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Abandon
A Student Missions Resource for IMB Students
Copyright ©2015 International Mission Board
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in
printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
All verses and passages quoted in this material are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), unless
otherwise noted.
Editors: Amanda Phifer and George Siler
Theme Art: April Southerland
Design: Kathy Flores
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREPARE STUDENTS FOR MISSIONS
2
GROUP BIBLE STUDIES
Suggestions for using these sessions
Session one – Abandon control
Session two – Abandon comfort
Session three – Abandon preference
Session four – Abandon safety
Session five – Abandon individualism
Session six – Abandon all for Christ’s glory
4
6
10
14
18
22
26
PRAYER RESOURCES
Group prayer strategy
Prayerwalking
An introductory prayerwalk
30
30
32
EVANGELISM RESOURCES
Ready to testify
Creation to Christ (C2C)
34
35
STUDENT DEVOTIONS
Suggestions for using these devotions
Week 1 - Abandon God-less-ness
Week 2 - Abandon self
Week 3 - Abandon selfish expectations
Week 4 - Abandon fear
Week 5 - Abandon shame
Week 6 - Abandon all...for His glory
37
38
44
50
55
60
66
WORSHIP RESOURCES
Worship on mission
Theme
Overview of topics
Service 1 - Abandon control
Service 2 - Abandon comfort
Service 3 - Abandon fear
Service 4 - Abandon shame
Service 5 - Abandon apathy
Service 6 - Abandon fame
Guided prayer experience
72
73
74
75
78
81
84
87
90
93
RETURN TO SERVE
Group debriefing session
On the trip home: Personal questions for re-entry
95
97
1
PREPARE STUDENTS FOR MISSIONS
On behalf of the IMB students* staff and all who work with us to send students to serve in mission
projects, welcome to this free annual resource. We hope it will help connect the hearts of your students
with the mission of God. We are thankful and excited you have chosen to engage your group in missions
and look forward to what God is going to do in and through your students.
USE THE APP
Be aware that most of this material is available in the
IMB students MyMission app (available free for most
platforms) as well as in PDF and Word documents.
Look for it at imbstudents.org/resources.
WHY THIS RESOURCE?
This book is intended to help you prepare high school
and collegiate students spiritually for an international
mission project. Most of the materials here also can be
used for mission education. In either case, the purpose
is not to indulge in merely a classroom experience, but
to lead students to engage in real missions. This generation of young people will not tolerate all practice and
no game, nor should they. The opportunities for them
to serve cross-culturally and overseas are abundant. If
you need help in making this connection, please contact
us!
PREPARE TO SHARE
The thing we hear very often from missionaries about
volunteers is “make sure they can present the gospel
and share a meaningful, worthwhile faith in Christ.”
What do you think a missionary host would say about
your students after they came to serve? The essential
concepts of biblical mission include the gospel, discipleship, evangelism, salvation, and the Lordship of Christ.
You’ll find these and others clearly addressed in these
Bible studies, devotions, and worship experiences.
2
THE ABANDON THEME
“Abandon” may seem a bit negative. The “letting go”
part comes across immediately, but with the inspiration of God’s Word, the “laying hold of” emerges as an
exciting prospect. A life abandoned to Christ is indeed
amazing. We enlisted writers to use this theme to craft
fresh expressions of what it means for students to
leave behind the expendable to chase after the eternal.
We thank Rodney Calfee, Rahul Agawar, Matt Papa, and
Amanda Phifer for their creative and dedicated efforts.
*IMB students is the student and young adult mobilization
ministry of the International Mission Board, SBC, providing
international mission opportunities throughout the world
for individuals and teams.
GROUP BIBLE STUDIES
“
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay
aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the
race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is
seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2
Welcome to a set of Bible studies that will challenge
students to prepare for missions service overseas with
the life of abandon. It is the mindset of a runner where
much is at stake. Simply put, these sessions will lead
them to consider Who it is they “run to” and what it
is they need to “run from.”
LIVE WITH ABANDON
We run to Jesus. We “look to Jesus, the founder and
perfecter of our faith” in order to know Him more
deeply, glory in Him, and find our joy in Him. Unless
we understand that He truly is the priceless treasure
without cost, any discussion of trading earthly pleasures for His sake is moot.
We run and we want to take others with us. As people
who have heard, understood, and been transformed
by the gospel of Jesus–who have experienced the Spirit-awakening joy of an encounter with Christ–it also is
our joy to act as witnesses and testify to the gracious,
atoning work of Christ that purchased our pardon. All
other things pale, if not disappear completely, in the
blinding glow of the Light that came into the world to
overcome darkness and redeem His people. Awash in
His beautiful light, we Christ-followers are meant to
live with abandon for the glory of God in the earth
and the good of the people who have not yet heard
the gospel of grace.
”
Christ over all things, which grants them freedom
to lay down anything for Him and His mission.
Encouraging and equipping your students in that
direction is the goal of these studies.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rodney Calfee serves on the Executive Board of The
Upstream Collective to help churches think and act
like missionaries locally and globally. He was a local
church pastor for 12 years and has been a part of
Upstream for five years. Rodney has led numerous
global trips as a part of Upstream, and served
regularly as a writer and teacher for churches and
missions organizations around the globe. He is a
co-author of Tradecraft: For the Church on Mission.
He lives in Birmingham, AL with his wife and three
daughters.
LET GO WITH ABANDON
We run from all that would entangle and ruin us in the
race. Such a life is a costly endeavor. There are things
that seem to be good for us, such as control, comfort,
preference, safety, and individualism, but in reality can
become strongholds we must abandon. Ultimately the
prize we seek is worthy enough to abandon everything else for the sake of the gospel. The mission of
God is not for those who “run aimlessly” or “box as
one beating the air” (1 Corinthians 9:26).
Believers who live with complete abandon value
3
SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THESE SESSIONS
This six-session group Bible study can be used in a
series of weekly sessions or incorporated into a weekend retreat setting. (See below for a sample retreat
schedule and activities). It is provided for IMB Students
groups as preparation for their international mission
project, but also can be used in other settings to
introduce students to missions, such as in small group
Bible study, Sunday School, a Disciple Now event, or
summer camp.
The intention of this study is to lead students to open
up their availability and willingness to serve Jesus most
specifically in the ministry and mission of making disciples. If you and your students are not already engaged
in mission projects, we suggest that you incorporate
this study into a broader plan for student disciple-making and missions. Plan avenues and opportunities for
students to engage in disciple-making, both near and
far. We are confident that the Holy Spirit will work in
and through the lives of participants as you lead them
to serve Christ with abandon.
As a group leader or teacher, please read through the
sessions carefully.The sessions are written to be interactive and engaging – much more than lectures. Be sure
to utilize the intentional interaction times of prayer,
discussion, and activities meant to help your group
grow comfortable with each other and with sharing
their thoughts about God. Each session requires at
least an hour. Feel free to customize to your group’s
learning style.
The chapters in this guide are broken into sections
that fall into three basic categories:
• information (teaching sessions) indicated by (
)
• activities (games, videos, songs) indicated by ( ),
• discussion indictated by (c)
0
U
The sections of information are fairly robust, so
they will require the majority of your attention and
study. They are meant to be thoughtfully processed
and the information presented in your own words to
the group. Please, don’t just read it verbatim to your
group. Take time to digest the information and present
it in your own way. The activity and discussion sessions
simply require your facilitation, but many of them
include fairly involved scenarios. Take the time to
prepare well for the activities, including gathering the
required materials and making time for setup. Every
4
activity should lead to some discussion of what you
have done and why, so there is an element of discussion
inherent in them. For the discussion sections, make
notes of your own ideas to kick start conversation in
the event it stalls.
For video clips and other content, you will need
Internet access before conducting each session.
A digital version of this material is available at
imbstudents.org/resources and includes live links
to all suggested videos and other online content.
SAMPLE RETREAT PLAN
A retreat setting can enable you to cover all the
sessions more consistently with participants. Since
six sessions can be quite a bit of content for one
weekend, we suggest an extended retreat that begins
on Friday and concludes on Sunday. The sessions
themselves include warm-up activities, discussions,
videos, and focused prayer times, but we encourage
you to include the additional activities below to
enhance the retreat.
Please customize this material and adjust the sessions
to make the event your own. Here are some questions
to consider:
• Should I divide my students into smaller
groups to provide a better learning environment and more participation in discussions?
• How can I enhance the message of these
sessions in large group activities and
personal devotions?
• How do I want participants to act on what
they learn this weekend? Can I provide them
with a way to take action with the things
they have learned?
RETREAT SCHEDULE
Here is sample plan for a DiscipleNow retreat:
Please customize this material and adjust the sessions
to make the event your own. Here are some questions
to consider:
Friday
5:00-6:30 p.m. Registration/dinner
6:00-6:30
Meeting with small group leaders
6:30-7:30
Corporate worship
7:30-8:00Travel to homes or get checked
into rooms
8:00-9:30
Small group session one
9:30-10:00Break
10:00-11:00
Small group session two
11:00-12:00
Free time
12:00 a.m.
Lights out
Saturday
8:00-8:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30-9:15Morning worship or individual
quiet time
9:15-10:15
Small group session three
10:15-10:45Break
10:45-11:45
Small group session four
11:45-12:30 p.m. Lunch
12:30-2:30 Team building or evangelism training
2:30-4:00
Service project/outreach activity
4:00-5:00
Clean up
5:00-6:00
Small group session five
6:00-7:00Supper
7:00-8:30
Corporate worship
8:30-10:00Break/recreation (option: prayer
experience or prayerwalk)
10:00-10:30
Travel to homes
11:30
Lights out
SATURDAY AFTERNOON SUGGESTIONS
Saturday afternoon is a good time to get the students
moving. If they have been sitting and absorbing Bible
studies and worship, they will need some activity time.
There are several approaches to take, and depending
on your schedule and amount of free time, you may
want to consider a combination of these suggested
activities.
•R
ecreation – You may want to break the
seriousness or intensity of the weekend by
using organized games, scavenger hunts, or
competitions between the small groups.
•T
eam-building – Team building activities
add an element of fun, but also deepen the
bonds between group members. The team
building element also forces group members to work together. The same teamwork
aspect is an important part of missions and
would be a great tie-in to the material.
•S
ervice/outreach activities – Leading
students in an outreach or service-focused activity will help your group flesh out what they
are learning. One possibility is to offer evangelism training using Creation to Christ (see the
article elsewhere in this material). A teaching
outline and video for this gospel presentation
can be found at imbstudents.org. After the
training, groups could be sent out into the
community to put their training into practice.
Other options for service are limitless: from
partnering with churches, ministries, or food
banks to doing yard work for individuals in the
community. It is helpful not simply to teach
students about missions, but to allow them to
serve so they immediately live out what they
are studying.
Sunday
8:00-8:30 a.m. Breakfast
8:30-9:15Morning worship or individual
quiet time
9:15-10:30
Small group session six
10:30 -11:00
Break
11:00 -12:00
Corporate worship
12:00 p.m.
Retreat ends
5
SESSION ONE: ABANDON CONTROL
FOCAL PASSAGE
“
So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord,
but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does
likewise. John 5:19
MISSION PRINCIPLE
Missio Dei – God is on mission to redeem humanity
from sin and separation from Himself. This mission
is God’s, and He is sovereign in its purpose and plan.
God has the authority to send us on mission.
OBJECTIVE
Students will understand that following God on His
mission necessarily means that they abandon control
of their own lives, turning to Him for leadership in all
that they do.
ADVANCE PREPARATION
1. G
ather enough paper, pencils, markers, etc. for
each participant to be able to draw during the first
activity. Your gathering space needs either a table
or ample floor space for everyone to draw.
2. D
etermine and gather the objects you will use for
the obstacle course and place them in the room.
3. As an option, prepare to show the video,
“The Creed.”
4. P
repare to play the Chris Tomlin song,
“I Will Follow.”
OVERVIEW
Authority and submission are two of the most difficult
topics for believers to grasp and put into practice. We
all struggle with giving over control. Thankfully, we have
an example to follow. Jesus’ entire life on earth was
directed by His Father. We are being transformed
into His image and learning to follow His leadership
in our every decision and action, including following
Him on mission.
WARM-UP OPTION 1: DRAWING AUTHORITY
Lead each participant to draw a picture of whatever
comes to mind when they hear the words “authority,”
“power,” and “submission.” Ask them to describe to
the group why their image represents authority, where
it derives authority, and what it means to honor that
authority. Encourage creative thinking so that every-
6
”
one does not draw a police officer. Focus conversation
on two truths:
1. There is no authority on earth that has not received
its authority from someone else. Ultimately, there
is no authority except that which flows from God
(Romans 13:1).
2.Authority demands a response from those over
whom it is exercised.
WARM-UP OPTION 2: “THE CREED”
Show the video, “The Creed” available at
vimeo.com/112718306. This is a musical version
of a manifesto memorized by students who
participate in the Fusion program of IMB and
Midwestern Seminary (see imbstudents.org/fusion).
Follow this with a conversation from “Drawing authority” above. The creed simply states:
“As a follower of Christ: I am called not to comfort or
success but to obedience. Consequently, my life is to be
defined not by what I do but by who I am. Henceforth: I
will proclaim His name without fear, follow Him without
regret and serve Him without compromise.Thus:To obey is
my objective, to suffer is expected, His glory is my reward.
Therefore:To Christ alone be all power, all honor and all
glory, that the world may know. Amen!”
OPENING PRAYER
Read Psalm 135:5-6: “For I know that the Lord is great,
and that our Lord is above all gods.Whatever the Lord
pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and
all deeps.” Pray for the time together, specifically that God
would be seen as Scripture reveals Him: sovereign over
all people, events, and the created order, and that each
person would respond in obedience to His authority.
0 AUTHORITY
There is a very interesting story found in Matthew
8:5-13, in which Jesus heals the servant of a Roman
centurion. The context within Matthew’s gospel makes
it even more compelling. Jesus had just preached
the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), which left
His listeners in awe: “And when Jesus finished these
sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
for he was teaching them as one who had authority”
(Matthew 7:28-29). Jesus didn’t speak like the religious
leaders of the day. He taught as one who was actually
in charge, like one who had authority. His words carried
weight that demanded a response.
In the story, the Roman soldier noticed a couple of
important things about Jesus. First, Jesus was a man
in control; He was a man with authority. In Matthew
8 alone, Jesus exercised authority over leprosy (1-4),
fever (14-15), demons (16, 28-32), other people (1822), and nature (23-27). The centurion had no doubt
that Jesus also held authority over the affliction of his
servant: “…only say the word and my servant will be
healed” (8b). He was convinced that Christ could heal
his servant with only a word, because He was a man
with authority over sickness.
The centurion also recognized that Jesus had an
authority: “For I too am a man under authority, with
soldiers under me.” He only had rank because the
imperial authority bestowed it on him, and he related
his own position to Jesus, in essence saying that Jesus
had authority over sickness because He was under the
authority of God. Jesus agreed; He was a man who
both exercised authority and bowed to an authority.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus trumpeted this idea.
Our focal passage is but one example: “I can do nothing of my own accord, but only what I see the Father
doing” (John 5:19, paraphrased).
The Father sent the Son (John 3:16; 20:21), which
means He had the authority to do so. Jesus’ prayer in
the Garden of Gethsemane demonstrated His loyalty
and submission to God. Facing the cross, He pleaded
with the Father, “…if it be possible, let this cup pass
from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will”
(Matthew 26:39, italics added). Jesus understood that
the purpose and mission of His life was not His own;
it was God’s. As before in His life, He abandoned
control in submission to the Father.
OBSTACLE COURSE
UACTIVITY:
Set out an obstacle course across the room using
chairs, tables, backpacks, etc. Ask for two volunteers
to be blindfolded. Verbally guide the first volunteer
around the obstacles and across the room. Ask:
1. Was it difficult to trust my directions? Why?
2.How did you overcome urges to go your own way?
3.Would you trust me again? (Make the point that
obedience in one situation can lead to deeper trust
and further obedience in others.)
While the next volunteer waits blindfolded, have the
other group members secretly clear a path through
the mess. Direct the volunteer to walk across the
room step-by-step in a straight line. The volunteer,
having seen the messy path, will be tested as to his
faith in the leader. Ask the questions again. Make the
point that abandoning control is not easy, particularly
when we cannot see everything in front of us and
must act in faith.
This activity illustrates that God is in control and can
lead us through various obstacles or even remove
them. Ask the group what it would mean to practically
abandon control in everything from major life decisions like college, work, and marriage to the minutia
of character – how we speak, act, and treat others.
Displaying the fruit of the Spirit in our character and
actions is one way we know we have abandoned
control of those things, because the Spirit is
opposite our natural fleshly tendencies.
EXAMPLE
0 OUR
From the beginning of a personal experience with
Jesus, the call is simple, “Follow Me.” (Mark 1:17)
Following requires abandoning control of our lives
to His leadership. Christ, our example, gave Himself
completely to the will of the Father, even though
it literally cost Him His life. He demands the same
from us: “If anyone would come after me, let him
deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole
world and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26). That
is complete submission; but, if you look closely, you’ll
see that it is submission for our good.
7
Jesus bore the cross in submission to the Father’s will
and “for the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). He
understood that the will of the Father was ultimately
for the good of those He loved and held eternal ramifications. Jesus’ promise is much the same: whoever
loses his life for Christ’s sake finds life–life that is better.
We give up what is lesser for what is best.
Nik Ripken, in The Insanity of God, describes his conversion to Christianity. His decision to follow Christ
affected everything, including his plans for college and
work. “I saw no separation or distinction between accepting Christ and surrendering my whole life to Him
to do what He wanted me to do.”1 As a result, Nik
gave up a scholarship to study veterinary medicine and
enrolled in a Bible college to begin preparation for a
life of vocational ministry. This is one example of what
it means to abandon control to the Lord.
Nik Ripken, The Insanity of God, (Nashville, TN: B&H
Books, 2-13) p.33.
1
PRINCIPLE
0 MISSION
The Bible is full of examples of God expressing His
authority over, well, pretty much everything and everyone. Take a few minutes for the group to share particular verses and stories from Scripture, from their own
lives, or others’, that express God’s authority. Focus on
what it means for each one to abandon control and
how it is ultimately for their good, even if it does not
seem like it in the moment.
The Scriptures are filled with images, stories, and commands of God that display His authority. In fact, the
entire Bible is one story that reveals God according
to His character and His work. It shows us who He is
and what He is doing. There is a term used in missions
to reflect this idea: Missio Dei, Latin for “the mission
of God.” Mission is neither something we create nor
direct. We are not in control of the story; God is.
Missiologist
David Bosch wrote,
“ Mission is not primarily an activity of the
church, but an activity of God…Our mission
has not a life of its own: only in the hands of the
sending God can it truly be called mission.” 2
We follow the one who has the authority to send us
on mission: Jesus, who said, “As the Father has sent
me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
Someone is in control; make sure it is Jesus.
8
c
HOW DOES GOD LEAD US?
Have the group briefly discuss the Bosch quote.
Ask, “How does God lead us?” Discuss these ways
the Lord leads His people:
1. Through Scripture. See Psalm 1 and 2 Timothy 3:16.
We learn who God is and what He is doing through
the Bible. If we are to abandon control to God, we
must be students of Scripture. Ask participants:
a. D
o you have regular times to study
Scripture? If not, when can you begin?
b. W
ould you consider reading through the
Book of John, taking a chapter a day and
learning more about the life of Jesus?
2.Through prayer. See Jeremiah 33:3 and 1 John 5:14.
It is in prayer that we speak to the Lord and He
speaks to us. Do you regularly communicate with
the Lord? If not, begin to pray before and/or after
studying the Bible.You can follow the simple ACTS
plan: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication (or petitioning).
3.Through following the Holy Spirit. See Romans 8:14
and Galatians 5:16, 25; Acts 13:2; 8:26-40. The Lord
sometimes leads in unexpected ways – a small inner
voice that gives direction or a clear feeling or desire
to go a certain place or do a certain thing. It is not
always easy to distinguish this from your own personal desires, so it is imperative that these directions
be tested against Scripture and bathed in prayer.
The Spirit will never lead you in a way that Scripture
would not.
SONG: “I WILL FOLLOW”
Play the Chris Tomlin song
“I Will Follow” and discuss the lyrics
(see youtube.com/watch?v=1ohvhmGSfxI).
Have the group answer the following questions
and share their answers with someone else who
is willing to act as accountability for them.
1. What does it mean to “abandon control” and be
under God’s authority in life and mission?
2.H
ow does serving a greater authority affect my life?
My decisions?
3.H
ow can I honor Jesus as the authority in my life
practically today? This week? How can I create a
pattern of it in my life?
2
Bosch, David. Transforming Mission. p 390.
Encourage the group to take practical steps toward
giving over control to Jesus, like:
•B
eginning each day with the same prayer
Jesus prayed, “Father, not my will, but yours
be done in each decision I make, action I
take, and word I speak today.”
• S etting reminders on your phone to pray
throughout the day.
• L eaving sticky notes around your room to
remind yourself that “God is the boss of
my life today.”
•P
racticing a posture of submission by
kneeling when you pray.
CLOSING PRAYER
Recite the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) together,
emphasizing God’s kingdom, authority, and sovereign
will:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your
kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it
is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and
forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the
power and the glory, forever. Amen.”
9
SESSION TWO: ABANDON COMFORT
FOCAL PASSAGE
“
And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of
Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ Luke 9:58
MISSION PRINCIPLE
Sent ones – Christ-followers obey the call of God
to fulfil His mission, even if it means the sacrifice of
their own comfort and well-being for the sake of
the mission.
OBJECTIVE
Students will see that following God on His mission
often requires walking away from our comforts into
difficult places and circumstances, because “mission”
equals “sending.”
ADVANCE PREPARATION
1. Prepare
your space for the “spy training” activity.
You will need yarn, scissors, and tape.
2.P
repare to play Brooke Fraser’s “C.S. Lewis
Song” as well as the “Red Lights and Redemption”
video clip.
3.G
ather paper and a pen for each participant.
4.P
rint copies of the closing prayer for everyone
to read together.
OVERVIEW
Our homes, checkbooks, and complaints on social media show that we love our comforts. There is a reason
#firstworldproblems continually trends on
Twitter. In carrying out His purposes through His
people, however, God often sends us into places and
situations that preclude our creature comforts. Jesus
showed us what it meant to walk away from perfect
comfort and into a life devoid of it. And He showed
us that it is worth it. We must decide whether we will
follow Him into those difficult places or dig in our
heels and hold firmly to the comforts we count as
precious.
TRAINING
USPYGood
spy movies are huge successes, because secret
agency is the pinnacle of cool. But we can actually learn
a lot about faith from these stories, including lessons
about what we often have to give up for God’s mission.
Have as many volunteers as time allows enter “spy
training” and make their way through a course set up in
10
the room using yarn strung
between walls and ceiling like
this image.
”
Volunteers must find their
way through the course
without touching the yarn,
which will mean bending,
turning, and twisting into uncomfortable positions.The point
is that any mission has a particular goal, and attaining that
goal often requires stepping into risky and uncomfortable
places. Ethan Hunt, James Bond, Lara Croft, Jesus, Peter, John,
Paul – they all were sent on mission and found themselves
giving up their comfort for the sake of its completion. And
it was worth it to each one.
OPENING PRAYER
Read Philippians 4:11-12. “I am [not] speaking of being
in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to
be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know
how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have
learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.”
Pray that the group would understand both the weight
of the mission into which they’ve been sent and the
temporary nature of our comforts. Pray that they
would be willing to lay down the latter for the sake of
the former. Pray that their contentment would be found
not in worldly comforts, but in Christ.
MISSION
Jesus was a man sent on a mission by His Father, and
He talked about His mission constantly, including its
cost. He left the perfection of heaven to enter broken
creation and sacrificed His life on the cross to pay
our sin debt, but those were hardly His only costs. His
life and ministry were marked by discomfort. Look at
Luke 9:57-62. A would-be disciple promised to follow
Him anywhere, and Jesus responded, “Foxes have holes,
and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has
nowhere to lay his head” (v. 58).The implication was
that if He had no home, His followers could expect the
possibility of the same. Suffice it to say that His point
was clear: “ Your personal comfort bows to the mission,
just like mine.”
UDON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT! (PART 1) U “C.S. LEWIS SONG”
Pass out paper and pens to the group. Ask them one
question: If you had to leave your home in five minutes,
never to return, what would you take with you? Give
them only one minute to make a list. Discuss their
answers.There will likely be things such as family photos, keepsakes, items with inherent value (collections,
jewelry, instruments), and pastimes (Wii, books, sporting
equipment, etc.).
Ask why they chose those things and point out
which are all comfort-related; memories, money, and
pastimes are meant to enhance our level of comfort.
Ask what it would mean for each of them to be sent
somewhere that either did not or would not allow for
those creature comforts. What would they not give
up in following Christ – honestly? Make the point that
following Jesus on mission often costs us at least some
of our comforts. We may leave behind family, friends,
sports, schools, and so many other things we love.
BEST IS YET TO COME
0 THE
The New Testament is filled with language of hope
for the future. Talk of future inheritance, promised in
Christ and guaranteed by the Spirit, flowed from the
quills of many a New Testament author. Their point
is clear: something better is coming, something that
far outweighs anything we might experience here and
now. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church, “For this
light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look
not to the things that are seen but to the things that
are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient,
but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18). In light of the glorious inheritance that
is to come – God Himself – any discomfort we may
now face pales in comparison.
Our discomfort, no matter how extensive from a
worldly perspective, is a passing breath, a vapor in light
of eternity. Echoes of that idea saturate C.S. Lewis’
famous words, “If I find in myself a desire which no
experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable
explanation is that I was made for another world.”
Ours is a deep, unquenchable longing that will find
fulfillment forever only in the presence of our God. As
long as we remain here in this world, we must fix our
eyes on the inheritance that outshines our current
affliction and outlasts our discomfort.
Play Brooke Fraser’s “C.S. Lewis Song”3
(youtube.com/watch?v=wo-e2BjICCY) and discuss
the lyrics. It is written as a bit of a commentary on the
above Lewis quote. Consider together the weight and
meaning of the idea. Why would Christ call us out of
the world only to simply send us right back in? What is
the point of the inward longing it creates? Why would
God send us into the world but want us to long for a
home that is not here? Is there some practical reason,
some application that we should make from that
longing?
This idea is not always easily grasped, but there are
numerous passages in Scripture that offer clarity. One
such passage is found in 1 Peter, in which the apostle
writes to a group of downtrodden Christians struggling because their faith is difficult. They face extreme
persecution as they live among unbelievers. Peter reminds them of their “inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1:4).
He calls them to fix their eyes on that which is eternal,
but then he adds that their discomfort will continue.
“Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable,
so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they
may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day
of visitation” (2:12, emphasis added). Through it all,
Peter reminds the believers that enduring is worth it.
Their hardship will yield fruit in the lost who glorify
God because of their actions. And eventually, their
hardship will be traded for glory beyond measure.
0 MISSION PRINCIPLE
Books and movies like Mission Impossible, the Bond
movies, Tomb Raider, the Indiana Jones films, The Hobbit
and Lord of the Rings, and other such films and stories
give us the most robust understanding of the term
“mission.” In each instance, there is a sender with an
agenda who sends someone else to carry out that
agenda on his behalf. Without fail, the heroes in those
stories are willing to sacrifice their own comfort and
well-being for the sake of the mission.
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York, NY: Harper
Collins, 1997) p. 118.
3
11
VIDEO: “RED LIGHTS AND REDEMPTION”
What drives a missionary to leave home, cross
cultures, and run great risks to be on mission
with God? Being sent may be costly, but there is
much to be gained.View this clip of an amazing
ministry that rescues girls from brothels in East Asia:
vimeo.com/135861581. Discuss:
• Do you think this missionary is excited
about what she does? Why?
• What do you think she had to give up
to follow this calling?
• What has she gained in her obedience?
0 MISSIONS = SENDING
Missiologist Francis DuBose4 wrote what seems a very
direct and sensible definition for the term mission, saying “mission means sending.”4 It’s that simple. Missions
= sending. “Some of the terms people use today – mission, missions, missionary, missional, and missiology – have
a common root in the word missio, which derives
from the Latin word mitto, meaning ‘to send.’”5 So
when we speak of mission, we speak of sending.
Why is that important? The answer is painfully simple:
because joining God on mission means leaving, and
leaving is hard. It means abandoning one place for
another, one people for another, and in reality, one life
for another. Being sent on mission often means leaving
the comforts of home to go somewhere foreign to
us. Mission, by definition, means that a sender sends
the sent to a place for a purpose. For those of us who
follow Jesus, this means the Sender (God in Christ)
sends us to the nations to make His glory known
among them. Therefore, we go. We leave. We forsake
home and family and friends and culture for the sake
of the mission, and that means abandoning many of
our comforts behind. We don’t ask others to forsake
all and come to us to hear the good news; we go to
them. And going means sacrificing our comforts for
the sake of the mission, in the manner of Christ. Similarly, it is absolutely worth it when we recall that this
affliction is light and momentary. The best is yet
to come.
D
ON’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!
c (PART
2)
1. H
ave the students pull out the lists they made
earlier of the things they would take if they had
to leave home quickly.
2.Ask them to consider how their hearts might need
to change in order to give up those things on the list
for the sake of Jesus – and do so joyfully.
12
a. T
hey may need to purposefully rid themselves of things they hold precious in order
to practice trading comfort for Christ.
b. T
hey may need to serve in uncomfortable
places (the upcoming trip is a wonderful
opportunity to be purposeful in this way).
c. T
hey also may need to find the language of
hope and inheritance in Scripture and see
how often it corresponds with abandoning
momentary comfort here. Encourage them
to adopt that language, because words
shape us.
3.Have them write on paper a couple of personal
next steps toward abandoning comfort for the sake
of Christ and His mission.
CLOSING PRAYER
Have the group pray this prayer aloud together
(from Philippians 3:7-11):
“Father, whatever I count as gain in my life, help me
to count as loss for the sake of Christ, simply for the
incomparable joy of knowing him. For His sake, I may
suffer the loss of many things. Help me to count them
as worthless, so I may gain Christ and be found in
Him. Help me know Him and the power of His
resurrection, and even share His sufferings. And help
me to believe eternally that He is worth it. Amen.”
DuBose, Francis. The God Who Sends: A Fresh Quest
for Missions, (Nashville, TN: Broadmen Press, 1983),
p. 22.
5
Pratt, Zane, M. David Sills, and Jeff K. Walters
Introduction to Global Missions, (Nashville, TN: B&N
Publishing, 2014). p. 3.
4
13
SESSION THREE: ABANDON PREFERENCE
FOCAL PASSAGE
“
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of
the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
MISSION PRINCIPLE
Incarnation and contextualization – God has engaged the
world through incarnation, and we whom He has sent
must become incarnation people as well. We must
“take on the flesh” of those to whom we’re sent.
OBJECTIVE
Students will learn that following Christ into the
harvest often requires laying aside cultural and
personal preferences (incarnational mission) for
the sake of those to whom they are sent while
representing the gospel in a way that makes sense
in their context (contextualization).
ADVANCE PREPARATION
1. Prepare
table and items for the “role play” activity.
Make sure you have the correct corresponding
items for each situation and plenty of other random
items to conceal them on the table. Provide cleaning supplies for the activity as needed.
2.P
repare to show the video clip, “Radical Followers,”
used in this lesson.
3.U
sing Google Translate, generate and print copies
of John 1:14 in various languages.
OVERVIEW
People prefer that which is comfortable, familiar, and
meets their personal needs and desires. It is in our
nature. Mission, however, often requires that we lay
down preference in order to rightly communicate
and demonstrate the glorious gospel of Jesus to
those who have not heard. If we are to follow Christ’s
example in His sending, we will willingly and humbly
abandon our preferences for the sake of those who
are perishing around us.
14
U
HELP ME, REALLY?
”
Ask three volunteers to step outside the room where
they cannot see or hear what is happening inside.
Have a table waiting there with several items that they
will choose from as the game progresses. Instruct the
volunteers that when they hear someone exclaim
“help!” inside the room, they are to quickly pick up an
item from the table and run in to assist the person in
need. They must assist using whatever item they
chose from the table.
Situation one: Tie (gently) the hands and feet of a
volunteer in the room with small rope or tape. The
corresponding item is scissors.
Situation two: Have a volunteer who has her makeup
(eyeliner, blush, etc.) but needs help putting it on. The
corresponding item is the missing brushes.
Situation three: Have a volunteer making a sandwich. He
or she needs mustard/mayo, pickles, etc. out of their
respective jars. The corresponding item is a butter
knife.
Make sure that you have the correct corresponding items on the table, but bury them among other
random, silly items, like toys, clothing, tools, etc. Make
the point that context matters. Had the heroes known
what type of help the other people needed, they could
have brought the correct items. It was not necessarily
enough that they did help; how they helped mattered,
as well. How we do what we do matters in everything,
including gospel mission.
