SENT TO OUR CITY: More Than Convenient

Big Idea: Because Jesus is Lord, his church is a Spirit-empowered community that speaks the gospel across cultures, forms disciples who are sent, and serves the city sacrificially—especially when it’s inconvenient.

Introduction: A missionary church in a “consumer” age

Family, the gravitational pull of every church is toward comfort and consumption. But the Spirit pushes us outward—toward people, not preference; mission, not maintenance; sacrifice, not convenience. Just look at where God has placed us. Brampton is young, fast-growing, and wildly diverse. In 2021 our city counted 656,480 people (up 10.6% since 2016). It’s one of the most immigrant-rich places in Canada, with households representing hundreds of ethnic origins; Punjabi is the leading non-official mother tongue locally. In short: the nations are our neighbours.

And the needs of our region are real. In 2023, 22.9% of Peel residents experienced some level of food insecurity; the 2024 living wage is $26/hour, while average rents require roughly $40/hour to afford. Mission in Brampton isn’t hypothetical—it’s at the doorstep.

Globally, Christianity’s centre of gravity keeps shifting to the Global South and to cities. That means the Great Commission runs right through multicultural cities like ours.

Illustration (Titanic lifeboats): In 1912, when the Titanic went down, there weren’t enough lifeboats for everyone. Survivors recall how some boats rowed away half-empty, while hundreds drowned in the icy Atlantic. One survivor later testified that the haunting memory was not just of those who died—but of the lifeboats that stayed comfortable, unwilling to turn back for fear of being swamped. Brothers and sisters, the church cannot be a half-empty lifeboat while a city drowns around us. We’ve been rescued by Christ, and now we row back into the cold for others.

That’s why Acts 11 matters. Antioch was a city a lot like ours—diverse, bustling, spiritually plural. And in that city, God built a missionary church. Let’s see what it looked like.

Point 1 — Scattered but Speaking (Acts 11:19–21)

Text: The church gets scattered by suffering. Ordinary believers—not apostles—start “speaking the word” to Greeks in Antioch. “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number…believed.”

Exegesis:

God uses hardship (v.19) to move his people into new neighbourhoods. Persecution becomes propulsion.

Mission begins with ordinary speech about an extraordinary Savior (v.20). This is not a marketing plan; it’s everyday people opening their mouths.

The growth is ultimately God’s hand (v.21). Our faithfulness; his fruit.

John Stott puts it this way: “The chief agents in the expansion of the church were not the ‘professionals’ but ordinary Christians, who expressed their faith in homes and marketplaces.”

Now think about Brampton. We don’t have to cross an ocean to be “cross-cultural.” Eight out of ten of our neighbours identify as visible minorities. The nations are literally across your hallway.

“Church, we are not an audience to be entertained; we’re an army to be deployed. The Great Commission doesn’t require a passport; it requires a people who will open their mouths.”

Applications (Do this this week):

Name three people from different backgrounds you already see weekly (school, work, gym). Pray for them by name and initiate one gospel conversation.

Practice table hospitality. Share a meal with someone unlike you. Let your table become your first mission field.

Learn a hello. Greet your neighbours in their heart language (start with “Sat Sri Akal,” “Namaste,” or “As-salāmu ʿalaykum”). Love learns.

Point 2 — Formed to Send (Acts 11:22–26; 13:1–3)

Text: Jerusalem sends Barnabas to see the grace of God in Antioch. He exhorts them to remain faithful; he brings Saul; they teach for a year; the believers are first called Christians there. Later, the Spirit sends from this teaching church (13:1–3).

Exegesis:

Mission needs encouragers (v.23) and teachers (v.26). Evangelism without formation burns out; formation without mission dries up.

The Antioch pattern is gospel formation → Spirit sending. The more we’re discipled, the more we’re deployed.

Their identity (“Christians”) emerges as a public witness—a visible, countercultural people in the city.

Illustration (Canadian trend): Across Canada, “regular attendance” has been declining for decades; in 2022 only about one in five self-identifying Christians attended monthly or more. What does a missionary church do? It bucks that trend—not by guilt, but by grace-driven formation that sends people into the city. cardus.caAngus Reid Institute

Applications:

Plant yourself in Word-saturated community (Sunday worship, mid-week group). Formation fuels mission.

Train as you go. Join an evangelism cohort or mercy-ministry team; get reps sharing your story and Jesus’ story.

Identify one “sent” next step. Maybe it’s leading an ESL conversation circle, joining a newcomer-welcome team, or coaching youth sports as a gospel presence.

N.T. Wright says it like this: “The church exists primarily for two closely correlated purposes: to worship God and to work for his kingdom in the world. It is not for itself.”

Matt-Chandler-style push: “If you’ve been around here twelve months and no one’s asked you to carry weight, that’s on us. But if we’ve asked and you’ve ghosted—brother, sister, you’re leaving joy on the table.”

Point 3 — Saved to Serve (Acts 11:27–30)

Text: Prophets foretell a famine. The Antioch church immediately gives, each according to ability, sending relief to Judea.

This is huge. They didn’t wait until they were rich. They didn’t restrict generosity to their own group. A Gentile church sends relief to Jewish believers. Mercy was not extra credit; it was central to their mission.

John Calvin comments: “It is the duty of the godly to relieve the wants of their brethren, and that according to their ability.”

Exegesis:

The Spirit creates a church that sees need and meets need—fast.

Mercy is not extra credit; it’s mission. Their generosity crosses ethnic lines (Gentile Antioch to Jewish Jerusalem).

“Each according to ability” dignifies both sacrifice and prudence.

