Missions Sunday

God does not have a mission for His church. God has a church for His mission. The church belongs to God, is His property, and exists to fulfill what He is doing in the world. Jesus gives that mission clearly in Matthew 28: because all authority belongs to Him, disciples are to make disciples among every people group, baptize them, teach them to obey, and trust His presence all the way to the end of the age.

The command is not simply “go.” The phrase carries the sense of “as you are going.” As believers go to work, school, the grocery store, the gas station, and through ordinary life, Jesus commands them to make disciples. The mission is not reserved for a few special people with special power. Jesus calls ordinary people to obey, while God shows up and does what only God can do.

The Holy Spirit gives power so that believers become Christ’s witnesses everywhere. Acts 1:8 does not lay out a slow, sequential plan where Jerusalem is finished before Judea, Samaria, and the nations begin. The picture is simultaneous. The church reaches its own Jerusalem locally, reaches the surrounding region, and participates in reaching Samaria and the ends of the earth through prayer, giving, and partnership with others.

Prayer comes first because mission is spiritual work. People do not receive Jesus merely because somebody talks hard enough or gives enough money. The Holy Spirit must convict hearts, create hunger for God, and bring people to the point of repentance and faith. Prayer also puts a burden in the heart, so giving becomes more than a detached obligation. Prayer turns concern into partnership.

The global mission of God does not excuse believers from their local mission field. God wants to reach people right where they live, and He wants to do it through them. The question is not whether a believer has enough boldness, answers, or power. The question is who God has put on that believer’s heart.

The story of a timid new believer praying in a high-school hallway shows the simplicity of obedience. God said, “Pray for him,” and a ten-second prayer opened the door for God to work in a broken family. God does not ask His people to control results. God asks them to pray, listen, invite, serve, speak, bless, and keep going after the people He places before them.

The Holy Spirit puts names and faces in mind for a reason. God is steering the process. Prayer should become daily intercession: “Holy Spirit, go get them,” convict them, draw them, and show how Christ’s love can be lived out toward them. The church keeps praying and obeying, whether the journey is short or long, until people are brought into God’s kingdom.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God has a church for mission. God does not exist to help the church carry out its own projects. The church exists because God is reaching people, restoring people, and drawing people to Himself. Mission is not an extra department of church life. Mission is the reason God has placed His people in the world. [51:44]
• 2. Make disciples as life happens. Jesus does not limit disciple-making to a trip, a platform, or a church program. Ordinary places become holy ground when believers listen for the Spirit’s direction and obey. The command lands in the middle of daily life: as believers are going, they are called to make disciples. [67:04]
• 3. Prayer comes before every mission effort. Human effort cannot produce repentance, faith, or new life. The Holy Spirit must convict people and make them hungry for God. Prayer also changes the one praying, turning distant needs into a real burden and a willing partnership. [68:47]
• 4. Obedience matters more than special power. God does not wait for believers to become impressive before He uses them. A timid prayer in a hallway can become part of God’s work in somebody’s broken life. God carries the power, while His people carry the responsibility to obey what He says. [71:34]
• 5. Keep praying for the names God gives. The names and faces that stay in a believer’s mind may be God’s invitation into intercession. Love like Jesus means more than having good intentions; it means praying, serving, listening, inviting, and staying faithful over time. God may use a short journey or a long one, but persistent love refuses to treat people as accidental.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [51:44] - A Church for God’s Mission
• [65:08] - The Great Commission
• [66:28] - The Command Is Make Disciples
• [67:19] - Power to Be Christ’s Witnesses
• [68:00] - Local and Global Mission Together
• [68:47] - Pray First
• [69:29] - The Local Mission Field
• [70:02] - Who Does God Want You to Reach?
• [70:26] - A Simple Prayer of Obedience
• [72:40] - Interceding for Names and Faces
• [74:40] - Loving Like Jesus Every Day
• [75:06] - Persisting Until People Come to God

1. In Matthew 28:18–20, what does Jesus say has been given to Him before He tells His disciples to make disciples?
2. What actions are included in making disciples in Matthew 28:19–20 besides simply speaking to people about Jesus?
3. What did “as you are going” look like in ordinary daily life, including the places and situations named? [01:07:00]
4. In Acts 1:8, what are the different places where Jesus says His followers will be His witnesses, and how are local and global mission meant to happen together? [01:08:18]

1. Jesus begins the Great Commission by declaring that all authority belongs to Him. How does Christ’s authority change the way a believer views fear, rejection, or lack of confidence when reaching out to another person?
2. If the central command is to “make disciples,” how does that shape the difference between having one spiritual conversation and helping someone learn to obey Jesus over time? [01:07:13]
3. Acts 1:8 connects the Holy Spirit’s power with being Christ’s witnesses. Why is it important for believers to depend on the Spirit rather than believing that the right words, enough pressure, or enough money can change a person’s heart? [01:08:53]
4. The mission field includes both nearby relationships and people around the world. What might it look like for a believer or a small group to hold those two responsibilities together through prayer, giving, and personal witness? [01:08:26]

1. Who is one specific name or face that God may be placing on your heart right now? What is happening in that person’s life that leads you to pray for them?
2. What ordinary places make up your regular “as you are going” life—work, school, neighborhood, store, gym, or family gatherings? Where might God be inviting you to be more aware of people rather than simply rushing through your routine? [01:07:00]
3. Is there someone you have cared about from a distance but have not consistently prayed for? What could daily prayer for that person sound like this week: asking the Holy Spirit to draw them, convict them, make them hungry for God, and show you how to love them? [01:13:15]
4. When you feel unprepared to talk with someone about faith, what fear usually rises up in you—being embarrassed, not knowing answers, being rejected, or something else? How does the simple hallway prayer show that obedience can be small while God’s work can be great? [01:11:16]
5. What is one simple next step of love you could take toward the person God has put on your heart: pray with them, listen to them, send a message, invite them, serve them, encourage them, or ask how they are doing? [01:13:43]
6. How can this group help one another keep praying for people over the long term, especially when there is no immediate change? [01:14:58]
7. In what practical way can you participate in God’s global mission this month while also remaining faithful to the people God has placed right where you live? [01:09:33]