OPENING PRAYER
Read 1 Corinthians 8:9. “But take care that this right
of yours does now somehow become a stumbling
block to the weak.” Have someone pray for your
time together, particularly that you may all recognize
personal preferences that might stand as barriers
to the gospel for others around you and have the
boldness to abandon them.
0 A PARTICULAR WAY
The focal passage for this study details an event
central to the Christian faith, the Incarnation. “And
the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we
have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from
the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14, italics
added). God chose a rather peculiar way to offer hope
and redemption to people. Knowing we could not
come to Him, He came to us. Of all the possible ways
for Creator God to redeem His creation, that seems
unlikely, because it requires that God humble Himself.
The means of redemption, then, not just the end, must
be noteworthy.
Paul certainly believed the way Christ came was
meaningful, not only for salvation, but also as an
example for those of us who would follow Christ.
He emphasized not only that Jesus came, but how He
came. His words in Philippians 2:5-8 are not merely
descriptive, but prescriptive. Paul meant for them to
transform our minds and inform our actions. “Have
this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ
Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not
count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being
born in the likeness of men. And being found in human
form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to
the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Jesus emptied Himself, took on human form, and
served His way to the cross. He laid aside His divine
privileges and stepped out of the throne room, into
human skin. He came into a world that hated Him,
in order to be among us and offer life. There was a
preordained plan of salvation, and He made it clear in
His prayer in the garden of Gethsemane that this was
a suprememly difficult way. “My Father, if it be possible,
let this cup pass from me.” Yet Jesus laid aside His preference, saying, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as you
will” (Matthew 26:39).
VIDEO: “RADICAL FOLLOWERS”
Watch this video clip of two young men who spent a
semester in Lesotho (li-soo-too) in southern Africa:
vimeo.com/16155169. Note that the clip runs for
five minutes, but the testimonies are moving. Discuss
the struggle the young men felt over the gap between
their middle class culture and lifestyle in America and
the needs of the people they met. In what ways were
they seeking to “incarnate” the gospel to these people? What motivated them?
0 NOT TO OUR OWN INTERESTS
Philippians 2:3-4 adds even greater emphasis to the
direction Paul gives the church. “Do nothing from
selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count
others more significant than yourselves. Let each of
you look not only to his own interests, but also to the
interests of others.” On the heels of these words Paul
then points us to the One who perfected the art of
humility, who deserves the praise of all creation, yet
traded it for insults, lies, and death. Paul’s admonition
to the church is undeniable – our preference doesn’t
matter. Our call is to empty ourselves, just as Christ did,
and to expend our lives for the good of those around
us. Emptying ourselves means humbly laying aside our
own desires and thinking of ourselves less. It means
trading preference for the opportunity to love others
in the manner of Christ. It means believing that those
around us are “more significant” than we are, so our
preference is not wrenched from clinched fists, but
willingly abandoned.
0 MISSION PRINCIPLE: INCARNATION
The Incarnation stands as an example for us to emulate,
in that we are meant to cast off our preferences and
live among the people to whom we’ve been sent as one
of them. God revealed Himself in a number of ways
throughout history: prophets, judges, kings, the Law, the
sacrificial system, and even creation. But those methods were incomplete and pointed to something – or
Someone – better to come. God fully and finally spoke
through Christ, who is the radiance of His glory and the
exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:1-3).
What was lacking in every previous manner of revelation was completely fulfilled in Christ (Matthew 5:17)
as He took on flesh and moved into the neighborhood.
He was present with people and took on their form
and nature so they might see God in a manner they
understood. If God engaged the world through incarnation, then those whom He has sent must become
incarnation people, as well.We must “take on the flesh”
of those to whom we’re sent.We’ve been sent “into
the neighborhood” to be among them so that they can
understand who Jesus is through our words and deeds.
Practically, incarnational mission requires us to live
among and identify with the people to whom we’ve
been sent.We cannot fully understand them if we are
not with them.We can’t decipher how the gospel is
good news to them if we don’t understand their hurts,
desires, and needs. Good missionaries do exactly
15
that. As you work among missionaries and national
believers on your upcoming trip, watch and learn
how they have picked up on cultural cues, how they
have rooted themselves in a community, and how
they have abandoned parts of their previous culture
(preferences) in order to do so.You will have the
opportunity to learn invaluable lessons that are
applicable in your own missional endeavors at
home and abroad.
0 MISSION PRINCIPLE: CONTEXT MATTERS
Closely tied to incarnational mission is a missionary
practice known as contextualization, which is translating
the unchanging gospel into ever-changing cultures. Part
of the “how” of mission is effectively communicating the gospel in ways they understand.The simplest
example of contextualization is learning a language. It
would be irresponsible, not to mention futile, to present the gospel to Chinese-speaking people in English.
Contextualization demands that we learn the language,
but it does not end there. Because communication of
the gospel isn’t only verbal, we must consider how we
effectively communicate in both word and deed.The
goal is clarity, therefore we consider language and other
cultural norms. If someone must first learn our American cultural norms and expressions to understand the
gospel, we have failed. Crossing cultures is the work of
the missionary, not the one hearing the gospel.
Missiologist J.D. Payne wrote, “Understanding context
is important to our labors. Peoples are shaped and
defined by cultures…When the Word became flesh
and tabernacled among us (John 1:14), God contextualized Himself as never before among a fallen people…
[C]ontextualization should guide our efforts as best
as possible. By God’s grace, the Church should strive
to make sure the only stumbling block is the cross of
Christ (1 Corinthians 1:23). Not our cultural expectations. Not our traditions. Not our preferences.6
UGOOGLE TRANSLATE
Use Google Translate (translate.google.com) to
translate the text of John 1:14 into random world
languages (don’t print the reference). Print and hand it
out in a different language to each participant, but do
not tell them what it is. Each participant will “translate” the message they’ve been given for the group as
best they can with no help. This activity very basically
represents why contextualization is important. We
translate the gospel message into cultures to avoid
misunderstandings and make clear the good news
of Jesus.
16
Contextualization can include everything from diet
to work and rest habits to holidays and festivals to
societal postures and signs of respect to economic
status within a given culture. It also considers whether
cultures are individualistic (e.g. Western cultures) or
collectivistic (e.g. Eastern cultures), how they view
honor and shame, whether they are patriarchal (majority world) or matriarchal (Philippines). It understands a culture’s political and religious history.
Ask the participants: Have you ever personally explored another culture? Shopped in a Mexican grocery
store? Eaten at a Lebanese restaurant? Visited the
Chinatown in your area? If so, what have you seen or
learned about the people and their culture?
Encourage participants to explore another culture
this week: be among different people, be uncomfortable, and observe. Encourage them to consider these
questions:
1. What is good news to these people, and how is it
addressed by the gospel?
2. What is one bridge into the gospel that I might use
to engage someone in this culture? (Think Paul in
Athens in Acts 17.)
3. What is one major barrier to the gospel for people
in this culture? How might it be overcome?
In answering these questions, they’ve begun the preliminary work of contextualization. Encourage them to
return to their chosen places regularly (and prayerfully),
try to build relationships, and work toward effectual,
contextualized gospel presentation. Being among a certain people and living like them takes time and effort. It
is a continual process because cultures are ever-evolving.There is hard work in developing these skills; yet,
humbling ourselves and yielding to the preference of
others is accomplished, most importantly, in prayer.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, our tendency is toward self-satisfaction, but You
chose service. We are conceited and prideful, whereas
You were perfectly humble. Help us to humbly walk
according to the mind of Christ You have graciously
given us. Amen.
6
http://www.jdpayne.org/2015/01/14/if-youre-gonna-play-in-texas-you-gotta-have-a-fiddle-in-theband/#sthash.xM8fXHHs.dpuf. Emphasis added.
17
SESSION FOUR: ABANDON SAFETY
FOCAL PASSAGE
“
In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33b
MISSION PRINCIPLE
Priority and persecution – Following Jesus means trusting Him and letting go of our contingency plans, even
when the world gives us tribulation and trouble.
OBJECTIVE
Students will recognize that following Christ on
mission will lead them to the right place to be but
not necessarily the safest.
ADVANCE PREPARATION
1. G
ather materials for the “Either/or” activity. (Read
the description below and write the challenges
on strips of paper.) Make sure the necessities are
available for every instance possible.
2.P
repare to show the videos, “The Insanity of God”
video and “Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus” (Hillsong).
Be careful to avoid or skip ads that may play on
YouTube.
3.P
rovide pen and paper for each participant.
OVERVIEW
A common misconception in Christian life is that the
center of God’s will is the safest place for a Christian
to be. Unfortunately, that is just not biblically sound
thinking. It is the right place for Christ-followers to be,
but it is often far from safe. Jesus’ words to His disciples that the world would hate them just as it hated
Him should continually ring in our ears, because they
are just as valid for those of us who follow Jesus today.
Safety cannot be the final word if we are to obediently
go where Christ sends us for His glory and the good
of the world.
U EITHER/OR
Divide your group into two teams. This is a game
played in rounds. For each round, choose one player
from each team and alternate who is “player one” and
“player two.” Player one is to select a folded piece of
paper from a bowl or basket. Each paper has a challenge that reads, “Either player one must (insert player
one’s challenge here), or player two must (insert player
two’s challenge here).” Each piece of paper therefore
should have two challenging tasks, such as “do 25
18
”
push ups” or “drink a cup of pickle juice” or “eat a
jar of baby food” or “spin a bat around 15 times and
run through a small obstacle course” or “swallow a
mouthful of mustard.” (Avoid tasks that would be very
embarrassing or involve food allergies.)
Player one chooses either to complete his task,
earning his team two points, or he may force player
two to complete his task – earning that player’s team
one point. Repeat until each individual on each team
has participated (or as time allows). The team with the
most points at the end of the game wins.
The players will see that it is better for their team for
player one to complete the task, but he will have to
decide if it is personally worth the cost. Will he sacrifice himself for the good of someone else? Make the
point that our faith demands that we constantly ask
that question as well. God’s mission requires people
who are willing to give of themselves for the good of
others.
OPENING PRAYER
Read 2 Corinthians 12:9-10. “But he said to me, ‘My
grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect
in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly
of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest
upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with
weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Pray that your time together would remind each
participant of the glorious and beautiful Christ who is
certainly worth our risking everything.
IT?
0 WORTH
• Moms who lifted cars off children by
themselves…
• Dads who risked their lives returning into
a burning house to rescue family pets…
• Friends who formed a human chain across
a frozen lake to save other friends from
an icy fate…
These are all people who weighed a cause and found it
worth the risk.What if the car had fallen on the mom?
What if the dad had been overcome by smoke? What
if the lake had given way beneath the friends? For each
individual involved, the risk was worth it. Personal safety
took a back seat in light of the known outcome if they
did not act.
This is where we find ourselves as believers.The cold,
hard truth is that literally billions of people in the world
stand on the precipice of an eternal, God-less existence.
They face a literal hell, separated from God, which is the
worst kind of torment, and most do not even realize
it. Unless we act, they will not know of the reconciling
work of Jesus on the cross, who suffered separation
from the Father on our behalf so that we would not.We
have been given the redemptive message of the cross
along with the responsibility of reconciliation. If we,
Jesus’ church, do not carry it out, no one will.
The point of this information is not guilt; it is simply
stating the facts. Guilt should not be a motivating factor
for missions. In fact, we should not need a motivator,
because mission is in our very identity as ambassadors
(2 Corinthians 5:20). It’s who we are; so, it’s what we
do.There is much that remains to be done, and there
is great cost for those of us who follow Jesus – those
commissioned by Christ to carry it out – because He
promised us there would be. It leaves us with a lingering question that constantly demands a response, “Are
Christ and those He sends us to worth it?”
0 MISSION PRINCIPLE: PERSECUTION
It’s difficult to imagine Jesus wrestling with the question,
“Are they worth it?” That’s because He didn’t have to;
He decided long before we ever existed that we are
(Ephesians 1:4). He proved it when He came to earth
knowing what He would face. People had chosen sin
over God and needed reconciliation. He was their only
hope; so, for the joy set before Him, he endured the
cross (Hebrews 12:2). Christ loved the lost, through
the cross, for the eternal joy of being seated at the right
hand of the Father surrounded by those He redeemed.
By way of His suffering, He brought “many sons to glory” (Hebrews 2:10). Suffering was no surprise to Jesus,
and He prepared His disciples so when persecution
came, it would not be a surprise to them, either.
Nearing the time He would face the cross, Jesus taught
them, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated
me before it hated you” (John 15:18). Comforting, right?
Wouldn’t a nicer parting word be along the lines of,
“Everything is going to be OK; you guys just hang in
there. See you soon!” Instead, Jesus continued, “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not
greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will
also persecute you” (John 15:20). But then He adds, “I
have said these things to you, that in me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take
heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).These
words are clear. If we follow Jesus, we will face persecution. Our peace must be found in Jesus, because the
world will offer tribulation and trouble.The real peace
is in knowing that Christ has overcome the world, but it
does not void the rest of His teaching; persecution is a
part of our reality.
VIDEO: “THE INSANITY OF GOD”
For most of us in the United States, real persecution
is not a reality, nor is it a fear. American Christianity is
often so comfortable that counting the costs of our
faith doesn’t take very long. Nik and Ruth Ripkin were
missionaries in Sudan who watched their fellow believers there lose everything, including their lives. Show this
clip that introduces their story: vimeo.com/137497938.
(Note:This clip is also a promo for Ripkin’s powerful
and convicting book.) Discuss the following:
1. How would you define persecution?
2. Does missions and ministry always have a happy
ending?
3. Have you or has anyone you know experienced
persecution for faith in Jesus? How was it handled?
What carried you/them through the suffering?
0 PRIORITY
Abandoning our safety doesn’t only apply to physical
safety; it also can mean letting go of our contingencies.
For instance, you may believe God is leading you to a
certain place, people, or job for His purposes; so you
follow, but you devise an exit strategy just in case you
need it. Lingering in the back of your mind is a fallback
– a safety net in the off-chance you are unsuccessful
where God has led you.You’ve probably learned your
whole life that safety is a good thing, and it is in many
cases.
19
Contingencies are common in nearly every area of our
lives. As children we had fallbacks for friends.They were
kids who were OK to hang out with, but not nearly
as fun as others. If everyone else was busy, the fallback
kid got the call.When we date, there’s always a fallback,
just in case. College applications – fallback. Majors in
college – fallback. Career tracks – fallback. Contingencies are not necessarily a bad thing in and of themselves.
The problem comes when we begin to place our trust
in our contingencies instead of placing it in the Lord.
It is when we say “Yes!” to the Lord only because we
know we can always go back to whatever else we had
planned. Fully committing ourselves to God’s mission
requires that we let go of all the contingent plans and
devote ourselves fully to His leadership, no matter the
cost and no matter the outcome.
c CONTINGENCIES
Break into pairs for discussion and prayer. Have students ask one another the following questions, write
down the answers for accountability, and pray for one
another:
1. What are your contingencies in regards to things
God has led you to do? Where have you not fully
trusted the Lord, or where are you in danger of not
trusting Him? Help the participants think practically
through friendships, dating relationships, college plans,
career dreams/goals, etc. Encourage them to be
honest with one another, knowing that none of them
is alone in their struggles.
2. What is necessary for you to release your contingencies? What do the Scriptures teach us about trusting
the Lord (not just that we should trust, but how)?
Listen to the groups and share common struggles with
everyone. Encourage them with these practical suggestions for growing their faith during the following week:
1. Faith is a gift of God that comes through hearing
His Word (Romans 10:16-17). Make a list this week
of every Bible verse you can find that speaks to His
trustworthiness. Read and add to it daily.
2. Our faith is strengthened when we exercise it.
We deepen our ability to step out on faith by, well,
stepping out on faith.Trust the Lord in something
new this week—share the gospel with someone
you’ve been afraid to talk to (Luke 12:11-12), settle
on a decision in prayer that you’ve been wavering on
(James 1:5), or give to someone in need trusting God
to meet your own needs (Philippians 4:19).
20
0 FOCUS
In preparing His disciples for the various trials they
would face, Jesus sought to encourage them by discussing His own. In John 16, Jesus told His disciples He
knew He was going to face the atrocities of the cross
without them.Yet, He knew He would not be alone;
the Father was with Him (vv. 32-33). In the same way,
Stephen, the first martyr of the church, had a very
particular focus in his final moments. He offered an
impassioned plea to the Jewish leaders to recognize
the truth about Jesus, whom they refused, and the
rocks hurtled his direction. In his final moments,
however, he fixed his eyes on Jesus, whom he saw in
a vision standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:56).
In each case, throughout the suffering they faced, Jesus
and Stephen fixed their eyes heavenward. What they
saw was so glorious that painful, bloody death paled in
comparison.
SONG: “TURN YOUR EYES UPON JESUS”
As a way to meditate on the need to trust in Jesus no
matter the difficulty, play or sing the song, “Turn Your
Eyes upon Jesus.” A version performed by Hillsong is
at: youtube.com/watch?v=czxd5oa-gi0.
CLOSING PRAYER
Pray through 1 Peter 4:12-16. Simply pray that it
would be true of each of those in the group: “Beloved,
do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes
upon you to test you, as though something strange
were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you
share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and
be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted
for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the
Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you…If anyone
suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let
him glorify God in that name.”
21
SESSION FIVE: ABANDON INDIVIDUALISM
FOCAL PASSAGE
“
I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be
in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20-21
MISSION PRINCIPLE
Unity – Missions is a team effort.
OBJECTIVE
Students will see that mission is meant to be a group
effort, under Christ’s leadership, by the power of
the Spirit, through the church. There is no room for
individualism.
ADVANCE PREPARATION
1. P
redetermine the tasks for the “Body Parts” activity.
Gather any props you might need for your chosen
tasks.
2.Be prepared to show the David Platt video and the
clip on Christian unity in missions.
OVERVIEW
Individualism, particularly within American culture, is
often considered a virtue. We Americans value our
own space, our own time, and our own personal freedoms. Within God’s kingdom, however, the emphasis
is on the collective whole. God called a people to
Himself and sends that people – the church – into
the world as ambassadors. If we are to meaningfully
engage in God’s mission, then, we must also value the
unity of God’s people in sending.
PARTS
UBODY
Divide your group into teams of four. Each group
represents a body, with one team member as the ears,
another as the mouth, one as the feet, and the last
as the hands. Assign a task to each “body,” with each
individual only carrying out what his/her corresponding body part can do. Begin by giving the task to the
“mouth” who whispers the task to the “ears.” The
ears cannot speak, so they use charades to communicate the message to the “hands.” The hands write the
message for the “feet,” who (blindfolded) carries the
message to the “head.” The head then performs the
task. Whichever team finishes quickest and/or
correctly wins. The tasks can be menial, e.g. draw a
smiley face on the chalkboard, place the blue cup
22
”
inside the red cup, or spike like a football. Each part of
the body must function according to its gifting, as well
as together as one entity, in order to complete the
task at hand.
OPENING PRAYER
Have someone read Ephesians 4:1-6 – “I therefore, a
prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner
worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing
with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body
and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one
hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all
and through all and in all.”
Pray for wisdom, understanding, and humility as you
wrestle together with what Scripture has to say about
unity of the body of Christ and individualism.
IS THE CHURCH, ANYWAY?
0 WHO
Jesus’ prayer in John 17 places principal interest in
a particular group of people being unified. Those
people are Christ’s followers, whom He called out of
the world (vv. 14, 16; John 15:19) and sent back into
the world (v. 18). Those are not only the people who
walked with Jesus while He was on the earth; they
are anyone who believes in Him through their words
(v. 20). That includes us. Jesus prayed that all of His
followers would be unified.
In Matthew 16:18, He gave a name to the collective
of those people He called out of the world. He told
Peter that He would build His “church.” The Greek
word in the text is actually ekklesia, which means
“called out ones.” In the context of John 17, then, the
church is those people Jesus called out of the world
and sent back in.
A simple Google search will reveal endless definitions
of “church” that dive into theologically deep waters
we have neither time nor need for here. But it is
important that we have at least a basic understanding
of what the church is. For our purposes, we will define
the church as the New Covenant expression of the
people of God. Under the Old Covenant, Israel was
God’s people; under the New Covenant, membership
in God’s family was opened wide through Jesus. All
who claim membership in Christ are a part of His
church. That’s a lot of people, and for us to accomplish
the mission for which Jesus sent us into the world, we
must organize. Enter the local church.
All of God’s people are meant to participate in the
mission and the local church is the avenue by which
we are able to do so. It is a collection of God’s people
who live and worship and serve together. Churches
practice the ordinances of baptism and communion.
They engage together in worship, prayer, Bible study,
fellowship, evangelism, discipleship, and ministry. They
follow biblically qualified leadership and submit to the
practice of church discipline. They are families who
gather, but they also are agencies for sending people
on mission. Christ commissioned and sent us all, but
that sending is carried out under the auspices of the
local church.
VIDEO: “MISSIONS STRATEGY:
BOTTOM UP, NOT TOP DOWN”
IMB president David Platt speaks about the responsibility and role of the local church in the mission in
this video: youtube.com/watch?v=UtQsGRwEiXg.
Watch it together and discuss these points:
• “Sending” implies a team. One person
cannot send himself anywhere. He can
go alone, but he cannot be sent. Why is it
better to be sent?
• What changes when churches take more
responsibility in sending out workers?
TOGETHER
0 BETTER
When Jesus sent His disciples on mission, He did not
send them alone (Luke 10:1). He sent them in pairs,
and people have been speculating as to why ever since.
Some of the best commentary on not going alone
was penned by Paul to the Corinthian church. In 1
Corinthians 12, he wrote that there are many different
types of gifts, but they all originate from the same God,
“who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
For just as the body is one and has many members,
and all the members of the body, though many, are one
body, so it is with Christ…But as it is, God arranged
the members in the body, each one of them, as he
chose…Now you are the body of Christ and individ-
ually members of it” (vv. 11-12, 18, 27). He went on
to further clarify that people are gifted differently on
purpose (vv. 28-30).
The really interesting part of this discussion comes
when we ask, “Why?” Why is there such a need for
unity with diversity of gifts?” The first part of that
answer is easy: Because no one among us can do
everything. We simply need each other. It’s logical.
We need to abandon individualism, but embrace
our individuality – the way God designed each of us
to function. For instance, if I were restoring an old
car, but only had knowledge of interior upholstery, I
would need help, right? I would need someone who
could work on the mechanics of the car – the engine,
wheels, and brakes, someone who could sand and
paint the exterior, and maybe someone who could
help me secure hard-to-find parts. Apart from the
interior, the restoration project would be beyond my
capabilities. I would need a team.
Beyond the practical, there is a spiritual reality revealed. Recall the end of our focal passage, “that they
may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in
you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may
believe that you have sent me.” Jesus analogizes in His
prayer and offers us a peek into the great mystery of
our relationship with God. He says something to the
effect of, “If A is like B, then C will occur.” Using His
relationship with the Father (in effect, the communal
nature of the Trinity) as the example, He prays that
His followers would be one, as well, thereby showing
the world that He was sent by the Father. He said
that if we relate to one another and with Him in unity,
we reflect the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit,
and thereby, the world knows that Jesus is who He
says He is. Relating to one another in that way is not
natural for us. In doing so, then, we demonstrate God’s
power to unify His diverse people. Similarly, Jesus said
that the world would know we are His disciples by
our love for one another (John 13:35). Our counter-cultural love and unity cause the world to see our
God as glorious.
23
0 DYSFUNCTIONAL
We are certainly better when we are together, but
“better” does not mean we are still “good” when
we’re apart. When we fail to unify, we are broken. We
are dysfunctional. We are maimed. “The eye cannot say
to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head
to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ But God has so
composed the body…that there may be no division in
the body…If one member suffers, all suffer together; if
one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Corinthians 12:16-26). The only way the body can operate
and effectively carry out the mission is together. There
is no other option.
VIDEO: “WHY UNITY IN CHRIST’S MISSION”
Watch this short video on Christian unity in mission:
vimeo.com/92484009. Discuss the ideas from the
teaching above and in the video from the passages in
John. Address these questions:
1. How is it possible that we display our love for one
another if we are divided?
2. How can the world see our love for one another if
it is only manifested in the confines of our worship
gatherings? (Christ requires, then, that we are unified
in full view of the world – on mission.)
3. Name three ways you can practice unity with your
team on the upcoming mission trip (shared responsibility, conflict resolution, encouraging those who
may have what are perceived as either “lesser” or
“better” gifts than you, etc.).
4. Name three ways you can practice unity within your
local church once you return from the trip.
5. How can you practically embrace your various gifts
yet prioritize unity on the trip? In your local church
once you return?
0 MISSIONAL PRINCIPLE
Barnabas. John. John Mark. Silas. Epaphroditus. Aquila
and Priscilla. These were all partners in Paul’s missionary journeys, along with many others. No doubt Paul
knew both the dangers of going alone and the power
of unity in the mission, so he always worked with others. He was away from co-workers only when he sent
them to communicate with someone else and then
return, or at times when he was imprisoned – that is,
he was never alone by choice.
Paul practiced the principle taught by the One he followed, Jesus, who always worked within the relationship of the Trinity and often with at least one other
person (but often several people). Going it alone was
simply not an option. Throughout his letters to the
churches, Paul also continually expressed his need and
24
desire for their partnership in the mission. For
the same reasons that Paul desired and demanded
partnership, we also desire and prioritize it. Most
churches and organizations that send people on
mission, whether local or global, place an extremely
high value on team. Doing so protects the individuals
involved and provides a way by which the triune love
of God is expressed through the activity of His people.
Unity requires intentionality. Encourage the students
to practice unity this week by inviting others into tasks
they might normally undertake alone (cleaning, working on a car, crafting, writing a song, etc.). Have them
invite someone in who is gifted differently than they
are and hand off an important part of the task. The
point is to create interdependency, not to simply work
on a task together. Have them divide the work load in
such a way that they must cooperate to complete it.
Follow up in the next session.
If the students have never explored their own spiritual
gifts, encourage them to do so with their local church
leadership.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father, make us one, just as you and Christ are one,
that the world may know You sent Him and believe.
25
SESSION SIX: ABANDON ALL FOR CHRIST’S GLORY
FOCAL PASSAGE
“
He must increase, but I must decrease. John 3:30
MISSION PRINCIPLE
Worship is both the fuel and goal of mission.
OBJECTIVE
Students will be challenged to understand that since
God is the destination of mission, the practice of
God-focused, joy-inducing worship is essential for
mission.
ADVANCE PREPARATION
1. Procure UNO cards.
2.Prepare to show the video clips of Matt Papa’s
song “I Must Decrease” and John Piper on idols. An
option is the video clip, “In the Business of Hope.”
Be careful to avoid or skip ads that may play on
YouTube.
OVERVIEW
To worship anyone or anything other than God is
idolatry. Most believers would agree with that statement, right? They may not agree, however, on what it
means to worship, which allows them to carry on in
some pretty damaging practices. Our biggest hurdle to
overcome in order to join Christ on mission is a bitter
pill to swallow: it is us. We must learn to abandon all
things – our ambition, our idols, and our very lives – in
humility for the glory of Christ among the nations.
Ours is a call to come and die…
U UNO
This session’s activity is simple: play the game of UNO.
You may not have time for a full game, but it is a
wonderful example of the pursuit of less. The purpose
is to rid yourself of everything you have in order to
win. Make the connection that the same is true in the
Christian life and missions. We are meant to abandon
all for the sake of Christ and His mission. It is a tale of
successes and failures, but it is for His glory, our good,
and our joy.
”
OPENING PRAYER
Read Psalm 73:25-26 together: “Whom have I in heaven
but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire
besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is
the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Pray that amidst the alluring draw of everything that
shines and is beautiful in the world, each student
would see God as more beautiful, more worthy of
attention and focus, and worthy of their worship. Pray
that seeing God in that manner would lead them to
abandon all that hinders their worshipful obedience
to His leadership in pointing others to see Him as
glorious, as well.
DECREASE
0 I MUST
John the Baptist’s life and ministry came about at a
unique transitional time in history. His was the voice
calling in the wilderness that had been foretold by the
prophet Isaiah (40:3). His ministry – his purpose in
life – was to prepare people for the coming Messiah.
Literally everything was about to change. Jesus would
fulfill every prophecy, law, and religious practice of
God’s people. So, John was bridging the gap between
the old covenant and the new. God was silent for 400
years, and He broke the silence through a man in camel hair wandering the desert eating bugs and calling
out, “Prepare the way of the Lord!”
So, John the Baptist was kind of a big deal. Speaking the
words of God and preparing the way for the Messiah
were no small tasks. He was a bit of a rebel rock star.
He baptized people, which was not new for Jews, but
he did so very differently than it had been done before.
Ritual washing and baptism were normal parts of Jewish
life, but they were normally carried out by priests in the
temple, not a guy in fur at the river. He baptized many,
many people, including Jesus; so he was an important
figure in a pivotal time in redemptive history.
As important as he was, however, he had to remember
his place. He was not Jesus. He knew there was one
coming after him whose sandals he was not worthy
to untie. John was important only because he pointed
people to the coming Messiah. He had to hand
everything over to Jesus.
26
In John 3, John the Baptist’s followers saw Jesus across
the river baptizing people. Everyone went to Him, so
John’s disciples asked him what was going on. They
saw the writing on the wall, as well. “If Jesus is the
Messiah, then our work must be coming to an end,”
they thought. Knowing their struggle, John answered
them, “A person cannot receive anything unless it is
given him from heaven…He must increase, but I must
decrease” (John 3:27, 30). In other words, he told
them that what was happening was meant to happen.
He had been given his ministry by the Lord, but the
time had come for Christ to take the place of prominence. After years of preparation in the desert and a
powerful ministry that drew the attention of everyone around, it was time for his star to fade. He must
decrease in order that Christ might be glorified.
SONG: “I MUST DECREASE”
Listen to Matt Papa’s song “I Must Decrease” (available
at youtube.com/watch?v=Wm06u1sVhb4). Discuss
the following:
1. H
ow can you practically “decrease” in your own
life? What does that even mean?
2.The disciples of John were dealing with an ego
problem when they asked him what was up with
this Jesus guy baptizing more people than him. Their
pride caused them to question what was happening.
Our pride often stands in the way, as well. Following
Christ is easy when we get to be the rock star but
less so when we don’t. To overcome pride we can:
a. S tudy what the Bible says about it. Begin
with James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5.
b. M
editate on Scripture and allow it to
transform your heart.
c. R
emember, you have nothing that was
not given to you from heaven (John 3:27).
Apart from Christ, you are nothing.
d. R
emember that Christ is above everything
(John 3:31).
e. Practice humility by looking for ways to
encourage and promote the work and
ministry of others.
f. E levate the result of the work over the
need to do it yourself. The important part
is that Christ’s mission is accomplished, not
that it is accomplished through you.
g. Pray for humility, but don’t be surprised
when opportunities to express it come.
DOWN YOUR IDOLS
0 THROW
One of the greatest problems Christianity faces is the
divisive nature of Christians who work to build their
own kingdoms instead of praying for God’s to come.
We are often less concerned for the harvest than
for who gets credit for working in it. Those are harsh
words, but they reflect the weight of Jesus’ own words
to those who would follow Him into the harvest, “If
anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and
take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for
my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he
gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what
shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew
16:24-26).
IS MY MOTIVE?
c WHAT
Break your group into pairs and have them ask one
another a few questions. After they are done, come
back together and invite volunteers to share their
answers.
1. As you prepare for this trip, how are you working
to ensure that your motives are pure? Is there any
part of you that is going for selfish, prideful reasons?
Confess those to one another.
2. How would you feel on this trip if you shared your
faith but saw no fruit, while someone else was able
to lead several people to Christ? Could you honestly
celebrate that Christ was exalted, or would you feel
the tinge of envy?
3. H
ow can you change your heart (that is, allow the
Lord to do so) as you prepare?
0 IDOLATRY
Anything you derive ultimate fulfillment from that
is not God is idolatry. Anything you worship other
than God is an idol. Everyone has idols, and everyone
is an idolater. Everyone, you included. Our idols are
numerous and varied, from fame to fortune to sex and
everything in between. We can idolize relationships,
abilities, possessions, achievements – anything we can
have or do, including ministry. In large part, what we
do in order to abandon all for the sake of Christ is
abandon our idols. We walk away from all that we
desire in order to pursue that which He desires.
Jesus was walking with His disciples one day and
heard them discussing who was greatest among them.
He dropped a bombshell, “If anyone would be first,
27
he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).
Boom! Drops mic and walks away. Jesus taught His
followers that they would not only serve Him, but
each other and everyone around them. They would
be humbled, so that He would be exalted. Their idol
of self-worth and recognition would tumble and give
way to service. That is His command for us, as well. In
order to follow Christ, we must abandon all, decimating our idols in the process, and pursue His desires in
all humility.
