LOST AND FOUND WEEK 6:
GO AND TELL
Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” As followers of Jesus, we love this verse. Anyone and everyone that calls on Jesus will receive forgiveness and eternal life. Too often we stop short with just that verse, but it is followed by verses 14 and 15. Those verses say, “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?” (NLT) Those verses carry a very distinct and direct message to us as believers. It is our responsibility to go and tell.
Every one of us have a mission field. We might not all be called to be a “missionary” traveling to some foreign or exotic place somewhere else in the world. We might not all be called to be a “pastor” serving in local church leadership. But every one of us has a place that God has strategically and specifically placed us, and in that place, we are “called” to go and tell others about what Jesus has done in us and for us.
Here at Lifehouse we talk about missions and missions involvement in three specific ways: “Pray! Give! Go!” This simply means that every person who calls Lifehouse home can and should be involved in missions in one (or ideally all three) of these ways.
First, everyone can pray. Pray for missionaries worldwide. Pray specifically for the missionaries that we support monthly. Get a list of their names and pray for them individually for protection, provision, and for success in their work.
Secondly, give! Every one of us can do this as well. You don’t have to give huge amounts, but if everyone gave something, we could expand our reach and influence. We currently financially support over 50 missionaries every month. Consider giving toward their support because, without supporting churches like us, they would not be able to minister in their areas.
Finally, GO! For some, this may mean God is laying a particular ministry, city, or country on your heart and calling you to go and become a full-time missionary serving in that area. For others, it could be serving on a short-term mission trip that we participate in every year. You can get more info about those at Next Steps or on our website. But for all of us, “GO” means being missionaries right where we are. In our workplace, in our neighborhood, at the sports complex, in our gym, wherever we find ourselves, right here at home.
In the Book of Acts (chapter 1, verse 8), in Jesus’ last words to his disciples, he says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” (NLT)
You have a mission field! Where is it? What is your Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and world?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
How does it make you feel when you hear this statement: “Every one of us has a mission field”?
Read Romans 10:13-15. In the context of your life and group, how do these verses apply to you?
Pray! Give! Go! Take a few moments to talk about the importance and impact of this statement as it applies to the church and missions.
How can you be more involved in the mission of the church at large, and specifically at Lifehouse or your current church?
Take a few minutes and identify your Jerusalem, your Judea, and your Samaria. How can you more deliberately (as an individual and as a group) impact those areas? Could you as a group adopt or support a particular missionary, country, or region of the world?