Week 5 was one of my favorites here in North Myrtle Beach. The whole week was devoted to talking about God's heart for the world and the Great Commission. We kicked off the week with a huge experiential dinner that gave students the chance to see how lost some countries are, and how privileged we are in the US to have great access to the gospel. We heard from a staff member who shared a broader vision for how God's heart for the nations is evident throughout scripture (and not just in the Great Commission in Matthew 28). He also shared briefly about God's reputation and how it's not dependent on our going to the world. We don't go to the world out of guilt or shame in how blessed we have been to be Americans; we go because of joyful surrender to God and his commands in scripture.
Throughout the week we talked about the misconception of "A Missionary Call" (an article by The Traveling Team). We often think that we need a special call from God to be involved in the Great Commission. Throughout Scripture God commands us to make disciples, bear fruit, to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow him. The notion that there need to a special "call" into the mission field and not into any other profession is a big miss. It was a challenging week for students to consider this, and consider how they might be involved in making disciples in the future- whether in the mission field or not. It was a perspective-shifting week, for students and staff alike. A few of our staff committed to going overseas next summer and challenged students to go with them. One of our goals for our summer mission is that as a result of the things students experience this summer, over half of them will go overseas in the next few years. A favorite part of the week for me was asking students what they were learning and experiencing. Throughout the week I heard things like: "I never imagined I'd be here (in North Myrtle Beach) doing this, sharing my faith on the beach. But if I can do this, I can see myself going overseas and doing ministry." "So many Christians don't know the things I know. I'm so equipped to share the gospel and go overseas, especially after this summer mission. Why wouldn't I go?"
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Amy WellnerEncouraging others to intentionally live out their God-given identity. Archives
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