VIDEO AND DISCUSSION: “WHAT ARE
MY IDOLS?”
Lead a discussion on personal idols. Ask the students
to vocalize their idols, but only after you, the leader,
vocalize yours. Discuss how you can lay down those
idols. This video from John Piper may be helpful:
youtube.com/watch?v=hZNabNqwCVw.
•H
ow can you come to view Christ as
more glorious and more worthy of your
worship than all of those other things?
• What needs to change in order to
overcome your idols?
Help students identify some specific action steps.
(If appearance is an idol, they may need to cancel the
subscription to magazines or block websites; if hobbies
are an idol, they may need to stop or seriously regulate
them, which will involve accountability; if relationships
are an idol, they may need to end or be regulated, as
well. None of those things needs to be handled lightly,
but in prayer and the wisdom of much counsel through
their local church leadership).
OPTIONAL VIDEO: “IN THE BUSINESS
OF HOPE”
As an option, illustrate the challenge of idolatry in
another cultural context. Show the video, “In the
Business
of Hope,” found at vimeo.com/69157357.
• What can we learn about our own idolatry
in observing this context?
• Why does idolatry lead to hopelessness?
• Why is turning from idols to God a joyful
thing?
PRINCIPLE
0 MISSION
Idolatry is not an issue only for believers; it is a universal problem. In fact, John Piper wrote that “mission
exists because worship doesn’t.”7 It’s not that worship
doesn’t exist at all; it is that right worship – worship of
the Most High God – doesn’t exist in the world, so
missions must. The world has its idols, and it worships
them incessantly. Our role in missions is to call people
28
to throw down their idols just as we throw down
ours, for the joy of casting their gaze on our glorious
Savior. Piper again says, “Worship, therefore, is the fuel
and goal in missions. It is the goal of missions because
in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the
white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory…But worship is
also the fuel of missions…You can’t commend what
you don’t cherish.”8 So, there it is. We commend
Christ through our worship – through our willingness
to abandon all for His sake. We demonstrate that He
is good when we say, “He must increase, but I must
decrease.”
John the Baptist, facing the turning point in his ministry,
was not dismayed, but filled with joy. “The one who
has the bride is the bridegroom.The friend of the
bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly
at the bridegroom’s voice.Therefore this joy of mine
is now complete” (John 3:29).This is our call – to
abandon all for the glory of Christ among the nations.
This is also the result – joy in the exalted Christ.
CLOSING PRAYER
Pray Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:14-19: “For this
reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom
every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to
be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your
inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts
through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded
in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the
saints what is the breadth and length and height and
depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses
knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness
of God.”
May this be true of each of us. Amen.
John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad. (Grand Rapids,
MI: Baker Academic, 2010), p. 35.
8
Ibid.
7
PRAYER RESOURCES
“
Prayer is primarily a wartime talkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances
against the powers of darkness and unbelief.9
As Jesus prepared to send His disciples on mission in
Luke 10, He began, “The harvest is plentiful, but the
laborers are few. Therefore pray…” (10:2). Then He
gave them specifics about how they should communicate the gospel to new people. The priority and
beginning point, however, was prayer. Jesus’ life stood
as an example of that priority. He constantly spoke
about communion with the Father and withdrew at
times to participate in it.
”
Prayer is an absolute must for we who are sent into
the harvest on God’s mission. In missions, you will
never pray too much. The people you will serve and
your leaders at the project need much prayer.
Whether as a team or as individuals, we implore
you as to spend time in prayer.
Here are a few practical suggestions for prayer for
anyone preparing to engage in a mission trip:
1. P
ray the Scriptures. Nowhere is God’s heart for
the nations more clearly seen than in His revealed
Word. Meditate on His words so they become
yours, as well, and pray that He might use you to
make them a reality in our world.
2. P
ray for your team. Jesus specified in Luke 10 that
His followers should pray that the Father would
send workers into the harvest. He is doing just that
by sending you and your team. Pray for boldness in
proclaiming the gospel in word and deed (Ephesians
6:18-19; Acts 4:29-31).
3. P
ray for the salvation of those to whom you are
sent, that God would release by His Holy Spirit
“the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16).
Jesus prayed for all who would hear the gospel in
His High Priestly prayer (John 17:20). Join Him in
that prayer.
4. P
ray with others in unity. Enlist others to join
you in prayer. “And though a man might prevail
against one who is alone, two will withstand him – a
threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes
4:12). Jesus prayed that we “may all be one…so that
the world may believe that you have sent me” (John
17:21). So let it be.
9
Piper, p. 44
29
GROUP PRAYER STRATEGY
• L ead each person in your group to enlist a prayer support network. Ask each participant to recruit at least
two prayer partners. Instruct the student to ask each
prayer partner to commit to pray for this project for
a determined amount of time each day or during a
certain day each week.
•A
rm group members with a specific list of prayer requests. Below is a general idea, but try to direct their
prayers as specifically as possible for your project
and your people group:
•P
ray for the project leadership to be wise, discerning
and full of grace.
•P
ray that God will glorify Christ through this project.
•P
ray for opportunities to share your faith.
•P
ray for boldness as you witness.
•P
ray for God to prepare the hearts of the people
you will encounter.
•P
ray for cultural sensitivity and understanding.
•P
ray for team unity.
•P
ray for local believers at your project to be encouraged and strengthened.
•P
ray for favor with other nationals and opportunities
to build relationships.
•P
ray for the missionaries to find new doorways to
ministry.
•P
ray for safety in travel and health on the field.
• P
ray for humility and a flexible spirit.
•P
ray for protection from loneliness and depression.
•P
ray for peace of mind for family in the U.S.
•P
ray for churches in the country to reach out to
meet the needs of the people around them.
•P
ray for the Lord to send more laborers into the
harvest fields.
•P
ray that lost people will become open to hearing
about Jesus and will accept Him as their Lord.
• P ray for those in positions of leadership within the
country—for their salvation and witness.
•P
ray that God will use your mission experience to
create a passion in you for missions.
30
• P lan a fasting experience. Work together with your
group and prayer network to pick a suitable day for
a partial or full fast. Make sure students have parental
permission and are physically/medically suitable for
a food fast. (Offer alternative fasts for those who
should not go without eating.) Provide a simple
prayer guide for participants to use during the day as
they fast.
•C
onduct a prayerwalk for your team. Information and
suggestions for a prayerwalk are available in this
section.
• L ead your church or ministry to pray for the people
group you will serve on mission. Research them through
a website such as peoplegroups.org. Consider using
the “30-Day Prayer Guide for Unreached People,”
also available at imbstudents.org/iwcmore.
PRAYERWALKING
Isn’t it easier for you to pray passionately for someone who is close to you—someone you can see and
interact with—than it is to pray for someone you have
never met, living in a country you have never visited?
Christians are called to take their prayers with them
beyond their church buildings and classrooms and
homes. The strategy of prayerwalking grew out of the
recognition that it is easier to pray for people, situations and countries in tangible settings rather than in
the abstract.
Prayerwalking is intentional, observant, and intercessory praying in a special location where you wish to
see God at work. It is looking for insight, discovering
needs, and seeing people and settings through God’s
eyes. It is asking God to prepare people’s heart for
salvation and to engineer their circumstances so they
can come to know and love Jesus. Prayerwalking has
become an essential element in missions. In some
ways it is a “spiritual reconnaissance,” but even more
importantly, a way to “get on the same page” with
God and partner with Him in what He wants to do.
In recent years God has been calling intercessors
to walk streets, sidewalks and dirt trails around the
world and pray without ceasing for the people in their
immediate surroundings.
We encourage you to practice prayerwalking as
preparation for your mission project and then plan
to incorporate prayerwalking into your project on a
daily basis. Prayerwalking takes practice and discipline,
but it can result in valuable discernment and spiritual
breakthroughs. By prayerwalking before the project,
you will allow the Holy Spirit to prepare your own
heart for the mission and gain a comfort level in this
form of ministry.
Here
are a few suggestions to set up a prayerwalk:
• Choose a location with care. In preparation
for your overseas mission project, consider
an immigrant neighborhood or community.
As an alternative, conduct the prayerwalk in
partnership with a local ministry.
•B
ecome familiar with the historical, cultural
and spiritual background of the place you will
prayerwalk. Plan to draw on this information
as you pray.
•P
repare to become burdened for the people
you see, the community, and the country.
• S chedule plenty of time for the prayerwalk.
An hour is minimal. Experienced prayerwalkers will need and want more time.
•B
e sensitive to the age group and experience
level of your group. Student groups function
best in a prayerwalk when they are given a
written guide with specific suggestions.
•M
ap out a route.You want all your energy to
be focused on praying, not on finding your
way home.
•P
ray together as a group before beginning
the prayerwalk. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide
your steps and your prayers as you walk.
Pray that you will begin to see the place you
are in through Christ’s eyes.
•P
ray with others. Praying in pairs or in teams
opens an important dimension of intercession. If in a large group, spread out in pairs
or trios to cover more ground and be less
obtrusive.
•P
ray as specifically as possible. Be alert to
your surroundings. Look for prompts along
the way to guide your prayers. God will bring
you into contact with people, places, and
situations precisely so that you will lift them
up to Him.
“
We were really down because we hadn’t seen
anyone come to Christ, and we felt as though
there was something not right, like we were
holding something back. It was a Sunday night,
and we were having our team prayer time.
John opened up and said that he felt like we
were holding back the power of God because
we were trying to do everything ourselves and
weren’t letting God take control and lead us. He
spoke for all of us—we all knew something was
wrong.
We sat down and prayed for a good long while,
totally pouring our hearts out to God, crying,
begging and seeking forgiveness for not letting
Him be in control. As we prayed, we asked
God to break open our hearts and pour out in
our lives and in the town that week so that His
power might be known. We prayed that He, not
our team, would touch lives.
That week we had 80-100 kids in Bible school
each night. We saw 14 of them come to Christ.
We have since learned that they continue going
to chapel and studying their Bibles! I really
learned what a difference it does make when
God does the touching. God really showed us
what He had in store for the summer and how
He wanted to use us. I know I speak for the four
of us when I say that we learned how mighty
and powerful our Lord Jesus is!
- Ayse Boswell, student missionary to Wales
Learn more about prayerwalking. Download the free booklet, Prayerwalking – An Orientation Guide at media1.imbresources.org/
files/85/8522/8522-46575.pdf. This is an excerpt
from a book by Steve Hawthorne and Graham
Kendrick called Prayerwalking (Creation House, Lake
Mary, FL, 1993).
”
Engage in a virtual prayerwalk for Unengaged,
Unreached, People Groups (UUPGs). Find this at
imb.org/pray.
31
AN INTRODUCTORY PRAYERWALK
As a step toward preparing a team for ministry,
prayerwalking, and evangelism on a mission trip, consider this prayerwalk experience in your own church
or ministry facility.
Prayer station 1 – Adoration and praise: Choose a
solitary place on the grounds of your church or facility.
Take this time to lift up the name of God in praise and
adoration. Look around at all the things God has made.
Pause to look at the sky.What colors do you see? Are
there clouds? Are there plants or trees around you?
Look at the detail in the leaves, the flower pedals, the
stem or trunk. Are there people, animals or insects
around you? Observe their movement.Thank God for
all the wonderful things He has made and for being our
Creator.Then praise Him for the life He has given you,
for every breath you take; and most importantly, for the
gift of His son, Jesus. Praise Him for answered prayers
and for making provisions. Praise Him for the difficult
times and times of challenge–for being our Hope.
Prayer station 2 – Confession: Choose a typical
classroom. Take time to evaluate your reason for
participating in your mission project. Consider your
attitude about the preparation, the commitment
required, and your expectations of the experience.
Confess to God the areas of your life in which you
may need your attitude adjusted in order to be fully
committed to Him and to the task that is ahead.
Acknowledge that you need God to complete the
task and be in full accordance with His will.
Prayer station 3 – Thanksgiving: Move to the
worship center or sanctuary. Find a place among the
pews or chairs. Thank God for your church and for
its commitment to missions and to seeing the lost
come to know Christ. Thank God for the opportunity
to serve Him. Thank Him for choosing you to be His
child. Thank God for those in your church who have
provided support and encouragement to you and to
others preparing for this mission project. Recall
specific names of people who have spoken a kind
word, made a financial contribution, taught a study
session, prayed for participants, etc. Thank God in
advance for His protection and for the lives that will
be changed as a result of your efforts in Christ.
Prayer station 4 – Thanksgiving: Find a broom/supply closet or kitchen. Thank God for the many people
who have been diligently working on the logistics of
your mission project. Thank Him for providing a lodging facility. Thank Him for the person(s) who will be
32
preparing meals, providing transportation, keeping the
facility clean, serving as a nurse, providing leadership
on the work sites and ministry sites, etc.
Prayer station 5 – Supplication: Go to a playground
or children’s classroom. Pray for the children who
need to be reached at your mission project. Perhaps
you and your group will participate in day camps,
Vacation Bible Schools or other ministries with
children. Even if not, pray for the children who live in
the communities in which you will be serving. Pray for
opportunities to share the love of Jesus with them.
Prayer station 6 – Supplication: Find a parking lot.
Pray for God’s protection as you travel to and from
the mission project and for His traveling mercies
during your project. Lift up other teams and individuals
you know who will be traveling and serving at various
ministry sites in North America and around the world.
Pray for the health of everyone on your project.
Prayer station 7 – Intercession: Find the baptistery
or altar. Remember the ultimate goal is to see Christ
glorified. Pray for people to come to know Christ.
Pray that as physical or emotional needs are met, this
would lead to the greater need of spiritual transformation being met. Pray for those with whom you will
come in contact who have no knowledge of Christ, as
well as those who have heard the good news yet have
no desire for it. Pray for those who know Christ and
have accepted His gift of salvation but are longing for
restoration of a spirit that has been broken, a hope
that has disappeared.
EVANGELISM RESOURCES
“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom
they have not believed? And how are they to believe
in him of whom they have never heard? And how are
they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans
10:13-14).
One of the most significant elements of spiritual
readiness for the mission field is your preparation for
evangelism.You should be able to share a brief testimony (in five minutes or less) about how and why you
became a Christian and the impact of Christ on your
life now.You also should have a clear understanding
of the gospel and be able to share how a person can
repent and believe in Christ.
• S olarium is a Campus Crusade resource
that uses pictures to start a spiritual
dialogue.
•E
vangeCube is a dynamic, graphic presentation of the gospel making use of a cube
as a tool that makes sharing your faith
simple.
Compose and practice using your personal testimony. There are numerous ways to use a personal
testimony in missions. For people new to sharing
their faith, it is helpful to think through and write out
their testimony in a way that is most relevant in the
context. “Ready to testify” is included in this section
to assist in this. Keep in mind that your testimony
is not limited to one story, or a three-step process
in coming to accept Christ. In fact, missionary hosts
often encourage volunteers to share about God from
their recent experience.
Learn a simple presentation of the gospel. There
are numerous ways to share the gospel and present
your faith to others. Be sure to dialogue with field
host so you will understand what will work best in the
context of your project and people group. In every
case, however, there is no better preparation than
your own personal experience and practice of sharing
your faith with others. Learning a presentation is no
substitute for actually using it. Look for opportunities
now to be a witness.
Discover evangelism tools and training you can
use. IMB Students offers a version of Creation to
Christ (C2C), a storying method that is used in many
places in the world, especially with oral cultures. It involves a brief walk through the major messages of the
Bible, leading up to death and resurrection of Christ.
See more information about C2C in this section.
Some
other good resources are:
•M
y 8 is an evangelism training resource
available at Lifeway Resources.
• S hare Jesus without Fear is an individual
book and group study also offered by
Lifeway.
33
READY TO TESTIFY
1. Compose your personal testimony.
a. R
emember to keep it short and simple so
it can be translated and shared with the
people in the host country you will serve.
Don’t use long words, jokes, and idioms—
they don’t translate easily.
b. Y
ou should avoid giving “TMI” (too much
information) about the sin in your life. Similarly, it’s best not to talk about the cost of
your trip. It’s fine to say that God provided
the money, just don’t refer to specific
dollar amounts. The cost of your trip may
be much more than the annual income of
many people overseas.
c. T
ry not to use familiar but confusing
religious expressions like “washed in the
blood of the Lamb” or “I invited Jesus into
my heart.”
d. H
ere’s a testimony preparation guide:
i. Introduce yourself, where you live,
what you do, and why you are in
the country.
ii. Describe your life before becoming a Christian. What was it like to
live without Christ?
iii. Explain how you became a Christian. What was the pivotal point
in your life, the turning point?
iv. Relate what it means to be a
Christian. What has been the
impact of Christ on your life? Use
Scriptures that are meaningful to
you here.
2. Practice sharing your testimony.
a. L ook for ways to bring Jesus into a conversation. It does not have to be mysterious.
Ask questions about what personal beliefs,
such as God, Jesus, life after death, and
what is wrong with the world. When it’s
your turn to share, use your testimony.
34
b. R
ecognize natural transitions in conversation by listening well. People will often tell
you their need for the gospel if you listen
closely. The more you learn about a person, the more you will understand exactly
how the gospel is good news to them.
c. A
sk permission to talk about Christ.
3. Be prepared to lead someone to faith.
a. E xplain how others can have a similar experience as yours.You need to clearly and
simply present the steps to salvation and a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
b. Creation to Christ is a wonderful tool
for sharing the gospel, and is introduced in
this material. Learn the stories and the
“big picture” of the gospel in the Bible.
c. There are many good ways to share the
gospel. Consult with your missionary host
to learn what will be best on your mission
project. Some other ways to present the
gospel are “The Bridge to Life” (Navigators), the “Three Circles” (NAMB) and the
“Four Spiritual Laws” (Cru).
d. N
o matter the tool or testimony you use,
be ready to invite a response.You might
ask something like, “Do you want to let
Jesus bring you back to God?”
CREATION TO CHRIST (C2C)
(Watch students share the C2C stories at
imbstudents.org/c2c.)
One of the best ways to share the message of the
Bible is through its stories. Individual stories speak
powerfully, but in linking those stories into their larger
narrative, the message is even stronger. Many believers,
and especially students, may not have a handle on the
comprehensive view of the gospel and God’s mission
that comes from a “creation to Christ” overview.
What is Creation to Christ?
The gospel is the big story of how God has worked
from the beginning of time to bring salvation to man.
It begins with the creation of the world and goes
through the resurrection and rule of Christ. Creation
to Christ storying involves telling smaller biblical
stories in the order in which they happened as part
of the connected narrative of Scripture. Usually this
means beginning with creation and moving sequentially
through at least the resurrection of Jesus.
•D
ivide students into pairs and ask them to
alternate in reading the Scriptures and sharing one of the stories in their own words
with each other. Repeat this as time allows
so they get personal experience in sharing
as many of the stories as possible.
• L ead a Bible study series that walks through
all 12 stories over the course of a semester.
Incorporate time in each study for students
to discuss and practice sharing that particular story.
• E ncourage students to share one of the
stories with a lost person. Make this a regular reminder. Create a brief report time in
regular worship or Bible study time where
students can share their experiences in
using C2C.
Tell me more about storying!
For more information about storying, see the IMB
website oralitystrategies.org.
Why this approach?
Most of those in an unreached people group (UPG)
have little or no basis for understanding key tenets
of the gospel message, like sin, salvation, heaven, the
cross, and the divinity of Christ. Others have a faulty
understanding of Christianity and the Bible, meaning
that they will not be “on the same page” with you in
your spiritual conversations. This is becoming very
much prevalent in the U.S., but also throughout the
West.
Creation to Christ starts at the beginning with who
God is and summarizes the key stories of the Old Testament to build a case for humanity’s separation from
God and the need for salvation from God.
The IMB Students version
IMB Students offers a visual presentation of Creation
to Christ that includes 12 stories with images and a
brief summary of each story. The images simply serve
as a prompt for an individual to use in sharing the
stories. A C2C Bandanna is available for purchase at
imbresources.org. You can download the outline,
artwork, and a video for free at imbstudents.org/c2c.
Suggestions for teaching C2C
•D
ownload the C2C outline and distribute
copies to your students. Briefly introduce
each story and image. An alternative is to
show the C2C video (about six minutes in
length).
35
STUDENT DEVOTIONS
“
But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish
my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel
of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24).
What do you think of when you hear the word abandon? Do you think of someone dropping out? Do you
think of giving up? The definition of the word abandon
is “give up completely (a course of action, a practice,
or a way of thinking).” By this definition it sounds like
we must give up ourselves. Exactly. This is what Christ
desires of us. We must abandon all so that God will
receive all the glory through our lives!
In the song, “Touch the Sky” by Hillsong United, there
is a line that says, “My heart beating, my soul breathing, I found my life when I laid it down.” That is what
abandoning ourselves for God looks like. In abandonment we don’t really lose out—we actually find our
lives. We find strength, freedom, peace, love, and we
find God. Like Paul mentions in the book of Acts, we
abandon our life and do not count it as precious to
ourselves so we may “testify to the gospel of the grace
of God.” The devotions in this book will help get you
to the point of abandoning all for the cause of Christ.
These devotions are grouped into six different sections. Each will challenge you to abandon something
in order to be refined into who Christ wants you to
be. When you leave for your project, your life can be
in complete submission to fulfilling God’s mission: His
glory across the earth. Here’s an overview:
36
• The first week will challenge you to look at
God and His mission from a big perspective.
• The second week will show you what it
means to “die to yourself” and live for
God’s glory.
• The third week will help you give up your
expectations.Your only expectation will be
to see God move.
• The fourth week will help you overcome
your fears.
• The fifth week will show you the way to be
freed from shame. Many people are held in
bondage by secret sins or incidents from
their past. Know that God desires to free
you through the power of what Christ did
on the cross.
• The final week will challenge you to live for
God’s glory and not your own.
”
God loves you more than you can ever imagine. He
desires to use you in ways you have never seen as you
go on your trip. First, however, He wants you to abandon everything, including your life, for His sake and His
alone. Are you willing to do that? Are you willing to
abandon?
About the writer:
Rahul Agarwal is the campus missionary for the
Tampa area Baptist Collegiate Ministries. He is
married to Annie and has four kids who provide free
entertainment daily. His love for technology (and
self-proclaimed geekness) has fueled his desire to
reach college students for Christ. Follow him on Twitter: @takethebrownpil (only one “L”), #firstworldproblems or on Facebook: fb.com/takethebrownpill.
SUGGESTIONS FOR USING THESE DEVOTIONS
These individual devotions are designed to be used
before your mission project.They are related to the
group studies in this resource, but not linked by date or
assignment.They are available in a separate booklet for
a small cost (contact us at [email protected] or
804-219-1355). In addition, these devotions are available
on the MyMission-IMB Students app, freely available
for smart phones and tablets.
Here’s how to make the most of these devotions:
1. Start these devotions at least six weeks before
your project.
There are six weeks of devotions with five days in
each (weekends are for catching up!). Remember that
their purpose is to prepare you for what God wants
to do while on your trip. Be diligent to set aside time
each morning so you have the whole day to live out
what you have learned and help you develop a life of
serving selflessly.
2. Take notes with a journal or a notes app.
You forget 90% of the information you take in within
one month. Old school: get a journal book. New
school: use notes on your phone or tablet. Either
way, write something down every day. Spell out your
prayers. Write your responses to the “Own it” section in each devotion. Journal what you think the Holy
Spirit tells you as you read the Word. Later, while
you are on your trip and God puts you in a situation
where you’re not sure what to do, you can go back
and remember how God prepared you for it. Also,
you can look back and see God’s faithfulness as He
answers your prayers.
4. Complete the “Own it” sections.
The “Own it” section of each devotion is written so
that you can live out what you have just learned. John
Maxwell explains, “We are educated as Christians way
beyond our level of obedience.” If you just gain knowledge you will just get spiritually fat.You must exercise
your knowledge so others can see your faith in action
and know it is real. These practical applications will
not always be simple or easy, but if you spend time
on them daily, your faith will grow in ways you could
never imagine, and God will be glorified through you
on your trip and when you get back.
5. Live for God’s name to be made famous.
Don’t do these devotions just because you were told
you should. And honestly, don’t simply do them because it will prepare you for this trip. Do these devotions so God’s name would be made famous through
your life throughout the earth! When you focus on
God’s glory, everything just seems to fall in line. In fact,
it will cause you to start your mission trip RIGHT
NOW.You won’t want to wait.You’ll start spreading
the love of Christ to every person you encounter
throughout your day.You’ll want to start researching
your people group.You might even want to find some
in your city right now and spend time with them.
#OhSnap! When you abandon, be prepared for the
Spirit to move you into a place that most people will
never experience. Don’t wait. Start now.
3. Pray on your knees.
“Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer
is the greater work” (Oswald Chambers).You cannot
accomplish anything apart from God. Prayer aligns you
with God’s will and clears your mind for His vision
to change the world. Pray on your knees before you
start each devotion. This simple act of humbling yourself positions your heart to hear from the Almighty
Creator and represents submission to His will. After
you read the devotion get back on your knees and
cry out to God for what He wants to accomplish in
this world through your life. Abandon your pride and
seek the Lord on your knees daily.
37
WEEK 1 - ABANDON GOD-LESS-NESS
One of the biggest problems we face is living with a
lousy concept and appreciation of God. Godlessness
is exactly what the word says: life without God. It also
means having less of God than is needed to really
trust Him, love Him and serve Him. It’s time to abandon your cramped, little view of deity and embrace
a big, glorious God Who is worthy of your highest
affection and deepest commitment.
Day 1: Learn His identity
Read it: Psalm 103
Know it:
Do you ever just stop and think about who God is?
Do you ever wonder why He did what He did for
you? Have you ever considered that the reason God
loves you so much is because it is just in His character
to love this deeply? In Psalm 103, King David shows us
that the Lord is merciful and gracious. Everything God
does stems from who He is. Through this Psalm, we
realize that God has some unmatched qualities that,
when we think about them, will make us break out
into praise just like David!
The characteristics listed in these verses give us
incredible insight into God’s identity.Verse three tells
us that He forgives all our sins. God doesn’t just say
we are forgiven once, but He continually forgives our
sins.Verse five shows us that He satisfies our desires
by giving us His blessings.
“
Our Lord wants to take such
good care of us that we need
not desire anything but Him.
David ends his psalm with “Bless the Lord, O my
soul!” He understands that true praise of God comes
from our innermost part, our soul. The soul literally
means everything that a person is, the whole being.
When David wrote that, he was declaring that his
whole life praised God – not just a part of his life.
Everything that he does, thinks about and cares about
is to bless the Lord!
When you begin to understand who God is, you are
moved to praise Him by abandoning your life to Him.
If you truly believe God is all these things, how can
you do anything less than glorify His name in and
through your life and actions? Does this psalm help
you desire to live for Him? Like David, will you break
out into praise as you are reminded about how loving
and compassionate our God is? Take some time to
work through the Own it section to help you truly
understand the depth of who God is and how He
desires every part of your life.
Pray it:
Lord,You are incredible. I am amazed at who You are and
that You, the Creator of the universe, are merciful and
gracious toward me. Help me to dwell on who You are,
so that I may live for You every day.
Own it:
”
Verse seven talks about God’s revelation to Moses.
He desires to guide our paths and not let us go at life
alone.Verse 14 declares that He knows exactly how
we are formed. Therefore, He knows what we need
and don’t need, as well as our strengths and weaknesses. Don’t forget verse 17 that talks about how God’s
love has been before us and will continue on after we
leave this earth!
What’s interesting to notice is that beginning in verse
11 we see what we need to do in order to understand
who God is. David says that “those who fear Him” are
the ones who will experience God. Our praise always
comes from an understanding of God’s power. This un-
38
derstanding helps us to become “fearful” of what God
can do. But, this fear causes an awe within us. We are
able to see God as both powerful and loving, at the
same time. This awareness leads us to genuine praise.
• Write down the characteristics of God you
see in Psalm 103. Then write down which
of these you have seen personally in your
life. (Thank Him specifically for how He
has shown some of these characteristics
toward you.)
• Take some time and think about (meditate
on) each one.
• Journal what God means to you as a result
of reading these characteristics.
Day 2: Believe in His love
Read it: Romans 5:8-10
Know it:
When you think of who God is, what comes to your
mind first? Who is He is to you: Father, Lord, or Creator? Do you perhaps first think on what He has
done for you: Healer, Provider, or Sustainer? What
about a characteristic of His nature: almighty, powerful,
omnipotent, omniscient?
Consider becoming one of those who would first
say that God is amazing love. Not only does God
describe Himself as love, He proves it in His actions.
Think about it: God does not wait for us to seek
Him; He has always sought us.
“
Christianity is the only religion
where you don’t have to climb
the mountain to get to God.
”
Basically, you don’t have to do a bunch of spiritual
tasks to “be worthy” in the eyes of God. Christianity
says God loves you so much that He came down
from the mountain to meet you where you are. He
pursues you every moment until He has your heart.
What a difference that makes compared to trying to
earn your way to God!
In Romans 5, we read how God showed His great
love for us by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for
us. What’s even crazier is this phrase: “while we were
still sinners.” This means that while we were still
enemies of God—people who could not be in His
presence due to sin—He sent Jesus to restore us to
Him. That means Jesus died for every single person,
regardless of their spiritual stature before a holy and
righteous God. Jesus willingly died for each and every
single person who would ever set foot on this earth,
even though God knew that some would never
turn from their sins and run into His arms! What an
amazing expression of perfect and abundant love.
The
Bible gives us many other aspects of God’s love.
• Forever. Psalm 52:8 explains how God’s
love will never run out and will last forever:
“But I am like a green olive tree in the
house of God. I trust in the steadfast love
of God forever and ever.”
• Patient. God’s wrath and anger toward us
as sinners is certainly justified, but thank
God in His love that He is not quick to
punish or abandon us. “But you, O Lord,
are a God merciful and gracious, slow to
anger and abounding in steadfast love and
faithfulness” (Psalm 86:15).
• Merciful. Finally, because God is love, we
can be confident that He will forgive us of
our sins and never ever hold them against
us, as a result of what Jesus did on the
cross. Psalm 103:10-12 says, “He does not
deal with us according to our sins, nor
repay us according to our iniquities. For as
high as the heavens are above the earth, so
great is his steadfast love toward those who
fear him; as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions
from us.”
God is love. Because of His great love He died for us,
while we were still His enemies. Let that sink in and
propel you to live out this love for Him every day of
your life.
Pray it:
Thank you, God, for the amazing love You have for me.
Help me to experience this love in such a powerful way
that it spurs me to go out and love those for whom You
have died and rose again.
Sing a worship song that helps explain how you feel
about Him.
Own it:
• Watch this video clip from a movie about
Rich Mullins, when he hears a challenge to
really believe in the love of Jesus:
youtube.com/watch?v=Pj50SeIfzyA.
• Ask someone today what God’s love
means to them.
• Always available. Because God is love we
can always count on His answers to our
prayers...in His time. Psalm 69:13 tells us,
“But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in
your saving faithfulness.”
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Day 3: Trust Him in the mystery
Read it: Isaiah 55:8-9
Know it:
Lately, it seems my oldest son thinks he has all of the
world’s knowledge and wisdom contained within his
brain! In fact, this strong-willed 11-year-old has always
made sure it’s known when he is right. It all began
when he was in preschool. At the tender age of 4 he
corrected his teacher on the appropriate pronunciation of dinosaur names when she was reading a book
to the class. Seven years later he continues this trend,
trying to correct me when he believes I haven’t gotten
the facts straight. How many times have I reminded
him, “Son, I’ve been on this earth a lot longer than you
and have gained experience, wisdom and knowledge
from my time!” He just ignores me.
Does it seem odd that a child would tell a grown man
he is completely wrong? Do you just laugh when you
think about the irony of that situation? Does it remind
you of how you sometimes behave and respond
toward your own Heavenly Father–trying to prove
you’re right, that your ways are better, and He just
needs to get the facts straight?
Isaiah tells us that the Lord’s thoughts and ways are
much higher than ours.
“
The Lord wants us to know and
treasure the fact that He is much
wiser than us.
”
We can trust in these words because God created the
universe, made us out of dust, and is completely above
and beyond the realm of time. He can do anything He
wants because He is God. His wisdom is infinite and
way beyond our scope! Yet sometimes we act like my
son does, as if we know it all.
God works in mysterious ways and we may not be
able right now to fully understand why things happen the way they do. We don’t know why there are
illnesses like cancer in this world. We wonder why bad
things happen to good people. We hate that terrorists
seem to rarely get caught and so continue in their
persecution of Christians. When things like this happen that we don’t understand, instead of complaining,
we can trust that God is ultimately doing something
that will lead to greater good and prove Himself glorious. We must trust that His thoughts and ways are
better than our understanding.
