Every Nation: Shift from "Me-First" to "God-First"
People with "me-first" faith ask, "How can God make my life more comfortable?" They want to use God for their purposes instead of being used for His purposes.
"God-first" believers know they've been saved to serve and made for mission. They're eager to receive a personal assignment and excited about the privilege of being used by God.
Their joy, confidence, and enthusiasm are contagious because they know they're making a difference. They wake up each morning expecting God to work through them in fresh ways.
Which type of believer do you want to be?
God invites you to participate in the greatest, largest, most diverse, and most significant cause in history—building his kingdom. History is His story; He's building His family for eternity. Nothing matters more and nothing will last as long.
From the book of Revelation we know God's global mission will be accomplished, that someday the Great Commission will be the great completion. In heaven, an enormous crowd of people "from every race, tribe, nation, and language" will one day stand before Jesus Christ to worship Him (Revelation 7:9).
Becoming a "God-first" believer will allow you to experience in advance a little of what heaven will be like.
Every Nation: Thinking "Others" Instead of "Self"
The Bible says, "My friends, stop thinking like children. Think like mature people..." (1 Corinthians 14:20). Children only think of themselves; grown-ups think of others.
God commands, "Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too" (Philippians 2:4).
Of course, this is a difficult mental shift because we're naturally self-absorbed; almost all advertising encourages us to think of ourselves. The only way we can make this mental switch is through a moment-by-moment dependence on God.
Fortunately He doesn't leave us to struggle on our own: "God has given us His Spirit. That's why we don't think the same way that the people of this world think" (1 Corinthians 2:12).
Begin asking the Holy Spirit to help you to think of the spiritual needs of unbelievers whenever you talk to them. With practice, you can develop the habit of praying silent "breath prayers" for those you encounter. Say "Father, help me to understand what is keeping this person from knowing You."
Your goal is to figure out where they are in their spiritual journey and to do whatever will bring them a step closer to knowing Christ. You can learn how to do this by adopting the mindset of Paul who said, "I don't think about what would be good for me but about what would be good for many people so that they might be saved" (1 Corinthians 10:33).
Every Nation: Shift From Local to Global Thinking
God is a global God. He has always cared about the entire world. "God so loved the world..." (John 3:16). From the beginning He has wanted family members from every nation He created. The Bible says, "From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and He decided when and where every nation would be" (Acts 17:26).
God has done all this, so that we will look for Him and reach out and find Him.
Much of the world already thinks globally. The largest media and business conglomerates are all multi-national. Our lives are increasingly intertwined with those in other nations as we share fashions, entertainment, music, sports, and even fast foods. Probably most of the clothes you're wearing and much of what you ate today was produced in another country.
We're more connected than we realize and God can use that connectedness as a means for us to fulfill His Great Commission. Jesus gave us a pattern for such involvement: "...You will tell everyone about Me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world" (Acts 1:8).
His followers are to reach out to their community (Jerusalem), to their country (Judea), to other cultures (Samaria) and to other nations (everywhere in the world). Note that our commission is simultaneous, not sequential.
We are called to be on mission to all four groups in some way. How would you identify these groups in your community? What nations do you believe God has called you to serve in some form?
Every Nation: Developing Great Commission Eyes
These are exciting days to be alive. There are more Christians on earth right now than ever before. Paul was right: "This same Good News that came to you is going out all over the world. It is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives..." (Colossians 1:6).
One way to develop global thinking is to read and watch the news with "Great Commission Eyes." Wherever there is change or conflict, you can be sure that God will use it to bring people to Him. People are most receptive to God when they are under tension or in transition. Because the rate of change is increasing in our world, more people are open to hearing the good news now than ever before.
As God told Habakkuk, "Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it" (Habakkuk 1:5).
The best way to develop Great Commission Eyes is to just get up and go on a short-term mission project to another country! There's simply no substitute for hands-on, real life experience in another culture. Quit studying and discussing your mission and just do it! I dare you to dive into the deep end.
I urge you to set a goal and save and do whatever it takes to participate in a short-term mission trip overseas as soon as possible. Nearly every mission agency can help you do this. It will enlarge your heart, expand your vision, stretch your faith, deepen your compassion, and fill you with a kind of joy you've never experienced. It could be the turning point in your life.
Every Nation: Pray for Specific Countries
A good way to begin thinking globally is to begin praying for specific countries. Get a globe or map and pray for nations by name. The Bible says, "If you ask Me, I will give you the nations; all the people on earth will be yours" (Psalm 2:8).
Prayer is the most important tool for your mission in the world. People may refuse our love, or reject our message, but they are defenseless against our prayers. Like a rocket, you can aim a prayer at a person's heart whether you're ten feet or 10,000 miles away.
What should you pray for? The Bible tells us to pray for opportunities to witness, for courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message, and for more workers. Prayer helps us do what God calls us to do, and it makes you a partner with others around the world.
You should also pray for missionaries and everyone else involved in the global harvest. Paul told his prayer partners, "You are also joining to help us when you pray for us" (2 Corinthians 1:11).
Every Nation: Turn Excuses Into Creative Thinking
Here are some common excuses for not fulfilling your commission:
• "I only speak English." This is actually an advantage in many countries where millions of people want to learn English and are eager to practice it.
• "I don't have anything to offer." Yes, you do! Every ability and experience in your SHAPE can be used somewhere.
• "I'm too old or too young." Most mission agencies have age-appropriate short-term projects.
Whether it was Sarah claiming she was too old to be used by God or Jeremiah claiming he was too young, God rejected their excuses. "Don't say that," the Lord replied, "for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you" (Jeremiah 1:7-8).
Maybe you've believed that you needed a special "call" from God, and you've been waiting for some supernatural feeling or experience, but God has already stated His call repeatedly. God doesn't want to use just some of His people; He wants to use all of His people. We're all called to be on-mission for God. He wants His whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.
If you want to be like Jesus, you must care about what He cares about most; you must have a heart for the whole world! You can't be satisfied with just your family and friends coming to Christ. There are over six billion people on earth, and Jesus wants all his lost children found.
The Great Commission is your commission, and doing your part is the secret to living a life of significance. Jesus said, only those who throw away their lives for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will ever know what it means to really live" (Mark 8:35).
Every Nation: Don't Trade Your Life for Temporary Things
So much of what we waste our energy on will not matter even a year from now, much less for eternity. Don't trade your life for temporary things. Jesus said, "Anyone who lets himself be distracted from the work I plan for him is not fit for the Kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62). Paul warned, "Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out" (1 Corinthians 7:31).
What are you allowing to stand in the way of your mission? Whatever it is, let it go. "Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back..." (Hebrews 12:1).
How can we do this? In one of his most misunderstood statements, Jesus said, "I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings" (Luke 16:9).
Jesus did not mean for you to "buy" friends with money. What he meant was that you should use the money God gives you to bring people to Christ. They will then be friends for eternity who will welcome you when you get to heaven! It's the best financial investment you'll ever make.
You've probably heard the ｅxpression, "You can't take it with you," but the Bible says you can send it on ahead, by investing it in people who are going there! The Bible says, "By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven—it is the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well" (1 Timothy 6:19).
Purpose Driven Connection by Rick Warren
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