The Saints: Sent Saints

How the Church can quietly fill every part of our cities

Return

Hello Everybody and welcome back to “The Holy Go!”

Today we continue our “THE SAINTS” series where we are looking at a Jesus shaped approach to discipleship and spiritual formation.

If last week looked at the “art” of abounding in love, today is the “science” of abounding in love and how Church forms. I hope it inspires you to be the Church wherever you are!

Equip

What do we do next?

The first Church that Sarah and I led was in Country Victoria. When we ran an evangelism conference to equip our people to reach the city we didn’t realise what would happen.

The first weekend a youth in her first year of High School led a friend to the Lord. The two of them approached me after the Sunday meeting and said,

“What do we do next?”

I simply replied,

“How many more friends do you have?”

They smiled at me and then over the course of the next month or two they helped dozens of young people respond to Jesus.

One day she gave us an update. Apparently she had been quite busy at School and told me something along these lines,

“Around 30 people have prayed to respond to Jesus, but only 20 are seriously following Him. Each day we gather together, we pray, and reach out to our classmates. Some days we spend lunch looking for those who have no friends and we be there friend. Other days we share our lunch, or pray for one another, worship or do a Bible Study.”

Stunned, I asked her,

“That’s amazing! How did you know to do all of this?”

Her reply was simple and profound:

“We just do what you do.”

She had simply looked at the shape of Church and tried to copy it in her School.

This simple story is a great example of Church…

Church in Scripture

When we look at “Church” in Scripture we see 4 different types of Church, yet they are all considered Church:

The Saints.
Believers were known as The Church. You and I are The Church. These saints were sent to set tables, or create spaces for people to encounter and experience God.
(E.g. 1 Corinthians 1:2)

The Church that meets in ____ house.
Church is also seen as gatherings of saints meeting in homes. As people encounter Jesus, they didn’t just stay individuals, they began to gather and form spiritual families. Whether in homes, along riverbanks, or in halls, these were families of faith learning to follow Jesus together.
(E.g Romans 16:3–5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Philemon 1:1–2 etc)

The Church in *City Name*.
Church was also known as “all” the saints and “households/spiritual families” combined. Together they made up “The Church in The City.” This was not necessarily a weekly gathering, rather it referred to all the saints and spiritual families in that city.
(E.g 1 Corinthians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1 etc)

The Church.
Finally, we see that all the saints and groups around the entire world are called, “The Church.” This is the worldwide body of Christ.
(E.g Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 1:22–23 etc)

We can see from this progression that The Church could be described like this:

We are SAINTS,
sent to set TABLES,
form HOUSEHOLDS,
and be THE CHURCH in [CITY].”

The Invitation

What would it look like if this wasn’t just something we understood, but something we actually lived?

If every saint believed they were sent to set tables and create everyday spaces where people can encounter Jesus…

If every table, home, school, and workplace became the birth place of another spiritual family…

What if we caught the same simple instinct as that young student in Country Victoria, who didn’t overcomplicate anything, but just “did what Church does”.

Church wouldn’t be something we attend.
It would be something that multiplies.
Spiritual families would form naturally.
And the Church would quietly fill every part of our cities.

This is the invitation:
to be the Church… and see the Church everywhere.

Lord, may it be so!

Activate

This week, don’t think “Where is the Church?” Instead ask, “Where am I setting the table?”

Choose one simple, intentional way to create space for someone to encounter Jesus or experience His love: invite someone for a meal, check in on someone who feels alone, pray with a friend, or gather a few people and begin a spiritual family rhythm.

Start small. Stay faithful.

And remember: every table you set is a seed of Church being formed.

Let’s Go!