Grace Community & the Great Commission
By: Steve Headland & Anna Miller
Just before Jesus stepped off this planet about 1989 years ago, he gave his people an assignment: to make disciples of people from every ethnic group around the globe (Matt 28:18- 20). Furthermore, he told us that he would return when that assignment is complete (Matt 24:3,14).
WHAT PROGRESS HAVE WE MADE?
Take a look at the map below. Counting people groups is tricky business, but according to Joshua Project, there are 17,446 of them. Each red dot represents an unreached people group, about 7,500 of them. And each green dot represents a reached people group , about 10,000 groups. The church has made a lot of progress the past two millennia, but there is still much work to be done.
SO WHAT IS GRACE COMMUNITY DOING ABOUT IT?
Around the globe, 22 Grace Community teams are involved in 16 countries, working toward the completion of the Great Commission in the following ways:
Bible translation
Church planting
Community Development
Worker Support
Trauma Healing
GETTING READY FOR MORE…
While applauding the work these teams have accomplished, we realize there is so much more to be done. (Luke 10:2) Therefore, each semester we continue to recruit and equip harvest-field workers. Below are some of the ways we are doing this:
LAUNCH
This past semester, 20 people from Grace Community participated in LAUNCH, a program to help prepare those willing to be involved in the Great Commission. While some of these participants plan to move overseas long term, others simply want to reach the world through financial support or through short term trips, such as upcoming trips to Japan, Turkey, and Tanzania.
GREAT COMMISSION BIBLE STUDY
Though most of us have read through the Bible, it’s easy to miss the theme, hinted at on nearly every page, of God’s plan to restore creation through the fulfillment of the Great Commission. And because it’s easy to miss, each Wednesday night Steve Headland has been leading a “Great Commission Bible Study” in the sanctuary, showing how verse after verse, from Genesis to Revelation, points in some way to the fulfillment of God’s restoration plan. Unlike the LAUNCH program, which is specifically for those doing overseas work, the Great Commission Bible Study is an informal discussion for the average believer who wants to understand how the pieces of the Biblical puzzle fit into God’s great plan.
