Ownership - one of our values

Key verse

Matthew 28: 16-20

And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had summoned them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.

The eleven disciples went to Galilee. They went to the mountain which Jesus had named. When they saw Jesus, they knelt before him. But some of the disciples had doubts. Jesus came closer and said to the disciples, 'God has given me all power, in heaven and on earth. You must go to all nations, so that everyone can become my disciple. You must baptise people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach the people to obey everything I have told you. And never forget: I am with you always, until the new world comes.''

What is Ownership?

Ownership is: being the owner of something or someone. As an owner, you take responsibility for what you are in charge of. This means that as owner you take care of what you are responsible for. You are accountable to the person who gave you this responsibility.

How do we see this in Jesus?

It is a deep human need to have responsibility. In Genesis 1 and 2 we see how God put this in man. He put man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and maintain it. A responsible, caring and serving task.

In Jesus we see this in the way He travelled with His disciples. In His ministry of three years, Jesus chooses to invest in 12 disciples. He chooses them to become co-owners of His mission. He teaches them everything that is important to be His followers. After His resurrection, Jesus gives 11 of them the responsibility to go out and teach all the nations and make disciples. To baptise them and teach them to keep all the commandments and practices of Jesus. By learning, Jesus' disciples are constantly being changed into the image of Christ.

In the words: 'All power in heaven and earth has been given to me' we see Jesus' God-ness revealed. He has been given power by His Father and is accountable to God the Father. At the same time He divides this responsibility among His followers. In this we see the same thing happening as in Genesis 1 and 2. God wants us humans to be co-owners in His work.

What does this mean for the Alongsiders movement?

For us as the Alongsiders movement, this means that Jesus has given us a clear role and task as Master. As the Alongsiders movement, we want to be obedient to the Master by making people aware of everything Jesus taught us and teaching them to put it into practice.

What does this mean for you as an Alongsider?

For you as an Alongsider, this means that you are given the confidence to take responsibility over the relationship with your younger brother or sister. You are accountable in the group of 5 for everything that happens in this relationship. You are co-owner and co-responsible for ensuring the transparency and integrity of the Alongsider movement.