Filled and Sent: Introducing our theme of Missional Discipleship

Earlier this year at Wildfires Festival, one of the preachers shared a picture that has stayed with me. The illustration was simple yet powerful.

Imagine walking into a shop to buy a bicycle and finding one that looks ideal. The frame is perfect, it has all the features that you wanted. However, it hasn’t yet had its wheels attached. You buy it, and while the shop assistant heads off to fetch the wheels, you decide it’s close enough to what you wanted and go home with it as it is!

In this illustration, the wheels of the bike represented the Holy Spirit. A life of following Jesus without the Holy Spirit is like that wheel-less bike! It may look the part but without the Spirit, it lacks the power and movement it was designed for. The Spirit of God is not an optional extra to the Christian life; He is the one who gives it movement and life.

The image has stayed with me because, as a church, we are spending a few months exploring what we’re calling Missional Discipleship. Earlier in the year we looked at Personal Discipleship, then Communal Discipleship, and now we’re asking what it means to join Jesus in His mission. But here’s the challenge: if we talk about mission and discipleship without depending on the Holy Spirit, we’re simply admiring the frame and forgetting the wheels.

What Happens When God’s Kingdom Comes?

To anchor this theme, we’re looking at Isaiah 61 and Luke 4. In Luke 4, Jesus reads Isaiah’s words:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,because He has anointed me…”

In the verses that follow, Jesus uses the opening lines of Isaiah 61 to declare what He has been anointed to do. Isaiah 61 paints a picture of what it looks like when God’s kingdom breaks into the world:

• Good news for the poor

• Healing for the broken-hearted

• Freedom for captives

• Comfort for mourners

• Beauty instead of ashes

• Joy instead of despair

• Restoration and justice

If that is what the kingdom of God looks like, then it truly is good news because this is exactly what our world is longing for! Everywhere we look there is a deep hunger for hope, justice, peace and healing. The message of Jesus is not a niche spiritual interest reserved for a few; it is the answer to the ache of humanity.

The Mission Is Bigger Than Us

Jesus lived out Isaiah 61 in word and deed, and then empowered His followers to continue His work. That’s what we mean by missional discipleship: ordinary people carrying the heart and mission of Jesus into every part of life.

Here at Pathways Church, we long to see glimpses of Isaiah 61 here in our own community. But if we’re honest, most of us feel our weakness. Life is full. We get tired. We feel like we should be doing better, praying more, making more of a difference.

But Scripture gives us a freeing perspective:

“We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”2 Corinthians 4:7

We are jars of clay. Fragile, limited and imperfect. But the treasure inside us, the presence of God, is where the power lies. The goal was never for us to become impressive. It was for His Spirit to be seen through ordinary people.

Filled and Sent

Before sending His disciples, Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit. We are indeed called to go, but we are also called to wait to be filled before we are sent. Missional Discipleship was never meant to be fuelled by effort alone, but by the empowering presence of the Spirit.

Tim Hughes captures this beautifully in his song God of Justice, where the simple bridge declares, “Fill us up and send us out.” That’s our heart too.

Looking Ahead

As we explore Isaiah 61 and Luke 4 together over the coming weeks, let’s not approach it just to learn more, but to be stirred. To say, “Lord, fill us again with Your Spirit. Give us fresh compassion, fresh joy, fresh courage.”

As we move towards gathering every Sunday from 1st February, we believe this will be a season of fresh life and opportunity. Our prayer is simple:

Holy Spirit, bring power and movement.

Fill us up and send us out.