Last week, New Tribes Mission Mobilizer Josh Beaudin posted on the role of children in God’s plan to make disciples of all nations. Read part two of his article to hear about the impact of prayer in missions today, and learn three ways to engage children in the Great Commission.
We’re not guaranteed tomorrow.
About a year ago, I nearly lost my 18-year old sister. She was a passenger in a violent rollover accident after a tire suddenly blew out on an interstate highway in Texas. God miraculously spared Sarah’s life, despite severe head injuries and multiple other injuries that she sustained in the accident. She is very aware that God has a specific purpose for her life. I am oftentimes amazed at the great lengths God will go to in order to accomplish His purposes in our lives!
Many of us have experienced times like this when we come face to face with the frailty and brevity of life on this side of heaven. We are reminded of our own weakness and limitations. God graciously uses times like these to refocus our hearts and minds on things that will last forever. As I consider the mission of Jesus Christ to make His name great among all peoples, He continually challenges me to place a high value on young lives, since He desires to engage them in His global purposes.
Did you know that more than 2,000 language groups in the world have no access to the gospel of Christ? These are called “unreached people groups” (UPGs). We can be a part of seeing these peoples reached with the gospel! Below are three practical ways you can engage your children in the Great Commission.
1. Cultivate God’s Heart for Prayer in Kids
- Begin with yourself. Model for them a heart of dependence on God and a posture of prayer as a lifestyle.
- Read missionary newsletters together with them and then pray for that missionary (and the people they are seeking to reach).
2. Teach Children to Pray
- Adopt a people group: Coordinate UPGs to be “adopted” for prayer by children or families in your church, school, etc. You can find a map and list of UPGs HERE.
- The vision here is simply for them to begin praying for the Lord to raise up laborers who will carry the gospel to these people groups. Whether those laborers come from a foreign country or from within the borders of the country where the UPGs reside—or both—matters not. The point here is to engage God’s people in praying for the unreached according to God’s model for mobilization. (Luke 10:2)
3. Check Out the Resources Available to You
- Visit www.weavefamily.org for resources connecting everyday families to the global story of God.
- Join the Bibleless Peoples Prayer Project: www.wycliffe.org/prayer/bppp
- Utilize the short videos below by Global Frontier Missions to gain and share a better perspective on these essential mission topics:
- Biblical Basis of Missions / God’s Heart for the Nations
- What is a UPG? (explaining unreached people groups)
- State of the World / The Task Remaining
- God’s Heart for the Foreigner
- To help families and youth understand the importance of preparing cross-cultural missionaries for what they will face, watch New Tribes Mission’s video Missionary Training for Effective Church Planting.
- Churches, families, and ministries can also utilize the Intercession lessons in Heroic Life Discipleship’s curriculum, which invite kids to step outside the limits of their own lives and explore what God is doing around the world. Heroic Life Discipleship provides global awareness and perspective, focusing on the needs and cultures of the persecuted church and unreached people groups along with ways that God is at work in even the hardest of places.
