During the month of December, we are focusing on the subject of missions in our Sunday School class small groups as a church family. What better month to focus on missions than December? After all, as David Livingston once said, “God had only one Son, and He was a missionary.” Out of the current world population, nearly 3.5 billion people have very limited access to the gospel and approximately 1.8 billion people have never heard the name of Jesus. If Jesus did give us a “Great Commission” shouldn’t we as the church of Christ be doing something about getting that message to the world? The focus of the missions study is to move our church beyond our comfortable bubble of life to engage the world with the gospel. While we must start locally here in Georgia – we must also go to the nations in obedience to God and for the glory of His name!
Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor.- Charles Spurgeon
During this month, we have unveiled a major project to our church family. We will be planting a church in the mountains of Ecuador in 2011. This will be a difficult task – and it will cost us time and money to see it accomplished. I was greatly pleased to see how our church responded to this project. Not only do we already have a 4 man team set aside with donated plane tickets for April of 2011 to kick off this project, but we already have 3 years of committed salary for the pastor that God will raise up for this church. According to Gordon Fort, every day in America more money is spent on dog food than getting the gospel to the nations. Therefore, we must take the Great Commission of Christ seriously. Since ignorance is not another way to Heaven – we must be urgent in our mission to the nations.
The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to Him the more intensely missionary we must become.- Henry Martyn
The study: I Exist as a Missionary for Jesus Christ
Length: 4 Lessons
Goal: To demonstrate from Scripture that all Christians are missionaries for Jesus Christ. We are not saved to pursue trivial goals. We are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ in order to serve Him and make Him known to the world.
May Christ reign supreme and make your Christmas merry,
Pastor Josh Buice
