Breaking Ground
What’s the farthest place you’ve ever traveled to? Why did you go there? How did that trip impact you?
The Dig
This week, we continued our series Selling Jesus by exploring what it means to be witnesses to Jesus’ story through going. Specifically, we heard from a number of E3ers who shared their experiences with leading humanitarian & short-term mission teams in the Majority World.
Begin by reading Acts 1:1-10. Here, after his death & resurrection. Jesus uses his final words to command his disciples to go build His Kingdom in their home city & nation; as well as amongst those they see as enemies (i.e., Samaria) & across the globe. The rest of Acts then depicts the early Church fulfilling this command by both sharing & tangibly enacting Jesus’ story across their known world through preaching, healings, care for the poor, & generous acts of mercy.
What stands out to you about these places that Jesus commands his disciples to go into? Why does Jesus send his disciples to both their own national, ethnic, cultural, social, & economic contexts; as well as to those that are completely outside of what they’re used to? What does he want them to be & achieve in the world?
Next, reflect on humanitarian & Christian missions, particularly to the Majority World (the countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America that collectively hold the majority of the world’s population).
What are positive & negative examples of humanitarian or Christian missions to the Majority World that you’ve witnessed or learned about? What determines whether they have a positive or negative impact on the people involved?
As multiple panelists shared on Sunday, two of the most universal experiences that occur when some goes on healthy a mission trip are:
- Participants report that their attitudes & worldviews concerning other peoples & how the world “should” work changes dramatically. In particular, they become more empathetic after getting proximate to real people in these previously far off places.
- Participants regularly claim that they received more from those they thought they were going to help than vice versa.
Why do you think that these are two of the most universal responses from such experiences? How might this inform what Jesus intended for going to do for both us & those we seek to serve across the world?
Have you ever taken part in a mission trip or traveled to the Majority World before? If so, how did your experiences undermine or change your previous thoughts, stereotypes, or beliefs about the people & culture of these places? How did that change you? If not, what’s kept you from doing so?
Close by attempting to reconstruct a healthy, Christlike vision of going.
Based upon your conversation so far, what might healthy, Christlike humanitarian & mission work look like? What postures, attitudes, beliefs, & goals do we need to have in order to be part of a positive, healthy, & productive experience of going?
Getting Out of the Hole
Take time each week to reflect upon the Sunday sermon.
- Read Acts 1:1-10. Reflect upon these three areas that Jesus commands his disciples to go to (local, national, different ethnic groups, & the global community).
- Why does Jesus command his disciples to go to all of these spaces? What role does he want them to play in each?
- Have you taken part in Kingdom work within each of these distinct places? If not, why not? What’s holding you back?
- Consider joining E3 on its short-term mission team to Guatemala in July 2026. Contact Pastor Mike if you have any questions or concerns.
Journal about how this prayer practice makes you feel this week. Share your experience with your group next week.
Additional Resources*
Centered Set Church by Mark D. Baker
Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer
Bible & Mission by Richard Bauckham
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
November 23rd: Join us next Sunday as we continue our new series Selling Jesus!* Please see mye3.org for details.