Missions Basics

Brief Description

What is missions? What is the missions mandate for christians of the twenty-first century? What personal responsibility does a Christian have for “going into all the world”? How can we who know Christ as personal Lord and Savior get this message to the people of the world who have not heard?

These four sessions explore only a few of the many passages about missions in the Bible. The sessions work from the assumption that the learner is familiar with early Bible history, with the developingof the people of Israel as the children of God, and with God’s plan for them to be a blessing to all the world. The first session focuses on the prophet Isaiah and his message from God that all people are to be included in God’s plan. Two passages—one from Jesus’ ministry, the other from Paul’s ministry—address the slowness with which God’s people move beyond themselves to all the people in the world.

The second and third sessions examine the ways to do effective missions, by individual Christians and by groups of Christians. The final session attempts to bring the learner to a personal commitment to a life of missions. With Christ’s assurance that missions is possible, we as Christians can do missions.

Missiologists tell us that almost one-fourth of the world’s population today is identified as “unreached people”—people who have never had the opportunity to hear the gospel. The staggering statistics related to these 1.3 billion people is that only one missionary in 100 works with these groups, and less than one penny of every missions dollar is given for work among them.

The call to missions is relevant for today. Living 2,000 years after Christ’s commission to us, we have yet to achieve that commission. Are we still responsible? Is this still the work of the church? What does God have to say to us today? Let’s find out.

Materials Included
• 4 Sessions of Learner’s Materials
• 4 Sessions of Teaching Materials
• 4 Handouts