I failed miserably the first time I attempted to lead a Discovery study.

I did everything I was supposed to. I prepared a list of people I wanted to invite personally but, in the end, I chickened out and only called the few that I thought would definitely say yes. 

One person showed up to one lesson of the whole study. 

It was a discouraging experience and I wanted to give up on the whole “proclaim Jesus” thing altogether. It was my natural response to something I thought I wasn’t good at.

But when I told some of the people I knew who had done it before, they didn’t seem bothered. In fact, they never even considered that it might not be for me. They told me, that’s what happens. They told me hosting a group is not all on me—it’s on God. 

Deciding to share Jesus with others leads to a lot of questions. If I proclaim Jesus by leading Alpha or Discovery, will God move? Will people respond to my invitation? Will they like my food? Will they come back again? And, will they say yes to following Jesus?

It’s in the questioning where we begin to reduce the possible outcome of our mission to small expectations.

But there is a better way. Instead of starting with the “what if” questions, start with an expectation that God can do something great and let your actions follow.

I think of baseball players. They step up to the plate, expecting to get a hit, but even the best batters get a hit less than half of the time. Mission should be approached the same way—starting with the expectation that God will move powerfully. 

By God’s grace, my community was there to encourage me. They gave me good advice from their own experience and I was able to learn from my mistakes and try again.

Years later I was leading a Discovery study in downtown Vancouver with a number of businessmen. They ranged from young to old; they were business owners, engineers, real estate developers, and lawyers. I would often get discouraged when someone cancelled at the last minute, or someone wasn’t showing interest in the study. Focusing on relationship and asking the Holy Spirit for boldness, I called one of the participants to meet outside of the study. We met for lunch and reviewed the lessons that were missed. 

I didn’t know that day would change everything for him. Sitting in a boardroom in one of the largest law firms in Vancouver, I saw God move and a young lawyer say yes to placing Jesus at the centre of his life.

Ephesians 3:20 says “Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

God can and is doing incredible things, despite us. 

In my community so many years ago, I got advice that changed my life and the lives of those around me. These are their three pieces of advice that I now share with you:

Ask for Spirit-Led Boldness

I imagine that the apostles sitting in the upper room were feeling a bit apprehensive with the mission entrusted to them. 

However, when they received the Holy Spirit, these apostles became missionaries who began to proclaim Jesus and perform miracles. The same Holy Spirit that came down on the apostles is available to us. Asking for Spirit-led boldness is asking the Holy Spirit to lead us into conversations, provide opportunities to witness with irresistible faith, and boldly invite our friends and family to join our Discovery or Alpha.

Take Small Steps with Big Leaps of Faith

Leading Alpha or Discovery can be broken down into a series of small steps (which we are covering in Proclaim training). A small step might be an invitation, but a leap of faith would be who you invite. A small step might be preparing a meal, but a leap of faith would be expecting people to show up to your home. 

One Christian ministry defined successful witnessing as “taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.” I think we can use this definition to define our approve to each step in the mission: “taking the initiative to [insert step here: invite, encourage, lead, proclaim] in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”

I had a friend who wanted to lead a Discovery study at his parish. He was involved in teaching catechism to kids, and saw an opportunity to reach the parents. He met with the Priest about starting one study and ended up starting two—one for moms and one for dads. The neat part about this story? My friend didn’t end up even leading the studies but supporting and training two others to lead. It required multiple steps, invitations, encouragement, and going where the Spirit led but he remained faithful to the great expectation and kept taking steps forward.

Expect Setbacks, but Don’t Equate it with Small Expectations

There will be times where things don’t go as planned. People say no or don’t show up. A meal isn’t prepared on time. Materials are forgotten or a video won’t play. 

We can expect these kinds of things, but don’t let our mistakes stifle expectations of what God can do. Our great expectations should be about how God moves in hearts, rather than how well our programs are executed. 

Remember that your relationship with those you’re reaching out to is more important than how well you execute a program. Allow your relationship to lead others towards the great expectation you have for God to move in their lives.

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