#1515. God wants to ‘send us up’ (13/5/26)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (posted, at present, every weekday) as we begin a short series in celebration of our church’s 150th anniversary. 

God wants to ’send us up’ - together and personally, we are sent by God on His mission. 

To watch this devotional, please select the link below:

As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of our church, we want to give thanks to God for all that He has done. But we don’t stop there. The examples of faith we see in Scripture—and in the lives of those who have gone before us—are given to inspire us toward a living, active faith today.

God had an overarching plan for His people. In the midst of all the different decisions of life—relationships, work, and the use of resources—they shared one clear, common calling from God: to go into the Promised Land. None of them could say, “That’s not really my calling.” This was God’s will for all of them together as His people.

This ‘mission’ to go into the Promised Land foreshadows our mission to go into all the nations with the gospel—bringing people from every background into the Kingdom of God. Like Israel, we share this mission together. We see this in three ways:

i. A shared commission

All Christians have been given the Great Commission. We share this calling together. Whatever our job, geography, interests, or life-stage, our primary purpose is to go and make disciples of all nations.

Every Christian is called to own this identity as one who is sent—an ambassador of Christ—living out this mission in the everyday relationships God has placed them in.

ii. A shared calling with a local church

Our shared commission from Christ is worked out in practice within a local church. We are called to pray and labour together with our church to reach the place where God has placed us.

Every Christian should be praying with their local church about mission, and seeking God’s leading and empowering together.

We should also prayerfully consider how we can participate in the various events and initiatives our church organises to reach our community. While none of us can do everything, and our life-stage may limit what we can do, we are all called to be engaged in prayerful participation in our shared mission.

iii. A shared responsibility in our personal lives

This mission is also personal. While we share it together in the church, each of us is responsible before God for how we live it out day by day.

God has placed each of us in specific relationships, workplaces, neighbourhoods, and networks that are not accidental - they are part of His mission field for us. We are called to be faithful where He has placed us, living as witnesses - to serve, invest and invite - to Christ in ordinary life.

This means praying for open doors, being intentional in our conversations, showing Christlike love in practical ways, and being ready to speak of the hope we have in Jesus when opportunities arise.

So while we share a common commission and a common calling with our local church, we also each carry a personal responsibility to live as sent people wherever God has placed us.

Response

Too many Christians have adopted a vision of church that is essentially a Sunday meeting—a gathering that functions like a concert with an inspiring talk, primarily focused on meeting my needs and those of my children.

However, God’s vision for the church is true fellowship: partnership in a shared mission. Each of us is ‘sent up’—called to bring the gospel into our everyday lives.

This also means we should be able to say, “My church’s vision is my vision.” We are called to pray with our church and, as far as possible, to be actively involved in how it seeks to reach the community with the gospel.

We are called to ‘go up’ together. And as we pray and respond, let’s expect and be excited about the ways God will use us as His people.

To watch our anniversary video, please select the link below:

Community Group Study

Balanced Time Allocation - Please ensure a balanced focus on discussion, SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite), and prayer so that each section is meaningful and fruitful.

On Sunday, we celebrated 150 years since the founding of Community Church Putney in 1876. 

A text that has really spoken to us in recent years - the text that is at the heart of our devotions this week - is Exodus 33:15-16. 

Please read Exodus 33:15-16 and discuss:

• Personal Reflection – What brought you to Community Church, and what has really encouraged you during your time here?

• What is at the heart of Moses dissatisfaction with God’s offer? 

• What does it mean to be distinguished by God’s presence, and how can we seek to be such a church?  

SIV (Serve, Invest, and Invite)

• From our text, what do we learn about God’s presence and our effectiveness in mission? 

• Sharing Stories – Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing stories of how we’ve seen God at work through simple faithfulness.

• Practical Next Steps – Who might God be placing on your heart at this time? Are there any “people of peace” (see note) in your life—those who seem open, welcoming, or receptive to spiritual conversation?

Let’s Pray Together

Let’s pray for one another in light of what we’ve studied and bring any other needs before God.

• Pray for courage, wisdom, and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in our Serve, Invest, and Invite opportunities.

• Pray specifically for the ‘people of peace’ in our lives - that God would open hearts and deepen relationships.

• General prayer: From our study, or from personal needs, how do people want prayer?