I admit the topic of this blogpost might not quickly grab your attention – but I challenge you to keep reading. The world needs us to have this discussion. In fact, our basic Christian obedience is at stake if we ignore this topic.
To help you and your church do the Great Commission, here are some ways to begin to think globally. Expand your vision, and perhaps your burden for the nations will increase.
- Listen to (or read) the news with Great Commission ears and eyes. Most of us hear the news as events, but we should hear newsworthy happenings as calls to prayer. People who have never heard of Christ die every day due to war and famine. Governments are in turmoil. Natural disasters destroy homes and lives. If we pray as we hear the needs, God will grab our heart for the nations.
- Take a mission trip with your church. Save your money, and take this step even if you don’t travel much. Go with others who already have a heart for the nations–and be prepared for God to grab your heart, too.
- Put a map on a wall in your home. Frankly, North Americans are geographically ignorant. And, it’s easy to ignore the spiritual needs of the world when people are only anonymous folks living in a nation we cannot name. You might find yourself more interested in the nations – and praying more for them – when a map is always before you and your family. Start by praying for a different country or people group when your family says grace each night.
- Meet a missionary. It might take some work to connect with a missionary on stateside assignment, but it’s worth the effort. Your pastor or a church staff member can likely help you. Every one of the missionaries I know would love to tell you his or her story.
- Visit ethnic restaurants in your community. Visit restaurants just to learn about other cultures and food. Ask to meet the owners, and introduce them to your kids. Talk to servers who’ve been raised in other countries. Even if you don’t like the food, you’ll probably like the people – and thus pray more for them, their family, and their country of origin.
- Invite international students to your home. If there is a university near your home, I suspect you’ll find international students there. Many of those students will never be invited to visit an American home, and some will spend holidays alone on their campus. Opening your home will not only invite fellowship and learning, but it will also open the door to sharing your faith.
- Learn another language (or at least encourage your children to do so). In a world that is increasingly global, Americans are notoriously monolingual. Broaden your horizons by learning a second language, even if the learning is slow. It’s difficult to learn another language without also learning something about the people who speak that language.
- Read missionary biographies. Depending on the missionary and the setting, these life stories can have much to offer. Travel. Adventure. Animals. Strange foods. Sickness. New vocabulary. Danger. Miracles. Answered prayers. Changed lives. Sacrifice. You might check out the “Christian Heroes: Then and Now” series for easy reads.
- Work with your pastor or church to do a demographic study of your community. I’ve worked with churches and leaders who’ve done this kind of study for many years, and I’ve never seen a church not be surprised by some finding. You’ll often find that people from around the world live within walking or driving distance of your home.
- Ask God if He wants you to be a missionary. Take a risk. Say that prayer. You might be surprised by God’s answer.