40
The life of Joseph in Genesis gives us a good example
of how God is always at work even though we might
not understand why things are happening the way they
are. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and
experienced a chain of events that would cause most
people to give up on God. Joseph, however, kept trusting the Lord in the most difficult of circumstances. In
the end, he became one of the most respected men in
Egypt and was able to say to his brothers, “As for you,
you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good,
to bring it about that many people should be kept
alive, as they are today” (Genesis 50:20).
You can trust that God knows what He is doing.
Instead of feeling helpless, you can live with confidence
and carry out the responsibility of spreading the
gospel to the ends of the earth. Be encouraged that
His ways and thoughts are not limited to what you
can see and comprehend.You might not be able to see
the big picture of what God is doing, but you can trust
that the infinite wisdom of God will play out through a
plan that will vindicate your faith and glorify Him.
Pray it:
Lord, thank You for not demoting your thoughts and ways
to match mine.Thank You for being a God who has infinite
wisdom and will work out everything to the good of those
who love You. Help me to trust that You are in control today.
Own it:
• Enlist at least two prayer partners who
will lift up you and your mission project in
these days of preparation. Share with them
specific requests and your desire to trust
God fully now and in the project.
• Consider using this guide for you and your
partners to pray for the people you will
serve: imbstudents.org/documents/30_
Day_Prayer_Guide_for_Unreached_People_Groups.pdf
• Read this article to explore this topic more:
gotquestions.org/God-works-in-mysteriousways.html.
Day 4: Yield to His Lordship
Read it: Luke 10:25-28
Know it:
What or who controls your life? What are you living
for? Why are you on this earth? What are you striving
for? All these questions lead to the very important
issue of God’s role in your life.
In the book of Luke, Jesus interacted with a lawyer
who dealt with the religious rules of the time. This
lawyer asked Jesus what he could do to gain eternal
life. At some level he already knew the answer, but still
wanted to hear what Jesus had to say on the matter.
So Jesus asked him to refer back to the law he was so
familiar with. The lawyer quoted Deuteronomy 6 and
Leviticus 19: “You shall love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as
yourself.” Here we see God being called Lord, a term
that comes up repeatedly throughout the Bible. The
word “lord” is defined as “someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler.”10
When you became a follower of Christ, this meant
surrendering your life to God.You now identify Him in
your life as Lord. This means that He now is to control
every area of your life. But, have you surrendered
every area of your life to Him?
“
Have you given complete control
to God?
”
Does He have your whole heart or just the part that
calls on Him when you need Him?
Back to the encounter of Jesus and the religious lawyer, we read that the way to have eternal life is to love
God not just with the heart, but also with all one’s
soul, strength and mind as well. That is a complete
picture of giving up your self to make God the Lord
of your life. Jesus wanted the lawyer to understand
that belief in God is not necessarily the same thing
as making Him Lord over your life. Jesus also wanted
the lawyer to know that living a righteous life doesn’t
equal eternal life either. He had to give over every part
of his being in order to make God the Lord of his life.
First Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within
you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in
your body.” God paid your sin debt by giving Jesus up
to die on the cross. When you believed this, repented
of your sin and trusted in Christ, you allowed God to
come into your life and be your Lord.Your identity
changed.
Now you have the opportunity to live a life guided
by the Holy Spirit instead of by your worldly desires.
He convicts you of sin and helps you live a life that
glorifies God through everything that you do.You no
longer need to crave what the world offers; instead,
you can give in and give up so that God can have His
way through you. Here is an amazing thing: when you
abandon control and let God be truly Lord over your
life, you experience the blessings of real freedom,
peace and joy! So stop fighting against God and give in
to His identity in your life: Lord!
A.W. Tozer put it this way: “Either God is Lord of all or
He is not Lord at all.” Go back to those questions at
the beginning of today’s devotion. Answering these will
help you know if God is Lord of all in your life.
Pray it:
Lord, help me see You as just that–Lord. Help me realize
You bought me and now I am indebted to You because
You have freed me from the power of sin. Show me the
freedom I have by allowing You to take control. Help me
not give in to my desires, but follow Yours.
Own it:
• Look at the “Four Spiritual Laws” and
determine if you are living the self-directed
life or the Christ-directed life: 4laws.com/
laws/englishkgp/default.htm.
• Take some time to identify specific areas in
your life that you haven’t “given in” completely to God (educational choices, career,
relationship status, safety, boldness, etc.).
• Go to God in prayer to present these areas
of your life to God and abandon them to
His say-so and control.
Day 5: Discover what God really wants
Read it: John 3:16-21
Know it:
If you grew up in church you have probably read,
heard, and even memorized John 3:16. In fact, even if
you didn’t grow up in church, you might be familiar
with it simply because it’s frequently seen at football
games, at posters on street corners, in the hands of
protesters and on billboards. Have you considered
why this verse is so common—why John 3:16 seem to
be the most quoted verse by every Christian?
Let’s slow down and meditate on the words of this
verse so you will be able to understand what is close
to the heart of God.
10
http://merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lord
41
God so loved the world. John succinctly explains
that God’s desire and love is for all of mankind.
Perhaps John 3:16 is so prominent because it tells us
that God loves the WORLD, not just Americans, and
not just Christians, but truly everyone. He desires a
relationship with everyone in the whole world.
“
An amazingly big God has plenty
of room in His heart for each and
every person He has created.
”
That He gave His only Son. No other messenger
would do. God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for
our sins so that we would not suffer an eternity
separated from Him in a place called hell. He offers
fellowship with Himself now and forever. What an
amazing illustration of ultimate love! The God of the
universe loves every single person so much that He
would suffer the punishment and death of His own
Son in order that we could be with Him forever. The
fact that a holy and perfect God would even care
about us blows my mind, but He goes a step further
to take on Himself the condemnation that a world full
of people in rebellion against Him deserve.
That whoever believes in Him. Romans 10:9-10
gives us a great picture of how we can receive this
free gift from God: “…if you confess with your mouth
that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with
the heart one believes and is justified, and with the
mouth one confesses and is saved.” In order to be
saved, it takes repentance and faith—belief that God
raised Jesus Christ from the grave. I don’t know about
you, but anyone who predicts His own death and resurrection, then actually does it, is worthy of my faith!
Should not perish. God desires every single person
to not perish but have everlasting life with Him. He
patiently waits on us to realize how much He loves us
and constantly holds out open arms so we will run to
Him. Second Peter 3:9 states, “The Lord is not slow
to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish,
but that all should reach repentance.”
Do you believe this? Do you really believe that God
loves the whole world, not just the parts you know,
not just the people you like, but every person in it?
Do you understand that God truly wants every single
person to know the depths of His love? Then you
42
should do everything possible to help others know
this incredible love from our incredible God. Abandon
any God-less-ness in your life today!
Pray it:
Lord, remind me of Your amazing love and help me to
trust in You. Help me understand what You say in John 3:16
and believe it so much that it will help me fulfill Your desire
for all people to know You.
Pray John 3:16.
Own it:
• Answer these questions in your journal:
W
hy do I believe in Jesus?
W
hat is God’s greatest desire?
- W
hat is my role in all of this?
• Memorize John 3:16 – “For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish
but have eternal life.”
• Find someone with whom you can share
the meaning of John 3:16, phrase by phrase.
If possible, do this with an international
friend.
43
WEEK 2 - ABANDON SELF
It’s easy to think that holiness is keeping up with a list
of do’s and don’ts to avoid sin, but a better meaning of
holiness is making room in your life for God. God is
ready to come to you with all His beauty and goodness and joy and creativity and abundance. Are you
ready for Him? Is there room in your life, or is your
selfishness going to crowd Him out? Think of unholiness as filling your life with everything else but God.
Second, you make sure God’s mission is your mission.
His ambition becomes yours. Third, recognize that
such like-mindedness puts you on the same path with
others so you can come together to see the church
accomplish what God wants. It’s time to stop arguing
with other brothers and sisters in Christ and stop
worrying about your own desires. Instead, together
seek out what matters: God’s desires.
Day 1: Get empty
Now, read verses 3 and 4 again. In order to have the
same mindset of humility as Christ did, you must “do
nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.” When you
give in to your own ambition, you put yourself first instead of humbly acting like Christ.You are called to hold
others in a higher regard than your own self. Remember, Christ became like us and was confined to a human
body; the most powerful Being in the universe limited
Himself to a body to be with us! That can inspire you to
“count others as more significant” than yourself.
Read it: Philippians 2:1-11
Know it:
This passage is an amazing section of the Word! Paul
gives the ultimate example of abandoning self: Jesus
Christ, God in the flesh, who completely emptied
Himself of His divine privileges in order to fulfill God’s
greater plan. He humbled Himself to the greatest extent: death. During His time on earth, Jesus submitted
to the Father because He knew that God’s plan was
the only way to restore the kingdom of Heaven.
Too often we may read these verses and say, “Of course,
Jesus would be the ultimate example of abandoning self.
He was God! He was perfect!” Yes, but that just makes
His example of humility and submission all the greater.
Read verse 6 again: “who, though he was in the form
of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be
grasped.” If the Son of God could let go of His royal
privileges and heavenly splendor for us, why should we
be reluctant to do something for Him?
We are commanded to be like Christ: “Whoever claims
to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6, NIV).
Every day we need to make a decision to abandon
ourselves for God’s greater plan. Every day we need to
submit to God’s leading and not what we want.
“
Every day, we must determine
that our lives are not for ourselves, but rather for a God who
loves the world and will use us
to help restore it to Him.
”
So, how do you accomplish this? Read verses 1 and 2
again. First, you find encouragement through Christ’s
redeeming work on the cross: that He gave up His life
for you.You delight in the comfort of His love and the
friendship of the Holy Spirit.
44
Rest assured that you are not called to be a doormat
where you allow people to rule over you; only God
is your King. However, knowing that God greatly
esteems you, you can afford to put others before
yourself. C.S. Lewis put it this way, “True humility is not
thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.”11
We do this by following what Paul tells us, “Let each of
you look not only to his own interests, but also to the
interests of others.” We must always be aware of others and their role in the kingdom. We look for ways to
help others accomplish God’s goal.
Jesus Christ is the greatest example of someone who
abandoned everything for the sake of the mission.
Today, look for ways to empty yourself like Christ did.
Pray it:
Lord, help me to understand that Jesus died for my sins
and was raised back to life. Help me to know that His
example of humility can encourage me to abandon my
own self in light of the gospel. (Tell Him specific areas in
your life where you need help with humility.) Thank You for
continuing to refine me to be more like Jesus.
Own it:
• Write down the areas of your life where
you see a lack of humility.
• Ask your prayer partners to pray for these
areas of your life before and during your trip.
• Memorize 1 John 2:6 (“Whoever claims
to live in him must live as Jesus did”) and
create a Facebook post of the verse (Pro
tip: use canva.com).
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York, NY: Harper
Collins, 1997)
11
Day 2: Embrace your new identity
Read it: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Know it:
Who are you? What do you call yourself? Where
do you find your identity? Some of us call ourselves
“Christian.” Others might say “I am a Jesus-follower.”
Still others might say, “I’m (insert your name here).”
Answering these questions just scratches the surface
of who you really are. The question, “Where do you
find your identity?” can bring a much different set of
answers.You might say things like: sports, video games,
my Instagram feed, or even an addiction. These are
very deep and tough questions to answer for most of
us. However, through these verses that Paul writes to
the church in Corinth, let’s explore the best answers.
Paul says that once you become a follower of Christ,
“the old has gone.” You are no longer your old self;
who you used to be is now gone.
“
You have a new identity in Christ;
do you believe this truth?
”
You have given up the right to yourself and have
become a child of God.You have been adopted into
his family! John 1:12 states, “But to all who did receive
him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God.”
Our identity as believers is that we are children of
God, which means we receive the inheritance of eternal life and God’s Holy Spirit living inside of us. That is
extremely significant because we aren’t called to just
receive those blessings, but to be a conduit so those
blessings go out into the world.
If you are now a child of God, then you also are an
ambassador for Him. Just as Christ reconciled you to
have a relationship with the almighty Creator, you are
to speak His good news to the world.Verses 18 and
19 explain that through Jesus Christ we all can be forgiven of our sins, and our sins will no longer be held
under our account. Through that forgiveness, you have
been tasked as a “minister of reconciliation” to bring
the hope of freedom from sin to the world! You are
part of the people God is using to change the world
and reach the nations!
So what does all this mean? First Peter 2:9 says, “But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for his own possession, that you may
proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of
darkness into his marvelous light.” Your identity, who
you are and what you call yourself, can be summed up
by this verse.You are God’s ambassador and a royal
priest, called to proclaim the way out of darkness and
into His marvelous light! Through Christ you have
been brought into the family, into the blessings, into
the light, so that you could be sent out to help a hopeless world find hope! What a privilege to be one of
the change makers, the reconcilers, the ones the Holy
Spirit uses to help others be free from sin and live a
life that honors the Most High God!
Pray it:
God, almighty Creator, thank You for adopting me into Your
family. Help me live out my calling as Your ambassador.
Help me embrace my new identity in Christ. Help me
proclaim your excellence as the One who called me out of
darkness and into Your marvelous light.
Own it:
• Watch “The Big Story” to see what it
means to reconcile the world to Christ as
His ambassadors:
youtube.com/watch?v=kCVcSiUUMhY.
• Practice sharing “The Big Story” with
someone you know.
• Practice sharing “The Big Story” with someone you don’t know. (#ohsnap #nervous)
Day 3: Act like Jesus
Read it: John 13:1-17
Know it:
John gives us a picture of the Savior of the world
washing the disciples’ feet.The time for Jesus’ death
was coming soon and He wanted to show the disciples
what they had to do in order to become more like
Him. Can you imagine being one of those guys watching
this scene play out? Imagine seeing the Master, who
performed miracles and claimed to be God, take off His
outer robe, fill a bowl with water, and begin to wash
your feet! Consider that this greatest of rabbis, whom
you have followed and learned so much from, is washing
the dirtiest part of your body!? What would you do?
What would you say? What would you think?
Peter freaked out! He saw Jesus as someone to be
greatly respected, and no self-respecting person in that
culture would do what only slaves were supposed to
do. He resisted the lesson Jesus was trying to teach
His disciples. Peter did not seem to understand that
Jesus did not just talk about the things His disciples
45
must do. He demonstrated them as well. Once He
finished washing all the disciples’ feet, Jesus explained
what just happened: “For I have given you an example,
that you also should do just as I have done to you.
Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than
his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one
who sent him” (verses 15-16).
Jesus calls you to abandon yourself so you can act like
Him. In this example of foot washing, He shows you
how. In order to act like Jesus, you must first learn to
receive the full extent of His cleansing love: “having
loved his own who were in the world, he loved them
to the end” (verse 1). Just like Peter, you can find it
hard to receive a “foot washing.” Remember, there
is nothing so dirty about you that Jesus can’t handle
it. And Jesus says, “If I do not wash you, you have no
share with me” (verse 8).
Next, in order to act like Jesus you must claim Him
as “Teacher and Lord” (verse 14). These are not just
titles, but as we have said before, real roles that Jesus
plays in your life.You are to do what the Teacher does.
“
Discipleship is not just knowing
about Jesus; it is truly following
Jesus.
”
Where did we ever get the idea that we could watch
Jesus do lowly things like serving others and think it
didn’t apply to us?
Finally, to act like Jesus you need to translate the love
He has for you into compassion for others. “You also
ought to wash one another’s feet” (verse 14). Jesus
asks you to love those whom He loves: “When he
saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because
they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a
shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). When you get the heart of
Jesus inside of you, a Christ-like humility and a compassion for others will be natural to you.You will want
to serve others as Christ did.
Jesus knew God’s mission, and through His compassion He would go to great extents to serve others
without regard for His own desires. This mindset
eventually led to the ultimate way of serving others…
by dying on the cross for all the sins of humanity. Matthew 20:28 tells us that, “the Son of Man came not to
be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many.” So we are to follow Jesus’ example. We are
to serve others and give ourselves up for others.You
will soon be going somewhere in the world to do this.
46
As you prepare for this, remember that you are called
to act like Jesus.
Pray it:
God, fill me up with Your love so I will be able to overflow
with love and service to others. Help me keep my eyes on
Jesus and learn to do as He has done. Help me learn how
to better serve others as I prepare for this trip.
Own it:
• Are you aware of ways in which Jesus has
sought to love you, but you resisted? If so,
write a prayer where you confess your pride
and admit your need to receive His love.
• Journal ways you can start your mission
project now—serving people before you
leave for your trip—in order to develop a
“heart like Jesus”. Pick one thing from that
list that you can do this week to serve
someone close to you.
• Begin praying for God to show you someone you can serve regularly before you
leave for your trip.
Day 4: Burn your plow
Read it: 1 Kings 19:19-21
Know it:
Elijah was a well-known prophet who accomplished
many things for the glory of God.You might recognize
him from hearing the story about him in chapter 18.
He held a “God contest” where he pitted the One
True God against King Ahab’s gods. There Elijah proved
that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was real by
calling down fire from heaven, burning up the sacrifice,
and ending the debate. At the end of chapter 19, the
story jumps ahead to where Elijah called Elisha to be
his assistant and so began to pass the baton of “prophet” to Elisha.
Elisha’s response to Elijah’s call is what we need to
understand. After Elijah put his coat on Elisha (an
ancient world way of “passing the baton”), Elisha went
and burned up the plowing equipment and slaughtered
the oxen he had been using. What is significant is that
the Bible mentions Elisha was with the “twelfth pair”
when all this went down. That is, Elijah and his family
had twelve teams of oxen to plow his field, meaning
he was probably wealthy when Elijah found him.Yet
Elisha burned up everything that he owned in order
to follow God’s calling on his life. He abandoned the
riches, fed the meat to the town (can you imagine that
party!), and left everything behind to follow Elijah.
Would you do that? Would you abandon everything to
help fulfill God’s desire for all peoples of the world to
know Him and be saved? You may give up something
in order to go on this mission trip, but would you give
up everything to answer God’s call to join Him in His
mission? If you sacrifice some vacation, money, and
energy to travel across the world to share the gospel
with others, are you doing so knowing you will come
back to your familiar comforts and pleasures after a
small time away?
“
Imagine what would happen if
more of us who went on mission
projects had the same mentality
as Elisha!
”
What if all of us understood that there is nothing
more important than the calling of God on our lives?
And if that means that a host of us leaves everything
behind for the sake of spreading the gospel across
the world, what could happen? Maybe more churches
would be planted in places that have been closed to
the gospel or even hostile to Christians.
Let’s change the metaphor.What if, as David Platt often
says, your life should be like a blank check you give to
God? “Lord, write on it whatever You will. Everything
I have and am belongs to You.” Can you say, “God, I’m
Yours? I am willing to go where you want me to go, do
what you want me to do, and not hold anything back
from You”?
Elisha was completely free to go with Elijah and be
all that God wanted Him to be. Imagine how free
you too would be, even now, if you thought that way.
Your life would truly be led by the Spirit to places you
would never imagine, to be used by God in ways you
didn’t think were possible.
Pray it:
Warning – This is a dangerous prayer. Lord, if I am
truly Yours, if my identity is found in You, help me to trust
everything to You. Help me to abandon everything for You.
I want to see this world know You more than ever. Prepare
my heart to be completely Yours, so that even before my
trip I’m ready to be used by You.Thank You for leading me,
guiding me, and teaching me what it means to be all Yours.
Own it:
• Research the people group you will serve
on your project and journal everything you
can about them. (Pro tip: use joshuaproject.net and peoplegroups.org.)
• Fast from something until you leave for
your trip (Netflix, social media, a meal a day,
etc.). Every time you desire that thing, use it
as a prompt to plead to God on your knees
for your people group.
Day 5: Go no matter what
Read it: Acts 20:17-27
Know it:
In Acts 20, Paul was prompted by the Holy Spirit to go
to Jerusalem. Paul went, knowing that in Jerusalem suffering was waiting for him. One reason he knew this
was because wherever the Holy Spirit had led him before, people were waiting to persecute him because of
his testimony. In the case of Jerusalem, the Spirit plainly
told him to expect prison and hardship.Yet, still Paul
went...willingly. Why did he keep doing this to himself?
Why did he set himself up to be beaten and thrown in
prison over and over? Paul understood a much bigger
purpose for his life and made suffering worthwhile. He
knew what God had called him to do and he would go
no matter what.
Verse 24 tells us Paul’s calling in life: “But I do not
account my life of any value nor as precious to myself,
if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I
received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel
of the grace of God.” Paul was never ashamed of this
mission and always pursued this purpose. Paul’s whole
life, after he turned from persecuting Christians, was
“laser focused” on bringing the gospel of the grace of
God to every Jew and Greek. He desired that every
single person with whom he came in contact would
repent of their sins, turn to God, and have faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul would have seen his life as a waste if he had
shunned the race set before him by God. As he said to
the Corinthians, “For necessity is laid upon me. Woe
to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of
my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will,
I am still entrusted with a stewardship” (1 Corinthians
9:16-17). As it was, he was bold with his testimony,
never shrinking from his responsibility to tell people
that Jesus Christ died for their sins and rose from the
grave, proving He could restore them to a relationship
with the Creator of the universe.
47
One reason Paul was so driven was because he
remembered his life before Christ. He knew God had
saved him from a life of anger, strife and confusion.
Paul knew God showered him with grace that day on
the road to Damascus (Acts 9). God could’ve easily
removed Paul from this earth, but instead chose to
transform him into a voice for the gospel.
“
A God-given purpose is a
powerful thing.
”
In regards to this mission project, are you going on a
whim or a conviction? Are you convinced that God
has called you to travel to a place away from your
home to spread the gospel? Beware of whims in
missions. Paul wouldn’t have lasted a day on mission
without God-given conviction.
In regards to your life, do you know why you are who
you are? That sounds complicated, but it’s a way of confronting an unexamined life. Do you know what your
purpose in life is? What is God calling you to be and do?
Keep in mind that first and foremost, He calls you to
Himself.The race always has Him waiting for you at the
goal. Everything else is simply a matter of good stewardship. How will you be available to God today? How will
you use this gift or that opportunity for Him?
Prepare your heart and mind for a journey that leads
to God. Realize that this journey also is a chance to
live on mission for God. So go, no matter what. As a
Christ-follower, don’t be deterred from bringing the
gospel of the grace of God to every single person with
whom you can, and throughout your life pursue relationships that lead to gospel advancement. Abandon
yourself for the sake of the gospel!
Pray it:
God, show me how You want to use me to bless the world.
Show me the calling You have for my life.Then, give me the
courage to live this calling out. Give me opportunities to
spread the gospel where I am now and with whomever I
meet on my trip.
Own it:
• Wrap up this week of devotions by
spending some time on your testimony for
Christ. The best way to share what God has
done in your life is through your own story.
Answer the following questions in your
journal to help you process your story:
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- W
hat was your life like without
Christ?
- H
ow did you come to realize you
needed
God’s grace?
- W
hat is your life like now with
Christ? Who is He to you now?
• Become familiar with the Creation to Christ
presentation. In many cultural contexts, explaining the gospel is best done with stories.
Many people have no real knowledge of
the Bible, so it’s important to start with the
beginning. Look for C2C here in this material or online at imbstudents.org. Practice
sharing one of the stories with a friend. If it
leads you to share more, then great!
49
WEEK 3 - ABANDON SELFISH EXPECTATIONS
There is a lot of disillusionment in this world. Marilyn
Monroe, a celebrity of the 1950’s, was reported to
have said, “Dreaming about being an actress is more
exciting than being one.” Expectations are not bad
but they can be wrongly focused. God invites you
to enlarge your imagination and abandon your puny
hopes for something much bigger and better.
Day 1: Not thine but the vine
Read it: John 15:1-11
Know it:
Every year, I have watched as my neighbor cuts down
his beautiful plants to prepare them for the spring. It’s
a bit shocking to see something that looks so lovely
get pruned down to almost nothing. So I finally asked
him why he does that. I learned that when a branch
grows too far out from the trunk, it begins to lose
its source of strength, to the point where it will no
longer produce fruit and then eventually die. I looked
at my plants and realized I needed to prune them.
Mine were not nearly so full and vibrant-looking as
his. In fact, let’s just say that I had branches going
every possible direction and with much “saggy-ness.”
Compared to my neighbor’s plants, mine looked like
they needed to be chopped down completely!
So many times we expect to reach people for Christ,
serve others, love others, and forgive others, all without ever going back to the source for strength to do
all these good things. Eventually we can burn out from
doing the work of the Lord. Have you been there?
Have you tried to do many good things and expected
them to fuel you, only to find out that they actually
exhausted you? Jesus tells us that He is the source of
our strength; apart from Him we can do nothing.
“
Every day we need to abide in
Him so that we serve from the
outflow of His strength.
”
What do the “branches” look like in your life? Is there
something you need to “prune?” Have you gotten
away from the Source of your strength? The Christian
life is meant to be lived out of the overflow of God’s
provision, not the trickle of self-reliance. Jesus could
not be more clear in saying, “I am the vine; you are the
branches.Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is
that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do
nothing” (verse 5).What will it be for you—thine or
the vine?
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Are you trying to do too much, ending every day exhausted, and never really resting? If so, it’s likely that you
are not abiding in Christ and relying on His strength.
Maybe you need to create a “don’t-do” list instead of a
“to-do” list, so you can rely on God getting things done
instead of relying on yourself. Are you bearing the fruit
of a Christ-like life? If not, it’s probably because you are
a branch trying to do its own thing rather than being
closely connected to Jesus. God is glorified when you
bear fruit, and it is one of those things that proves you
to be Christ’s disciple.
One of the ways you can “abide in the vine” is to give
God the first moments of your day.When you wake
up, seek strength from Him by reading His Word (like
you are doing now!) and spending time on your knees
praying. (And don’t just talk to Him; listen as well.) Then,
throughout the day constantly apply the instruction of
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” When you stop
trying to do things out of your own strength and abandon your own expectaions, you will truly find Christ’s
life-giving power through the Holy Spirit!
Pray it:
Lord, help me stop trying to do things out of my own
strength and then expect supernatural results. Help me to
rely on You by constantly seeking what You want so that I
may bear Your fruit.
Own it:
• Get fruity. Make a list of spiritual fruits in
your journal. Read Galatians 5:22-23 and
Colossians 1:10. From John 15 and Matthew
13:23, could we also understand fruit to
mean others we lead to Christ?
• Develop your own “abide strategy.” What
can you do to stay intimate and dependent
on Jesus? Here are some starter ideas:
- P
ost Bible verses where you can
see them each day.
- P
ick a new person each day and
pray, “God, help me bless this
person somehow today.”
- B
e on a “God Hunt,” always looking for ways God shows up. Even
in the worst of circumstances,
Jeremiah said, “his mercies never
come to an end; they are new
every morning” (Lamentations
3:22-23).
• Set some vine time. Before you started
these devotions, was it your practice to
spend time each day with God? If not, make
it a top priority to continue this discipline.
Set a time for every morning, even beyond
this mission project, to read your Bible,
journal, and pray. Need help? Read this:
rickwarren.org/devotional/english/quiettime-with-god-it-s-simple-really
Day 2: Jesus, take the wheel
Read it: Proverbs 16:9; Romans 8:28; Matthew 6:25-34
Know it:
Do you ever worry about your future? Do you ask,
“What is God’s will for my life?” Honestly, most of
us have fretted frequently about the “what-ifs” in this
world. Sadly, this often does not lead to real answers
but just more questions and worry, even to the point
of becoming paralyzed in looking toward the future.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a personal road map you
could follow that would show an easy way to get to
the goals you’ve set? Such a map would let you rely on
our own power and abilities to reach the finish line,
overcoming or avoiding hurdles and obstacles along
the way. In fact, you could possibly even rearrange the
path if it got too hard. But that’s just not realistic is it?
Moving toward God’s future for your life will never
be like playing a game of Chinese checkers, with each
move calculated and well thought out.
“
Life is complicated, much is not in
your ability to control, and God is
not likely to give you a blueprint.
”
So how do you deal with your fear of the future or,
even more, how will you embrace the future if it
doesn’t play out the way you expected it would?
There is a secret in the Bible that can help you with
this issue…
Faith. That’s it, faith. Not faith in yourself, or faith in
your plans, or faith in faith itself (that’s weird, isn’t it?),
but faith in a God who loves you and has your best interests at heart. In fact, faith is the conviction that God
is in control of every facet of your future. When you
understand this, there is a sense of peace and freedom
that can calm your anxious heart.
Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who
love God all things work together for good, for those
who are called according to his purpose.” God works
everything out according to His will. This includes
your future.Your natural inclination is to want to be
in control of your own “destiny,” but God wants you
to abandon that control and trust Him with it. That
would not make sense unless it’s true that His love is
the greatest and His plans are the best: “For I know
the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for
welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a
hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). So why do you resist handing
it all over to Him?
Maybe you don’t really believe God is big enough and
smart enough to control everything. That raises the
question: Is God really God or not? If you can trust
that God knows what He is doing, you can rest in His
sovereignty. This doesn’t mean you stop making plans
(like going on a mission trip!) and do nothing, sitting
around hoping that God will do something good
through you in the future. Instead, you place your confidence in His character, His power and His authority
over the future, and then live out Proverbs 16:9 in
daily life: “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord
establishes his steps.”
It’s one thing to drive yourself and determine your
own destination; it’s another thing to get moving as
best as you know how and say, “God, you steer.” Make
your plans but trust that the Lord will guide you down
the path He wants for you (Proverbs 3:5-6). I challenge
you to abandon your expected future for God’s today
and simply place your faith in Him, knowing that He
has a plan for you and will guide you down it.
Pray it:
Lord, help me to truly believe and trust that You are guiding
my life and establishing my path. Give me the wisdom to
know which way to take that will lead to the destination
You desire for my life. I abandon my future for Yours.
Own it:
• Watch this video of how Tony Dungy,
former pro football coach, dealt with his
career hopes and expectations:
iamsecond.com/seconds/tony-dungy/.
• Memorize Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the
Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on
your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge him, and he will make straight
your paths.”
51
Day 3: Rejoice in discomfort
Read it: Philippians 1:12-18
Know it:
When things don’t go the way you plan, how do you
typically react? Do you get angry? Freak out? If so,
why? Have you ever thought about responding in
tough times with rejoicing? Not in the “fake it ’till you
make it” kind of way, but with true joy.
When Paul was awaiting his trial in Rome, do you
think he wanted to be there? If he had been planning
things for his life, would that have included arrest, imprisonment, and chains? But such it was as he suffered
for doing something good: preaching the gospel. Most
of us would have been complaining at this point. We
might have said things like, “I don’t deserve to be here.
I didn’t do anything wrong. This is terrible, God, why
would You let this happen to me?” Not Paul. Look at
his response in verse 12: “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served
to advance the gospel.” Later he says, “Yes, and I will
rejoice.” That’s ridiculous!
Paul was rejoicing about being in prison!? Why would
he do that? Look at verses 13 and 14 and you will see
that Paul’s expectations were not selfish, but focused
on the advancement of the gospel. For one thing, he
was excited to share that the whole imperial guard
knew that he was in prison for preaching about Christ.
“
If you wanted to influence
the entire Roman Empire, you
couldn’t have picked a better
group to start with.
”
Paul was most likely in the custody of the “Praetorian
14 guard”—elite troops housed in the emperor’s palace who were a specialized, hand-picked, military team.
They were Caesar’s own personal bodyguards–strong,
courageous, brilliant, sophisticated young men. Imagine
a mixture of Marines and the Secret Service. These
guys typically served for 12 years, protecting Caesar
and guarding prisoners like Paul. After their service
they tended to move on to careers that were very
influential. Some would become commanding generals
of large armies; others went into politics and became
senators or ambassadors to other countries. Many
even became top business leaders. Essentially, these
would become the movers and shakers of the future,
the decision makers of the next generation.
52
Every day Paul grinned to himself because, for two
years, one of these guards wore the other end of his
chain, and for six hours had to stay within four feet of
him. He wasn’t chained to them; they were chained to
him! Paul literally had a captive audience with whom he
shared Christ, which may have led to a chain reaction of
conversions throughout the whole Roman palace. Can
you see why Paul was rejoicing and not worried about
getting his way? God had a better idea, and it wasn’t for
Paul to be sitting in the comfort of his own house, with
his feet propped up watching Netflix. God was using
Paul’s imprisonment and Paul’s suffering to create an
unexpected movement of God!
Do you expect everything to go according to your
plans? If so, you need to abandon your expectations.
Why not prepare your heart to accept that God is in
control and let His way be accomplished? Let God be
God, and trust that He loves you so much and wants
what’s best for you.You can find joy in knowing that
whatever happens, God is working and will use you
more than you could ever imagine.
Pray it:
Lord, help me find comfort knowing You are in control. Help
me not worry about getting my way. Instead, help me pray,
“Your will be done,” even if it means not being comfortable.
Forgive me for not trusting You.
