Sunday Setup – Matthew 28:19-20

Hey, Cross Church family and welcome to the Sunday setup. This is our time each week where we digitally gather on Thursdays at 2:00 across our social media platforms to focus our hearts on this Sunday's passage to prepare ourselves for how we will preach through, how we will praise through, how we will pray through a piece of scripture so we can practice it next week. Today we are continuing on in our series through the great commission. And I want us to and we're going to bounce around and read some other verses this week, but I want us to just focus on these this two verses of the great commission in three very specific areas that Jesus calls out about what our mission is and how it affects how we operate as a church. But here's the great commission in Matthew 28 19. He says, "Go therefore." And he says, "Make disciples of all nations." But this is how we are to make disciples. This is what this means. He says right here, this is Jesus talking to the church. You are to be baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. You are to be teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you and remember I am with you always to the end of the age. You see Jesus says three things in there. He says we are to baptize. We are to teach. And that is what disciples are is when we baptize people saying you know Jesus you teach them who Jesus is and what that fully means. And then he encourages them that throughout this process he's always going to be there. And I think that is kicks off our first prayer prompt. This prayer prompt of praise of just thinking of how Jesus is with us despite how hard stuff can be in our life life. And I want to just have this prayer of thanksgiving is Jesus, thank you for being with me despite Jesus, thank you for being with me despite the anxiety I feel about my job. Jesus, thank you for being with me despite the chaos of our world and all the scary stuff that's happened that is beyond our control. Jesus, thank you for being with me despite the sin that I run back to. Jesus, thank you for being with me despite. Pray those prayers to our God. Heat. Heat. Jesus, thank you for being with us despite our sin, despite our struggles. God, despite the fact that we live in a broken world and people are hurting, but you are with us every step of the way. Jesus, we thank you that as you promise us, you are with us always. And we remember that. We give you praise and thanksgiving for that. But it doesn't stop there. We see this commission. We are to baptize and we are to teach. And when we baptize and we teach, we are making disciples. We are making Jesus known. And as we reflect on this, I want us to think in our personal spheres of influence. Who do we need to baptize? Who do we need to teach? Maybe you have children, you have family members, you have neighbors that you are praying to get baptized, praying to start their journey with Christ. or you have those who have been baptized in your household or in your neighborhoods or in your workplaces that you need to continue to teach and you need to walk alongside. And here's our prayer prompt is God, let me be part of baptizing and teaching blank. Let me be part of baptizing and teaching. Maybe it's sharing the gospel for the first time. Maybe it's sharing the gospel for the hundth time and deepening that relationship. How are we telling people about Christ and helping people live out their faith in Christ? Let's pray this prompt. God, let me be a part of baptizing and teaching blank. Name some of the people in your lives that God has called you to minister to. Heat. Heat. God, let us be part of baptizing and teaching God, our families, those who call Christ Church their home. God, as we see kids, we see students, we see adults come to Christ and make that public profession in your name. Let us celebrate and be a part of those baptisms. God, let us be a part of the teaching of teaching those who have made a profession to you, that have started this Christian journey, but Lord, we are still broken. We are still fallen. God, let us be teaching and aligned with your mission. And God, let us just have this heart to see baptisms, to see teaching happen in just the lives of our city. That we can be captivated by who we can make Jesus known to in surprise. about who we can teach how to follow Christ and Lord that become our rallying cry that become the identity of our church that become what we are known for because we know that when we make disciples by baptizing and teaching Lord it is showing us that we are truly making you known. God be with us as we go into this Sunday of calm the fears that we might bring to the table and God remove the baggage that we carry around us. Let us remember that you are with us always. But God, you are calling us to be a part of your work despite the limitations we have. God, thank you for our church family. God, thank you for what you are doing in this week. And Lord, we just ask that you be with us as you've promised as we come into your presence as we gather together this weekend as a church family. And we lift all this up in Jesus' name. Amen. Hey, thank you guys for joining us. We cannot wait to see you this Sunday as we get to dive into this word of how we will baptize, how we will teach, and how Jesus is with us every step of the way. We'll see you guys this weekend. Take care. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat.