Open Door Sunday School
YOU ARE SENT
Finding Your Place in
God's Global Mission
JOIN US
TEENS
LEAD TEACHER:
RYAN FACIANE
COLLEGE & CAREER
LEAD TEACHER:
CALEB RABORN
MEN'S CLASS
LEAD TEACHER:
GENE ELLISON
TITUS 2 CLASS
LEAD TEACHER:
AMY SCHAFFER
MARRIAGE & MINISTRY
LEAD TEACHER:
BERNARD HAMPTON
HIS DESIGN
LEAD TEACHER:
BRANDON OSBORNE
CLASS
LEAD TEACHER:
RON FACIANE
ARTICLE 1: "RENEWING MISSION" (SUMMARY)
October 4-11
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Renewal and mission are inseparable parts of the gospel. God desires to bring his kingdom both into our own hearts through renewal and into the world through mission. These two movements continually influence one another:
Renewal → Mission → Greater dependence on God → Renewal → More Mission
The gospel works inwardly by bringing us to repentance, faith, and deeper dependence on God. At the same time, the gospel moves us outward in love through evangelism, discipleship, good works, service, and simply being present with people.
Mission Reveals Our Need for God
When Christians actively participate in God's mission, they often discover weaknesses and sins they did not recognize before. Loving difficult people, serving others, sharing the gospel, and making disciples can expose impatience, insecurity, selfishness, pride, and a desire for control.
The article describes this with the memorable phrase that “doing mission work is like pouring Miracle-Gro® on your sins.” The point is that mission doesn't necessarily create new sin; rather, it often reveals sin that was already there.
That realization drives us back to Jesus. We recognize how deeply we need God's grace while simultaneously discovering how deeply we are loved by God.
Renewal Sends Us Back into Mission
The reverse is also true. As Christians experience God's forgiveness, love, and transforming grace,
that renewal moves them back toward other people. Our qualification for mission isn't primarily our:
Expertise
Personality
Energy
Knowledge
Evangelistic Ability
Instead, our dependence upon God qualifies us. Understanding our own need for
grace helps us point other people toward the One who provides that grace.
The Adoption and Foster Care Example
This is illustrated this through Christian parents who adopt or foster a child. Their experience of God's love motivates them to extend that love to a child in need. Yet parenting—especially parenting children who have experienced trauma—reveals weaknesses such as impatience, insecurity, and control. Those discoveries push the parents back toward Jesus. As they experience God's grace and provision, they receive renewed strength to continue loving and serving.
Therefore, God's kingdom is being advanced in two places simultaneously:
- In the world: a child is being loved and cared for.
- In the parents: God is developing patience, dependence, and spiritual maturity.
Jesus Models the Rhythm
Jesus provides the clearest example of this renewal-mission relationship.
Jesus repeatedly moved outward in ministry while also moving inward toward the Father. After feeding the five thousand, for example, Jesus withdrew to pray alone (Matthew 14:22–23). His ministry to others and his relationship with the Father were not competing priorities. His connection with God sustained his ministry to people.
God's Mission Includes Our Communities
God isn't only interested in what he is doing inside you. He intends to work through you in the lives of people around you and in the community where you live. God uses his children as participants in his work of redeeming the world.
Romans 8:20–21 describes creation itself waiting to be freed from its bondage to corruption.
This means we shouldn't reduce the gospel to either extreme.
The gospel is not merely personal sanctification.
Christianity isn't simply about God making me a better person.
The gospel is not merely a social gospel.
Mission isn't simply serving people while ignoring the need for spiritual transformation.
Instead, God is renewing people and using those renewed people to bring his kingdom's influence into the world.
The Church: Sign, Instrument, and Foretaste
One of the most significant ideas in this section is the description of the church as a sign, instrument, and foretaste of the kingdom of God.
As a sign: The church points people toward a relationship of love with God.
As an instrument: The church actively brings hope, justice, and peace into the world.
As a foretaste: The church gives people a small glimpse of what God's ultimate purposes will look like—the new heaven and new earth.