Own it:
• Do you have a testimony of God turning an
uncomfortable situation in your life into a
blessing for others? If so, describe it in your
journal.
• Listen to “My Heart is Yours” by Passion and Kristian Stanfill: youtube.com/
watch?v=qBI4WDfRh6E. Write down the
chorus in your journal and ask God to help
you live these words with truth.
Day 4: Seek real satisfaction
Read it: Ephesians 3:14-19
Know it:
What brings you satisfaction? A job well done? A compliment from a mentor? An “A” on a test? A paycheck?
There’s nothing wrong with us feeling good when
we’ve done well or worked hard, but too many times
we expect these things to fill us up and keep us going,
only to be disappointed. We act as if we are entitled to
ultimate rewards because we put in some effort, but
even with the greatest of worldly successes, there is
still something missing and we wind up feeling empty.
Nothing truly satisfies like God’s unfailing love. Paul
desired for the church to be “filled with all the fullness
of God.” He believed this comes from being satisfied
through knowing “how wide and long and high and
deep is the love of Christ” (Ephesians 3:18, NIV). Real
satisfaction will not come from our own achievements,
but rather from the free gift of Christ’s love for us.
This love was demonstrated most completely by what
He did for us on the cross in reconciling us back to
God.
John Piper puts it this way: “God is most glorified in
me when I am most satisfied in Him.” You were made
to find joy and contentment in God.12
“
Nothing and no one else can take
God’s place in your life.
”
When you find satisfaction in who He is and how
much He loves you, then His desires will be your
desires and His mission will be your mission. He
will be glorified through the way you live. Instead of
constantly chasing satisfaction through things of this
world, you will be deeply satisfied by a God who loves
you immensely!
Think of God as the Niagara Falls of joy, the flood
of all good things. No wonder Paul prays that the
Ephesians “would experience the fullness of God”
(verses 18-19). Why live on half empty or worse when
you can be fully satisfied in Him? Can you imagine the
feeling of not needing anything else because you are
so filled up and satisfied with the love of God? That’s
the gospel!
So, how do you get to the point of being “most satisfied in Him?” Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the
Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Do you understand that you can choose what you
delight in? Delight is something you learn as you pursue something. Satisfaction in the Lord comes when
we pursue Him and find true happiness and joy in all
that He is. Once you delight yourself in the Lord, His
desires become your desires.
Here are three things you can do to cultivate your
delight in the Lord:
1. E
xercise your faith–Start with little things and entrust them to God. God is ready to prove Himself
good and faithful. When you have developed a personal history of God’s faithfulness in your life, your
trust will grow along with your satisfaction in Him.
2.Elevate your desires–A visit to the Grand Canyon
will cure you of any awe of a ditch. Constantly seek
to grow your appreciation of God’s greatness so
lesser things don’t captivate your desires.
3.Express your thanks–Gratitude is not something
you have to invent, but discover. God has been, is
now, and forever will be doing good things. Slow
down and be thankful. Careless living is what causes
you to miss out on delight.
Ultimately, the way to true satisfaction is by delighting
yourself in the Lord. Will you take steps to grow in
this?
Pray it:
God, show me where the wrong ways and places in which
I am looking for satisfaction. Please forgive me for putting
these things above You. Show me how to delight myself in
Your love through exercising faith, seeking the best, and
being thankful.
Own it:
• Start today with a faith proposition. Identify
some way God can show you His goodness and faithfulness and voice this as a
prayer request. Keep the request within
the boundaries of what you know to be
His character and purposes. (You can bet
that asking for a million bucks to go on a
vacation is a little off!)
• Try this exercise today: ask five people who
know you well this question: “What would
you say is something (or someone) in my
life for which I should thank God?” (In
other words, name something for which
I especially should be thankful.)
• Try this as a way to witness to someone:
Ask, “What satisfies you?” Listen carefully
and seek to appreciate his or her answer.
Ask other questions like, “Why does this
satisfy you?” and “Do you think this works
for others as well?” Share about this devotion and your own journey to find satisfaction in God.
http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/we-want-you-tobe-a-christian-hedonist
12
53
Day 5: Attempt great things
Read it: Genesis 2:7, Exodus 14:29-31,
Joshua 10:12-14
Know it:
William Carey, frequently remembered as the father
of modern missions, once said, “Expect great things.
Attempt great things.”13 Carey had an expectation
that God would do incredible things. He believed that
the Great Commission given to us by Jesus was a
command for all believers and not just the ones who
would be career missionaries. He inspired many people to travel around the world to spread the gospel.
His vision came from reading everything God had
done in His Word, such as how man was created
from dust and how the Red Sea was split in two so
God’s people could walk through to safety from the
Egyptians. He believed what he read when Joshua
asked God to make the sun stand still (and God did
it!). Because of his expectation of God, Carey inspired
countless people to not just attempt great things for
God, but actually go out and do them!
What are your expectations of what God can do?
Based on what you have read in the Scriptures, do
you expect God to do miraculous things through you?
God still uses ordinary people to do extraordinary
things, but you have to remember the second part of
Carey’s statement, “Attempt great things.” The belief
that God will do great things means little until you
attempt great things.
“
God is looking for those through
whom He can prove Himself
glorious.
”
You have the opportunity to show everyone around
you that you believe God can do things no one else can.
Be bold in your faith and expect God to do great things.
Expecting and attempting great things with God starts
with confidence in God’s promises. God has a plan
for your life, one that will be used for amazing things
to glorify Himself! Deuteronomy 31:6 says, “Be strong
and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them,
for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will
not leave you or forsake you.” As you boldly attempt
great things for God, you can walk confidently knowing that He will never leave you.
54
Expecting and attempting great things also requires
knowing God’s purposes. God doesn’t need you to
invent His agenda, but He does want you to get His
heart: “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro
throughout the earth that He may strongly support
those whose heart is completely His” (2 Chronicles
16:9, NASB). The Bible and history are filled with stories of great things accomplished with God by people
who knew His heart and then stepped up in faith.
Do you expect God to use you in this mission project
to do things like what He promised throughout the
Scriptures? What will you attempt to do, before you
leave, in order to prepare yourself for the great things
God will do there?
Pray it:
Lord,You have done great and mighty things throughout
Your Word: things like splitting open the sea and making
the sun stand still. Help me know Your heart and then give
me the courage to attempt great things in Your name. Help
me live a life of expectation with You that leads to great
things You do through me.
Own it:
• Research someone who has attempted great
things for God (Such as Eric Liddell, Lottie
Moon, or Jim Elliot). Here is a good list to
help out: whatchristianswanttoknow.
com/10-famous-christian-missionaries.
• Put on your reading list, Ten Who Changed
the World by Daniel Akin: lifeway.com/
Product/TEN-WHO-CHANGED-THEWORLD-P005420530
• Brainstorm a list of things you can attempt
for God (ideas: share the gospel every day
until your trip, learn the language of the
region you will be going, etc.). Pray for God
to lead you to adopt one as He desires.
• Post on Facebook or Twitter the William
Carey quote, “Expect great things. Attempt great things.” Ask what others have
attempted for God.
13
http://www.wmcarey.edu/carey/expect
WEEK 4 - ABANDON FEAR
We live in a fearful age. Thanks to global media and
technology, we can know all the problems in the world
as they happen. The constant barrage of “end-of-everything-as-we-know-it” stories and movies is testimony
to our conscious or sub-conscious feeling that things
aren’t getting better. Add to that a personal sense of
inadequacy that many of us feel inside, and it’s a wonder we get out of bed in the morning! Take heart! God
has this world in His hands and is working all things
toward a wonderful and beautiful new beginning. He
is looking for those who will abandon their fears and
join Him in building His kingdom.
Day 1: What are you afraid of?
Read it: Matthew 14:22-33
Know it:
I’m terrified of snakes. I mean a downright, screamlike-a-school-girl, fear of snakes. Any time I see them, I
ponder why God would have made a creature so detestable and scary. My terror brought me to a screeching halt when I discovered a snake lying across our
doorstep. I was paralyzed in fear. Step over it? Never.
Pick it up? Definitely not. Run away? Highly likely! For
10 solid minutes I waited and debated about how to
get in my house, and then my friend showed up, nonchalantly grabbed a stick and tossed the snake out of
our way. Seemed pretty simple for him; not so for me.
What are your deepest fears? Do you find yourself
paralyzed in the grip of them? In Matthew 14, the
disciples were in a bit of a pinch, tossed in a little boat
in the midst of a raging storm. Just when they thought
things couldn’t get worse, they saw a figure moving
toward them across the waves. In terror they yelled
out, “It’s a ghost!” They were more than just startled,
because they also “cried out in fear.” Remember, these
were grown men and several of them were veteran
sailors, but the combination of darkness, a violent
storm on the lake, and a shadowy figure hovering over
the water was just too much.
I’m guessing that you’ve also been at a place where
you were so gripped with terror that you cried out
in fear. Not all fear is the “dark, stormy night” kind.
Perhaps the prospects of this mission trip and crossing
cultures into the unknown has got you worried, or it
maybe you’re nervous about being so far from home,
flying on an airplane, or becoming another statistic in
the daily report of bad news in the world. No matter
the source of the tension, the real question is: How do
you handle your fears?
Immediately after the disciples gave in to their fears,
Jesus arrived to calm them: “Take heart; it is I. Do
not be afraid” (verse 27). Then He got into the boat
with them. His words must have been as calming as
the gentle waves had been before the storm, but His
presence in the boat was the clincher. Jesus is the best
One to calm your heart and truly dissipate your fears.
“
Then and now, His voice stills
the noise and the storms, and
reminds us that He’s in the boat
with us.
”
Moments after Jesus announced Himself, Peter asked
permission to come out onto the water with Him. He
was confident that Jesus was in control–clearly this
request was proof. But just as quickly as he acknowledged his belief in Jesus with a step out onto the
water, he become distracted. The fear returned and he
began to sink. Why? The Bible tells us that Peter “saw
the wind” (verse 30) and took his eyes off his anchor,
Jesus Christ.
This is the great lesson for battling and abandoning
fear: keeping your eyes on Jesus. He is the fixed point
worthy of your faith, always steady and dependable,
ready to sustain you, strengthen you, and comfort you
when you are scared and can’t see the way. Hebrews
12:2 urges us to be “looking to Jesus, the founder and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
When you face the unknown, Jesus is the only One
who can turn your fear into joy. Just as Peter discovered, His hands will always be there to pick you
up. Will you keep your eyes on Him today? Will you
abandon your fears and then turn them over to Jesus,
the anchor of your very soul?
Pray it:
Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Author and Perfecter of
my faith. Help me keep my focus on You so I will not fear.
When I am afraid, remind me to trust that You are with
me, always available to pull me up.
Own it:
• Do you have any fears related to going on
your mission project? The first steps toward peace are to identify them and share
them with God. Do this in your journal.
• Listen to “Take Heart” by Hillsong United:
youtube.com/watch?v=8MfBQ30Ta9w.
• Memorize Hebrews 12:2.
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Day 2: Don’t miss your assignment
Read it: 1 Corinthians 3:3-8
Know it:
“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to
succeed.”14
I don’t know about you but I can’t stand failure. I worry so much about trying something that sometimes
I don’t even start because of the possibility of failing.
Do you ever feel like that? As your mission trip comes
closer, are you thinking about the possibility that
you might fail in your assignment? What if you fail at
sharing the gospel? What if you’ve never led someone
else to Christ and are not sure what to say or do?
Could you mess up so bad that someone never comes
to Christ? So many Christians never share the gospel
with those closest to them for fear of failing. In fact,
many people stop trusting in God for fear of not living
up to His expectations. God wants to use you in ways
you could never imagine, but if fear of failure wins out,
you might never be able to see those results.
Paul addressed the church in Corinth about a division
among the people, the result of jealousy in an argument over who was most important to the Corinthian
church. In the middle of his discourse, Paul explained a
truth about salvation that is intriguing. Paul noted that
while some people plant the seed and others water it,
it is God who is ultimately the one who makes it grow.
God is the one who takes our work of witness and
brings it to fruition. God uses our imperfect, human
lives to help bring someone to faith. We get to make
a contribution, but in the end, God is the one who
delivers the results!
This is such a freeing thought. Just as you can’t take
the credit for someone’s salvation when you “share or
water” since it is God who brings about the growth,
so you don’t bear the burden of failure when your
witness doesn’t seem to make a difference.You can
trust that God will use your work to accomplish His
will regardless of how inadequate, unworthy or unsure
you feel.You can be confident that God’s mission will
be accomplished as you act in obedience.
First John 5:2-3 explains how it is your obedience
that God desires: “By this we know that we love the
children of God, when we love God and obey his
commandments. For this is the love of God, that we
keep his commandments. And his commandments are
not burdensome.”
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“
God has assignments He has
designed especially for you.
”
When you live in obedience to God’s commands,
you don’t have to worry about failure because He
promises to use your obedience to further His glory
throughout the earth.
Imagine if you let go of your fear of failure and begin
to trust completely that God will bless your obedience. “Each has the role the Lord has given” (verse
5, HCSB). If you play your role, who knows? Hungry
children might be fed, a single mother might sleep
with a roof over her head, and a town may have the
chance to see unconditional love communicated in
ways never seen before. Tangible expressions of the
gospel and an opportunity to hear the message of
Jesus are made possible through your acts of obedience! So, trust that God has your back! Have faith
that God just desires your obedience and leave the
results up to Him!
Pray it:
Lord, give me the wisdom to know what to do and the
courage to do it. Help me trust that all You desire of me
is my obedience and that You will take care of the results.
Remove my fears so I may show my faith through my
obedience to Your Word.
Own it:
• Watch the video, “Surmountable Fear” and
be encouraged in your decision to serve on
mission: vimeo.com/22339191.
• Who have you been afraid to share your
faith with? Make this person the focus of
your prayers in the days ahead. Pray for the
opportunity and courage to share.
• In your journal, write down how you would
share the the gospel. Create a video that
explains the gospel in 30 seconds and post
it to social media.
• Share any fears you have about your mission project with your prayer partners. Join
them in praying that you will be released
from your fears before you begin your trip.
14
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt
Day 3: Fear God and nothing else
Read it: 2 Timothy 1:7, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10
Know it:
God never intended for us to be fearful of anything
but Him. Fear of God does not mean that we are literally scared of Him, but rather have a deep reverence
and sense of awe for who He is and what He can do
through His power. God’s Word even says that we
cannot be wise unless we fear Him. But still, we often
struggle with other fears of the unknown, of suffering we may endure, of the shame we might face, and
of bad things we may encounter. Jesus puts even the
worst of these things into perspective: “And do not
fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.
Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body
in hell” (Matthew 10:28). So if God is the one who
has taken care of your eternity and showers you with
grace, what do you have to fear? Instead of hanging
onto fear, embrace the power, love and self-control
that 2 Timothy 1:7 describes!
God has given you a spirit of power. Through the Holy
Spirit you are able to receive power to spread the
gospel message to the ends of the earth! “But you will
receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”
(Acts 1:8).
“
We have a holy power that frees
us from the power of fear and
helps us accomplish similar things
Jesus did!
You have the power to spread the gospel without
limitations.
gratify the desires of the flesh.” Sin is what keeps us
separated from a holy and righteous God. Therefore
the Holy Spirit is given to us so that we may have a
sound mind and exercise self-control over our desires.
Recognize that you have something greater than fear
living in you today.You have the Spirit of the Living God!
Pray it:
Lord, thank You so much for not giving me a spirit of fear
but one of power, love, and self-control.Thank You for using
these qualities to help me deal with fear in my life.
Own it:
• Like Timothy had Paul as a mentor in his
life, who is a mentor to you? If you cannot
name someone, make that an immediate
matter of prayer and discernment to find a
godly, older, same-sex adult who can speak
truth into your life.
• Power, love, and self-control are characteristics of your new identity in Christ. How is
God leading you to express each today?
- W
ith the spirit of power, to whom
could you go and share the message of God’s love?
- W
ho needs your forgiveness or
effort
of reconciliation?
- W
hat “desire of the flesh” do
you need to bring before God in
confession and seek the spirit of
self-control to stop feeding that sin?
”
God also has given you a spirit of love. Because of this
spirit you are able to love others in ways that do not
make sense to the world.You can sacrifice for people
who need it, like Christ did.You have the spirit to forgive like Jesus mentioned to Peter in Matthew 18:22
(77 times!) From this same spirit of love you can have
great compassion for those who are lost. This spirit of
love drives you to share the gospel with those in our
corners of the world and with those across the ocean.
Finally, you have the spirit of self-control. Through
God’s power, you are able to keep sin from creeping
into your life and controlling your desires. Galatians
5:16 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not
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Day 4: Acknowledge Him
Read it: Luke 12:8-12
Know it:
What can make evangelism so tough for some
Christians is that they imagine it to be a complicated
presentation or perhaps a polished speech with an
impressive testimony. Do you have a hard time sharing
about what Jesus did for you? Do you get all sweaty
and nervous when you feel like you are supposed to
share the gospel? While these may be signs of fear that
you don’t know what to say or may not have good
answers to questions or that your delivery will be
poor or your efforts will be rejected, the bigger issue
is whether you will simply acknowledge Jesus before
others.
Does Jesus ask you to give an awesome testimony?
Does Jesus require you to be a skillful Christian
apologist? Does Jesus demand that you be articulate
and outgoing and engaging? While all these are worthy
things, the answer is no. In each case Jesus does, however, insist that you acknowledge Him before others.
In Luke 12, He promises that the Holy Spirit will
always give you the words to say when you need them
the most. The fear of saying the wrong thing or even
not knowing what to say should not keep you from
sharing the truth and love of Christ with others.
“
Be faithful to acknowledge Me
before others, Jesus says, and I
will help you with the words to
say.
There are many ways to prepare to share the gospel
with others, but it is best to start by preparing your
own heart to recognize divine opportunities. Start
each day ready to look for ways to acknowledge
Christ to others who need Him. Begin to explore
some of the methods that have been developed to aid
in evangelism. Pick something you feel comfortable
doing, then watch for cues that may be open doors for
sharing the gospel. Practice weaving your story of how
Jesus changed your life into conversations and pray
that God would make you bold! Abandon your fears!
Pray it:
Lord, remind me of the moment when You changed my life.
Thank You for acknowledging me before the Father and
giving me eternal life. I thank You in advance for giving me
the words to say to others. Prepare me to share the gospel
both now and on my trip and open my eyes to the many
opportunities to share the good news with others!
Own it:
”
Second Peter 1:3 tells us God has given us every single
thing we need: “His divine power has granted to us all
things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and
excellence.” If you have everything you need to live
a life that glorifies Him, that also means you will have
the words to say when you share about the love of
Christ.You are given the words to say because God
wants everyone to know Him and desires no one to
live a life separated from Him.
God’s provision, however, does not exclude your
preparation. What if you prepared yourself for the
Holy Spirit to give you words? What if you prepared
your heart in such a way to minimize your fears?
Benjamin Franklin said, “By failing to prepare, you are
preparing to fail.” I have learned that the best way to
remove fear is to practice whatever it is I am afraid of
doing. It honors God when we prepare ourselves to
share the gospel. First Peter 3:15 tells us, “but in your
hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being
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prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you
for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with
gentleness and respect.” It is a good thing to always be
prepared to give an answer to the hope you have in
Jesus Christ.
• Watch this series by Andy Stanley to help
prepare you to “make a defense to anyone
who asks you for a reason for the hope
that is in you:” preparedseries.org.
• Pick a way to explain the gospel and practice it daily. Some methods include: Creation to Christ (found in this resource and
at imbstudents.org), the Bridge method
(see Navigators.org), 3 Circles (namb.
net/video/3circlesguide), and the Big Story
(mentioned in week 2, day 2).
Day 5: Let Him be your stronghold
Read it: 1 John 4:16-18; Psalm 27
Know it:
One of the greatest truths we can claim in Scripture
is this: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts
out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and
whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John
4:18). While many of us have this passage memorized,
we find it hard to apply.
Combining this passage with Psalm 27 can help get an
even greater picture of God’s perfect love and how it
removes fear in our lives.
First, John teaches us that the greatest fear is of being
judged and rejected by God. All other fears have their
basis in what it means to be alone and on our own. So
if God saves us from judgment and comes to live in
us in love, our biggest fear is gone! God redeemed us
from sin when He sent Jesus, who died for us on the
cross and was raised back to life. We are free from the
power that sin can have over us and we also are free
from the punishment of sin, as it says in Romans 6:23,
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We deserved
death because of our sinful nature that is at war
against God, who is perfect and holy. Our punishment
should be a spiritual death that separates us from a
good God forever, but Christ took our punishment
for us. God was pleased “through him to reconcile
to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven,
making peace by the blood of his cross” (Colossians
1:20). Our punishment is settled, and according to 1
John 4:18, our fear is cast out because of the love that
Christ showed us.
Next, we can appreciate the application of this fearlessness in Psalm 27. David had great joy in claiming
the Lord as the strength of his life. God never changes,
nor can He be moved. He is the almighty, omnipotent God who can overpower anything in this world
because He spoke it into existence. When we understand how strong our God is, and that he is forever
on our side, then truly we can have no fear because
nothing can defeat Him and hurt us.
“
You are never alone and never
out of God’s hands.
”
Make no mistake: fearful things will still come your
way, but the difference is that you have a Father who
is looking out for you. David said, “For he will hide me
in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me
under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon
a rock” (Psalm 27:5). Trouble will come, but the Lord
will be faithful to lead you through it and bring you to
a better place.
Pray it:
Lord, thank You so much for loving me enough to reconcile
me back to You.Thank You for freeing me from the punishment of sin.Without You I have plenty of reasons to be
afraid, but because You are my stronghold, I have no fear.
Own it:
• In your journal, personalize and paraphrase
Psalm 27 to match your circumstances.
David’s challenges were in people like King
Saul seeking to destroy him and other men
wanting to discredit him and his kingship.
What are yours?
• Memorize Psalm 27:1 – “The Lord is my
light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of
whom shall I be afraid?”
• Create a lock screen on your phone using
Psalm 27:1. Every time you are tempted to
become afraid, be reminded of what the
Lord thinks about you and how He is your
stronghold. (Pro tip: use an app like Wordswag.)
The Lord is able to protect us and watch over us, and
becomes like a stronghold for us in a war. A stronghold was a heavily fortified point that offered great
protection from attacks, but David was not thinking
of mere physical protection, but of a personal relationship with almighty God that would stand any test.
If God loves you, has you in His grip, and promises
to get you though no matter what, what is there to
fear? Not only is God your protection, He is also the
source of your faith in order to get rid of fear.
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WEEK 5 - ABANDON SHAME
Christians are supposed to have their act together,
right? It is amazing how much our society likes to
expose hypocrisy but then do absolutely nothing
about it. Let’s be frank here: your decision to go on a
mission trip has painted a target on your back.You can
play the pretend game quite well if you stay back from
the front lines and hang with the crowd, but getting
into God’s mission exposes you to the enemy.You
need not be afraid, but you do need to get real about
leaving sin and shame behind.
Day 1: Get forgiven
Read it: John 4:4-30
Know it:
Is there something in your life over which you feel
shame and regret?
John tells us about a woman who encountered Christ
at a well. She came at a time when no one else was
around because of her poor reputation and the shame
she felt. The hottest part of the day was a bad time
to get water but a fine time to escape the talk of the
others who knew her sin. Her shame was speaking for
her, making her hide, making her cringe and making
her wish she was someone else.
Have you ever felt like that—so shameful for what
you’ve done in the past or are doing now that you
feel completely unworthy, like you’ll never be good
enough? Do you wonder who knows about the real
you? Do you find yourself living a secretive life, hiding
what you feel or do in the shadows, praying no one
finds out?
Shame has a way of dogging your every step. It is burden you are reminded of every time you look in the
mirror, when you make a mistake, or when you hear
a parent express his or her disappointment. It’s the
constant memory of what you did one night with that
guy or girl. It’s the endless images you can’t seem to
escape on your phone or laptop or TV. It’s that thing
you can’t stop doing.
Maybe you weren’t the cause of your shame. Perhaps
you feel a confused mess of anger and self-loathing
because of how someone took advantage of you years
ago. Or maybe it comes from the fact that you never
seemed to fit in with the right kind of people because
they rejected you for some stupid reason like your
looks or grades or lack of ability.
“
”
Maybe the words you hear ringing the loudest are
those that were spoken with the intent to tear you
down, and they came from people you trust and love.
Do you want out of the darkness that keeps you from
experiencing freedom?
Well, you can be free from guilt and shame! The path
starts with learning that Jesus has already paid the price
of your sin debt. Far too many of us feel dirty, worthless
and ashamed of ourselves when we could be living in
freedom. C. S. Lewis wrote, “I sometimes think that
shame, mere awkward, senseless shame, does as much
toward preventing good acts and straightforward happiness as any of our vices can do.” 15
Let’s be clear in saying that shame and guilt can run
deep in your life. The gospel of Jesus Christ is no magic
potion that instantly gets rid of all the faulty ways of
thinking, the broken relationships, and crummy habits.
But the gospel is what you desperately need to get at
the heart of the situation.
Address the shame of your own sin. Learn to live and
take comfort in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from ALL unrighteousness” (emphasis added). God
forgives your sins if you confess and turn from them.
You don’t have to worry about them, because God
forgets them and your relationship is restored. When
you choose to follow Christ, you get a direct connection with the Creator of the universe Who loves
you no matter what you have done or will ever do.
Romans 8:1 explains this, “Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Shame also comes from sins that we can’t seem to
shake or get away from. We’ll deal with these in the
next devotions. There’s also shame that comes from
a past of abuse by another. If that is the case for you,
please seek godly help and counsel. See the suggestions below in the “Own it” section.
There is a verse that is a great comfort to any believer
who struggles with leftover feelings of shame and regret: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer
I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I
Lewis, C.S., The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics
(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002) p. 444.
15
60
Shame seems to be the worst
when it comes from those who
were supposed to love you and
be there for you.
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians
2:20). As believers we are sinners, but we are justified.
We have a shameful past, but we have a better future.
We used to walk in foolishness and rebellion, but now
we walk in newness of life. God has forgiven every sin,
even those for which we feel the greatest shame and
regret. We can move on.
has delivered many people with your same sin. God
is ready to provide others to walk with you. Look at
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10: “Two are better than one, because
they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall,
one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone
when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” Don’t
deal with temptation alone, it only leads to sorrow and
failure.
Pray it:
Lord, help me move from shame to joy because I know
that I am not condemned by my sin. I know this because of
what Christ did on the cross. Because of Your forgiveness, I
adore You.
Second, believe that “God is faithful, and he will not let
you be tempted beyond your ability.” God is always
faithful. He will always watch out for you and take care
of you, even when you don’t realize it. “But the Lord
is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against
the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3). Do you know how
He is faithful? He will not let you be tempted beyond
what you can bear. That statement doesn’t mean that
in your strength alone you can resist temptation. If that
were the case, we wouldn’t need to talk about this! No,
it means that God is ready to help you work through
your temptation for sin so that you will praise Him
when you overcome it.
Own it:
• Read more about the biblical understanding
of shame and how to deal with it:
gotquestions.org/shame-regret.html.
• Do you struggle with a past that involves
abuse from another? Read “Overcoming
memories of past sexual abuse,” from Focus
on the Family, as a starting place to get
help: family.custhelp.com/app/answers/
detail/a_id/25859/~/overcoming-memories-of-past-sexual-abuse.
• Write out a prayer that you can say whenever you begin to feel shameful. Make sure
it is focused on the goodness of God so
you won’t think about yourself.
• Make it a point to daily confess your sin
before a holy and righteous God.
Day 2: Endure and overcome
Read it: 1 Corinthians 10:13
Know it:
Did you just read that verse? No for real, read it again.
This is THE verse you need when you feel like moving
into some kind of sin that you have been doing over
and over and over and think there is no way out. Let’s
break it down to see how this verse will point you to
God every single time.
First, realize that “No temptation has overtaken you
that is not common to man.” There is nothing new in
this world. Someone has gone through the temptation
you are currently dealing with.You are not alone in
this; there are people out there who have dealt with it.
For instance, there are websites on websites that are
available as a resource to help you with your problem (just be careful how you search!) because God
Third, look for this to be true: “but with the temptation
he will also provide the way of escape, that you may
be able to endure it.” Endure is probably not the word
you want to hear.
“
Who wants to endure
temptation?
”
We want quick deliverance from our sin, but God
wants to use the temptations we face to help us turn
to Him. God will get the glory when you overcome a
temptation because He has helped you through it. We
know this because of James 1:2-4: “Count it all joy, my
brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you
know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you
may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
You can be joyful as you learn how God will help you
overcome habitual sins. He will use the challenge to
overcome temptation as a way to strengthen you and
bring you closer to Him. If you believe this, you won’t
keep asking for deliverance, but for the way to endure
and overcome. The day will come when you will say,
“Now I can help someone else make it through. Glory
to God!”
Before your mission trip, deal with the sins that keep
cropping up in your life. Don’t give the devil an opportunity to sabotage your service and witness or make
you feel unworthy while you are ministering through
the Holy Spirit.
61
Pray it:
Lord,You know this shame that comes from sins I can’t
seem to shake. Show me the way to endure and overcome
through this struggle. Give me courage and bring me to
others that can help and hold me accountable. Give me
joy as I see You help me overcome.
Own it:
• Start a “Fight Club.” Fight Clubs are not
traditional accountability groups. Fight
Clubs are same-gender groups that gather
weekly to be honest and open with each
other about their struggles with sin. They
are not gatherings of legalistic accountability, neither are they confessional booth
accountability. Instead, a Fight Club is where
people listen to one another, encourage
one another, challenge one another to keep
the gospel as their central motivation, and
fight for holiness together by seeking the
will of the Father. Fight Clubs originated as
a men’s movement. See: fightclub414.com
• Here’s an article to help you deal with
pornography: gcdiscipleship.com/6-essential-ingredients-for-repenting-of-pornography.
Day 3: Lose to live
Read it: Acts 3:19-20
Know it:
Repentance can be described as two things: changing
your mind and changing your direction. First there is
the change of heart and mind. When you repent, you
tell God you are sincerely remorseful about what you
have done, that you are done with the behavior, and
you’re tired of living in shame. Second, you stop going
the wrong way and start going the right way.You take
action to pursue God fully, allowing nothing else to
get in the way.You want His way in your life and nothing else will do. God will help you to act differently,
but He waits for you to humble yourself. Abandon
your pride and learn to live.
When you truly repent, you will experience a sense
of refreshment, a weight off of your shoulders, and a
“peace which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians
4:7). Repentance can only occur when we see the
weight of our sins in comparison to the amazing grace
of God and the work of Jesus on the cross. Christ has
offered us the way to be restored back to God and
62
be at peace with Him. In our repentance, peace comes,
not just for our own good, but also so that we will
be spurred on to carry the gospel to others and see
them receive peace with God. Isn’t that some amazing
grace? Grace doesn’t just work in us to lead us to
repentance, but also to propel us and work through us
to spread this joy to others!
The experience of God’s grace is what will lead you
to respond to situations with love and gentleness.Your
heart will begin to yearn for those in need.You will
be moved to love and serve those who are in your
daily life and those who cross your path.You might
feed someone who is homeless, help someone with
a flat tire, give a ride to an international student, or
just listen to someone who is hurting. God’s grace in
your life lets you die to yourself and step out in faith.
Through your repentance and the gift of forgiveness,
you will appreciate God’s call to serve others as
Christ did: “For even the Son of Man came not to be
served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many” (Mark 10:45). This process will replace your
shame with joy as you let God’s grace become your
fuel to serve others.
“
The gospel leads you to repentance and then causes you to
love and minister to others.
”
Is this your experience? Let the gospel renew your
heart and repent of your sins daily. Drink deep in the
refreshing love of Christ so you can give up your life
for the sake of the gospel. In Luke 9:24 Jesus says, “For
whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for my sake will save it.” The world will
not understand Jesus’ call to die to our own desires
and dreams, but God helps us to see that such a sacrifice leads to a much greater gain. Lose to live.
Not only will you be refreshed, but the mission you
are about to embark on will be a joy and not a burden.
God has graciously forgiven you. Don’t keep that to
yourself – allow God’s grace to propel you!
Pray it:
Lord, help me understand that repentance doesn’t work if I
just confess and then don’t change direction. Help me seek
forgiveness with a genuine and sincere heart to pursue You.
As I turn from my sin, help me to experience the peace
and refreshment that Your grace gives me. Please let Your
grace propel me to serve others. Help me die to myself
every day, especially as I serve You during my trip.
Own it:
• Do a real repentance self-exam: are there
sins in your life that you have confessed but
not really turned from? Real repentance
does not mean you will never sin again, but
it will result in a turn-around and a new
direction. Do you need to do the work of
real repentance?
