Jesus and Parties - A Model for Mission

Building relational bridges means doing what would be most attractive for your lost friends.

The goal is to create natural environments where relationships grow deeper, community can be formed, and you can identify those who are most open to spiritual conversations and experiences.

For simplicity, we label these interactions ‘parties’, as they can take many forms depending on your context, personality, and resources. Here are a few examples of what a ‘party’ might be:

• 35 people celebrating a birthday in your home
• You and a colleague having a cup of coffee (or, if you really love Jesus, a cup of tea!)
• Half a dozen friends playing board games all evening
• Colleagues gathering to watch a sporting event
• Young families playing in a pool or at the beach on a summer’s day
• Gathering around a fire pit to chat and socialize one evening
• Having a few friends round for a meal

REMEMBER: The form matters less than the purpose - which is building deeper relationships.

Introvert-led parties are very much part of this too! The scale might be smaller or more intimate, but the same values still hold true. The key is to create space where authentic connections can take place.

We view any form of party that we throw as carrying sacramental possibilities, since our prayer is that it will be a space where grace is found and Jesus can be encountered.

Jesus was constantly creating these spaces. For instance, Jesus:

• Turned water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:1-11)
• Healed many who came to Peter’s mother-in-law’s home (Mark 1:29-34)
• Ate in Levi's home surrounded by tax collectors (Mark 2:13-17)
• Dined with Zacchaeus and many rejected ones (Luke 19:1-10)
• Hung out with the disciples, way before they’d become Christians (Matthew 12:1)
• Fed thousands on a hillside (Luke 9:10-17)

Each interaction became an opportunity for Kingdom breakthrough.

Jesus embodied grace by creating space for the lost to belong before they had to believe the right things or behave in the right ways. He wasn’t afraid that their brokenness would infect Him! Instead, He knew that the Spirit at work in and through Him was far greater than any power of the enemy.

Our culture today still longs for that sort of connection, community, and acceptance. That means that the ‘parties’ you organize - every meal, every coffee, every gathering round the fire, whether with 2 or 20 or 200 others - is an opportunity to reveal the love of Jesus. That in turn becomes a bridge into deeper things.

Your Next Steps

1. What kind of ‘party’ could you host that would be natural and enjoyable for your context? Start simple, such as inviting someone to join you on a walk or for a drink.
2. Write down names of 2-3 people or families who don't know Jesus that you could invite to something in the next month.
3. Think about the last ‘party’ you organized. How did it reflect (or miss) the heart of Jesus?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for pursuing an everlasting relationship with me. I want to be someone who welcomes others like You do. Give me creativity to build bridges with those who don't yet know You. Show me what types of gatherings would create natural spaces for connection in my context, and how to see meals and get-togethers as sacred spaces for mission. Give me courage to reach out, and humility to serve. Amen.