So the church doesn't merely talk about God's kingdom. Through its life and mission, the church is supposed to demonstrate something of what God's kingdom looks like.
Renewal and Mission Are Both Personal and Global
God's renewing work includes:
Our hearts
Our minds
Our relationships
Our families
Our neighborhoods
Our communities
Our nations
The entire world
Personal renewal therefore isn't simply “God changing me for my benefit.”
God changes us and then works through us for the benefit of others.
The Big Idea
God renews us through the gospel, sends us into the lives of others, and then uses our mission experiences to deepen our dependence on him. Through this cycle, God works both in us and through us to bring his kingdom into the world.
Reflection Questions
- How is the renewal-mission cycle already operating in your life?
- How does your growth in the gospel propel you toward other people?
- How does serving God and others drive you back to rest in the gospel?
- How might understanding this relationship change the way you think about living on mission?
Renewal and mission are two sides of God's work: as the gospel transforms us, God sends us to serve others, and as we serve others, we increasingly recognize our need for the gospel and God's grace.
ARTICLE 2: "God's Wrath Against Sin" (SUMMARY)
October 11-18
TO READ THE ARTICLES IN FULL, PURCHASE THE BOOK YOU ARE SENT. (AMAZON)
“Do you think I will go to hell?” These words still ring in my ears. I was a sophomore in high school, seeking to love Jesus, and doing my dead-level best to make him known to those around me. One of my good friends sat beside me in computer class. She was a girl from India, a nominal Hindu from a Hindu family, and she was beginning to understand what I believed about the gospel. We would often talk between assignments about all kinds of things. It was during one of these conversations that she asked me the question, “Do you think I will go to hell when I die?” I honestly didn’t know what to say. By this point in our friendship, she knew exactly what I believed about this question. Why else would I share the gospel with her and urge her to run to Jesus unless I believed that her fate was an eternity without God? After a long, awkward pause I answered yes, and I urged her to place her faith in Jesus.”[1]
God’s wrath and the reality of hell is essential to understanding why Christian missions is necessary. Although these subjects can be difficult and uncomfortable, Scripture presents God’s wrath as His righteous response to sin and evil.
1. God’s wrath is different from human anger.
God’s wrath is His holy and just opposition to sin. Human anger is often driven by jealousy, pride, selfishness, or irritation, but God’s anger comes from His perfect character. Therefore, His judgment is not sinful or arbitrary—it is an expression of His justice, holiness, and love.
The article compares God to a righteous judge. Just as a judge has a responsibility to punish wrongdoing, God has the right and responsibility to judge sin. His judgment also demonstrates His concern for people who have been harmed by injustice (Psalm 10:17–18).
2. God’s judgment reveals the seriousness of sin.
Passages such as Nahum 1:2–8 demonstrate that God does not ignore rebellion and evil. At the same time, Nahum 1:7 provides an important balance: “The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”
God's wrath should therefore not be understood apart from His goodness, mercy, and faithfulness. His character is completely consistent—He is both just toward sin and compassionate toward those who trust Him.
3. The cross demonstrates the depth of God’s love
God's wrath makes the gospel even more significant. Humanity deserves God's judgment because of sin, but Jesus willingly took the judgment sinners deserved. Through His death on the cross, Jesus bore the weight of God's wrath and provided reconciliation between sinful humanity and a holy God. Romans 5:8–10 demonstrates this connection: Christ died for sinners so that those who trust Him can be saved from wrath and reconciled to God.
4. Hell makes missions necessary.
The reality of judgment means that missions is not merely about introducing people to Christianity or making the world a better place. At its core, missions is proclaiming the gospel to people who are separated from God and inviting them into reconciliation with Him through Jesus Christ.
The article emphasizes that those who persist in rejecting God face eternal separation from Him. Because this is such a serious reality, Christians should have a sense of urgency about sharing the gospel.
5. Missions is motivated by both urgency and joy
The final emphasis is that missions should not be motivated only by fear or obligation. Christians have personally experienced God's grace and therefore have the privilege of becoming messengers of that same grace to others.
