There is this really interesting comment Jesus makes in John 5v16-30; in doing so, He provides us with a practical tool which becomes important when following the leading of the Holy Spirit. For the purpose of this article we will jump right into the heart of the text.

17 But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” … 19 “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. (John 5:17, 19 NLT)

Everything about Jesus was received from and calibrated to His Father …

Jesus focused on doing the things He saw the Father doing.
Jesus looked for people and places where the Father was already at work.
Jesus said, “The truth is that the Son does nothing on His own; all these actions are led by the Father. The Son watches the Father closely and then mimics the work of the Father.” (John 5:19 The Voice)

This is huge for those of us living out the Person of Peace Strategy and serves as the starting point for everything we do in this approach. When seeking and saving those who are lost, we start with doing what the Father does and pay attention for the signs of where He is already at work.

Jesus remains the archetypal expression of humanity as God intended it. In his book, Metanoia, Alan Hirsch says, “Jesus is God’s way of being human, and he sets the archetypal pattern for us to follow. Christ’s whole life in all its aspects must supply the norm for the life of the following Christian, and thus, for the life of the whole church.”

Whether in a church gathering on Sunday morning, at work on Tuesday afternoon, or sitting in a restaurant on a Friday evening, Jesus would be looking for signs of where the Father is already at work. In short, He would search for something that looks like what the Father would be involved in: a place where hope is needed or peace is absent, someone is in need of an encouraging word, or an opportunity to share a bit of love.

Jesus looks for what the Father is doing and then joins Him in whatever it is.

And so should we … instead of trying to create or make ministry happen we should watch for where the Father is already at work in a person’s life or situation. When we see it, we jump in to discover how we might be of service.

We cannot underscore this enough … living out the missionary approach means we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit who opens our eyes and provides insights beyond our natural observation to know.

He shows us someone who is searching for God, wanting to trust in God, or maybe believing for the impossible.
He does amazing things like heal bodies, souls, and minds.
He puts marriages and families back together.
He pulls people from the depths of despair as depression, anxiety, grief, and much more try to pull them down for the count.

We are talking about Isolated, lost people in need of grace, mercy, hope, and life. There is absolutely incredible stuff He is already doing for people, and He invites us to join in.

Jesus went on to say, “I have never acted, and will not in the future act, on My own. I listen to the directions of the One who sent Me and act on these divine instructions. For this reason, My judgement is always fair and never self serving. I’m committed to pursuing God’s agenda and not My own.” (John 5:30-31 The Voice)

Jesus taught His followers to see the world with a God’s-eye point of view, and they did; they followed the Jesus way.

This is what’s been passed to us. It’s what we have been given to reproduce in others. Hey, this disciple-making stuff is so doable and it works. The pressure is all on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit … they create, engage, and go to work in the lives of those isolated, hurting people and bring healing, deliverance, and salvation to them.

We just see where God is at work and join Him. Then we see what we can do to lend a helping hand, share some love, or offer to be a listening ear. We assist the Holy Spirit as we put physical interaction with others to work.

Here’s the thing … it doesn’t always look the way we thought it should look, feel the way we thought it would feel, sound the way we thought it would sound, or happen where we thought it might happen. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to give us His discernment so we can join the Father and find how we might best serve in this person’s life.

We think this is the Jesus way, and it means we can’t blindly go through life. We must pay attention. We must be alert and become aware of what God is doing. We must notice how He is doing it and join Him in using the same method we see the Father using. It’s the Jesus way in this missionary life we live.

Alan Hirsch writes, “Therefore, instead of ministry being all about human ingenuity and what we can do for God, it is more about discovering what God is already doing, and - considering our gifts and resources - discerning how he wants us to join him.”

We just need to step out and do what we see Jesus doing ,and we will end up doing what He saw the Father do. It’s disciple-making and it works!

Missionary Recalibration Tools