure death persists in this world—let people think Christianity is for nice people to be nice. We have something way better than nice! If we've been the recipient of God's great love, how can we not share that love with others?
Sometimes it might be just sharing about your life. If you're married, I bet you talk about your partner. How weird to not talk about Someone who you say is more important than your partner! Let's not let our words make it difficult; keep it simple and honest.
This isn't easy for anyone; we can all grow in this. Let's not remain stagnant, though.
Together, Not Alone
This isn't just about individuals, but about being sent together. The church needs mission, and mission needs the church. In Luke 24:44-49, Jesus teaches the disciples the Scriptures, tells them the message of the gospel, and commands them to be witnesses. This is not a singular command but communal. Preaching, being witnesses—these are things we get to do together. The world needs more than you doing your thing; it needs a community of people committed to doing this together, an embodiment of the gospel lived out, as witnesses together.
When Jesus says "You are the light of the world," that's plural. You, collectively as a singular light. Not lights, but light.
This is why mission and membership are connected. The more we commit to each other, the more we commit to the mission. The more we commit to the mission, the more we commit to each other.
As a church in Manchester, our communities exist where being a Christian is not only encouraging to you but makes Christianity more plausible for others. Belief followed by practice leads to more belief and more practice.
Christ Being Sent for Us
Jesus, the true sent one, died, rose again, has ascended, and is now in power over all things. From heaven, we hear His words: "As the Father sent me, so I am sending you." Saved from a small mission in life to the biggest and best thing we could ever live for.
He's doing this because He is speaking other words to us, words that come from the end of Scripture. They are from Jesus, ascended into heaven, and He tells us: "Look up! Here I am: I am making all things new...through you!"
We are not the endpoint of God's love. We get to join Him and be another connecting point along the way.
Understanding what it means to be a Christian fundamentally includes grasping this sent identity.
The Invitation to Be Sent
We came into this world with our own small plans in life, and they face the opposite direction of God. Jesus saved us to set us in the right direction, and it's so good.
In His resurrected body, on the throne, Jesus prays to the Father on our behalf: "As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world."
What an amazing God who not only saves us to life but invites us to play an important part in others coming to life.
As a church in Manchester, we're learning together what it means to be sent ones, following the Sent One, practising being sent in everyday ways that bring life to our city.
Practice keeps a promise. Being obedient with what you have instead of waiting to be perfect. Not performance, but practice—together.