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This Sunday's message came from Ted Ravenold, a missionary supported by First Baptist Jackson who has served in Tanzania with his wife Kim for 33 years. Ted shared what their discipleship team is doing in East Africa and connected that work to a broader understanding of what Christ's blood accomplished on the cross. The message closed with a challenge about how every believer can see their...

Read together

1. Colossians 1:19-20 quoted directly to show Christ reconciling all things through his blood shed on the cross
2. Matthew 25:34-36 quoted to show the king welcoming those who fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, welcomed strangers, clothed the needy, and visited the sick and imprisoned

Talk about it

1. Ted described three relationships that Christ's blood restores: our relationship with God, with other people, and with creation. Which of those three feels most real or alive to you right now, and which one feels hardest to live out?
2. Ted talked about a linear scale from negative ten to positive ten, where our job is to move people closer to Christ rather than to force a decision. Who in your life are you influencing along that scale, and what does that look like day to day?
3. Ted said the Tanzanian disciples he works with are noticed by their neighbors because they are joyful and unafraid, even when people target or despise them. What do the people around you notice about the way you live?
4. Ted drew on Martin Luther and Saint Patrick to argue that there is no real divide between the secular and the spiritual, and that a milkmaid serving butter and milk is serving God just as much as a pastor. How does that sit with you, and does it change how you think about your own work or daily routine?
5. Saint Patrick taught his communities to pray through ordinary physical acts, making a fire, drawing water, lying down at night, as a way of fulfilling the call to pray without ceasing. What would it look like practically for you to build something like that into your own day?