Two sentences, and one of them is a job description.
Read what He asks them to do first, and what He says He will make them.
Notice the order.
Matthew 4:18-20
Tap a tool, then tap words. Highlight what gets your attention · underline what God is doing or saying · circle a repeated or unfamiliar word.
Read it aloud, then give everyone two minutes to mark it in silence.
Read the passage slowly. Notice what they are doing when He finds them, what He asks, and what He promises to make of them. What details stand out? What surprises you?
And one more, every session of this study: the house instruction already asks you to underline what God is doing. In this study, also circle what the people are doing.
NET Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. netbible.com
What stood out?
Go around the room. Each person reads one thing they marked. If you know why it stood out, say so. If you don’t, “it just stood out” is a complete answer. Nobody explains, nobody corrects.
Your markings are saved on this device and will be here when you come back.
Our purpose and God’s mission
From the very beginning, God’s people were created with purpose. In Genesis, humanity was told to “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28), not as conquerors for themselves, but as partners with God, cultivating life and reflecting His image. Israel was later called to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6), blessed to be a blessing (Genesis 12:2-3).
Jesus fulfills this calling and extends it to His disciples. His invitation is simple but costly: “Follow me.” Our purpose doesn’t begin with what we do, it begins with who we follow. As we belong to Him, He sends us into His mission: “I will make you fishers of men.”
Mission is not first about a role or a project; it’s about relationship. God calls us to Himself, and from that identity as beloved sons and daughters, He sends us to join Him.
Christopher J. Wright puts it this way: “It is not so much the case that God has a mission for his church in the world, as that God has a church for his mission in the world.” Mission belongs to God; we are invited to participate.
N.T. Wright reminds us that mission flows from hope: “The resurrection of Jesus is the launch of God’s new creation... our task in the present is to live as resurrection people in between Easter and the final day.”
Mission means participating in God’s rule and reign, breaking into the world:
Proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom. (Mark 1:15)
Demonstrating the Kingdom through justice, compassion, healing, and deliverance. (Matthew 10:7-8)
Living as signs of the Kingdom, a Spirit-filled community of reconciliation, generosity, and hope. (Acts 2:42-47)
Mission isn’t reserved for missionaries. It happens in our everyday spaces: a workplace, a classroom, a family dinner table, a neighborhood. It looks like praying for a friend, advocating for the vulnerable, sharing a meal, or telling someone why your hope is in Jesus.
Read this one out loud.
Discussion questions
- What do you notice about Jesus’ call in Matthew 4?
- Why is it important that mission begins with who we are (identity) before what we do (activity)?
- Where do you see “mission” happening in ordinary ways around you?
- Which part of Kingdom mission (proclaiming, demonstrating, living as a sign) feels most natural for you? Which feels like a stretch?
- Where might God be inviting you to step into His mission this week?
Write it out.
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Let’s pray together
Read Matthew 4:18-20 aloud again, slowly.
Pray together: “Come, Holy Spirit. Send us where You are already at work.”
In pairs or groups of 3 or 4, pray for: clarity in identity as God’s child; courage to join God’s mission in everyday spaces; compassion for specific people God brings to mind.
Leave space to listen: is there a person, place, or need God is highlighting? Share and pray over it together.
Leave space for silence, listening, and Spirit-led prayer. If someone senses a word, a Scripture, or a picture for another, offer it gently and pray into it.
Let’s pray
Breakthrough is when God’s Kingdom breaks into your reality: His healing where there is pain, His freedom where there is bondage, His presence where there is loneliness. Jesus is King; His freedom, peace and purpose are available now. Pray from that Kingdom, not toward it.
Be still for a moment. Open your hands and simply pray: “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Read Matthew 4:18-20 aloud again, slowly. Pray: “Come, Holy Spirit. Send me where You are already at work.” Ask for clarity about who you are, courage for the ordinary places you already go, and compassion for whoever comes to mind. Then leave space to listen. Is there a person, place, or need God is highlighting? Write the name down and pray for it this week.
You can pray more than once. Stay present, and trust that God is at work. Take your time; there is no hurry.
Choose one. Say it out loud so someone else hears it.
Next time you gather, share what you practiced and how God used it, not for pressure but for encouragement.
The reminder downloads as a calendar event. Open it and it lands on your calendar for tomorrow morning.
Back into the passage
You have the teaching now. Go back with it, on your own this week or right now:
For this session
Humanity created with purpose.
Blessed to be a blessing.
A kingdom of priests.
The Great Commission.
Jesus announces His mission.
You will be my witnesses.
Ambassadors of reconciliation.
A Spirit-filled community.
Done.
Our activity flows from our identity. We are God’s children, called to Him first, and then sent with Him into His mission of love and restoration.