1. Enjoy breakfast with class organized by __________.
2. Teacher to comment about the purpose of a Commissioning Service
3. Paraphrase wording on Plaque and make Presentation of it
4. Comment from _____________ if desired
4. __________ to take pics of class and persons that participate in event
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NOTES:
Class, we just studied about Epaphroditus.
Why was Epaphroditus so important?
1. He is the reason we can read from the book of Philippians. He hand delivered the letter from Paul to the church at Philippi.
2. He is the first recorded short-term missionary in the Bible sent out by a local church / congregation.
The word “messenger” that Paul used is a term that means one commissioned and sent out. The believers at Philippi saw a need in the missionary ministry of Paul that they could meet. And they met that need through Epaphroditus. They ‘commissioned’ him and sent him out.
By commissioning, we simply mean that we publicly:
-Identified these fellow workers as the right ones to meet the need for gospel expansion in ___________.
-Share that opportunity with the LG.
-Sent them out in Jesus name.
Epaphroditus paved the way for so many of us who’ve followed in his footsteps to be commissioned and sent out of a fellowship to join in God’s activity beyond our local context.
Since Epaphroditus, there have been untold thousands of individuals and teams sent out short-term and long-term from believers all over the world to serve, and this idea of commissioning is an important part of the process.
Can we think of Commissioning in two ways.
1. Believe in lifestyle commissioning. The kingdom principle that God wants to use your job, skill and passion to engage in His global mission everyday.
2. Short-term or Long-term service outside our local life group: a. We share the area of ministry of focus. b. We we lay hands on them, pray over them and send them.
Believing that’s exactly what happened with Epaphroditus, we are simply following in the pattern of the early church to “commission” those we are sending out.
The importance of this moment that we call commissioning is really six-fold:
1. It’s biblical — It’s simply following the Biblical pattern. The more we can follow the example of the early church, the better off we will be.
2. It’s visionary — When God births a Life Group Extension, it’s always born for something bigger. Commissioning allows others in our group to see the bigger picture of what God is doing.
3. It’s affirming — It allows us to affirm the gifting and calling of God in the individual or team being sent.
4. It’s convicting — It allows the Holy Spirit to use the testimony of those being commissioned to challenge others in our LG to use the gifts and abilities by joining in God’s kingdom activity.
5. It’s inviting — It invites others to join in what God is doing in the life of those being commissioned, through prayer and generosity. This is a great opportunities to join in on what God is doing.
6. It’s celebrative— We are celebrating that God is allowing our LG to join in His activity.
So, when you get to heaven and run into Epaphroditus, be sure to thank him for his impact on our LG.
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