• It’s time to get ready to cross cultures. Find
a ministry to internationals in your area like
Muslims or Hindus and offer to serve in
some way. #UhOh #GetOutOfYourComfortZone #CrossCultures
• Alternative to the above: Let your experience of God’s grace lead you to go and
serve someone you know. Some examples
could be: Scrub all their toilets, mow their
lawn, help them run errands, etc.
Day 4: Guard your heart
Read it: Matthew 15:17-19
Know it:
Have you ever said something you wish you could
take back? Have you said, “Can I try saying that again
a different way?” or “I really didn’t mean that”? The
difficulty of taking back something you’ve said is that
likely it reveals in some sense how you really feel.
Jesus said in Matthew 15:18, “But what comes out of
the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a
person.” The words that come out of your mouth are
an overflow of your heart, not just your mind. Given
some time to think about your words, you might make
a wiser choice, but sooner or later, what is in your
heart will make itself known.Your heart is the central
place that guides everything you do.
Your heart not only determines your words, but also
your thoughts and actions as well.
“
What is in your heart governs
what you think and do.
”
Jesus also said, “For out of the heart come evil
thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft,
false witness, slander” (verse 19). Wow, that is
stinking scary! This is essentially saying that saying
hurtful things, looking at porn, lying to loved ones,
and committing other sins happen because of what
is in your heart. The things that come out of your
heart are the source of your shame!
You might be thinking, “I’ll never get to the point of killing someone, or sleeping with someone else’s spouse.”
This can be true, as long as you protect what goes into
your heart. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with
all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Other
translations use the words, “guard your heart.” Guard
your heart because, according to the writer of Proverbs, everything else in your life flows from it. Sounds
exactly like what Jesus was talking about, doesn’t it?
Take care of what goes into your heart, and you will
see better results with what words come out of your
mouth and what thoughts go through your head.
Have you ever heard the phrase “Garbage In, Garbage
Out?” Basically, it means that whatever goes in will
come out. If you put garbage into your heart, then
garbage will come out. If you put things in that honor
the Lord, then your mouth will praise Him and your
thoughts and actions will bring glory to God.You must
be careful of what gets into your heart.You do this by
protecting what you see and hear. Ask yourself, “Is what
I look at throughout my day going to bring God glory
or make me ashamed if someone found out?” This
could be music, movies, video games, TV shows, etc.
Or the danger could lie in social media. Beware that
bitterness can enter your heart through the constant
temptation to compare your life and experiences to
others’ through apps like Facebook and Instagram.
Can you imagine what it would be like if you didn’t
have to worry about the words you spoke? Or struggle
with the thoughts in your head? Or constantly second-guess your actions? Your feelings of shame would
truly be a thing of the past! Realize that this is actually
possible when you get serious about guarding your
heart. Before you leave for your trip, make this a priority so everything that comes out of your heart will
bring glory to God.
Pray it:
Lord, I understand that what goes into my heart is what
will come out. Help me to guard my heart with complete
vigilance so that I may honor and glorify You. Show me what
I must stop allowing in, and direct me to things I need to
start putting in so that I can change what comes out of me.
Lord, have Your way in Me.
Own it:
• Garbage check. What’s stinking in your
heart? Make a list of everything you watched
or listened to in the past 48 hours, then determine what helped your heart glorify God
and what didn’t. Take steps to remove what
didn’t from your life.
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• Check out these websites to help you with
guarding your heart:
- Pluggedin.com – media reviews
that
focus on purity
- Covenanteyes.com – media
reviews that focus on purity
- Bible.com/reading-plans – daily
reading plans from the YouVersion
Bible app
Day 5: Ready, aim, set!
Read it: Romans 8:1-11; Galatians 5:19-23
Know it:
Do you ever ask yourself, why did I just do that? As
in you actually can’t believe you just did that? You think,
“It’s not like me to act that way, to do something I
hate.” Do you wonder why you mess up, want to stop
and just feel like you can’t? This isn’t anything new. In
fact Paul talked about his own struggle with the sinful
nature in Romans 7:14-24. (Go ahead, read it too.) That
passage is meant to illustrate the problem. So, how do
you stop doing what you hate so you can truly live in
freedom? Paul turned the corner in verse 25: “Thanks
be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” He then
explained the way forward in chapter eight.
Romans 8:5-7 shows us the two different mindsets
possible for humans: those who are focused on their
sinful nature, and those who are controlled by the Holy
Spirit.The sinful nature is the desire to do things that
go against God–those very things that cause you to say,
“I can’t believe I did that!” Or you might also say:
• I can’t believe I just said that!
• I can’t believe I just desired to do that!
• I can’t believe I just looked at that!
• I can’t believe I just slept with him!
• Why did I just steal that?
• I can’t believe I just got so angry! Where
did that came from?
• I can’t believe I didn’t tell her about Jesus!
The opposite, or new nature, is to place yourself under
the control of the Spirit.You deliberately focus your
interests (verse 5: “set your mind”) on the things of
the Spirit. In Galatians 5, Paul described the fruit of the
Spirit (verses 22-23) in stark contrast to the acts of the
sinful nature (verses 19–21) so we can see how important it is to walk by the Spirit.Walk alone, and watch
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out! Stuff like sexual immorality, fits of rage, and selfish
ambition (just to name but three of the acts of sinful
nature) are in your path.Walk with the Spirit, and see
qualities such as love, kindness, and self-control show up
in abundance.
So how do you do this “Spirit walk” and move from the
sinful nature, which causes you shame, to a mind set on
life and peace? Consider this: ready, aim, set!
Start with the fact that you don’t do this as a self-help
program. Realize you can’t fix yourself.You need the
renewing power of the Holy Spirit to train your mind
to think differently.
“
God did not design the Christian
life as a pathway toward independence, but as a walk of growing
dependence on Him.
”
The new law of the Spirit says that only by living in
union with Christ Jesus can believers break the power
of sin in their lives. Get ready to lean on the Spirit
every single day of your life.
Second, aim for the things of the Spirit. This takes
some study, as in learning who and what it is the
Spirit loves. It’s hard to aim for the good stuff when
you don’t even know what it is. Thankfully, this is no
mystery. For instance, the longest chapter in the Bible
(Psalm 119) is an extensive celebration of what it
means to love God and His Word.
Finally, set your mind on these things. The fruit of
walking in the Spirit and the power to turn away from
sin begins with decision points you will encounter
hundreds of times each day. Consider it this way: if
you commit yourself in marriage, will you continue to
“window shop” and see others as a possible mate?
Making the hard choices up front will strengthen your
resolve to be obedient in every thought, word, and
deed.
Kari Jobe has said, “The presence of the Holy Spirit removes all fear, shame, and slavery. Consider this truth,
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM.
Freedom from sin, freedom from burdens, freedom
from shame, and freedom from chains!”16
https://www.bible.com/en/
reading-plans/1228-kari-jobe-majestic-theoverflow-devo/
day/5
16
As followers of Christ we have the Holy Spirit. Jesus
died for our freedom from the passions and desires of
the sinful nature. Don’t follow them anymore. Respond to the Spirit calling you to live a life of freedom!
Stop being held back by what Jesus already forgave.
You no longer have a debt to pay and you don’t have
to work to please God.You are free to walk with the
Spirit as your best Friend and live a life that shows
everyone around you that you are God’s.
Pray it:
Lord, I’ve tried to stop doing things I hate. I hate that I do
them. I realize I can’t fix myself and that is why Jesus had
to come and die.Thank You for giving me the Holy Spirit to
help me stop doing things that I despise. Help me realize
I can’t fix myself and that only through Your Spirit’s leading
can I overcome this. Help me realize that and respond to
the Spirit, so I may live a life that shows I am Yours.
Own it:
• Write in your journal the things you hate
that you do, even knowing that they are
wrong.
• Listen to “Holy Spirit” by Kari Jobe: youtube.com/watch?v=XPPMSfCdUng. Sit in
God’s presence for as long as you need to,
and listen to Him. Finally, respond in your
journal to what God’s Spirit is telling you.
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WEEK 6 - ABANDON ALL ... FOR HIS GLORY
This week of devotions are intended, if possible, to
culminate with your service on the mission field. It’s
time to turn the corner from what you have abandoned (left behind) to what you can now abandon
yourself to. Abandonment is not the idea of being
orphaned or marooned, but of giving yourself wholly
and even recklessly to something or Someone. This is
a constant feature in Oswald Chambers’ devotions in
My Utmost for His Highest. Go now and run, fixing your
eyes on Jesus.
have an overabundance of joy and can’t help but be a
cheerleader of praise. Joy is not something you have
to manufacture.You just need to know where to find
it. Find it in being forgiven (Psalm 32), in God’s intimate
knowledge of you (Psalm 139), or in rescuing you out
of trouble (Psalm 40). Once you get started, praising
God will just come naturally. It will result in the overflow of our joy. No matter what is going on in your
life, you can rejoice because God is in control and
brings glory through every circumstance.
Day 1: Live to praise
Pray without ceasing. The psalmist reminds us that
praise is for everyone and everywhere. No wonder
that Paul calls us to constant prayer. There really is a
sense that the “amen” in our prayers is not an ending
but simply a way to change the subject. Prayer can be
a constant communication with God. Talk to Him as
you are waiting for a class to start, while sitting in traffic, before you need to make an important decision,
when you’re stressed out, when you’re excited, or
even as you sit and don’t know what to do. Can you
imagine what it would mean to your life if you could
be in constant communication with God and tuned
into His glory?
Read it: Psalm 148
Know it:
Ramp up to the speed of missions by bringing on the
praise. Set the pace for whatever comes next by blessing God here and now.
The glory of the Lord comes from many places. As
you can see through this Psalm, everything from the
angels in heaven, to the people on the earth, to the
depths of the ocean will glorify His name. Praise is just
one of the many ways God receives glory. The thing
to notice is that praise is not just limited to human
beings. Anything within the earth and outside of the
earth can praise Him. Sometimes we think we are the
only ones who recognize God as King and Lord. God
is creator of everything and is master of all, so He gets
the glory from every single thing. He is worthy of it all.
Start praising. This Psalm also shows some of the
magnitude of praise due to God. If all of creation
praises Him, we should do no less. If there are things
in nature that are awesome, imagine the One who
made them up! Start having a lifestyle of praise. Praise
the Lord when you wake up and thank Him for being
the One who makes the weather. When you go to
bed, praise Him for creating the stars in the night
skies. During the day, stop and praise Him for creating
the earth in which you live and enjoy.
“
Find new ways to praise the Lord
in every aspect of the day.
”
Having the same mindset Paul mentions in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 will help you with this: “Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Rejoice always. The psalmist is dedicated to showing how worthy God is of our praise. He seems to
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Give thanks in all circumstances. The psalmist also
tells us that praise is for every thing. Every created
thing is a reason to praise the Lord, and the list is
almost endless. This makes us recognize His great
power and spurs us to begin giving thanks, not just for
everything He has formed–the sun and moon, animals,
all peoples of the earth–but for being the kind of God
who creates these things–our almighty, sovereign
Heavenly Father. James calls Him “the father of lights”
from whom comes every good and perfect gift (James
1: 17). When you can thank God for the things around
you and by focus on who He is, you will begin to
have an “attitude of gratitude” every day. Then when
circumstances around you seem terrible, you will see
ways to honestly thank God even during those times.
Pray it:
Lord, I praise You for every single thing You have created. I
pray that everything in this earth and from the earth will
praise You. Praise You for the heavens, praise You for the
animals, and praise You for sending Your Son to redeem
the earth back to You. I praise You!
Own it:
• It is said that exercise is a good way to beat
jetlag. Consider that praising God will be a
good way to navigate the newness of your
mission field and all it presents.You will not
leave God at home; you will get to encounter new facets of this same wonderful God
wherever you go! Head to your mission
trip ready to express your praise to Him
right away.
• Start a practice of finding ways to praise
and thank God at the beginning of every
prayer. Don’t make this a ritual, but an honest effort to see the good in God. There’s
a good reason David said, “I’d rather scrub
floors in the house of my God than be honored as a guest in the palace of sin” (Psalm
84:10, The Message).
• Memorize 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice
always, pray continually, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you
in Christ Jesus.”
Day 2: Live for His glory
Read it: 1 Corinthians 10:31
Know it:
The question I hear the most from people is, “How
do I figure out God’s will for my life?” but what they
are really asking is, “What am I supposed to be doing
right now?” We do know God has a plan for our lives,
but Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that whatever we do,
we should do it all to the glory of God. That means
whether you are searching for what your career will
be or sitting down to a meal, you are to do it all for
the glory of the Lord.
God’s glory can come from your actions because you
were created for His glory. Has everything you’ve
done so far on this project glorified the Lord? This
morning were your initial thoughts of grumbling and
complaining or praise to the Lord? It can be tough to
live out what Paul says!
In Isaiah 43:7, God calls back to Himself “everyone
who is called by my name, whom I created for my
glory, whom I formed and made.” God created each
and every single one of us for one single purpose: to
show His glory through us. John Piper explains what
this looks like, “…when God says he made us for his
glory, he does not mean he made us so that he could
become more glorious in himself. Instead what Isaiah
43:7 means is that he created us to display his glory,
that is, that his glory might be known and praised.”17
https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/god-createdus-for-his-glory
17
“
You were created so God could
display His mighty power through
you.
”
When the world sees you and your good deeds, it will
glorify God because of them.You were designed for a
specific purpose.
Jesus knew that His life and work was to glorify the
Lord. John 17:4 records this: “I glorified you on earth,
having accomplished the work that you gave me to
do.” This statement was made right before Jesus was
arrested, put on trial, crucified, died, and rose from the
grave. Jesus glorified God by giving us a chance to have
a relationship with the God who made us!
So what is your work? What are you supposed to be
doing? What is God’s will for your life? Don’t get so
hung up on a detailed plan from God that you miss the
here-and-now. Let Ephesians 2:10 give you a daily dose:
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that
we should walk in them.” You are created in Christ
Jesus for good works.You are to live like Christ and
accomplish what He accomplished: loving others, loving
God, living out God’s glory on this earth, dying to yourself, and serving others.
So what will you do today? Whatever you decide to do
remember why you were created...for His glory alone.
Abandon all to accomplish the goal.
Pray it:
Lord, help me always remember why I was created. Help
me daily live with the expectation that whatever I do, it is
for Your glory. Help me trust that You will guide me when I
abandon myself completely to Your glory.
Own it:
• Look at your schedule for the week. Determine how you can remember to glorify God
through everything on your calendar. Maybe
that is pray before you go into a meeting,
spend time texting your accountability
partner (or fight club), spending time in the
Word, making sure what you put into your
body guards your heart, etc.
• Begin to prepare your heart for your trip
by creating a playlist that will help your
thoughts glorify the Lord.
• Start posting on your social media for others to pray for you and the people you will
encounter on your trip.
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Day 3: Take a stand
in danger because of their belief that only Jesus Christ
saves. If they were caught with something like this
devotion, they could face jail time, physical persecution
or even death.
Read it: Daniel 3
Know it:
Do you believe God is preparing to use you for
something important? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had no idea what God was going to do through
them. They had been taken from their homeland by
the Babylonians and forced to change everything
about their lives. They drew the line when it came to
compromising their beliefs and worship of the God
of Israel. Eventually this led to these three friends
facing the ultimate challenge regarding their allegiance
to God. King Nebuchadnezzar demanded that they
join everyone else in bowing down and worshipping a
golden statue. Most people would have given in when
threatened with death, but Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego knew God’s glory was at stake.
The way these three responded is incredible. They
were willing to abandon their lives, but they were not
willing to abandon God’s glory. This is their response
to being threatened: “If this be so, our God whom we
serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not
serve your gods or worship the golden image that you
have set up” (verses 17-18). They had faith that God
could protect them from the furnace but also the willingness to accept God’s sovereignty if He didn’t. Either
way, God would still receive all the glory.
If your faith was challenged today, would you stand up
to the test? Think of it as not what you are willing to
abandon, but what you are not willing to abandon.
“
What are your non-negotiables
in life?
”
Is God’s glory at the top of that list? This would mean
that your comforts are expendable. Being ridiculed
for your faith or being thrown in jail would not be
things to avoid at all costs. Even, if by chance, your life
was threatened as a result of your belief in the God
who created the universe, this too would fall below
standing up for God.
What would it take for you to stand up with utmost
commitment for God to be glorified through your life
or your death? On a daily basis across the world, many
brothers and sisters in Christ face the same reality
that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego faced. They are
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Oh wait, there is more to the story of these three
guys. After they were thrown into the furnace, there
was a fourth person who joined them there. Whoever
this fourth person was (“the fourth is like a son of the
gods”), he protected them and even kept them from
the smell of fire. Not a hair on their head was singed.
Nebuchadnezzar took them out of the furnace and
immediately changed his attitude. He said, “Blessed be
the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who
has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who
trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and
yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship
any god except their own God” (verse 28). Because
of these three friends’ faithfulness, God was glorified.
Plus, the king went on to decree that the Lord should
be honored throughout the land of Babylon. Talk about
influencing a nation for God’s glory!
Pray it:
Lord, my desire is for Your name to be made famous across
the earth. Use my life to make that happen. Prepare my
heart to not hold on to anything of this world...including my
life, so that You will be glorified through me.
Own it:
• Meet Helen Berhane of Sudan and hear
about how she faced persecution:
youtube.com/watch?v=WfdwcOTOJHc.
• Check out the Secret Church resources
on what persecution looks like today: radical.
net/secretchurch/about/persecution.html.
• Answer this question in your journal, “What
are my challenges and opportunities right
now to put God’s glory first in my life?”
Day 4: Move towards the mess
Read it: Mark 5:1-20
Know it:
Mark tells about the time when Jesus cast out a legion
of demons from a man into some pigs. (Should’ve
been cats, #kiddingnotkidding!) This guy was a mess! He
was possessed by numerous demons, was cutting and
maiming himself, and lived in the tombs (which made
him ceremonially unclean and socially outcast). When
he saw Jesus coming, perhaps he had a moment of
sanity because he ran and fell before Him. The demons
knew exactly who Jesus was and what He was capable
of doing. They understood Jesus was the Son of God
and that He came to glorify the Father and would do
anything to make that happen. They knew His power.
They knew His mission. They knew they could not
beat Him. They knew that Jesus is Lord! They were totally subject to His authority, and after being cast into
the pigs, they cliff-jumped and drowned the herd.
Do you believe as much as the demons, that Jesus
is unstoppable and Lord of all? When we who
follow Jesus know and believe this, we become an
unstoppable force for God. Then we understand we
are here to accomplish His mission that will bring
about His glory. So what does that lead us to do?
Move toward the mess.
Wait, what? Were you expecting something like “go
and rattle the gates of hell?” Or make disciples of all
nations? Well yes, that’s part of it. However, we are
usually all about those things until we get to someone
or something that is messy. This guy that Jesus healed
was dirty. We don’t know how long he had been
chained up, when he had bathed last, when he shaved
last, or how long since he had a change of clothes last
(well actually he was naked until he was healed – see
verse 15, #nopantsontheground). We can imagine how
dangerous he was in that people had tried to keep
him chained up. We also can guess that he was quite
powerful in that he kept breaking free. All this, and yet
Jesus let the demon-possessed man come right up
to Him. In fact, it’s likely that Jesus came on the boat,
through a storm, and over six miles of water just to
get to this man.
“
Jesus had a way of heading toward needs that everyone else
ignored or avoided.
”
As amazing as this all was, the people of the town were
so angry at Jesus and distracted by the pigs dying that
they made Jesus leave.
The truth is that we are all messy people who need
Jesus.You will soon encounter people who are a mess
(if you haven’t already). Maybe it is their outward physical appearance, maybe it is their nasty attitude toward
you, maybe it is the area they live in, maybe it is the
fact that they are different from you, maybe they need
healing, maybe they are socially awkward, maybe they
are homeless, maybe they have never had anyone love
them before, or maybe they are just annoying. Just as
Jesus was generous with His unlimited, transformative
grace, we need to be, also. We need to remember that,
through the blood of Jesus Christ and what He did
on the cross for us, we were transformed and shown
amazing grace just like the demon-possessed man.
Shouldn’t we move toward the mess and show that
anyone can receive that same grace as well?
Jesus went to amazing lengths to rescue this messy guy,
and even greater lengths to rescue a totally messed-up
humanity. What will you do to reach people for His
glory?
Pray it:
Lord, forgive me for sometimes desiring my own needs instead of wanting to reach the “messy” people of this world.
Help me to see them the same way as You see everyone
else…as Your reflection. Remove those sinful feelings and
replace them by helping me remember how You have transformed my life through Your grace…for Your glory.
Own it:
• Is there someone in your life you are
tempted to avoid because he or she is needy,
or bothersome, or hard to accept? Is this
a person God might want you to serve?
(Note: this is not a challenge to put yourself
in harm’s way or to return to a scene of
abuse.)
• Practice sharing the gospel with five people
you know, without using any notes.
• Check out a local ministry to the homeless
and make plans to serve there in some way.
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Day 5: Become a disciplemaker
Read it: Matthew 28:18-20
Know it:
This section of God’s Word is known as “The Great
Commission” because it is the last command given
by Christ on earth after He rose from the dead. His
charge was to go and make disciples of all nations. This
is the command believers across the world seek to
accomplish until Jesus comes back. This is the ultimate
way God will receive glory, when we abandon all so
that we can go and make disciples.
Through Jesus’ authority we are sent out to show
people how they can be restored to God.This is what
making disciples is all about. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If
you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes
and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is
saved.” This involves the decision of a person to give his
or her life to Christ and make Him Lord.This decision
often takes time…and energy… and patience.
God is the one who saves, not us, so you can focus
what you can do to be obedient.You cannot force
someone to receive God’s amazing grace, the same
that transformed you, but you can proclaim the love
of God to others. As 1 John 4:9 tells us: “In this the
love of God was made manifest among us, that God
sent his only Son into the world, so that we might
live through him.” You can engage in gospel conversations in many different ways, such as through “gospel
appointments” (see the “Own it” section for resource
on this), buying someone a meal, going on a mission
trip, investing in the life of an immigrant, and listening
to someone who is hurting. But remember to do
these things with and through God’s Spirit; only He
can cause someone to believe.Your task is share the
same love from God that you have received. When
you get to see people receive Christ, remember the
call to baptize them “in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (v. 19). This is their first
step in identifying with Christ and the people of God.
An important but sometimes neglected next step in
Christ’s commission is to teach people “to observe all
that I have commanded you.” We do not truly glorify
God if all we do is try and get someone saved and
baptized. We are commanded to make disciples, not
converts. To glorify the Lord and fulfill His commission
you must walk with someone after they become a
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follower of Christ.That means teaching them to read
and understand the Bible, getting them involved with
a community of believers, and helping them to start
serving and teaching them to share their faith. All of
this takes time.Too often, because this is so hard, the
ball gets dropped here. It’s easy to get excited when
someone becomes a believer, but real work to continue
on in the faith journey with them. It’s no wonder that
it doesn’t take long for some converts to fall back into
worldliness and never make it to that place of following
Christ with their whole heart.Take to heart the
challenge to really disciple others.
Someday the work of reaching and discipling the
nations will be done and Christ will come back and
God will receive the ultimate glory! Listen to what
Matthew 24:14 says: “And this gospel of the kingdom
will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a
testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
For now it is upon us to focus our lives on making
disciples as the most important thing we can do. And
if we make disciples who then can make disciples, the
gospel is guaranteed to spread all the more.
Yes, eagerly seek for people to come to Christ and be
converted, but also learn to disciple them and teach
them to do the same. Then watch the results multiply.
So now that you have finished these devotions, are
you ready to abandon all for God?
Pray it:
Lord, I want to glorify Your name. Help me see Your glory
shine through me and through everyone around me as
we all invest in others to make disciples. Help me become
selfless so that more will hear the gospel.
Own it:
• You can disciple someone. Check out the
free resources for making disciples from
Francis Chan and David Platt here:
multiplymovement.com/material.
• Start praying about whom God would have
you disciple.
• Read more about “Gospel Appointments”
here: collegiatecollective.com/
gospel-appointments-part-2/#.
VducXxzD9D8
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WORSHIP RESOURCES
WORSHIP ON MISSION
The following material is intended to help you plan
and conduct worship in conjunction with student
missions service overseas. As an alternative, this
material can be used to plan worship experiences
related to a mission training or awareness event, such
as a DiscipleNow retreat or missions conference.
If you are conducting your own group mission project,
we recommend that you use these plans to lead daily
worship services with your students as they serve at
the project. The point is not to reduce the focus on
ministry, but to enhance it. Students need the chance
to debrief daily on what they are experiencing on
mission. There will be things to celebrate each day,
as well lessons to learn and challenges to face with
prayer. Whether it will be a launch point to start the
day or a culmination of the day’s ministry, we urge you
to see worship at the project as a vital component.
If you will be using these worship plans as part of a
missions emphasis or retreat, we encourage you to
couple them with sending opportunities.Why
challenge students to worship the God of mission
and not provide them with tangible opportunities
to respond? Please visit imbstudents.org for
opportunities, or contact us at
[email protected].
As you prepare to lead worship in missions, consider
the following:
• Bring your own creativity and customization. What
unique opportunities does your situation offer?
Can you engage directly with missionaries and their
stories? Can you integrate relevant testimonies and
stories into the service?
• Make missional worship more than a sermon and a
band. These worship experiences are intentionally
designed to be interactive and participatory. Don’t
ignore this and simply go with the old tried-andtrue songs and a long sermon. Preach, yes, but also
engage!
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• Prayer is too often the missing element of worship,
which is ironic when those on the front lines of
mission repeatedly say it is the most essential. The
guided prayer experience provided here is a step
in the right direction, but seek additional ways to
engage your students in prayer.
• If at a mission project, treat worship as an
extension of the day’s experiences, not as
something separate. Consider worship to be a
continuous experience throughout the day, as
well as a focused expression when the group
comes together. Make sure the two relate.
THEME
The idea of “abandon” can be summed up in a short
parable spoken by Jesus: “The kingdom of heaven is
like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found
and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all
that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).18
Jesus is saying here that in order to enter the kingdom, it’s going to take everything you’ve got. The man
in the story didn’t hold onto any former aspect of his
life: “he goes and sells all that he has.” He abandoned
it all. And this is exactly what Jesus asks from us. We
are to love Him with all our heart, all our soul, all our
mind: all and nothing less. “One thing you lack,” He
said to the rich young ruler. “Go and sell all you possess and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21). “Let the dead
bury their own dead,” He said to another man who
wanted to bury his father (see Luke 9:60). With Jesus,
it’s all…or it’s nothing.
Does this sound difficult? Actually it’s not difficult—it’s
impossible. So how do we do it? How do we give up
everything for Him? Have you tried before? I have and
I’ve failed miserably. I’ve re-committed and re-dedicated myself to Him so many times and come up short.
So how do we abandon?
The answer is in the other half of the parable. We
need to ask, why did the man give up everything?
What enabled him? What was the cause?
The only thing more costly than following Jesus is
not following Jesus. The truth is, all of us “abandon”
ourselves to something or someone. The question
is to what, or to whom. As Jim Elliot said, “He is no
fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he
cannot lose.”
About the author
Matt Papa is a recording artist, songwriter, worship
leader, and author based out of Atlanta, Georgia. He
is husband of seven years to Lauren, and father to
three girls – Paisley, Stella, Sofi, and a new little boy
named Jackson. Matt’s service to Christ through song,
preaching, writing, and mentoring is conducted with
a heart that longs to see people from every corner
of the world set ablaze by the love of God that is in
Christ Jesus.
To that end he has written his first book titled,
“Look & Live.” This manuscript, as well as his latest
full-length studio album, also titled, “Look & Live,”
is a loud and liberating call to people everywhere
to break the chains of idolatry and boredom by beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ. With a
true gift for bringing lofty spiritual truths right down
to even a child’s level, Papa is the layman’s theologian.
His voice is strong and his message clear—look to
Jesus and live.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scriptures quoted in this
section are from the New American Standard Bible
(NASB).
18
The answer is joy. Simply put, the man found something better than his old life, something more precious,
more valuable, even more “happifying,” to use Jonathan
Edward’s terminology. It was precisely this that gave
him the power to leave everything else behind. That’s
what we need: real power. There is no obligation here.
There is no melancholic “well, I guess so” kind of resignation to this new life. No cold religion here. Here
is pure joy. Here is someone saying, “It was the best
decision I’ve ever made!”
This is where we must start with the idea of “abandon,” that is, with the treasure. Certainly we should
count the costs and consider all we leave behind to
follow Jesus. These are real losses and costs, but the
power to change is not in the sacrifice. To think only
about the costs is likely to lead to pride that won’t
bring lasting change. The real power is when we
realize that any sacrifices we make for the kingdom
are like trading a penny for an untold fortune. We get
God, and everything else, and this is the glory of the
gospel. But first, we have to abandon.
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OVERVIEW OF TOPICS
The following services are adaptable according to your
group’s needs. Each includes Scriptures, an overview, an
outline for a teaching time, a message, and suggestions for
musical worship that coincide with the theme.
Topic 1: Abandon control
Scripture: Exodus 3:1-12
Control is something we think we have, but until the
illusion of control disappears, we are unlikely to become people of prayer. God calls us to joyfully depend
on Him as Father, the One who actually IS in control
of all things. God will lead us into impossibilities in
order to help us stop building our own kingdoms of
sand, and start enjoying the kingdom that is forever.
Topic 2: Abandon comfort
Scripture: Mark 15:22-24; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
There is a kind of comfort that is right and good; it is
the comfort we seek in God and in His Word. There
also is a kind of comfort that is dangerous for the
soul. This kind of comfort runs to the world for cheer
and reassurance, and will blind your eyes and dull your
mind to the consolation available to you in Jesus.
Topic 3: Abandon fear
Scripture: Matthew 8:23-27
We all have fears, and our fears prevent us from
living gladly in the service of others. We become
self-absorbed, self-contained. But Jesus will lead us
into danger at times, so we need to remember and
acknowledge that we are not God, and that we need
Him. Faith is not the absence of fear; it is the way we
abandon fear for the glory and mission of God.
Topic 4: Abandon shame
Scripture: John 8:1-11
Shame and guilt seem like old-fashioned concepts, but
they are as real in our postmodern times as much as
they were in the past. The truth is that very few of us
have escaped shameful experiences and the presence
of the associated painful memories. Shame is a prison
that keeps us from freedom and certainly from living
life on mission with God. The gospel alone can lead us
through the healing process of godly sorrow, repentance and forgiveness to find joy and peace on the
other side.
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Topic 5: Abandon apathy
Scripture: Romans 12:1-2; Revelation 3:15-16
A problem when the subject of apathy and Christians comes up is that many people start to brace
themselves for a lecture about how they haven’t
served Jesus enough or witnessed enough or
done more for Him lately. There is a place in the
world for motivational speeches and in-your-face
challenges, but fundamentally, abandoning apathy
is not about greater activity, but greater vision. It’s
not about sweat but about sight. When we truly
grasp the gospel, letting it work in our minds and
hearts, apathy will not be an option for us.
Topic 6: Abandon fame
Scripture: Matthew 3:16-17
Fame and approval are things the human heart
desperately craves and we want and need to be
validated and respected. Our search for approval
goes amiss when we center it on people and use
them to build our own resume. There is a validation that outweighs anything the world can provide. The gospel points us to the love of God that
eliminates our need to try to “gain the world” and
lose our soul in the process. We can be free to
serve and win the world unselfishly because we
already have the only approval that really matters.
Guided prayer experience
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8
In prayer we have the opportunity to engage with
the gospel on a heart level and not simply on an
intellectual one. This service will offer four primary “movements” to the gospel: God, sin, Christ,
response. Make sure the participants are prepared
to be open and vulnerable with God and with one
another.
SERVICE 1: ABANDON CONTROL
Scripture: Exodus 3:1-12
“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to
Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the
sons of Israel, out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10).
Objective:
To lead participants to embrace God’s sovereignty
and trust His leading for life.
Summary:
Control is something we think we have, but until
the illusion of control disappears, we are unlikely to
become people of prayer. God calls us to joyfully
depend on Him as Father, the One who actually
IS in control of all things. God will lead us into
impossibilities in order to help us stop building
our own kingdoms of sand, and start enjoying the
kingdom that is forever.
Message outline:
A. Introduction
1. Definition of control
2. The natural desire to be in control of
your life
3. Psalm 115:3 and Proverbs 16:9—reference points for God’s sovereign
control
4. Exodus 3:2, 4-6
B. B
ody
1. Abandoning control requires an encounter with and surrender to God.
a. Moses’ encounter with God.
b. God’s Presence manifested
and the person surrendered.
c.You can abandon control of
your life when you see God’s
glory.
d. How is your desire for
control hindering you from
serving God?
2. Abandoning control means trusting
that God will accomplish His purposes.
a. God set the stage. Moses
needed to play his part.
C. Conclusion
1. God doesn’t prioritize our ability, but
our availability.
