Gathering to Mission

Gatherers have been around for 2,000 years or more. They have been starting churches for 2,000 years.

How pervasive is the idea of gathering to Jesus’ mission?

There are twenty Greek words that translate the semantic concept in the New Testament of “gathering to mission” (Gathering to Mission, p. 42 to begin). These twenty words appear 183 times. 155 of these occurrences refer to gathering to Jesus’ mission, which is what a gatherer does (Gathering to Movement, p 57 to begin).

A gatherer gathers people into Jesus’ mission. Examples occur throughout the New Testament. The concept is truly the fabric of the New Testament. One verse sums it up well:

Matthew 12:30 – He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters (NASB).

This verse appears in the hard context of the unpardonable sin. In this setting Jesus challenges listeners to understand that we have a responsibility to gather to His mission.

The word translated “gather” in Matthew 12:30 is the dominant word used to communicate the idea of “gather to mission” – sunago. This defines the type of gathering He intends in this difficult passage.

Some of us are VERY good at it, but all of us are gatherers to some degree.

Who are you able to gather to Jesus’ mission?

With whom would you like to work to gather people to Jesus’ mission?

Are you a gatherer? Take the assessment.

Questions? Let’s talk.