Watch Your Six

Scripture: Matthew 10:16 to 23

Pastor Christy Johnson uses Jesus’ sending of the disciples to examine three vulnerabilities: rescuing everyone, letting offense harden into distance, and living spiritually underfed. Jesus sends his people with discernment, purity, and dependence on the Shepherd.

Matthew 10 describes Jesus sending disciples into a real mission with real opposition. His instruction to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves” holds two things together: the Greek phronimoi means prudent or discerning, while akeraios carries the sense of unmixed or innocent. Jesus is not asking you to become suspicious of everyone; he is asking you to stay alert without becoming cruel. The chapter’s first century setting includes local rejection, public pressure, and the cost of bearing witness, so courage is not the same as rescuing every person or controlling every response. Ephesians 4:31 to 32 calls believers to put away bitterness and practice forgiveness because of the grace they have received in Christ. Matthew 4:4 shows Jesus answering temptation with Scripture, not merely with religious content around him. You need the Word close enough to shape what you notice, what you release, and how you respond. Let the Shepherd care for you so you can love people without pretending to be their savior.

From the message: “Return to the Shepherd’s table.”

Prayer: Shepherd Jesus, give us clear discernment, a heart that can forgive, and a steady hunger for your Word. Help us love people well while trusting you with the work only you can do.

I Just Work Here: Trusting God With His Dream

Scripture: Matthew 16:18 to 19

Jesus invites you to work faithfully on what he has entrusted to you without carrying the illusion that the whole outcome depends on you. You are a steward of the dream, not its savior.

In Matthew 16, Jesus asks his disciples who they believe he is near Caesarea Philippi, a Roman city shaped by imperial power and competing religious claims. Peter names Jesus as Messiah, and Jesus answers, “I will build my church.” The Greek word ekklesia means an assembly or gathered people, not a property or brand; the verb oikodomeō means to build or edify. Notice the subject: Jesus says he will build. That does not make your work small; it puts your work in the right place. Paul later says one plants and another waters, but God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:6 to 7). You can carry responsibility, make wise decisions, and keep showing up without pretending you control the harvest. Give God the pen, then do the next faithful thing in front of you.

From the message: “I just work here.”

Prayer: Jesus, help us trust that you are building what belongs to you. Show each of us the next faithful step, and free us from carrying the outcome alone.

You Don’t Have to Carry the Dream Alone

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1 to 2

You can surrender the outcome without quitting on the work. Keep your eyes on Jesus, receive support, and take the next faithful step instead of letting pressure convince you that everything rests on your shoulders.

Hebrews speaks to believers who need endurance, not a shortcut around difficulty. The writer pictures a race and tells them to lay aside every weight, then fix their eyes on Jesus. The Greek archēgos can mean pioneer, founder, or leader; teleiōtēs points to the one who brings something to its intended completion. Jesus is not merely cheering from the sidelines: he has gone ahead of his people and remains their focus. That gives surrender a strong shape. You still plan, love your family, serve, and make hard choices, but you stop treating anxiety as proof that you care. Peter says to cast your anxieties on God because God cares for you (1 Peter 5:7); that is an invitation to trust, not a promise that every plan will unfold exactly as imagined. Keep your hands open and your feet moving. Faithfulness is your assignment; the final outcome is not yours to control.

From the message: “You don’t have to carry the dream alone.”

Prayer: Jesus, steady us when the future feels heavy. Teach us to receive help, do our part with courage, and trust you with what we cannot control.

Start a conversation

What is one good thing in your life that has started to feel heavy because you think you have to make it all work?

Pray this week

Jesus, help us carry the work you have given us without trying to control the outcome. Give us clear eyes, soft hearts, and a steady appetite for your Word as we learn to care for one another.

Make it personal

Take it into your week.

  1. What dream, responsibility, or relationship are you carrying as if the outcome depends entirely on you, and what would faithful surrender look like this week?
  2. Where do you need both courage and discernment right now, without letting fear or resentment close you off from people?
  3. What are you feeding your inner life with, and what small rhythm could help Scripture shape your decisions rather than simply fill your feed?
  4. How can your crew support one another in staying faithful while remembering that Jesus is the one who builds and sustains his people?
  5. What dream or responsibility have you started carrying as if everything depends on you?
  6. What is one part of that work that is yours to do, and what outcome do you need to release?
  7. How could your crew help you stay faithful without taking over a responsibility God has given you?
  8. When has a meaningful calling begun to feel like a burden you must carry alone?
  9. What would it look like to keep taking responsibility while releasing control of the result?
  10. Who could walk beside you this week, and what specific support would help you keep your eyes on Jesus?
  11. Where are you taking responsibility for someone else in a way that leaves you depleted or resentful?
  12. What hurt needs attention so it does not become a wall between you and other people?
  13. What simple practice could help you personally take in Scripture and let it guide one decision this week?

The original message

Watch Your Six

Watch on YouTube

Explore the source.

This article draws from the original message and study material in The Table. The video is the source for the pastor’s teaching; this reflection is not a verbatim transcript.