2. God is in control; step out in faith and
obedience.
Suggestions for musical worship:
• “Our God” (Tomlin/Reeves/Myrin/Redman)
• “Jesus Only Jesus” (Redman)
• “It Is Finished” (Papa)
• “Before The Throne” (Cook and Cook)
• “Sovereign Over Us” (Keyes)
• “Open Hands” (Papa)
Suggestions for other worship elements:
• S cripture reading and meditation: Isaiah
46:8-10. Assemble participants in groups of
three. Read the passage and as a meditation,
ask participants to discuss the areas in their
lives where they have had a difficult time
trusting God and to encourage one
another to trust Him.
Message:
Introduction
We crave control. Our natural bent is,“I want what
I want, when I want it, and how I want it.” Mission
trips invariably press us into circumstances that are
completely out of our control, and may make us feel a
little bit crazy.
A definition of control is:“to direct the behavior of (a
person or animal); to cause (a person or animal) to
do what you want; to have power over (something).”19
And isn’t that us? Are we not abounding with the
desire to direct people to do what we want them
to do and to direct life circumstances to be what we
want them to be? Think of the irony.We creatures,
crafted in the image of God and dependent on Him for
our every breath, when left to ourselves seek to live
as if we are the ones in control. How conveniently we
forget truths like,“Our God is in the heavens; He does
whatever He pleases,” and “The mind of man plans
his way, but the LORD directs his steps” (Psalm 115:3,
Proverbs 16:9).We strive to be in absolute control.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/
control
19
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As you step out to be on mission with Jesus someplace
in the world, you may have a keen sense of your desire
for control. Maybe the weather is hot and you prefer
cold; maybe you’re eating rice and beans when all you
want is a burger with fries. Maybe you had to get up
before daybreak to take a cold shower, and neither one
of those things is appealing to you at all.These are trivial
things, nonetheless they can reveal hidden idols in your
heart. Let’s turn to the Scriptures and encounter a man
who, like us, undoubtedly felt like things were very much
out of his control when he said “yes” to join God’s
mission.
comforts like cell phones and gaming systems, flat irons
and designer jeans.We will get tired and be ready to quit.
We will get dirty and want to go back to a neat, tidy life.
(Read Exodus 3:2, 4-6.)
God said to Moses:“Come now, and I will send you to
Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of
Israel, out of Egypt...I will stretch out My hand and strike
Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of
it; and after that [Pharaoh] will let you go” (Exodus 3:10,
20).With God’s control came an amazing assignment:
to lead God’s people out of slavery.The choice before
Moses was to surrender control and trust in the leading
of God.
1. Abandoning control requires an encounter with
and surrender to God.
Moses’ job was not glamorous, and yours probably
isn’t either. Moses labored in the hot sun managing
dumb sheep that didn’t even belong to him, but to
his father-in-law. His duties were to keep them from
jumping off cliffs, wandering aimlessly from the flock,
and starving to death. Perhaps you can identify with
this, especially if the mission task set before you
doesn’t seem to be all that world-changing.
Moses had already faced control issues. On his own
in Egypt, he had tried to rescue his people, Israel. The
result was he lost control of his life and had
to flee to the desert.Years of exile didn’t seem to
improve his condition. Moses’ efforts to manage things
on his own was a descent from the palace
to the pits.
One day in the midst of the boring, almost mindless monotony of shepherding, Moses encountered
the most marvelous revelation beyond his wildest
dreams–the manifest Presence of God. In undeniable
power, God met him right where he was, even as he
was faithfully going about his not-so-exciting duties.
That same encounter is available to you today, regardless of your circumstances and the tasks before you.
God will meet you even in the mundane.
Do you remember Moses’ response when God revealed
Himself? The Scriptures tell us that he “hid his face, for
he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6).The Presence manifested and the person surrendered. Glory was
revealed and Moses bowed under its weight.
In missions, seeking to complete the task in human
strength is weak. It is weak because without a vision of
God, you and I cannot stand up under the pressures we
will face. It will be too hard, too uncomfortable, and too
discouraging.We will likely not have many of our creature
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Today your greatest need is to see God.You need to
feel the weight of His presence and bow down. Into the
out-of-control you must carry with you the knowledge
that He is in control.The One who scattered the stars in
the sky is with you as you go into all the world with the
good news that Jesus is Lord.You will be able to abandon
control of your life when you see the glory of the One
who made you and yield, as Moses did, to Him.
What circumstances do you wish you could control
today? What would you change if you could, and how can
you give that to God instead of trying to fix it? How is
your desire for control hindering you from serving Him
and the people around you with all your heart, soul, mind,
and strength?
2. Abandoning control means trusting that God
will accomplish His purposes.
Moses received his mission from God: go and bring
the sons of Israel out of Egypt. God reiterated that
Pharaoh would let them go, but Moses had all sorts
of doubts: “I can’t do this job – I’m a nobody! They
won’t believe you spoke to me. What am I supposed
to say when they ask me who You are? I’m not good
at public speeches.”
The Lord spoke to his concerns and said, “Who has
made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or
deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now
then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and
teach you what you are to say” (Exodus 4:11-12).
God had a plan for Moses. El Roi, the God Who Sees,
could see exactly how He would accomplish this plan,
exactly how it would come to fruition. The thing God
had called Moses to do was far greater than Moses’
abilities. This was a mission that would impact eternity,
a mission that was yet one more step toward God’s
plan of redemption, the birth of Christ. God was setting the stage. Moses needed to play his part.
Maybe you got up this morning thinking that your
mission assignment is more than you bargained for;
maybe you’re feeling like you aren’t cut out for this
kind of work. Today you can stake your claim to Exodus 4:11-12.You can do this because God made you
and He will be with you. The Spirit of God lives inside
you reminding you of Truth and will teach you how to
handle every situation you feel is too hard.You have
made yourself available. Now God will make you able!
Like He did with Moses, God is asking you to play
your part.
Conclusion
God doesn’t prioritize our ability, but our availability.
The Almighty calls both the intellectual and simple-minded, the rich and poor to participate with Him
in accomplishing His purposes in the world. Not only
does He call, but He also equips. “Now the God of
peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal
covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good
thing to do His will” (Hebrews 13:20, 21). It’s possible that as you engage with God on mission, you feel
inadequate, unprepared. Good! For “such confidence
we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are
adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming
from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God”
(2 Cor. 3:4-5).
Over and over, the Lord said to Moses, “I will accomplish this.” And in spite of Moses’ doubts, fears, and
lack of eloquence, God did deliver His people from
the oppressive hand of Pharaoh. To Moses the circumstances felt out of control; but God was in control
the entire time. And so it is for you. Stepping out in
faith and obeying God in what He has asked you to do
will almost certainly dredge up doubt and feelings of
inadequacy, but staying the course and completing the
task in front of you also is the place where you will–if
you are willing–find the deepest sense of rest and joy
and peace, because you have put your trust wholly in
God Almighty.
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SERVICE 2: ABANDON COMFORT
Scripture: Mark 15:22-24; 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
“They tried to give Him wine mixed with myrrh;
but He did not take it” (Mark 15:23).
Objective:
To help participants recognize the falseness of
worldly comforts and seek the true comfort of
God and the glory of God.
Summary:
There is a kind of comfort that is right and good;
it is the comfort we seek in God and in His Word.
There also is a kind of comfort that is dangerous
for the soul. This kind of comfort runs to the
world for cheer and reassurance, and will blind
your eyes and dull your mind to the consolation
available to you in Jesus.
Message outline:
A. Introduction
1. The definition of comfort; examples
2. Mark 15:22-24
3. Spurgeon quote: “...if I can honour thee
more by suffering, and if the loss of my
earthly all will bring thee glory, then so
let it be.”
4. The significance of myrrh in the Old
Testament and how it relates to Christ
B. B
ody
1. Look to Jesus
a. Current circumstances and
things that make us feel uncomfortable
b. The crucifixion story and
Christ’s suffering
c. How our current situation
compares to Christ’s agony
d. Christ as the needed perspective to face difficult
situations
2. Long for Jesus
a. Being outside of our comfort
zone
b. Psalms 84:2 and 42:1
c. Do you long for Christ this
way?
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3. Trust in Jesus
a. How do you respond when you
feel vulnerable and exposed?
b. C.S. Lewis quote—God takes
away false happiness
c. Can you thank God for making
your circumstances “less agreeable?”
4. H
omeless with Jesus
a. Matthew 8:20 and Philippians 2
b. Entitlement in our culture
c. What does a Christ-like heart of
homelessness look like?
5. The comfort of Jesus
a. Augustine quote: “God wants to
give us something, but cannot,
because our hands are full...”
b. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
c. Denying yourself comfort
is for the sake of others
C. Conclusion: Follow Jesus
1. D
ying to self leads to mission.
2. P
hilippians 3:8
3. The nations are waiting
Suggestions for musical worship:
• “ How Rich A Treasure” (Papa and Boswell)
• “ Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
• “ You Said” (Shane and Shane)
• “ The Reward of His Suffering” (Papa)
Message:
Introduction
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when
you think about comfort? Is it a certain food or a favorite
place? When you were younger you might have sucked
your thumb or had a blanket you simply couldn’t sleep
without. It is the disposition of humans to find ways
to bring ourselves comfort.When we face people and
circumstances that take us out of our “comfort zone,”
it is good to consider if our comfort is worthy or worldly.
(Read Mark 15:22-24.)
Verse 23 in this chapter may not seem that notable and
in fact, it’s one that is likely skimmed over when reading
about the Crucifixion. By this point in the story, Jesus had
appeared before Pilate and the crowds had given him
over to be treated as a murderer.The death sentence
was pronounced and He had been mocked, beaten, and
spat upon. His body was so broken that He could barely
stand beneath the weight of the rough-hewn beam
placed upon His back that would soon be drenched in
His life blood.As the group of soldiers and spectators
gathered at Golgotha, someone offered Jesus a cup of
wine mixed with myrrh. He turned it away.
You might recognize myrrh from the biblical story
of Christ’s birth:“Then opening their treasures, they
presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh”
(Matthew 2:11). Frankincense and myrrh are essential
oils whose usage for incense and medicine dates back
millennia. In ancient Egypt it was used for embalming,
and commonly symbolizes death.Additionally, myrrh was
useful as an analgesic/anesthetic–to reduce pain or make
insensitive to pain.
All this is important because we need to see what Jesus
was refusing. Jesus pushed the cup away not because He
wasn’t thirsty but because He was denying Himself an
earthly comfort that would diminish or hinder His complete submission to the Father. In perhaps their one act
of mercy, the soldiers extended to him the opportunity
to lessen the suffering of an agonizing death on the cross.
Here is a beautiful insight that 19th-century theologian
Charles Spurgeon offers:
“A golden truth is couched in the fact that the Saviour put
the myrrhed wine-cup from his lips. On the heights of heaven
the Son of God stood of old, and as he looked down upon our
globe he measured the long descent to the utmost depths
of human misery; he cast up the sum total of all the agonies
which expiation would require, and abated not a jot. He
solemnly determined that to offer a sufficient atoning sacrifice
he must go the whole way, from the highest to the lowest, from
the throne of highest glory to the cross of deepest woe.This
myrrhed cup, with its soporific influence, would have stayed
him within a little of the utmost limit of misery, therefore he
refused it. He would not stop short of all he had undertaken
to suffer for his people. Ah, how many of us have pined after
reliefs to our grief which would have been injurious to us!….
Oh, it is sweet to be able to say,‘My Lord, if for other reasons I
need not suffer, yet if I can honour thee more by suffering, and
if the loss of my earthly all will bring thee glory, then so let it
be. I refuse the comfort, if it comes in the way of thine honour.’
O that we thus walked more in the footsteps of our Lord,
cheerfully enduring trial for his sake, promptly and willingly
putting away the thought of self and comfort when it would
interfere with our finishing the work which he has given us to
do. Great grace is needed, but great grace is provided.”20
Oh how often we yearn for creature comforts more
than the glory of God!
1. Look to Jesus
Wherever you are in the mission, it’s just a matter
of time before you will encounter difficulty that will
make you want to run back home. It might be a place
of suffering, poverty, and filth, or it could be strangeness in a culture that makes you uncomfortable. As
a believer in Jesus, you have an alternative to giving
up or running away. As the servant of Jesus, look to
the Suffering Servant who has gone before you and
see how to suffer well. In His darkest, most painful
moments, He did not shrink back. See Him in your
mind’s eye agonizing over the pain of His flesh being
ripped apart. See Him lift His swollen eyes, barely able
to make out the image of a small cup of relief offered
Him by His persecutors. See Him slowly shake His
head and turn away, not willing to give Himself a shred
of comfort, all for the sake of your soul.
Is there anything you want more than to be the willing
servant of the One who spared nothing to save your
soul? If there is, child of God, repent. Look to Him and
turn from lesser things to be fully satisfied in the One
who spared nothing to save your soul.
2. Long for Jesus
What do you long for today? Is it your favorite food
or TV? Would a little more access to your phone and
social media make you “feel good” again? Can you
honor Christ even if these and other comforts are
taken away? Take a few moments to think about what
you truly long for, what is the desire of your soul.
Often times I have to confess to the Lord that while I
truly want Him, His glory, and the fame of His Name,
my flesh is getting in the way of that. I pray, “Lord!
Teach me to say with the psalmist, ‘My soul longs, yes,
faints for the courts of the LORD’ (Psalm 84:2, ESV),
and to cry out, ‘As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God’ (Psalm 42:1, NLT).”
3. Trust in Jesus
The loss of comforts in our life tends to expose what
we really trust and depend on. It is one thing to trust
Jesus in the good times when your needs and wants
are covered, but another thing altogether when all
your comforts have seemingly been stripped away. It is
hard to trust when you feel vulnerable and exposed;
and being outside your comfort zone will certainly
make you feel that way. C.S. Lewis says, “While what
we call ‘our own life’ remains agreeable we will not
surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our
interests but make ‘our own life’ less agreeable to
20
C
. H. Spurgeon, Morning & Evening Devotions,
Aug. 18.
79
us, and take away the plausible source of false happiness?”21 Does life feel “less agreeable” today? Embrace
that. Receive it as a gift knowing that God is graciously
removing what you think makes you happy so that you
can find true happiness in Him.
4. Homeless with Jesus
Scripture teaches us that Jesus had “no place even to
lay His head” (Matthew 8:20, NIV). Think about that.
In heaven, all the riches and glories and honor beyond
our wildest imaginings were His without dispute. Here
on earth, Jesus was a wanderer who often didn’t even
have a bed to sleep in. The God of Psalm 50 who owns
the cattle on a thousand hills surrendered His rights
to become the humble Suffering Servant of Philippians
2 and considered our interests and our eternal souls
before His own comfort. Jesus had no entitlement. We
in our opulent culture, however, suffer from a severe
case of entitlement. We need not go live on the streets
in order to be like Jesus, but we quite often should
demand far less than we do. We should make comfort
less of a goal and consider more a heart of homelessness. A mindset that we deserve nothing would go a
long way in helping us be more like our homeless God.
5. The comfort of Jesus
Augustine said, “God wants to give us something, but
cannot, because our hands are full – there’s nowhere
for Him to put it.”22 What are we grasping that keeps
us from receiving something better from God? Let’s
get some further perspective from Scripture.
(Read 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.)
When we are afflicted, it is not for the sake of being
afflicted, it is for the sake of being able to comfort
others who also are in affliction with the comfort we
have experienced through God. It is for the sake of
displaying the glory of God to others who suffer. It is
for the sake of being one with Christ. Whatever comfort you take in the things of this world, it is a small,
pale shadow compared to what “the Father of mercies
and God of all comfort” can provide (2 Corinthians
1:3). And we know this because the King of kings and
the Lord of lords was fully satisfied in the comfort
the Father supplied. He still suffered. He still bled. He
still died. Great grace was needed and great grace was
provided. To state Augustine’s observation a different
way, when you open your hands and release the things
you think you need to be happy, God can finally fill
them with what He knows will make you eternally
satisfied.
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Conclusion: Follow Jesus
So you crucify your comfort…then what? To what
does that lead? Masochism? Hurting for the sake of
hurting? Of course not. Dying to self–to comfort–
leads to mission. It leads to sacrifice and giving and
service and sanctified work.
In mission movements of old, there was no such thing
as a “short-term mission trip.” There were no cars, no
planes. Trains didn’t even exist until 1804. Missionaries
counted the cost, boarded a ship, and set off expecting that they would face death, whether by disease
or hostility, and never see their families again. The
comforts afforded them by safe, pretty lives did not
compare with the riches of knowing Christ. They said
with Paul, “What is more, I consider everything a loss
because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I
consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8, NIV).
Hear this today as a clarion call: Follow Jesus to the
ends of the earth and don’t look back. He has gone
before you. He is with you now. He will sustain you
through anything that is to come. The nations are
waiting for brave souls like you to decide that Truth is
more valuable than designer jeans. Preaching the gospel through hard-earned, time-consuming relationship
is more important than scrolling through Facebook
or Instagram or Twitter. They are waiting, in darkness
without the light of Christ, for someone to surrender what is comfortable and familiar to tell them the
greatest story in the whole world, the story of Jesus.
C
. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain (New York, NY:
Harper Collins, 2004), p. 94.
22
In C. S. Lewis, The Joyful Christian (New York, NY:
McMillian, 1977), p. 210.
21
SERVICE 3: ABANDON FEAR
Scripture: Matthew 8:23-27
“’He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you men
of little faith?’ Then He got up and rebuked the
winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm”
(Matthew 8:26).
Objective:
To help participants understand that there is no
better place to be than following Jesus and being
on mission with Him, even when it leads straight
into trouble.
Summary:
We all have fears, and our fears can cause us to
become self-absorbed and self-contained, preventing us from living gladly in the service of others.
Jesus may lead us into difficult or perhaps even
dangerous challenges, so we need to remember
and acknowledge our total dependence on Him.
Faith is not the absence of fear, but the ability to
abandon fear for the glory and mission of God.
Advance preparation:
Note that this message begins with a dramatic
re-telling of this passage from Matthew 8. It will be
most effective if practiced and done with flourish,
drama, lots of dynamics and significant pauses as
appropriate.
Message outline:
A. Introduction
1. Dramatic retelling of Matthew 8:23-27
2. From the high of ministry into the low
of a storm
B. B
ody
1. Abandoning fear requires trusting Jesus
through the calm and through the
storm
a. Definition of fear
b. Confident servants to terrified passengers
c. Following Jesus can get us
into difficult situations.
2. We can abandon fear because His
presence is enough
a. It’s easy to tell someone else
that Jesus is enough.
b. Jesus didn’t rebuke the disciples’ fear but their lack of
faith.
c. It is possible to be afraid and yet
still move toward faith in Christ.
3. Abandoning fear means moving from fear
of circumstances to trust in God
a.Vincent McNabb quote: God
helps us control our fears.
b. Our circumstances should not
become more real to us than
Jesus.
C. Conclusion
1. D
ifficult and impossible situations give
us greater opportunity to display the
greatness of God
Suggestions for musical worship:
• “ Crown Him with Many Crowns” (Tomlin)
• “ Lord I Need You” (Maher)
• “ This I Believe” (The Creed)
• “ Cornerstone” (Hillsong)
• “ In Christ Alone” (Liesching and Moore)
• “ Never Once” (Redman)
Suggestions for other worship elements:
• P rayer time
Break up into groups of four to five. Share
together and pray over two things:
-H
ow has God “been there” for
you in the past? How has he been
faithful to you in difficult seasons
and moments? Share these, then
thank God.
- Where are places in your life
where you are currently afraid?
Where do you feel weak, doubtful? Confess these, then ask God
for the faith to believe that He is
good, and He will do whatever is
good.
•R
esponsive reading
Read Psalm 136 and lead the participants
to say together, “His love endures forever”
as the refrain in each verse.
Message:
Introduction: A paraphrase of Matthew 8
It had been a long day.As they looked around the crowd,
desperate, searching eyes met their own.There simply
weren’t enough hours in the day.The dusty afternoon
faded to evening as even more wounded and weary
souls poured into the outskirts of the village like storm
clouds gathering to release their fury on the parched
land.All were trying to reach Him.
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Finally. Finally, He began to move away. Desperate to
escape the pushing and shoving, the smell, the need, the
ache...they followed Him to the shore.The boat was a
welcome sight.An escape, yes, but also a tender comfort; a reminder of the life they once knew. Eagerly they
climbed aboard and pushed away from the shore.The
gentle sound of the water against the oars was like a
sweet lullaby. Sleep came even before the shoreline, and
all the neediness staring at them from it, had a chance to
recede from view.
important! You are in the thick of ministry! What happens,
though, when you find yourself becoming just like that
desperate mob of people? What happens when you are
the needy one, trying to make sense of pain, suffering, and
sickness? You are the one who needs healing and Jesus
doesn’t seem to notice and make any move to help.What
is your response when the waters are up to your neck
and things look terrible?
Cold. Piercing.Wet.
A storm had settled in. Suddenly all of them were awake
and frantically reaching for anything that could hold water.
Well, almost all of them.
1. Abandoning fear requires trusting Jesus through
the calm and through the storm.
As a noun, fear is defined as “an unpleasant often
strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness
of danger.”23 We all have seasons where it’s easy to
trust Jesus. Maybe, like the disciples, we are serving
and blessing others, helping to usher the needy and
broken into Jesus’ presence. Perhaps that’s even why
you chose to participate in this project.You wanted to
bring people to Jesus. This is a season to be cherished
and enjoyed.
The water ran wild as it breached the sides of the little
boat.Their sandals slickened and their garments became
heavier and heavier, like weights trying to pull them down
to the bottom of the sea. Furtive glances, searching hands.
With this blinding rain and the tossing waves, they clung
to each other and counted heads.Where was He?
Someone shouted,“Here He is!” Wait. Is He asleep? With
every ounce of strength they held to the boat as they
groped their way toward Him; surely He knows they’re
drowning; surely He can help.“Wake up! Save us! We’re
dying–can’t you see? Are you going to let us drown?”
They screamed in terror-filled voices.
His piercing eyes open slowly.Their faithless souls were
exposed instantaneously. His voice, calm and firm and
even, rose effortlessly above the fury of the storm,
“You’re afraid, why? Am I not here in the boat with you?
Your faith is small.” With one swift motion He rose to his
feet and rebuked the storm as He had just rebuked them.
Before they could blink, the storm they thought was
about to kill them vanished into thin air.The seas were
still and glassy. Stumbling backward and sinking down
under the weight of their wet clothes, they looked up at
Him–the perfect picture of peace–and then at each other
and whispered, as the crowds had hours before,“Who is
this man?”
One Bible version gives labels this passage from Matthew
8 as “Discipleship tested.” It is what happens when you
go from serving people in need to becoming in desperate
need yourself.
It is easy to feel special when you are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Jesus, serving people, meeting needs,
and addressing a needy crowd. It may leave you tired,
weary, and overwhelmed, yes, but you’re doing something
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Let’s learn from this story how we can abandon fear.
For the disciples, it was mere hours between being
confident servants and becoming terrified victims. The
day had been filled with major victories of healing and
deliverance. When they left the shore that evening, it’s
probable that they had mixed feelings about leaving
hurting people behind, but of course they gladly chose
to obey Jesus’ orders to “depart to the other side
of the sea” (Matthew 8:18). Everything looked to be
under control wherever Jesus went. The fear came
when the good times dissipated into a storm in what
seemed to be the worst possible place, the middle of
the Sea of Galilee. That was absolutely not where they
wanted to be.
That’s us, isn’t it? We are happy to follow Jesus and put
our “Yes, Lord!” on the table. Then, as the storm rises,
doubts and fears begin to trickle in. “Was I supposed
to do this?” The waters overtake the boat. “Did I really
hear God’s voice?” Our little dinghy begins to sink.
“Hello? Are you there God? Can you not see that I’m
dying here?”
Like the disciples we must learn (typically the hard
way) that following Jesus is likely going to get us into
some situations where we feel like we won’t survive.
Jesus calls us to trust Him through the calm, when we
think we’re fine, as well as through the calamity, when
it feels like disaster is our sure end.
23
h ttp://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fear
2. We can abandon fear because His presence is
enough.
As the crowds came in for healing, the disciples could
have said, “All you need is Jesus! Just a moment in His
presence can heal whatever your wounds may be!”
It’s easy to tell someone else that Jesus is enough. The
challenge comes when we have to apply that truth to
ourselves and live what we teach. It is paramount to
preach the Truth to the world, but as Martin Luther
once said, we must also preach the gospel to ourselves
every single day.
Note that in Matthew 8, Jesus didn’t rebuke the disciples’ fear, He rebuked their lack of faith. The disciples
in the boat that day were presented with an opportunity to live out what they were surely preaching to the
crowds.Yes, the storm was real and it was terrifying
and it might just have killed them, but Jesus was with
them! His very presence could have been their calm in
the midst of the storm, but only if they had let it.
It is possible to be afraid and yet have faith in Christ.
It is possible to work through your fears and even
overcome them in a way that actually pleases God! Let
your fears point you to the One Who called you into
the boat and allowed the storm to assail you. Let them
drive you into the presence of God. Charles Spurgeon
reportedly has said, “I have learned to kiss the wave
that slams me into the Rock of Ages.” Believe with all
your heart that Christ is in the boat with you and His
presence is more than enough.
LORD is my helper, I will not be afraid; what will man
do to me?’”
Conclusion
When we live on mission with God, we should
expect to find ourselves sometimes in overwhelming
situations. Why else would Jesus leave us with these
parting words: “Go therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age”? (Matthew 28:1920, italics added). The missional charge is anchored
with a magnificent promise: “I will be with you.”
Our world seems to be increasingly opposed to
Christ and His teachings. What greater opportunity
to display the greatness of our God than in the face
of danger and even hatred? We can know and show
that He is in the boat with us. “But in all these things
we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved
us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other created thing, will be able to separate
us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).
24
Joseph DeMakis, The Ultimate Book of Quotations
(Raleigh, NC: Lulu Enterprises, 2012) p. 201
3. Abandoning fear means moving from fear of
circumstances to trust in God.
Fear is not to remain in the driver’s seat of our lives.
Vincent McNabb put it this way: “Hope is some
extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to
control our fears, not to oust them.”24
Certainly it would be nice if we were never afraid,
but often our circumstances become more real to us
than Jesus. We have a God who knows our frame and
makes provision for us, weak as we are.
Scripture gives us a battle cry for those moments
when fear assails us: “The LORD is my light and my
salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense
of my life; whom shall I dread?” (Psalm 27:1). The
psalmist assumes that we will experience fear, but also
teaches us to bring our fears into perspective and
move from fear to trust in God. What can man do to
me if God is on my side? Consider Hebrews 13:5-6:
“He Himself has said, ‘I will never desert you nor will
I ever forsake you,’ so that we confidently say, ‘The
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SERVICE 4: ABANDON SHAME
Scripture: John 8:1-11
“Straightening up, Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, where
are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She said, ‘No
one, Lord.’ And Jesus said, ‘I do not condemn you,
either. Go. From now on sin no more’” (John 8:1011).
Objective:
To help participants see that how the gospel offers
the only real way to deal with guilt and shame and
be freed to fulfill our highest purpose in serving
God on mission.
Summary:
Shame and guilt seem like old-fashioned concepts,
but they are as real in our postmodern times as
much as they were in the past. The truth is that
very few of us have escaped shameful experiences
and the presence of the associated painful memories. Shame is a prison that keeps us from freedom
and certainly from living life on mission with God.
The gospel alone can lead us through the healing
process of godly sorrow, repentance and forgiveness to find joy and peace on the other side.
Advance preparation:
Optional: Enlist persons who can share a testimony
about being delivered from shame. As worship
leader, be sure to hear these in advance to screen
and adapt for appropriateness and discretion.
Message outline:
A. Intro: A scenario about shame.
B. B
ody
1. The life of no shame that leads to condemnation.
2. The wrong kind of shame that leads to
paralysis.
3. The right kind of shame that leads to
godly sorrow.
4. How Jesus responds to our shame.
5. Deal with your shame.
C. Conclusion: As you go
1. The Word of God helps you fight the
battle against shamefulness.
2.You can confidently share good news to
others.
Suggestions for musical worship:
• “Great Are You Lord” (All Sons and Daughters)
• “ Psalm 100” (Tomlin)
• “ Lord I Need You” (Maher)
• “ It Is Finished” (Matt Papa)
• “ Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone)”
(Tomlin)
• “ All Creatures of Our God and King”
(Sovereign Grace)
Suggestions for other worship elements:
• Individual and Corporate Prayer Time:
Dealing with shame is hard and it is
personal. Take some time to confess and
repent of sin before the Lord by yourself.
Then, gather in small groups of three to
four and pray over each other. Remember
that you are bringing sin out of the darkness and into the Light.You don’t have to
share intimate details with the group, but
do pray over each other, that you would
be able to walk in freedom and then lead
others into the same.
• Testimonies (see advance preparation):
Share your story of how God delivered
you from shame and sorrow or have a student share his/her story with the group.
Message:
Introduction: A scenario about shame
Imagine for a moment that you are a wanted criminal.
You live in Europe and have engaged in years of crimes
of armed robbery and murder.The day comes when
you are finally identified and all your evil comes to light.
The police hunt you down but you flee into the woods.
Somehow you escape and hide successfully for years,
and then decide to come to America to start a new life.
(Don’t think about all the legal hoops and complications,
just go with the story!) Even in a new start on life, you
are driven by guilt and get involved in a help group.The
self-esteem classes tell you to believe in yourself: that
you are a good person and you can accomplish anything
you set your mind to.You start to believe it and decide,
“Hey, I really do have a new life!” You even get involved
in a church.At church they tell you nearly the same
thing—God is a God of grace.You don’t need to be
ashamed of who you are. Just receive His love!
And so you try.You really do, but something’s just not
right. None of it is working.The old nagging guilt and
84
shame is still there. Haunting faces wake you up in the
morning and sleep with you at night. No matter how
many times you tell yourself,“I’m OK,” you know it’s not,
and you know you’re not.
Do you want to love big and love well? Then take
a long hard look at yourself until you can say that
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Timothy 1:15).
The whole idea of “just forgive yourself” does not work
because the old sins haven’t been dealt with.You need a
higher court, a higher authority than yourself, to weigh
in and either condemn you or forgive you.As it is, the
shame lives on.
4. How Jesus responds to our shame
Jesus showed mercy to the woman, but not without
acknowledging her sin and need for forgiveness. Like
her, we come to realize that all the wrongs in our
lives can’t be swept under the rug and forgotten.
We can even experience a sense of relief when the
truth comes out and all our efforts at deception and
cover-up are over.
1. No shame
It may surprise you to learn that having no shame can
be worse than being filled with shame. Shamelessness
leads to condemnation. Notice the characters in this
storywith Jesus. A womanwas caught in the very act
of sexual sin and publicly humiliated. According to the
law of Israel she could have been stoned to death. She
was full of shame, yet she was the one who received
the love and pardon of Christ. Now look at the others
in the story, her accusers. These were men who only
wanted to use her situation as a way to get at Jesus.
They were not righteous but devious. It is likely that
they even set up this situation with her so they could
force Jesus into a bad choice to either condemn or
condone. They were shameless and could only walk
away from the Son of God, the only One who could
forgive and restore.
2. The wrong kind of shame
There is a wrong kind of shame that leads nowhere
except to paralysis. Scott Sauls says it this way:
“Shame––the terrifying sense something is deeply
wrong with us–keeps us preoccupied with ourselves
and inattentive to needs of other.”25 Because we are
sinners we gravitate to this kind of self-focus and
self-loathing. Can you see this in yourself? This kind of
shame can even persist after your Judge has declared
your sin forgiven and dealt with. Somehow the message of grace doesn’t work its way into your heart
and life, and shame continues to haunt you and
incapacitate you, eating away at your soul.
3. The right kind of shame
The “right kind” of shame will drive you to abandon sin, and instead seek rest in the word that was
declared over you at the cross: forgiven. “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a
repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the
sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Corinthians
7:10). This is where we want our minds to camp out. It
is right and good to feel the weight of our sin, because
“he who is forgiven little, loves little” (Luke 7:47).
Imagine all the things you’ve done wrong…and any
wrongs that may have been done to you that make
you feel shameful. Mentally list out as many as you can.
Now, envision that list being nailed to the cross with
Jesus. See His blood pour out and cover every single
wrongdoing until the paper is so soaked you can’t read
a thing that was written on it (Colossians 2:14).
There is no free ride for sin. Jesus took your place
and mine and allowed Himself to be stripped, spit
on, taunted, rejected, and made nothing on the cross.
The Spotless Lamb, the one who had nothing to
be ashamed of, surrendered to ruthless, relentless
shaming that led to our redemption and healing. He
stripped shame of its power over us by canceling
every record of wrong that stood against us. He went
before the Judge and said, “There is no fault here, it
has been taken care of.” Now that is amazing grace!