The article captures this paradox with the idea that those who were once objects of God's wrath become conduits of His love. Christians are called to share the gospel with both urgency because judgment is real and joy because God's salvation is so great.
Central Idea
God’s wrath reveals the seriousness of sin, while the cross reveals the greatness of God’s love. Because Jesus provides salvation from God’s judgment, Christians are called to urgently and joyfully share the gospel with people from every nation.
Reflection Questions
Based on Nahum 2:1-8, write down your answers to the following questions, and be prepared to discuss them the next time your group meets.
- What is God’s response to those who rebel against him? Write down some details from the passage.
- What is your natural response to reading this passage and studying God’s wrath? What is difficult for you to come to grips with?
- What are some reasons why verse 7 is an important, clarifying part of the passage?
- What aspects of God’s character are highlighted in this passage? How do they help you understand God’s anger against our sin?
[1] Nathan Sloan, You Are Sent: Finding Your Place in God’s Global Mission: Study Guide with Leader’s Notes (Greensboro, NC: New Growth Press, 2022), 22.
ARTICLE 3: "God on the Move" (SUMMARY)
October 18-25
TO READ THE ARTICLES IN FULL, PURCHASE THE BOOK YOU ARE SENT. (AMAZON)
The history of Christian missions is a story of God’s faithfulness in using imperfect people to spread the gospel throughout the world. Although church history includes both beautiful examples of faith and troubling examples of sin, abuse, and violence, God has continued to work through His people to fulfill His mission of bringing salvation to every nation.
The article explains that the center of Christianity has shifted throughout history. This movement demonstrates that God’s mission is not limited to one nation, culture, or generation. Christians are called to remain faithful and willing to take risks to share the gospel with those who have not yet heard it.
The Five Ages of Missions History
The church historian Ralph Winter divides missions history into five major periods.
1. The Age of the Romans (New Testament–400s)
- Jesus Christ is the ultimate model of a missionary. Before ascending to heaven, He commanded His followers to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19–20).
- The early church grew rapidly, from a small group of believers to millions within a few centuries.
- Persecution often scattered Christians, but God used these circumstances to spread the gospel.
- The multicultural church in Antioch became a launching point for organized missionary efforts when it sent Paul and Barnabas to share the gospel (Acts 13:1–4).
- Missionaries spread Christianity both westward through the Roman Empire and eastward into regions such as Persia and India.
- Roman roads, a common Greek language, and established Jewish communities helped facilitate the spread of the gospel.
Key lesson: God can use difficult circumstances and ordinary believers to accomplish extraordinary things. Even persecution can become an opportunity for gospel expansion.
2. The Age of the Barbarians (400s–800s)
As the Roman Empire declined, Christianity's center shifted from Rome to Constantinople. The gospel spread among peoples who had once threatened and conquered the Roman world.
Key missionary: Patrick
Patrick was captured from Britain and enslaved in Ireland as a teenager. After escaping, he eventually returned to Ireland because he wanted its people to know Jesus. His ministry reportedly led to the establishment of hundreds of churches and the baptism of many thousands of people.
Other missionary leaders, including Columba and Boniface, established monasteries that served as centers for missionary training and outreach.
Key lesson: The gospel can transform both the oppressed and their oppressors. God can use suffering and even former enemies to advance His kingdom.
3. The Age of the Vikings (800s–1200s)
During this period, Christianity's center shifted toward Scandinavia. Viking invasions brought widespread violence and suffering to Christian communities, yet some Vikings eventually embraced Christianity.
Their conversion demonstrates that even people known for brutality can experience God's transforming grace.
Key lesson: No person or people group is beyond the reach of the gospel. God can redeem even those who once opposed His people.
4. The Age of the Crusades (1200s–1600s)
Christianity's center expanded throughout Europe, but much of the church became focused on warfare and reclaiming the Holy Land. The Crusades represent a tragic period when violence and territorial conquest overshadowed the church's mission.
However, some Christians continued to pursue peaceful gospel ministry.
