Ted and Judy Olsen sponsored one of their associates from India at their home in 2015 and invited folks over to meet him and learn about the mission God had laid on his heart. It was an amazing night. Prakash shared how God was moving in India among what is called “unengaged people groups” and “unreached people groups.” These are entire groups of people that have few or no believers in Christ. As followers of Christ, we are commissioned to make disciples of all nations. This is happening in India, and it is happening right here in Colorado Springs. It is humbling to be invited into the process of God calling people to Himself and seeing those people accept Jesus Christ’s work on the cross as the only payment for sin! Amen!! Lives are being transformed.
I would like to encourage us to see our entire life through a biblical mission lens. This means that we are always on mission and everywhere we go is the mission field. People are either lost or saved. Every single person we meet is in one of those categories. New Testament Christianity teaches that God has His own vision for the world and for His people. If we are committed to follow Christ, we need to get involved where God wants us to get involved. As Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” This is a global and local vision, a daily task, and a personal agenda given to each of us.
I would like to challenge each of us to examine the call on our lives and make a personal commitment to be fearless by praying daily, giving generously, and going boldly for Christ. This involves going across the street and around the world.
I would like to encourage us to see our entire life through a biblical mission lens. This means that we are always on mission and everywhere we go is the mission field. People are either lost or saved. Every single person we meet is in one of those categories. New Testament Christianity teaches that God has His own vision for the world and for His people. If we are committed to follow Christ, we need to get involved where God wants us to get involved. As Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” This is a global and local vision, a daily task, and a personal agenda given to each of us.
I would like to challenge each of us to examine the call on our lives and make a personal commitment to be fearless by praying daily, giving generously, and going boldly for Christ. This involves going across the street and around the world.
Pray Daily.
Pray daily for the world, the unreached, our neighbor, our missionary family, and the lost.
Lord Jesus, we pray for your servants, seeking to bring the liberating power of the gospel to places of great brokenness and evil, extreme hunger, poverty, disease, violence, oppression, and cruel injustice. Grant them protection and success. Give them fresh wind and fresh fire of your Spirit that they may not grow weary of doing good. Give them strength to know for certain that a harvest of righteousness and peace is coming. Father, may our hearts also grow more like yours, with faithfulness to your call, and a love and burden for the lost and the nations.
Resources to help you pray:
Lord Jesus, we pray for your servants, seeking to bring the liberating power of the gospel to places of great brokenness and evil, extreme hunger, poverty, disease, violence, oppression, and cruel injustice. Grant them protection and success. Give them fresh wind and fresh fire of your Spirit that they may not grow weary of doing good. Give them strength to know for certain that a harvest of righteousness and peace is coming. Father, may our hearts also grow more like yours, with faithfulness to your call, and a love and burden for the lost and the nations.
Resources to help you pray:
- “Operation World” handbook and online guide to praying for the nations.
- “Joshua Project” online guide to praying for unreached people groups.
Give Generously.
Generously give to support the work of missions.
Each month, FC takes a portion of the tithes and offerings and gives them to our missionaries. We currently support work in Colorado Springs, Nashville, Mexico, Uganda, India, Nepal, and several other places. We also have missionaries serving from our faith family. We take up special offerings a few times a year and highly encourage you to give directly to them. We give by faith-every aspect of our Christian walk should flow from faith, including our giving. We pray and ask God to allow us to give beyond what we can see as our ability to give. We give sacrificially. Sacrificial giving produces overflowing joy and creates a patter for faith-based generosity. What are we willing to do or give up so the Gospel can be spread around the world? This kind of giving pleases God and blesses us as well.
Each month, FC takes a portion of the tithes and offerings and gives them to our missionaries. We currently support work in Colorado Springs, Nashville, Mexico, Uganda, India, Nepal, and several other places. We also have missionaries serving from our faith family. We take up special offerings a few times a year and highly encourage you to give directly to them. We give by faith-every aspect of our Christian walk should flow from faith, including our giving. We pray and ask God to allow us to give beyond what we can see as our ability to give. We give sacrificially. Sacrificial giving produces overflowing joy and creates a patter for faith-based generosity. What are we willing to do or give up so the Gospel can be spread around the world? This kind of giving pleases God and blesses us as well.
Go Boldly.
Boldly go across the street and around the world with the Gospel.
Dedicate time to make the Gospel known outside your context, domestically or internationally. There are several tools that are available to help you share the gospel with your family, friends, or neighbors. The best one is time. Spend time with them. Get to know them. Honestly love them and look for ways to meet their needs. By showing genuine love for them, it will open doors of opportunity to share your story and ultimately, God’s story. I highly recommend the book Concentric Circles of Concern as a good place to start processing through your relationships. There are also opportunities to take the gospel around the world. A long-term mission is a call to go to a specific people for a purpose, locally or globally, for the advancement of the Gospel. Typically, this is a life-long commitment. A mid-term mission is for people who have been on one or more short term trips and desire to spend a longer time in a cross-cultural context. Please ask me if you have questions on either mid- or long-term missions. We encourage everyone at FC to go on a local or global short-term trip. Time set apart to serve and share Christ in another context will expand your heart for the nations, strengthen your witness, encourage our global partners, and lead people to Christ.
Dedicate time to make the Gospel known outside your context, domestically or internationally. There are several tools that are available to help you share the gospel with your family, friends, or neighbors. The best one is time. Spend time with them. Get to know them. Honestly love them and look for ways to meet their needs. By showing genuine love for them, it will open doors of opportunity to share your story and ultimately, God’s story. I highly recommend the book Concentric Circles of Concern as a good place to start processing through your relationships. There are also opportunities to take the gospel around the world. A long-term mission is a call to go to a specific people for a purpose, locally or globally, for the advancement of the Gospel. Typically, this is a life-long commitment. A mid-term mission is for people who have been on one or more short term trips and desire to spend a longer time in a cross-cultural context. Please ask me if you have questions on either mid- or long-term missions. We encourage everyone at FC to go on a local or global short-term trip. Time set apart to serve and share Christ in another context will expand your heart for the nations, strengthen your witness, encourage our global partners, and lead people to Christ.
How awesome is the mission Christ has given us? Jesus told the disciples (and us) in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Church, go, be a witness, for Christ, anywhere and everywhere, all the time!
In His Name,
Pastor Scott
P.S.: Start to pray now about ways you can give or go on mission. If God places a people, country, or mission on your heart, I’d love to hear about it. Send me a note and let’s see what God may be doing in your life!
Church, go, be a witness, for Christ, anywhere and everywhere, all the time!
In His Name,
Pastor Scott
P.S.: Start to pray now about ways you can give or go on mission. If God places a people, country, or mission on your heart, I’d love to hear about it. Send me a note and let’s see what God may be doing in your life!