5. Deal with your shame
The person we imagined earlier is more like us than we
care to admit. Maybe you haven’t committed terrible
crimes like murder, rape and destruction, but you’ve
done enough to stand convicted of evil before God.
When we stand before the Holy One, you and I won’t
be comparing our sins but will fall on our faces. James
2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet
stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking it all.” So
what do we need to really let go of shame and believe
what Jesus did is enough? We need a higher court
and a verdict from a real Judge.We don’t have the
authority to forgive ourselves.That would be like
someone punching the Queen of England and coming
to you for forgiveness or acquittal.We must have our
sins dealt with by the One most affected by our sins.
We have to go to God’s trial.
25
http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/shamethe-image-of-god-and-finding-freedom-to-love
85
Have you been trying to skip out on the trial? Have
you been squirming hopelessly underneath the weight
of the unresolved record of your pride, anger, envy,
and lust? We have an amazing ability to hide these
things, but such a life rings hollow. Maybe you feel
paralyzed to do anything significant on this trip because all you can think about is your guilt and shame.
Until you recognize the weight of your sin you will be
unable to see your need for grace.You might seek for
Jesus to help you with schoolwork, your parents, or a
friend, but these will be Band-Aids compared to the
real surgery you need.
The point is this: the reason that many of us live in
shame is because we haven’t been ashamed enough
yet. God is holy, we are not, and we have intentionally
and repeatedly sinned against Him. We should weep
over how we have broken our Father’s heart. From
this place of rightly placed shame we can come to the
Judge. We stand before Him with no confidence of
our own, no boasting, but to simply ask for mercy. For
that moment, brothers and sisters, I have good news
for you, because our Judge is One who loves to show
mercy to those who know they need it! In fact, this
is the prerequisite for grace: knowing that you need
it. God opposes the proud, but runs to the humble.
He kisses them (Luke 15), saves them (Psalm 36), and
exalts them (James 4:10).
So examine yourself. Are you paralyzed by shame? Do
you live as if you just got caught with your hand in the
proverbial cookie jar or do you live free? Scripture
once again speaks to us where we are: “Therefore
there is now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). If you find yourself turning
your sin over and over and over in your mind and
thinking only of yourself and how big your mistakes
are, this truth has not set you free yet. So preach to
yourself today.
As you go
The mindset of shame doesn’t go away easily. The Bible
is your weapon of warfare against all sin and temptation, so unsheathe your sword and start doing battle.
Read the Bible every day and take notes on what you
read. Choose a passage of Scripture that speaks to
shame and reminds you of grace, such as Romans 8:1.
Memorize key verses. When you equip yourself with
the Word of God in your heart and mind, you can fight
back when shame tries to take hold of you again.
When you have dealt with your own shame, you are
better able to meet the needs of others. Look into the
eyes of the people to whom you minister. Are they happy and joyful, or are they broken and living in bondage?
86
This is where the sweeping, massive truths we have
just considered hit the pavement of real life. As someone who recognizes the burden of shame and guilt and
knows that Christ is the only One who can overcome
it, you have good news! You who have been made free
can now say with confidence to hurting, broken people
that there is hope and His name is Jesus.
SERVICE 5: ABANDON APATHY
Scripture: Matthew 8:23-27
“Romans 12:1-2; Revelation 3:15-16
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of
God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,
acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of
worship” (Romans 12:1).
“So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor
cold, I will spit you out of My mouth” (Revelation
3:16).
Objective:
To help participants recognize that apathy toward God
and others should have no place in the person who
has truly accepted and embraced the truth and beauty
of Jesus Christ.
Summary:
A problem when the subject of apathy and Christians comes up is that many people start to brace
themselves for a lecture about how they haven’t
served Jesus enough or witnessed enough or done
more for Him lately. There is a place in the world for
motivational speeches and in-your-face challenges, but
fundamentally, abandoning apathy is not about greater
activity, but greater vision. It’s not about sweat but
about sight. When we truly grasp the gospel, letting it
work in our minds and hearts, apathy will not be an
option for us.
Message outline:
A. Introduction
1. Oxymorons; Christian apathy
2. On mission for God, yet somehow still
bored?
B. B
ody
1. Recognize apathy.
a. What is it?
b. Revelation 3:15-16
c. Apathy not normal
d. What do you worship?
2. Reject apathy.
a. Romans 12:1-2
b. With logic for the mind
c. With magnificence for the heart
C. Conclusion
Open your eyes
Suggestions for musical worship:
• “ Your Grace Finds Me” (Redman)
• “ Your Great Name” (Nordhoff and Neale)
• “ Lead Me To the Cross” (Fraser)
• “ O Fount Of Love” (Papa and Boswell)
Suggestions for other worship elements:
• S ticky note confessions:
Set up a table with sticky notes and pens.
On a poster or dry erase board on the
wall, create two spaces to post notes. One
should be titled, “What happens when I
take my focus off Jesus?” and the other,
“What happens when I focus on Jesus?”
Prior to the service, invite participants to
write and post notes with their answers.
• Thirty second prayers:
Arrange in advance for a number of participants to line up in front of the group and
pray a brief prayer of their own based on
Romans 12:1-2. Encourage them to read
and meditate on the passage in advance to
prepare.
Message:
Introduction: Oxymorons
Have you heard of an oxymoron? It’s a figure of speech
that is composed of two things that appear to be contradictory.Think of jumbo shrimp, act naturally, wicked
good, living dead, and clearly confused. Got any personal
favorites? How about airline food, serious fun, boneless ribs, head butt, private email, adult male, and safe
fireworks?
One of the ultimate oxymorons is “apathetic Christian.” Apathy and Christian faith are so contradictory
to one another that even Jesus says that He will spit
the lukewarm out of His mouth. How can anyone be
uncaring who serves a King who bled and died for us?
Unfortunately, most of us could admit that apathy too
often looks back at us in the mirror every day.We aren’t
as caring as we ought to be; we aren’t as sacrificial
toward others as we should, and we aren’t as alive to
the beauty in God’s world as we could be. Here’s the
irony:We are here to be on mission with the great God
of the universe, and we somehow can still be bored.
1. Recognize apathy.
Let’s explore apathy for a moment. Quite simply, it
is a lack of interest or concern, and it is fairly easy
to self-diagnose. Are you going through the motions
87
or serving with joy? Are you focused on the task or
daydreaming of life somewhere else? Are you self-forgetful in giving or self-absorbed in holding back?
and you respond. The key is to wake up and open your
eyes to that which is most worthy of your worship.
And what you catch sight of today could affect someone else for eternity.
(Read Revelation 3:15-16).
Laodicea, one of the seven churches mentioned in
Revelation, had a bad case of apathy, being neither hot
nor cold, and thus earned the rebuke of Jesus. This
church did not have a long list of sins, like jealousy,
lying, false teaching, and sexual immorality. Their guilt
was simply a matter of attitude. So why was that such
a big deal to Jesus?
Apathy is not our normal state or design. In other
words, we are all wired to care about something.
Something in life will capture our attention and
exhilarate us. It might be sports, relationships, video
games, clothes, or image, but we all find something to
which we freely offer up our time, our talents, and our
money. It’s a rule of human nature that you will worship something, and if that thing is not God, it is better
known as an idol.
One way to figure out what you worship is to examine your affections. I have written elsewhere that our
emotions are like smoke from the fire of the altar of
whatever god we truly worship.27 Follow the smoke. So
for instance, if you respond with anger and harshness
to what someone said about you on Twitter, it’s likely
because you love your image and it was threatened.
Follow the smoke. If you bottom out with despair
after not making the team or failing to make the grade,
your well-being is tied up with success and accomplishment and applause. These are all smoke from the
fire of worship.
Apathy, then, is the leftovers (if any) of your mind’s
attention and your heart’s affections. And it is why
Jesus was so hard on the Laodiceans. Whatever you
worship tends to suck the air out of the room for
anything else that might want or deserve your attention. And again, here is where the irony is: what could
be stranger and more unnatural than apathy toward
God? As Pascal put it, “Man’s sensitivity to little things
and insensitivity to the greatest things are marks of a
strange disorder.”28
2. Reject apathy.
Apathy is not something you can change by simply
doing more religious deeds or trying to show more
interest. To undo apathy you have to see that both
worship and love are our responses, not your initiative.
Something invites your attention and affection
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(Read Romans 12:1-2.) There are two ways we can destroy apathy toward God and the things of God. Paul
points us to an ongoing renewal of the mind, which
involves both your thoughts and your affections.
Logic for the mind
The more we consider the Bible and the claims of Christianity, the more we can see how apathy is illogical. Jesus
either rose from the dead or He didn’t. It is simple, yet
earth-shattering logic. Every human being stands on one
side of that statement or the other: Christian or atheist,
Hindu or Muslim. Jesus is either God, or He’s not.
The Bible offers only two choices with faith in God:
all-in or nothing. As Elijah phrased it,“How long will you
hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God,
follow Him; but if Baal, follow him” (1 Kings 18:21).This
eliminates an entire category of religion that is sometimes called nominal or cultural Christianity. This kind
of Christianity is simply a way to improve your life. It has
been most prevalent in the “Bible Belt” of America which
Flannery O’Connor called “the Christ-haunted South.”
This is the religion that says if you are well-mannered and
say you are a Christian, you can get more respect, better
jobs, and even elected for political office. Sadly, it doesn’t
require you to love Jesus at all, but only what He gets for
you.
Jesus does not tolerate nominal Christianity. He either
rose from the dead or He didn’t, so what’s the point
in serving Him halfway? You can’t simply “like” Jesus on
Facebook. No one in the New Testament had a mild reaction to Him.As C.S. Lewis so brilliantly said,“You must
make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son
of God, or else a madman or something worse.You can
shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as
a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and
God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense
about his being a great human teacher. He has not left
that open to us.” 29
Confront apathy with the truth. Jesus is not a “nice guy”
who is just your buddy. Jesus is God who is the only One
worthy of your worship.
M
att Papa, Look and Live: Behold the Soul-Thrilling,
Sin-Destroying Glory of Christ (Bloomington, MN:
Bethany House Publishers, 2014).
28
B
laise Pascal, Penseés.
29
C
. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1997), p. 52.
27
Magnificence for the heart
I’ve traveled to quite a few countries in Europe. In every
one, I make it a point to visit as many cathedrals as
possible. I love walking through ancient doors and having
my vision immediately swept upward by every piece of
art that’s inside. Invariably, my emotions are affected, I’m
overcome with a sense of wonder, and seemingly involuntarily breathe out a “Wow!”
And that’s the whole point. Cathedrals were crafted
carefully and filled with ornate, expensive, over-the-top
art to draw both the physical and spiritual aspects of
people upward.As your eyes lift to the ceiling, so your
soul is lifted to the heavens.Your lips utter,“Amazing!”
and your heart cries,“Holy.”
need to take a break from your phone or stop gaming for a while.What you need to see is beauty, real
Beauty, and love, the amazing mercy of Jesus. J. B. Phillips
translated Romans 12:1 this way:“With eyes wide open
to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act
of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living
sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him.”
Apathy, which comes from idolatry, is the opposite of
“intelligent worship.” If you believe that Jesus is Lord and
did in fact conquer death and the grave, then reflect on
whether that truth has really become the foundation of
what you think. If Jesus truly is the Greatest Good and
the most beautiful and glorious Person you could ever
know, then consider if He is worthy of your highest
affections.
Creation is a lot like a cathedral, if you are willing to see
it.There’s a lot to take in and all of it, every square inch
of it, is pointing up—pointing to God. Because you are
made in the image of God as an emotional being, your
heart will respond to what you see. But are you seeing it?
The psalmist wrote,“The heavens are telling of the glory
of God and their expanse is declaring the work of His
hands” (Psalm 19:1). Are you listening?
You don’t walk through the Sistine Chapel with your eyes
on the floor. No! You walk through with them glued to
the ceiling; maybe you’ll love it or hate it, but either way
you will have something to say about it.Are you walking
through life and somehow not seeing Jesus? When you
truly encounter Him, your heart will respond one way
or the other, with either love or hate.You can behold
His grace, His mercy, and His love. Life is full of scenes
that show His brilliance, compassion, righteousness, and
strength.Are you seeing this?
As believers, we have the opportunity to walk through
the cathedral of life and see all sorts of things that make
us think about Jesus.When your eyes are opened to the
wonders of the work Christ has done, it is absolutely
impossible to remain unaffected. No one can say with
integrity,“Jesus saved me!” and have zero emotional connection to it.When you understand the weight of your
sin, the enormity of the debt that was paid, you will fall on
your face before Jesus and exclaim,“Command me!” My
wife has a little saying she teaches our girls,“See beauty,
say beauty.” That’s the way it works; you see something
beautiful and you can’t help but say it!
Conclusion: Open your eyes
If you are a Christian and you find yourself apathetic
toward Jesus, it’s likely you are walking through the
cathedral of life with your eyes on the floor. Maybe you
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SERVICE 6: ABANDON FAME
Scripture: Matthew 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:8-10
“After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately
from the water; and behold, the heavens were
opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending
as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice
out of the heavens said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17).
Objective:
To lead participants to recognize that they are
held in the highest regard by the highest Being in
the universe and can be content to be a nobody
in the service of Jesus.
Summary:
Fame and approval are things the human heart
desperately craves and we want and need to be
validated and respected. Our search for approval
goes amiss when we center it on people and use
them to build our own resume. There is a validation that outweighs anything the world can provide. The gospel points us to the love of God that
eliminates our need to try to “gain the world” and
lose our soul in the process. We can be free to
serve and win the world unselfishly because we
already have the only approval that really matters.
Message outline:
A. Introduction
1. Fame is very alluring.
2. Only one name will be echoing
through the halls of heaven–the name
of Jesus.
B. B
ody
1. Share Matthew 3:16-17.
2. W
ork from acceptance not for acceptance. Doing ministry from acceptance
and for acceptance are two very different things.
3. The comfort of Jesus
a. Jonathan Edwards: fear and
pride are the driving force behind most of the good deeds
that are done in the world.
b. The “end goal” of life isn’t
ministry – it’s our relationship
with God.
c. The purpose of ministry is to
connect people to the Father
4. Get your soul happy in the Lord.
C. Conclusion: Follow Jesus
1. Be filled.
a. The need for a vision of God
every day
b. We are held in the highest regard
by the highest being in the universe
c. Optional: small group discussion.
Suggestions for musical worship:
• “ Let It Be Jesus” (Nockels)
• “ How Great Thou Art”
• “ Jesus, Only Jesus” (Redman)
• “ Lord I Need You” (Maher)
• “ Forever Reign” (Ingram)
• “ Revelation Song” (Riddle)
• “ Our God” (Tomlin)
• “ All Creatures of Our God and King”
(Sovereign Grace)
Suggestions for other worship elements:
• P rayer groups:
Break participants into groups of four to
five to pray for their campuses or ministry
sites today. Pray that the fame of God and
His gospel would go viral there. Pray for
specific people and specific opportunities.
•D
iscussion after the message:
Break into small groups and ask participants
to discuss what happens when you look
for fame and approval in the wrong places.
Then talk through what it means to work/
minister from acceptance instead of for it.
Message:
Introduction
In my flesh, I want people to think that I am someone
important. I know, it sounds ugly to say it so bluntly, but
it’s true. Since our society is so entertainment driven and
celebrity conscious, it is really easy to fall into the trap of
thinking that your name must be up in lights if you are
to be important. Fame is an illusion, but a particularly deceptive one. Popularity can become a slave driver, and as
quickly as you can become enthralled by fame’s siren call,
it can turn right around and crush you. One day the last
handclap of earthly applause will fade and our names will
all but be forgotten. Echoing through the halls of heaven,
however, will be a Name above all other names resounding.The Famous One will be Jesus.
(Read Matthew 3:16-17).
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Work from acceptance not for acceptance
The baptism of Jesus gives us some valuable insight on
God’s acceptance and approval. Before Jesus officially
began His ministry, He was baptized by John in the
Jordan River and given God’s seal of approval:“This is
My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Notice the
sequence: the validation came before service. Before we
can go into ministry, at least go into it effectively, we have
to have this seal on our hearts.
Doing ministry from acceptance and for acceptance are
two very different things.When we work for acceptance,
the focus is all about our own success. Life becomes your
own “Survivor” TV series where ultimately it’s all about
you trying to win. Regardless of how good a face we
put on it, when we work for acceptance, we won’t truly
serve people for their sake, but really for our own.
(Read Ephesians 2:8-10.)
From Paul’s words to the Ephesians we get the doctrine
of salvation by grace alone. Christianity is fundamentally
different from the other religions in the world because
it says,“I am accepted, therefore I obey.” Every other
religion says,“I obey, therefore I am accepted.” In Christianity, we don’t work for acceptance, but from acceptance.
Good works, says Paul, are the natural result of becoming
God’s masterpiece.This means we can tell the truth to
others, humbly and graciously, without fear, because we
don’t need their approval. It means we can serve others,
not to add to our spiritual resume, but simply because
we are grateful to be alive and filled with joy over God’s
love for us.
What drives your ministry?
Jonathan Edwards spoke about the grace-driven life in
his timeless work called The Nature of True Virtue. He
observes that fear and pride, not love, are the driving
forces behind most of the good deeds that are done in
the world. He calls this kind of motivation “common virtue.” For example, people tend to be honest when they
are coerced by either fear or pride. If fear, it is because
they don’t want to be exposed. If pride, it is because they
don’t want to be identified with those “bad” people who
lie. Edwards adds that these two also are the fundamental
reasons most people ever tell the truth. Ironically, people
lie for the very same reasons: fear and pride.We need to
explore our hearts and ask:“Why are we doing missions
and ministry? Is it driven from love (true virtue), or fear
or pride (common virtue)?”
of God’s approval and then the service in God’s mission.
But, hear me: the “end goal” really isn’t the ministry. It’s
all about our relationship with God.We don’t minister
and serve just so that more people can do ministry.That
would be silly and exhausting for everyone.We minister
to connect people to the Father,Who is their home,
identity, and truest life.That is an end in itself.
Get your soul happy in the Lord
Consider this: At His baptism, Jesus had not done a
single miracle or any “professional” ministry. God was
pleased with Him simply because He was His Son. So
now hear this: If you are His child, God is pleased with
you today. Right now, before you do any ministry, He
loves you and is proud of you.
The following quote by George Mueller, a
19th-century orphanage-builder and pastor, is one
of my all-time favorites. It describes the one thing
that has to get done today:
“While I was staying at Nailsworth, it pleased the Lord to
teach me a truth, irrespective of human instrumentality, as far
as I know, the benefit of which I have not lost, though now . .
. more than forty years have since passed away. I saw more
clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business
to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul
happy in the Lord.The first thing to be concerned about was
not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the
Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how
my inner man might be nourished. For I might seek to set the
truth before the unconverted, I might seek to benefit believers,
I might seek to relieve the distressed, I might in other ways
seek to behave myself as it becomes a child of God in this
world; and yet, not being happy in the Lord, and not being
nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, all
this might not be attended to in a right spirit.”29
What Mueller says is simple but revolutionary. He
won’t, or rather can’t, attend life in a right spirit if he
doesn’t first have his soul happy in the Lord. That’s
his first great and primary business. Why was this
important? Because the first 30 minutes of your day
is setting the trajectory of the rest of your day. And a
habit of this sets the course of your life. We need to
get our “soul happy” in God, because the soul must
be happy in something.
29
http://hopefaithprayer.com/scriptures/food-for-theinner-man-george-mueller
None of our ministry will be properly motivated and
authentic until we get the right progression: first the seal
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Here is how this works out in my own life. If I get up
and don’t spend time with the Lord, I go out into my day
in weakness. I need others to say nice things about me,
and if they don’t, I get my feelings hurt. I tend to work
very hard, even too hard and anxiously. I need things to
happen “this instant,” and when they don’t, I blame somebody who works for me, or yell at them. I envy others
with more success than I have. I take myself too seriously.
Since success tends to be a default idol of mine, when I
don’t hear and renew God’s approval in my heart, that’s
where my heart tends to go. I need to be happy in how
others view me.
On the other hand, when I get up and get myself “happy
in the Lord,” I go out into my day in fresh strength. Now
I have a center. If people say mean things about me, it
might sting a little, but it will just hit and bounce off. I still
work hard….but not driven with anxiety. Now work
does not define me and feel like everything; it’s just me
having fun in God’s giant sandbox. I play, I accomplish
what I can, and then I go to sleep. I’m able to celebrate
others’ successes because I’m secure in who I am. I don’t
take myself too seriously because now I take God as
seriously as possible!
Be filled
We all need to be filled with a fresh vision of God each
day or we will likely throw our souls at anything.We
were wired to get attention from Someone, and the
gospel shows us where we find this joyful, overwhelming,
soul-satisfying attention.We are held in the highest regard
by the highest Being in the universe. God offers us the
blessing our souls have always longed to hear:“You are
my beloved son (or daughter), in you I am well-pleased.”
Martin Lloyd Jones, a Welsh pastor in the mid-1900s, gave
this illustration:
Imagine…“a child walking along holding his father’s hand.
All is well.The child is happy. He feels secure. His father loves
him. He believes that his father loves him but there is no
unusual urge to talk about this or sing about it. It is true and
it is pleasant.Then suddenly the father startles the child by
reaching down and sweeping him up into his arms and hugging him tightly and kissing him on the neck and whispering,
‘I love you so much!’ And then holding the stunned child back
so that he can look into his face and saying with all his heart,‘I
am so glad you are mine.’ Then hugging him once more with
unspeakable warmth and affection.Then he puts the child
down and they continue their walk.” 30
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As you are sent out today, remember that the fame of
Jesus is what you’re after. His name is above every other
name, including yours.You don’t have to impress God
(or anyone else) because He is pleased with you in your
humble, simple, small state. In your serving, remember to
work from acceptance, not for it.
30
M
artin Lloyd-Jones, Joy Unspeakable: Power and
Renewal in the Holy Spirit (Eastbourne, UK: Kingsway
Publications, 2008).
GUIDED PRAYER EXPERIENCE
This progressive prayer service is meant to lead
your group through four movements of the gospel
and engage with the gospel on a heart level. Literal
movement from one station to the next would help
participants to transition through the experience/
gospel. Provide background music during each prayer
movement.
Prayer Stations
1. Adoration
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-4
Description:
This station is dedicated to the worship and adoration
of God. Isaiah’s vision began with an awe-inspiring view
of the King of the universe. This is where our prayer
should begin. Jesus intentionally modeled this in His
own prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your
Name.” Our natural bent is to begin with, “God give
me my idols.” We begin prayer by wanting things, many
times good things, but things nonetheless. Jesus challenges us: “Before you need anything today, you need
to see Me.You need to know Me.”
Action:
Begin this station by reading Isaiah 6:1-4. Let the Word
settle on your heart. Pray quietly. For now, focus only
on the goodness and greatness of God and not on any
requests. Following this, find a partner and take turns
softly reading these Scriptures to each other, then
close by praising God together:
salm 19:1-6
•P
•P
salm 19:7-11
•P
salm 8
•P
salm 63:1-8
2. Confession
Scripture: Isaiah 6:5
Description:
This station is dedicated to the confession of sins and
failures. Isaiah’s first action after seeing Almighty God
was to cringe in his guilt and unworthiness. Confession is what comes most naturally after seeing God’s
beauty and perfection. Confession of sins puts us in a
posture that is ready to receive from God and allow
healing to our relationships with God and others. “If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
of our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”
(1 John 1:9).
Action:
Begin this station by reading of Isaiah 6:5. Find a partner
or two and spend some time in confession that is honest
and appropriate. Only share what you are comfortable in
confessing in this setting:
hat do you need to abandon to God?
•W
• In what areas do you find it difficult to trust
Him?
•W
hat is your biggest battle in life right now?
Take time to pray for each other after sharing.
3. Thanksgiving
Scripture: Isaiah 6:6-7
Description:
This station is dedicated toward expressing gratitude to
God for all He has done for us and given us in the gospel.
Isaiah experienced the gracious mercy of the Lord in
taking away his sin and his life was changed. We experience true freedom when we abandon ourselves totally to
Jesus. Joy and thanksgiving is a natural result of our turning
toward Jesus.
Action:
Begin this station by reading Isaiah 6:6-7. Find a partner or
two and share at least one Scripture verse or passage you
know that declares God’s love, kindness, and mercy for
sinners. Share a time of blessing each other with specific
encouragement. For example: “Sarah, the Lord loves you
so much and sees your sincere heart; and I see such a
warrior in you and want to encourage you with…..” etc.
Thank God together for His forgiveness, mercy, and hope.
4. Supplication
Scripture: Isaiah 6:8
Description:
This station is dedicated to praying through your own personal requests, and also to intercede for the world and the
people around us. When we see God’s holiness, our own
sin, and God’s grace, we are led to surrender to God’s
purposes both for our lives and in the world.
Action:
Begin this station with a reading of Isaiah 6:8. Consider
what God has in mind for you as a result of your repentance and submission to Him. Imagine yourself before His
throne with the opportunity to ask for anything. What
would you ask? Pray about this. Find a partner to pray for
your community, your mission, and people you know who
need Jesus. Pray for the specific needs and ask that God
would use you to be an agent of change in those places.
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RETURN TO SERVE
WHAT COMES NEXT?
Your project is not over! In fact, it is never over.Your
mission trip is simply one expression of a mission life.
The call for you to be on mission continues.You and
your group need to carefully consider what comes
next. Mission trip participants need to debrief and
reflect on their project experiences if the impact of
the prject is to extend into application in their daily
lives at home.
Immediately following your group’s mission experience
is a great time to bring everyone back together to
evaluate what has been accomplished and to celebrate
God’s work. Expect that your involvement in this
project will lead to greater things.
Consider this checklist as a way to maximize your
return from the mission project:
• Encourage students to journal their experiences before, during, and after their missions experience. Structure a time during
the return home for them to process a set
of questions. See the “On the trip home” in
this section.
• Plan and conduct the group debriefing
session provided in this section. Invite
others who have supported the project to
attend so they can celebrate the results of
the project and enjoy the pictures, stories,
and testimonies.
• Introduce students to other missional opportunities at your church, your community,
and overseas with IMB.Visit imbstudents.
org for possibilities, stories, and videos.
• Plan a report session to your church or
larger student group.
• Consider further mission partnership and
involvement for your students as a result of
this project.
• Maintain contact with the missionary and local believers. Develop
and share prayer requests from
the field. Use Skype and social
media to keep the connection
personal.
94
• Consider a return next year to
build uponwhat was accomplished
and to continue the relationships
that have been established. This might involve an existing project or one you create
on your own. The IWC Network can assist
in either way. Email IWCNetwork@imb.
org or call 804-219-1355.
• Consider sending one or two students for
a whole summer or a semester. Longer
service, even with just a small team, can be
very strategic and develop a partnership.
For help, contact IMB students at
imbstudents.org or call 800-789-4693.
• Incorporate “mission moments” as a
regular part of your worship or Bible study
gatherings. Find relevant stories and video
clips at imbstudents.org and also at
vimeo.com/imbstudents.
• Financial support for missionaries is a critical need. Consider how you can encourage
missions giving among your students. Check
out ways to support international missions
at imb.org/main/lottie-moon.
• Consider leading your student group or
church to adopt and advocate for a specific
need overseas. OneLife is an IMB initiative
that connects students to a specific place,
people, and human need where the gospel
is being shared. They can adopt a project
through giving, praying, advocating, and
going. See onelifematters.org.
GROUP DEBRIEFING SESSION
which you can project onto a screen while
they speak. (Encourage them to talk about
what God did during the week, not to give
merely a list of activities or to share about the
most exotic experience of their trip such as
using a squatty potty or eating strange food.)
Materials needed:
• S nacks and drinks
•C
omputer
•P
rojector
• S creen
•P
hotos and video clips from the project
• 8 x 11 enlargements of a dozen or so photos from the trip
• The flag of your host country and other
items that represent the locale (such as inflatable palm trees if you went to a tropical
country) to use as decor
• S ouvenirs that trip participants purchased
to use as decor
• A list of other mission opportunities for
your students. The IMB can provide materials that can help students consider the next
step in mission involvement. (You can order
copies of a student “Go” booklet: email
[email protected] or call
800-789-4693)
Advance preparation:
1. D
ecide on a venue for this session. A host
home may be best if you chose to limit it
to project participants.You may wish to
conduct this session with other students
and supporters in attendance and will then
need a larger space.
2. C
onsider providing refreshments. If so, enlist volunteers to provide food and drinks.
3. C
reate a brief slide show or video presentation of the project.
4. P
repare to distribute a list of upcoming
mission opportunities. The student “Go”
booklet from IMB highlights international
opportunities of duration from one week
to two years.
5. D
isplay photos, souvenirs and other decorations around the meeting room as decor.
6. Try to set up seating in a circle so everyone can hear and see each other.
7. E nlist three or four of the participants to
share a “God story,”e.g., what they saw
God do on the trip. Ask each to speak
for 5 to 7 minutes and to give you two
or three photos to accompany the story,
8. Arrange, if possible, a date for your group to
make a presentation to the congregation or
larger student group.
Lead the session:
1. Introduce the session. Invite people to look
around at the souvenirs and photos and to eat
snacks until everyone has arrived.
2. S hare a photo or video presentation of the
project. Seat the group and begin the presentation.
3. Introduce a a testimony time. Invite the previously enlisted participants to share their God
stories while you display the photos of the
stories.
4. O
rganize the gathering into smaller groups
for personal sharing. (Note: this could be a
great time for participants to share some of
their answers from the “On the trip home”
questions elsewhere in this section.)
a. Ask each participant to share
something God taught him/her from
the devotions, ministry, culture, or
worship experiences.
b. Ask participants to discuss how
they saw God answer prayer before,
during, or even after the project.
c. Ask participants to share any decision
or commitment they made as a result
of this project.
5. O
ffer a prayer of thanks and praise. Thank
God for all He did during the trip and ask
Him to continue to work in mighty ways in
your ministry locations and to lead your
participants to give all their lives to His
dreams and plans for them.
6. P
lan together the report presentation for the
church or student group.
a. Announce the date you will make
your church presentation.
b. C
onsider developing the presentation as a video if time is limited and
to tell the story as well as possible.
Include pictures, video clips, and recorded testimonies from the group.
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c. An option for a live presentation
is to prepare and use the “Story
Card” method. In this approach,
each participant creates a sign
on a piece of poster board. One
side begins a sentence and the
other completes it. The sentence
relates to something experienced
or accomplished on the project.
For example, on the front is “First
time I shared my faith” and on the
back is “Two kids prayed to receive Christ.” Plan to have music
in the background when participants share these story cards in
the service.
7. Invite and challenge participants to further
and deeper missions involvement.
a. H
and out and explain the materials about mission opportunities.
b. R
emind participants that all of
life is to be focused on what is
God’s passion – He is passionate
about the lost coming to know
Him. God may lead them to
serve on mission again, possibly
in a greater capacity. This IWC
project should not be their last
experience in missions.
c. C
onsider using this meeting to
not only bring some closure to
the project but also serve as the
launch point for other missional
engagement for your students.
For instance, be prepared to
share your plans for the next
mission trip or outreach effort.
d. E ncourage parents as well to
participate next time if they were
not able to go this time.
e. E ncourage everyone to recruit
other students for the next
mission opportunity. Allow them
to be ambassadors for international missions in your church
and student ministry. (You might
even follow up with a Bible study
on leadership with this group of
students.)
8. E ngage in a significant prayer time.
a. P
ray for the people at the project
who were served. Pray for the
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missionaries, the work that will continue,
and all the needs that continue to exist.
b. P
ray for the next steps in participants’
lives. Ask for God’s guidance on how He
wants to use this experience to guide
them into further obedience and availablity
to His mission.
c. Ask parents to pray for their students to
follow God’s leading.
9. E ncourage team members to remain in prayer and
be accountable to each other.
ON THE TRIP HOME: PERSONAL QUESTIONS
FOR RE-ENTRY
Journaling your opportunities, encounters, and lessons
learned on a mission trip is a valuable, time-tested way
to make the most of your experience. Consider these
questions for a journal entry or personal essay at the
end of the trip.
1. What did you (and your team) seek to
accomplish when you first started out
on this mission project? Did those goals
change as things progressed?
2. What did you see accomplished as a result
of this project?
3. H
ow did you see God at work?
4. D
o you have a “God story” from your
trip you could share with your family and
friends at home? Summarize it.
5. What prayer requests did you come home
with? Who are some people for whom you
should pray? For what needs or concerns
on the mission field should you pray?
6. H
ow do you feel about leaving your host
country? Who are some people you will
miss?
7. H
ow did God speak to you through this
experience?
8. What new perspectives do you have about
God, missions, people or yourself from this
experience trip?
9. As a result of this project, how would you
like to see God continue to work in and
through your life?
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NOTES
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