Faith Foundations

We continue with our RightNowMedia series with David Platt about “Faith Foundations”

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

  • Main Idea: Because God wants all people for himself, we are called to spread the gospel to all the world.
  • Head Change: To know that God always desired to save not just his chosen nation of Israel but all people.
  • Heart Change: To feel excited about God’s big plan to bring people from every place to himself.
  • Life Change: To act on our conviction that God wants the world for himself by talking to others about Jesus, praying for the lost, and learning about God’s heart for the nations.

How is your best friend similar to and different from you?

We can never quite predict what will draw us to the people who become our best friends. We will likely have something, or many things, in common. But we always have differences, which can challenge or enhance our relationship. Sometimes what makes us different provides the best opportunities for us to become better friends and better people.

Diversity isn’t just good in our friendships—it’s near the heart of God. In this session, David Platt shows us how God from the beginning designed his people to have wondrous variety, with people from every nation, tribe, and language.

Watch Session 6: The Story of God’s Word (14 minutes).

David’s understanding of missions changed when he realized that God’s plan from the beginning was that all people—not just the chosen people of Israel—would come to know and love their creator. Anyone blessed to know God is called to share that blessing with others. What perspective have you had about the nature of mission work—is it just for a specially called few, can anyone do it, or is every Christian a missionary in some sense?

Genesis 12:1 reveals God’s covenant with Abram that he would make his family a great nation. That family, known later as Israel or the Jews, would be blessed not just for their own benefit but also to become a blessing for others. To what extent are you surprised that in choosing a particular family God actually planned to bless the entire world?

David clarified that blessing involves showing and telling people about the goodness and greatness of God. More than all the good things he can give or do for us, knowing God is our greatest blessing. What does it look like to bless others by discussing Jesus with them?

David said the whole of Scripture is one long, unified story of God’s work in the world. While each book of the Bible can stand alone with its own purpose, each book also fits into the overall narrative of redemptive history. To what extent were you aware that the Bible tells a united account of God’s plan of redemption? In what ways have you noticed different passages of Scripture that show God’s heart for the nations?  

Though motivated to become an international missionary, David realized God wanted him to stay and become a pastor who would help stir up a zeal for missions in others. “Someone who is passionate about seeing God exalted among all the nations but doesn’t become a missionary is called a Christian,” he said. Do you agree that zeal for missions is a Christian attribute? Would you say you are zealous for people to know God around the world? Why, or why not?

We each have the Holy Spirit living within us, empowering us to follow Christ in obedience and joy, to make disciples, and to teach children of God in every aspect of the faith. Making God’s name known is not a job relegated to professional missionaries—it’s every Christian’s calling. What has disciple-making looked like in your life? What obstacles have you faced? What joys and successes have you experienced?  

Taking the good news of Christ to those who don’t know him is not optional for believers. It looks different for each of us, affecting our relationships, finances, and daily lives in a variety of ways. In which ways have you embraced your call to exalt God in your personal life? Where would you say you serve God most regularly?

The person who knows God well and revels in being loved by him should also be motivated to help others know him. We don’t have to keep him to ourselves—his all-encompassing love is big enough to share. Online and in person, we can eagerly engage in faith-related conversations. As we help meet tangible needs near and far, we can join efforts to show God’s love to the world. What could it look like for you to pursue a lifestyle dedicated to exalting God to the nations?

LAST WORD
God’s ways can be confounding in our limited human understanding. But his goodness is consistent, his holiness integral to his being. He never excluded people for their ethnicity, despite choosing Abraham’s family through which to work directly. He always intended for the rest of the nations to get on board with worshipping the one true God.

Today, we are blessed with the technology and increased globalization to reach every corner of the world. There is no place we can’t take the gospel now, if only we make it a priority. Let’s continue to participate in God’s big story, sharing his love with our families, neighbors, and those in the far reaches of the world.