Shortly after calling his first disciples Jesus sends out 12 to go and teach what they have learned to others. Jesus’ instructions are simple. Go to those who welcome you, share about Jesus, pray for those present. The disciples return to Jesus with stories of miraculous things happening and lives being changed. Jesus invites us to join the places that he is already moving, and to share the stories of how we see God on the move.

In Acts 15 we see one of the first large church gatherings. Their agenda was to answer this question: who is part of this group? The disciples start with a long list of things that matter to them, but quickly narrow the list to just a few items. That belonging in Jesus should not be an overwhelming list of dos and don’t, but focus around a few core things that define an alongsider.

I am a Pastor. I am a Father. I am a husband. We all have I am statements about who we are in this world. One of the easiest ones is to say I am what I do. I am my job, I am the activities that I participate in, and in Luke 10 Jesus helps to remind us that while work, serving, and caring for others are all important, none of those should define who we are.