It is because of who we are in Jesus that we are sent out to practice and proclaim His gospel.

We have defined community groups as a family of disciples on mission, but there is a large difference between a missional lifestyle and a charitable one. When we claim to be on mission, despite the context, we are plugging ourselves into the culture of those we are reaching out to (local or global) and we do so by rearranging our lives to meet the needs of that people or community.

When we look to host only monthly or annual events, we fall more in the line of a charitable act.

These acts are great and needed, but if the event isn’t a catalyst for missional relationships, then we’re really just checking off a box on a list.

Jesus plugged himself into the culture of those he was serving. He spent so much time among the people to where they knew who He was, knew the men He led, and knew what He was all about: the Kingdom.

Discipleship and mission go hand in hand because if we do not have a clear understanding of the gospel, then we are ultimately sending Christians out to get crushed.

During WWII, the Red Army got a hold of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and sent them out to fight the German army with little to no ammunition or weapons in the hopes that the Germans would soon run out of ammunition. While this example is pretty extreme, the principle is similar. If we send unequipped Christians out on mission in our neighborhoods, cities, and beyond, discouragement and failure will soon follow.

Discipleship is a vital element in community because it points us to Jesus, leading us to worship what He has done. It prepares us to be intentional on mission; reaching the lost, serving their needs, and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus, thereby advancing the kingdom.