Now let’s tie back to that Titanic image. Some lifeboats rowed away half-empty while others drowned. Antioch could have done the same—“We’re just getting started, we don’t have enough, let’s look after ourselves.” But instead, they turned back toward need. They gave what they had, crossing cultural and geographic lines, to relieve suffering. That’s the difference between a consumer church and a missionary church.

Illustration (History & Now): From the early centuries, Christians became known for running toward suffering. Historians recount how believers nursed the sick during ancient plagues, often at real cost; by the fourth century, Basil of Caesarea built the Basiliad—a complex to care for the poor and sick—marrying word and deed in the city. That’s not nostalgia; it’s our family story. And our neighbours today face food insecurity and housing pressure—right here. PMCHektoen InternationalPeel Region

Applications:

Budget for mercy. Build a line in your family budget and in our church budget for Brampton’s vulnerable (newcomers, single-parent homes, seniors, those experiencing homelessness).

Serve consistently, not sporadically. Pick one outlet (tutoring, food support, newcomer settlement, housing advocacy) and show up weekly for 90 days.

Advocate quietly, love loudly. Learn the real costs families are carrying (living wage, rent burden) and be a non-anxious presence who helps. Peel Region

Matt-Chandler-style push: “Comfort will kill your calling. But when you open your hands—time, table, wallet—the Spirit opens doors and hearts.”

Gospel Motivation

Jesus is the sent One who crossed an infinite distance to seek and save us (John 20:21). He embraced holy inconvenience—incarnation, cross, tomb—so that we could be forgiven and filled with the Spirit. If grace found us when we were strangers, then mission is simply grace moving through us to our city.

A Simple Pathway for Our Church (Brampton-specific)

Pray regularly: A weekly list of neighbours and nations represented on your street.

Share boldly: One gospel conversation each week—your story + Jesus’ story.

Serve sacrificially: Choose one concrete mercy practice (meal train, homework club, newcomer welcome, food support) and calendar it.

Give generously: “Each according to ability” toward mission and local mercy.

Go cross-culturally: Join ESL/settlement help; learn names, festivals, and hopes of your neighbours (start with Punjabi/Gujarati/Urdu speakers—the largest non-official language communities here). GeoHub

Discussion & Response

Where has God already placed you among the nations in Brampton? Name faces, not just statistics.

What “inconvenience” most resists the Spirit’s sending—time, fear, money, comfort? Confess it; ask for help.

Which mercy lane will your group adopt for the next 90 days? Put it on the calendar before you leave.

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, as the Father sent you, send us. Give us Antioch hearts in Brampton—bold mouths, formed lives, and open hands. Put your hand on us (Acts 11:21). Save many. Lift burdens. Make us more than consumers—make us your missionary family. Amen.”

Pathway Outline

Phase 1 – Foundations (Months 1–3)

Goal: Grounding in gospel, character, and biblical eldership.

Weekly Study:

Gospel Eldership (Robert Thune) — one chapter per week

Scripture focus: 1 Timothy 3, Titus 1, 1 Peter 5

Monthly Cohort:

Case studies on shepherding & discipline

Prayer for the church and Brampton

Self-assessment in light of elder qualifications

Practice:

Lead prayer or devotion in missional community

Begin personal discipleship triad (1–2 younger men)

Phase 2 – Shepherding & The Word (Months 4–6)

Goal: Develop ability to shepherd through Word, prayer, and counsel.

Weekly Study:

Continue Gospel Eldership

Supplement with Psalms, John 10, Acts 20

Monthly Cohort:

Training in counseling, conflict resolution, and pastoral care

Role-playing elder conversations (e.g., church discipline, suffering, doubt)

Practice:

Preach/teach once in missional community

Shadow elder in pastoral care visit

Write a reflection: “What is a shepherd?”

Phase 3 – Mission & Leadership (Months 7–9)

Goal: Form leaders who engage Brampton missionally and equip others.

Weekly Study:

Gospel Eldership (completion)

Missional theology: Great Commission (Matt. 28), Acts, Soma/Saturate resources

Monthly Cohort:

Training in leading missional communities

Integrating evangelism, discipleship, and mercy ministry

Practice:

Lead a missional community gathering with intentional mission focus

Plan and execute a neighborhood outreach/service project

Share testimonies of God at work in the city

Phase 4 – Integration & Assessment (Months 10–12)

Goal: Confirm calling, readiness, and gifting for eldership.

Weekly Study:

Review key learnings

Work through elder case studies from church history and contemporary issues

Monthly Cohort:

Panel with current elders: Q&A and assessment

Training in team eldership, plurality, and decision-making

Practice:

Preach or teach in Sunday gathering (evaluated by elders)

Lead elder-level shepherding conversation

Written reflection: “Why do I believe I am (or am not) called to eldership?”

Assessment & Confirmation

Character: Evaluated by peers, family, and current elders

Doctrine: Written statement of faith + oral defense with elders

Shepherding & Leadership: Observation in missional community, pastoral care, and teaching/preaching

Mission: Demonstrated fruit in engaging Brampton with gospel witness

At the end of the year, elders prayerfully discern whether to recommend candidate(s) for recognition as elders in the congregation.

Resources

Primary Text: Robert Thune, Gospel Eldership

Secondary Resources:

Jeff Vanderstelt, Saturate

Soma “Missional Community Roadmap”

Scripture: 1 Tim. 3, Titus 1, 1 Pet. 5, Acts 20

Integration with Church of the City’s Vision

This pathway reflects our identity as a gospel-centered, Spirit-empowered, missional church in Brampton. Elders-in-training will:

Love God through Word, prayer, holiness, and shepherding.

Love one another by equipping the body in discipleship and care.

Love their city by engaging Brampton with mission, justice, and mercy.