Session 1 – What?
- God is on mission. The heart of God must be the heart of His church.
- “To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations with Him.” We have a job, a commission – how are we doing?
- 8 billion people in our world:
- 7,253 unreached people groups.
- 3.4 billion unreached people, or 42%
- Only 15% of muslims even know a Christian
- More practicing muslims in USA that Methodists
- Less than 20% of Asians have any contact with a Christian.
- What is God’s heart? What does God see when He looks out?
- We have been commissioned, we can’t sit on the sidelines… make no mistake, He is prompting you because you are His people. A calling, a responsibility, a commission… to share His heart.
Commission #1: The Commission to Evangelize – Mark 16:15-16
- Parting words – maybe spoken on Resurrection Sunday.
- Go and preach with a heart and desire for people to be saved.
- We get distracted. We lost a sense of urgency.
Commission #2: The Commission to Disciple – Matthew 28:18-20
- Spoken in Galilee – middle of 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
- Make disciples – this is what we’re about.
- Disciple-making takes time. We don’t like to sit in the West.
- In a task-driven culture, how are we doing?
Commission #3: The Commission to Teach – Luke 24:45-47
- Written by a Gentile – Luke was a recipient of the Gospel. Then tells others to get engaged, too.
- God’s heart is for the nations.
- Genesis 3, Table of nations (Genesis 10-11), Genesis 12 (Call of Abram)
Commission #4: The Commission to Send – John 20:21
- Jesus came to seek and to save the lost – Luke 19:10
- We are sent to do the same.
- Possibly spoken on Resurrection Sunday, too.
Commission #5: The Commission to Get Out There – Acts 1:8
- To be globally-minded – witnesses – heart of the King – is this the heart of His people?
- Right before ascension
- Last thing He says before He goes…
- In case you missed it over the last 40 days… Get out there!
Do we have the same heart?
- Romans 10:14-15
- This must be the heart of His people.
- Why not you? Why not me?
- “A mark of a great church is not it’s seating capacity, but it’s sending capacity.”
Session 2 – Why? – The Motive of Mission
- Do we struggle seeing people as more valuable than others?
- Is value seen in what we do, or who we are?
- How do we determine value?
- What are my blind spots?
John 13:34-35
- Love is the law of the covenant.
- “As I have loved you” – the example, the source
- His love was on display near and far, He modeled radical love
- Radical love does not make sense. Inconvenient. A love the world does not see and does not know.
- Loving those who are difficult to love, those who will stretch you in every way.
- Push past your limits because God’s got no limits.
- Jesus sees those on the fringe – its countercultural.
- Mark 10:13-16; John 8 (woman caught in adultery); John 4 (woman at the well); Mark 5 (demoniac in Gentile territory); Luke 5 (man with leprosy)
- The cross – this is what defines love.
John 13:34-35
- Love is the law of the covenant.
- “by this all men will know you’re my disciples”
- Observable characteristic of discipleship is love.
- What defines us as disciples? – not knowledge, attendance, memorization…etc…
- Our love for one another.
How?
- Prayer – focus on who you are. Where’s your heart?
- “God change me and the way I view worth”
- Radical love will cost you… it might cost everything.
- Sympathy is no synonym with action –
- Matthew 25 – see the need, have the courage to act
- See needs and address needs
- “The church will not partner in His mission if we don’t share His motive.”
Session 3 – How?
- When Jesus speaks, do we listen?
- Do we value what God values?
- Do we see what Jesus sees?
- Vision is essential.
Matthew 9:36-38
- 3 Elements of the “How?” – Living On Purpose
- 1. Jesus “saw” the people first.
- He sees first – it starts with Jesus.
- The disciples didn’t see what Jesus saw.
- You can follow Jesus and still miss what He sees.
- Jesus saw people who were lost without Him.
- John 4:35.
- 1. Jesus “saw” the people first.
Matthew 9:36-38
- 3 Elements of the “How?” – Living On Purpose
- 2. Jesus had compassion – to be moved, or stirred in the guts
- It starts at the center, your core of who you are.
- A stirring to get in the game.
- Passages where Jesus “saw” and responded with compassion:
- Matthew 14:14; 15:32
- Mark 1:41; 8:2; 6:34
- Luke 7:13
- “Come do this with Me” – every time Jesus sees, He has compassion
- Seeing leads to doing
- We will not do unless we first decide to see.
- 2. Jesus had compassion – to be moved, or stirred in the guts
Matthew 9:36-38
- 3 Elements of the “How?” – Living On Purpose
- 3. Jesus gives us a command.
- Pray for workers – there are painfully too few.
- “It’s 9:38 – time to pray for more workers”
- What if I’m the recipient?
- Why don’t we go?
- Fear, financial insecurity, kids, school, job, age, education…
- Are there any exceptions for kingdom work?
- Worship is the ultimate goal of the church. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.
- 3. Jesus gives us a command.
How?
- Maybe God is calling some of you. Maybe it’s time to respond.
- Acts 13 – prayer and sending.
- Do we champion our Bible college students?
- What if you don’t go?
- 18,000 from the nations in our “backyard” (800 in Windsor, 12K in FoCo, 2,400 in Loveland, 2,500 at CSU, etc…)
- Do we have eyes to see? 70% of international students never get invited over to a local’s house.
- Not enough people making an effort.
How?
- Loving and serving the invisible population…
- 19% of Americans have a disability.
- Between 80-90% of churches have no ministry to this population.
- 90% of church have an unwelcoming attitude to those with disabilities.
- 70% of woman say they would abort if their kids have defects.
- Only 5-10% are effectively reached with the Gospel.
How?
- Theology of disabilities:
- Ex 4:11; John 9:3; 1 Cor 12:22-24; Luke 14:13-14
- What about the cost? ROI (return on investment)?
- REPAID AT THE RESURRECTION
- Do we have eyes to see? John 4:35.
Posted in Biblical Education