In our challenging times, the title alone of this session can grab us. We can even rush in with our own experiences and views. Today we continue in our series with David Platt as he continues to educate us with the RightNowMedia series “Faith Foundations”.

Every session has a point—what each participant should walk away from the discussion knowing, feeling, and doing.

• Main Idea: To fulfill the Great Commission, we must help to take the gospel across the world to those who have never heard of Christ.
• Head Change: To know that God wants us to share his love with millions of people in places the gospel has never been.
• Heart Change: To feel motivated to play our part in exalting God among all nations.
• Life Change: To commit to supporting international mission work by giving, praying, or going.

Where would you most like to travel for vacation, and why?

Even if it requires an hours-long drive, getting away for a vacation is a favorite treat for many people. While some prefer to stay relatively close to home, others enjoy traveling to faraway places to experience the variety of landscapes and cultures. In today’s session, David Platt encourages us to think of areas of the world where people have never heard the gospel of Christ. Our call to exalt and enjoy God must extend to the far reaches of the globe.

Watch Session 5: The State of the World (11 minutes).

David began by challenging us to consider how well we are living into our purpose as followers of Jesus called to exalt him to the nations. On his map, we saw three colors depicting how deeply the gospel has saturated places on earth. Did anything on his map surprise you, and if so, why? To what extent have you thought of people who never have the opportunity to even hear about Christ?

David summarized Romans 10:13–17 by saying, “People can’t put their faith in Jesus if they never hear the truth about Jesus.” His premise sounds logical and simple, but the task of sharing the gospel with everyone in the red area of the map is complicated and difficult. Yet Jesus calls us to participate in that task. What reservations have you had about sharing the gospel with people who are likely different from you and perhaps far away? If you’ve already participated in sharing the gospel, what did it look like?

As those who have heard and believed the gospel, we have a responsibility to join efforts to help others know Christ. David identified three ways we can all participate in the Great Commission. First, we can pray, seeking God’s direction on how to give our resources, time, and energy. How often do you pray for the spiritually lost and missionaries across the world? What can you do to begin or continue to regularly pray for the lost and specific people who minister in the red regions of the map?

What would it take for you to approach God in prayer with an openness to whatever he might lead you to do regarding missions?

Second, we can give financially. Many of us have resources beyond what we need that we can devote to gospel ministry. David encouraged us to evaluate our giving to determine what percentage goes to supporting evangelism to the unreached. What is your perspective on financially supporting evangelistic efforts? If you’ve donated to or regularly supported a mission endeavor, why did you choose to give? What reasons led you to choose a particular person or organization to support?  

When we consider giving financially, we are wise to research our options carefully. Often, we are asked to give toward a friend’s mission trip or our church’s international partners. Choosing a well-respected, accountable, and financially prudent organization ensures that our money is spent wisely as we invest in God’s kingdom. What do you look for when deciding how to support people or groups? To what extent does a personal connection influence you, whether it’s with the people group being reached or the person going?

Third, some of us are called to leave home and go to those people who do not yet know Christ. We may relocate long-term, learning new languages and immersing ourselves in new cultures. Or we might join short-term trips aimed at providing tangible aid. Regardless of distance, we must determine where God is calling us to serve. In what ways have you gone on mission? To what degree did your experience include evangelism? How well prepared did you (or do you) feel to share the gospel with people who do not know about Jesus?

In our globalized world, many people relocate to new countries—some voluntarily, some fleeing hardships. They take their culture, religion, and family customs with them. Some of us may go across town to serve communities of immigrants who have come from the red or yellow zones on David’s map. What can you do to learn more about the refugees and immigrant communities in your area? In what ways can you welcome them as neighbors and friends, showing them the love of God?

Technology and travel have changed the ways we spread the gospel. Many believers work overseas in countries closed to traditional missionaries, building relationships, living out their faith, and sharing the gospel as opportunities arise. Others use video technology to reach people they could never visit in person. Today, we enjoy many creative, groundbreaking methods to share Jesus worldwide. What other examples of nontraditional mission work have you seen or used? Thinking of your own circumstances, gifts, and resources, where do you think you fit into God’s plan to spread his message of grace to all?

Each of us is called to play a part in reaching the world with the good news of Christ. How will you pray or give or go? What’s your next step of obedience?

LAST WORD

As believers already privileged to know the gospel, we have a responsibility to take the good news to those who have never heard it. Each of us has a part to play in God’s story of redemption. Some of us will pray—for the ones who haven’t heard, for those living in areas hostile to Jesus, for those who take the gospel to the far reaches of the world. Some of us have resources to spare, wealth and connections that can be used to further God’s plan. And others of us are called to go to immigrant communities in our midst or to people groups across the world. Whatever direction God points us, he’s asking us to share his desire that all would come to know Jesus’s saving love.