Recap:
For 60 years, missions has been part of the DNA of Cross Points Church. We’ve sent missionaries, planted churches, distributed Bibles, built homes, and invested in taking the gospel to people who have never heard the name of Jesus. And today, we’re seeing something incredible. The seeds planted through this church decades ago are still producing fruit, not just in individual lives, but across generations and nations.
This year’s Missions Week theme is Reach the Unreached. When we talk about unreached people, we’re talking about people who don’t have the same opportunities we have to hear about Jesus. Many live in what’s called the 10/40 Window, a region stretching across North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. In some of these places, there are no churches, no Bibles in people’s own languages, and no one nearby to tell them about Jesus.
Think about that. We have the freedom to gather every Sunday, worship God, open our Bibles, and grow in our faith. But there are millions of people who have never even heard His name. How can we know that and not be moved to do something?
Years ago, Mexico was one of the places where our church concentrated its missions efforts. We sent missionaries, invested financially, and sent teams to share the gospel. Thousands came to know Jesus. But the story didn’t stop there.
Paul shared a powerful testimony that began more than 50 years ago in a small Mexican village. A young tobacco farmer named Alejandro Reyes accepted Jesus during a three-night gospel outreach. His life began to change. His marriage was restored, his wife experienced a miraculous healing, and eventually his brother’s family came to know the Lord. Alejandro began holding church services in his home and served as a pastor for 18 years.
But that was only the beginning.
His young son grew up watching what God was doing. He eventually became a pastor himself, serving a church in Mexico for more than 30 years. Today, at least 40 members of that extended family are serving the Lord, with approximately 60 family members impacted by the gospel.
It all began with one seed.
Jesus told the parable of the sower, describing seed that falls on good soil and produces a harvest thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times what was planted. We often don’t know what God will do with one act of obedience, one conversation, or one person who responds to the gospel.
And that seed didn’t stop growing in Mexico. Years later, Alejandro’s son helped purchase a bicycle for an evangelist sharing the gospel in India. The gospel had traveled from one person to another, from one generation to another, and now from one country to another.
The gospel was never meant to stop with us. It was meant to go to the world.
Bill and Debbie shared how they’re now helping the Mexican church send missionaries into some of the most difficult places on earth. One young woman named Trini answered God’s call, went through missionary training, and eventually moved to India with her husband. For 15 years, they faithfully served, working among the Munda people through children’s ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and leadership development. A church was planted.
That’s how missions works. We share the gospel, make disciples, raise up leaders, and trust God to multiply what has been planted.
Then we heard from the Ramos family, the next generation of missionaries preparing to go into South Asia. Their words captured something we cannot afford to miss: “The need is not what motivates the mission. The love is God’s love.”
We don’t go because we’re better than someone else. We don’t go because we’re extraordinary people. We go because God loves the people who have never heard about Him. And ultimately, we go because Jesus is worthy.
They shared about a boy named Chris who heard the gospel when he was eight years old. The missionary who shared with him eventually left, but the Holy Spirit continued working. Today, Chris is helping disciple other young people who are coming to know Jesus.
Once again, one seed became something much bigger.
And church, this isn’t only about what happens overseas. Pastor Mark challenged us to look at our own city. There are people from nations all over the world living right here in Kansas City. Some are our neighbors, coworkers, or people we encounter in everyday life. We cannot allow fear, politics, or cultural differences to determine how we see them. God created us all equal, and His love reaches across every border.
Michael’s friendship with Ali, a Muslim man from Iraq living in Chicago, reminded us what that can look like. Through years of friendship, Bible conversations, prayer, and even a remarkable experience involving a dream and a hospital visit, God continued opening doors in Ali’s life. The story was still unfolding, but Michael remained faithful in that relationship.
Not every seed produces fruit immediately. Sometimes we plant, pray, love, and wait, trusting that the Holy Spirit is working even when we cannot see it.
Church, we’ve inherited an incredible missions legacy, but a legacy is not something we’re called merely to celebrate. It’s something we’re called to continue.
That’s why we’re praying for our missionaries, sending new workers, and preparing to give toward missions. Last year, our church gave more than $200,000 toward world missions. That generosity helped support new missionaries and send people on short-term outreaches. Now we have another opportunity to participate in what God is doing.
Whether you give two dollars or two thousand, whether you travel across the world or reach the person next door, we’re all called to be part of God’s mission.
We can get so caught up in the kingdoms of politics, our country, or even Chiefs Kingdom that we forget which kingdom matters most. Church, we’re about God’s Kingdom.
So here’s the challenge: Will we be faithful with what God has placed in our hands? Will we pray, give, go, and love people enough to share Jesus with them?
The gospel reached us because someone before us was willing to plant a seed. Now it’s our turn.
Group Questions:
Icebreaker: If you could travel anywhere in the world and experience another culture for a week, where would you go, and what would you most want to experience?
Discussion:
- Understanding the unreached – We heard about people living in places where they have little or no access to the gospel, while we have so many opportunities to hear about Jesus. What stood out to you most about that contrast? How does it change the way you think about your own access to Scripture and Christian community?
- The power of one seed – In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:3–9, 18–23), Jesus describes seed that falls on good soil and produces an abundant harvest. Alejandro’s story showed how one person coming to Christ impacted generations. Who has planted seeds of faith in your life? What might it look like for you to do the same for someone else?
- Faithfulness across generations – Cross Points has been involved in missions for 60 years, and we’re now seeing new generations of missionaries reaching places their predecessors never reached. Why is it important that we don’t simply celebrate what God has done in the past but continue investing in what He’s doing today? What does that look like in our own families and church?
- Motivated by God’s love – The Ramos family shared that the need itself isn’t what motivates missions; God’s love is. They also said they go because Jesus is worthy. How does serving out of love for God and people change our motivation compared with serving simply out of obligation or guilt?
- Trusting God with the results – Both Chris’s story and Michael’s friendship with Ali showed that God can continue working long after an initial gospel conversation. Have you ever invested in someone spiritually without seeing immediate results? What makes it difficult to keep praying, loving, and trusting God when you can’t see what He’s doing?
- God’s Kingdom over every other kingdom – Pastor Mark challenged us not to let politics, nationality, or cultural differences shape how we see people from other nations. What assumptions or fears might keep us from developing genuine relationships with people whose backgrounds or beliefs are different from ours? How can we intentionally reflect God’s heart for all nations right here in Kansas City?
- Our part in reaching the unreached – We were challenged to pray, give, go, and recognize the opportunities God has placed right in front of us. As you reflect on the missionaries’ stories and Cross Points’ legacy, what is one specific way you sense God challenging you to become more involved in His mission? What would taking a meaningful step of obedience look like this week?
Closing Prayer Focus: Spend time praying for the missionaries serving in difficult places, especially those reaching communities where Jesus is not yet known. Pray for the Ramos family as they prepare to leave, for the people who are hearing the gospel for the first time, and for God to open our eyes to the people He’s placed around us. Ask Him to give us courage, generosity, love, and faithfulness to keep planting seeds that will bear fruit for generations to come.