(#1578) Day 24. God’s Promises Are Fuel For Mission (28/10/26)

Welcome to this Come to Jesus Daily Devotional (currently posted on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday) as we continue our 9-week series: Fresh Vision From Jesus' High Priestly Prayer from John 17. 

This week, we continue our three-week focus on John 17:20-26, the third section of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, where Jesus prays for us to effectively reach those outside of faith.

To watch this devotional, go to:

Please read John 17:20–26.

In our last devotional, we reflected on joining Jesus in His mission by serving, investing, and inviting. Today, let's consider how God's promises give us the faith and perseverance we need for that mission.

Perhaps you've climbed a mountain in the Lake District or somewhere similar. As you make your way upwards, you often reach what looks like the summit, only to discover another ridge beyond it. It can be discouraging when your hopes are raised and then dashed.

Yet you keep climbing because you know there really is a summit. You've read the guidebook or studied the map. You know the destination is there, and that hope gives you the strength to keep going.

The same is true in evangelism. We keep sharing the gospel because our hope is not based on what we can achieve, but on what God has promised to do.

Jesus prays:

Notice the confidence in Jesus' words. He doesn't simply pray for people who might believe, but for those who will believe through the message of His disciples.

This reminds us of another wonderful promise:

What a beautiful picture. The world is full of lost sheep who belong to the Good Shepherd. They are not yet in the fold, but Jesus promises, "I must bring them also." They will hear His voice.

How do they hear His voice? As we faithfully serve, invest, invite, and share the gospel, Jesus speaks through His Word by the power of the Holy Spirit.

We saw this in Lydia's conversion:

Paul faithfully proclaimed the gospel, but God opened Lydia's heart. This is sometimes called effectual calling - the gracious work of God by which He calls people to Himself through the message of the gospel.

Wayne Grudem defines it like this:

Jesus not only promises to save people; He promises to do so through the faithful witness of His people.

Sometimes God also strengthens our faith with particular promises for particular situations. When Paul faced opposition in Corinth, the Lord appeared to him and said:

What an encouragement! This moment reminds us of the vital place of prayer and communion with God in sustaining us for His mission. It also reveals a wonderful promise: before many of those people had even come to faith, God could already say, "I have many people in this city." His saving purpose was certain, and that promise gave Paul the courage to stay and keep preaching despite the opposition.

God still strengthens His people through His promises today. When evangelism feels difficult or discouraging, we must not look first at our circumstances, but at God's Word. His promises fuel our faith, renew our hope, and give us the perseverance to keep climbing the mountain and faithfully making Jesus known.

Moment To Reflect

Jesus' prayer reminds us that His mission will succeed. People will believe through the faithful proclamation of the gospel.

• Have you become discouraged in sharing your faith? If so, why?

• Which of God's promises could strengthen your faith and perseverance today?

• How might meditating on God's promises help you keep serving, investing, inviting, and speaking about Jesus?

Download the booklet

Below is the link to download the devotional booklet: Fresh Vision From Jesus Prayer. This is a series of 27 devotionals based upon Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in John 17.

This year we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of CCP; to watch our anniversary video, please select the link below:

Community Group Study

1. Notices

It might be good to begin with notices. Please share from this week’s Church News. 

2. Icebreaker

You might want to use the icebreaker: How has God been speaking to you from His Word recently, and how has this helped you? 

3. Worship together

Let’s begin our time together by lifting our eyes and hearts to worship our great God. Perhaps you have readings and songs that you would like to use together. Let’s be open to the gifts that the Spirit wants to give in order to encourage one another.

4. Study and pray together

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 continued our series, Fresh Vision From Jesus’ Prayer, and continued our three-week focus on John 17:20-26, the second section of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, where we will see that Jesus wants to lead us in reaching our community with the gospel. 

Read John 17:20–26 together and discuss:

• What particularly spoke to you, challenged you or inspired you from Sunday’s message?

• Our message on Sunday was: Salvation Is A Miracle, And We Are To Co-Work With Him As Spiritual Midwives. In what ways can we co-work with God in seeking to bring people to Him? 

• Jesus prays, ‘I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message’ (John 17:20). If someone expressed an interest in Christianity, how would you briefly explain the gospel to them?

• Prayer and sharing the gospel are both vital. Take a moment to identify and write down the names of the ‘people of peace’ in your life (see the note at the end for help identifying them). Then, commit to praying for them every day, asking God to open their hearts to the gospel and show you how you can love, serve and share Jesus with them.

SIV (Serve, Invest and Invite)

• Have you had any recent opportunities to Serve, Invest in, or Invite someone toward Jesus? Let’s encourage one another by sharing testimonies of God at work through us.

• Pray for the ‘people of peace’ in our lives (see note below), asking God to open their hearts and give us the Love and boldness to share His love as He opens opportunities. 

In our prayers together, let’s pray for a few themes together: 

• Thanks for giving and provision during our recent Gift Days. 

• Continue praying for our upcoming New Ground Sunday on the 8th November - that it would be a great morning that inspires vision for our family of churches. 

• Pray for Little Lambs and Ruth who leads this team - may God give many opportunities to serve, invest and invite. 

• General Prayer: Let’s also pray for one another based on our study, and bringing before God any other needs or requests for prayer.