What must we learn, and unlearn, to be agents of God’s mission in the world?

Click on the order button below to download this Bible Study Course, part of the Christian Vision Project, as a Microsoft Word file.

Overview

The Christian Vision Project is asking a select group of creative Christian thinkers—pastors, scholars, artists, and activists—one big question: What must we learn, and unlearn, to be agents of God’s mission in the world? From the answers that we received, we’ve created six Bible studies that deal with such topics as: How to follow God’s lead in missions; How the Trinity is central to missions; How we need to learn to be guests of another culture; How to minister in brokenness; How the growth of Christianity in Latin America, Africa, and Asia should make us rethink our approach to missions.

Session One

Following God’s Lead in Missions
As God moves through space and time, we need to be ready to go with his flow.
Genesis 1:26–28; 1 Kings 8:41–43; Matthew 5:13–16; Colossians 1:3–20; 3 John; Revelation 3:14–22; 21:1–5

What does the map of global Christianity look like? What is our role in God’s mission? How can we both give and receive cross-culturally? These are the questions we’ll ponder in this study.

Session Two

The Mission of the Trinity
All creation was designed to do one thing, and the church’s mission should be no different.
Matthew 22:34–40; John 14; 1 Corinthians 11:17–34; Ephesians 1:3–4; Philippians 2:1–18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Revelation 13:8

Simon Chan's call to ground our thinking about the Church in proper Trinitarian theology could, itself, help us do exactly that: re-think the church.

Session Three

Lessons in Hospitality and Humility
We can learn by being guests of another culture.
Genesis 17:1–11; Psalm 25:4–11; Matthew 5:1–16; Galatians 3:6–9, 26–29; 1 Peter 5

Oscar Muriu, Nairobi Chapel pastor, says that when we learn to be guests of another culture, God can teach us important lessons about hospitality and humility.

Session Four

Ministering in the Global Church
A fractured church with a crippled mission findshealing through brokenness.
Matthew 4:23; Mark 4:26–32; Luke 4:18–19, 43; John 3:5; Romans 14:17; 1 Corinthians 12:13–14; Ephesians 1:22–23; Philippians 2:5–11; Colossians 1:15–20,24

This study will examine some of the major themes from Christopher Heuertz’s article about the global church, specifically the poor, and will discuss the biblical rationale for this startling point of view.

Session Five

Great Commission Complete?
The growth of Christianity in Latin America, Africa, and Asia should make us rethink our approach to missions.
Matthew 28:16–20; Luke 4:14–30; 24:44–49; Acts 13:26–41

Philip Jenkins says we’d better start paying attention to where the faith had been home for at least a thousand years, and where now the process of secularization is nearly complete: Europe.

Session Six

Enjoy the Global Church
What we see of the global church depends on where we look.
Micah 5:2; Matthew 13:31–35; Galatians 3:1–14; 3:26–29; 6:1–10

How can Western Christians see the global church more clearly? Why should we bother? These are the challenging questions Andrew Jones raises.

Total number of pages - 78 pages

You have permission to make up to 1,000 copies for use in your local church.