Key missionary: Raymond Lull
Known as the “apostle of love,” Lull studied Arabic language and culture for nine years before traveling to North Africa to share the gospel with Muslims. Although he faced repeated rejection and was eventually stoned to death, he remained committed to evangelism and discipleship.
Key lesson: Christians must communicate the gospel through faithful witness and love rather than violence or coercion. Even when ministry produces little visible success, obedience to God's mission matters.
5. The Age of the Ends of the Earth (1700s–Present)
In the final period, Christianity's center shifted away from Europe and toward North America. The article identifies the Protestant Reformation and overseas conquest as important influences in this development.
This period introduces the era of modern Protestant missions, which the next lesson will explore in greater detail.
Central Idea
The mission of God continues across generations, and the church must keep reaching beyond familiar cultural and geographical boundaries.
Reflection Questions
Based on Nahum 2:1-8, write down your answers to the following questions, and be prepared to discuss them the next time your group meets.
- How does God work in the past inspire you to live today?
- What stories from missions history, or church history in general, move you toward a deeper life with God an toward on mission for others?
ARTICLE 4: "Abide with God" (SUMMARY)
October 26-November 1
TO READ THE ARTICLES IN FULL, PURCHASE THE BOOK YOU ARE SENT. (AMAZON)
The central message of the article is that effective Christian mission begins with abiding in God, not simply doing work for God. Our ministry should flow out of a growing, intimate relationship with Jesus rather than our own strength or sense of obligation.
1. Embrace a Life of Communion
Abiding with God means prioritizing our relationship with Christ above our activities and accomplishments. It involves walking with God daily, depending on the Holy Spirit, and enjoying His presence in every part of life. God is present in both difficult and ordinary moments, and we grow closer to Him as we become more aware of His constant presence.
2. Practice Spiritual Disciplines
Spiritual disciplines help deepen our relationship with God and create regular opportunities to enjoy His presence. These include Bible reading and meditation, prayer, fasting, corporate worship, Christian fellowship, silence, solitude, giving, service, confession, and journaling. These practices are not merely tasks to complete but opportunities to know Jesus more intimately. As we enjoy God, He transforms us.
3. Be Before You Do
Christians can become so focused on serving others and reaching the world that they neglect their own relationship with God. However, God desires to renew our hearts as well as use us to bring renewal to others. Ministry should flow out of our communion with Him rather than relying on our own abilities.
The story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38–42 illustrates this principle. Martha was distracted by serving, while Mary chose to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to His teaching. Jesus emphasized that being with Him matters more than being consumed by activity. Both worship and service matter, but our relationship with Jesus must come first.
4. Abiding in Christ Produces Spiritual Fruit
In John 15:4–5, Jesus compares Himself to a vine and His followers to branches. Just as branches cannot produce fruit apart from the vine, Christians cannot bear lasting spiritual fruit apart from Him. Neglecting our relationship with God can lead to shallow faith and burnout in ministry .
Jesus Himself modeled this priority by regularly withdrawing to pray and spend time with His Father, even during busy seasons of ministry (Luke 6:12–13). His example teaches us that time with God strengthens and sustains our service.
Central Ideal
Being with Jesus must come before working for Jesus. The needs of the world are great, and Christians are called to share the gospel and serve others. However, we cannot fulfill this mission faithfully through our own strength. We must continually depend on God, enjoy His presence, and allow Him to renew our hearts. True, lasting ministry flows from a life rooted in Christ.
Reflection Questions
How did your dependence on God and your communion with Him, make a difference?
What did God teach you through that experience? Write down some responses, and be ready to share some of what you’ve written when your group meets.
Also, practice this article’s teaching by taking some unhurried time now to enjoy communion with God. Take at least fifteen minutes to practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer and reflection (also known as Christian meditation). Consider starting with a few minutes of silence, calming your heart, and asking God to meet you in the quiet. Ask Him to grow your abiding life with Him. Ask Him to meet you in this moment and give you a growing pasion to be in His presence. Be prepared to tell your group about your prayer time too.