Recap:
Missions isn’t just something we do at Cross Points Church. It’s part of who we are. Sixty years ago, our founding pastor, Ernie Gruen, dreamed of becoming a missionary. When that door closed, God opened another. What began as a small church in a basement with seven families became a church that would help send hundreds of missionaries around the world.
In Matthew 28:18–20, Jesus gives us the Great Commission: to go and make disciples of all nations. This calling isn’t just for pastors or missionaries. It’s for every one of us who follows Jesus.
But there’s a difference between someone who doesn’t know Jesus and someone who has never had the opportunity to hear about Him. Around the world, billions of people still have little or no access to the gospel. No local church, no Christian community, and sometimes not even a Bible in their own language.
I think about our missionaries, Greg and Eva Dennington, who served among the Hakka people in Taiwan. After nearly five years without seeing anyone come to Christ, Eva felt discouraged and wondered if she was making a difference. Then one afternoon, she led a neighbor to Jesus, and eventually that woman’s family came to faith.
What a beautiful reminder that even when we can’t see what God is doing, He’s still with us.
Jesus begins the Great Commission by declaring that He has all authority in heaven and on earth. And He ends it with this promise: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And we know where this is all going. Revelation 7 gives us a picture of people from every nation, tribe, and language standing before the throne of God, worshiping Jesus together. That’s why we do missions. We want the whole world to know the love, forgiveness, and hope we’ve found in Jesus.
So what do we do with that?
Pray. Give. Go.
Pray for people who have never heard the gospel. Give so that missionaries can carry the good news to places we may never reach ourselves. And be willing to go, even when it feels uncomfortable or impossible.
You don’t have to be a pastor. You don’t have to have all the answers. God wants to use you, right where you are, to help change someone’s life.
For sixty years, reaching the unreached has been part of our DNA at Cross Points. And that mission isn’t finished.
Let’s not just be a church that talks about the Great Commission. Let’s be a church that lives it.
Group Questions:
Icebreaker: Have you ever traveled somewhere that was completely outside your comfort zone? What was the experience like, and did it change the way you see the world?
Discussion:
- Missions is part of our DNA at Cross Points Church. Our founding pastor, Ernie Gruen, wanted to be a missionary, but God had a different plan that eventually impacted people around the world. Have you ever experienced a closed door that God used to lead you somewhere unexpected?
- Read Matthew 28:18–20. Jesus calls every believer to participate in the Great Commission, not just pastors and missionaries. How does knowing that this command is for all of us change the way you think about your responsibility to share the gospel?
- We talked about the difference between people who don’t know Jesus but have access to the gospel and those who have little or no opportunity to hear about Him. Did anything about the number of unreached people around the world surprise or challenge you? Why?
- Eva Dennington served for nearly five years without seeing anyone come to Christ. Have you ever felt discouraged because you weren’t seeing results in something you believed God had called you to do? What helped you keep going?
- Jesus promises, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” How does that promise encourage you when you’re stepping out in faith or facing something difficult?
- Read Revelation 7:9–10. We see a picture of people from every nation, tribe, and language worshiping Jesus together. How does this picture of heaven shape the way we should think about missions and the people God has called us to reach?
- Our response to the Great Commission is simple: Pray. Give. Go. Which of these comes most naturally to you? Which one challenges you the most, and what is one practical step you could take to become more involved?