In Sunday’s sermon I mentioned six groups, each of which start with P, that I pray for regularly because I believe serving them in the various ways they need is important for fulfilling the Great Commission God has given us.
Proximate Community
We must first reach those closest to us, including family, friends, community, co-workers, fellow students, those from other countries God is bringing to us, and speaking into the public arena to display our love and to set the stage for evangelism. Starting here is not only important since those who don’t make disciples at home probably won’t be involved in places farther away, but also since disciplemaking can help to raise up an army of people who can pray, send, support, and go when it comes to missions.
Present Missionaries
This group is important since these are the folks that God has called us to send out and support so that missions throughout the world can take place. When we are not loving and supporting our missionaries well, we are hurting the church’s effectiveness in the Great Commission. The opposite takes place when we love and support them well.
Pastors Undertrained
Through much of the world where the Spirit of God is moving and people are coming to Jesus as their Savior in large numbers, most pastors have less training than the average Christian attending church services on Sunday mornings in the United States. To serve this group well ultimately encourages and strengthens and brings greater health to the churches they lead and their oversight of discipling. This is a crucial part of the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19-20).
Peoples Unreached
One third of the world, three billion people, have no access to a Bible or the gospel, no Christians around to tell them about the gospel, and no churches to serve them or nurture them if they would come to Christ. It is estimated that 160,000 people a day die and go into a Christless eternity. If Christians will obey Jesus Christ and go to these people, it will mean bringing greater spiritual health to the church so that there will be people who make the sacrifice to go to unreached peoples and to stay with it. This is especially true when one realizes that unreached peoples are in some of the hardest places and people groups to reach.
Poor and Persecuted
There are many throughout the world who are poor materially and to help minister to their physical needs often opens them up more to respond in genuine faith to the gospel (Acts 4:32-34; 1 John 3:16-18). This, then is an important aspect of fulfilling the Great Commission.
At the same time, the church throughout the world is often materially poor and suffering due to persecution. When Christians minister to fellow Christians in these circumstances, they are helping these front-line believers to continue to carry out the Great Commission and to do so fruitfully.
Parentless
Finally, an important group to serve throughout the world are those in need of orphan care, including those in the foster care system, and/or those who need to be adopted. In most of these lives much pain and need are found. Helping to love such children not only can open the door for them to hear and respond to the gospel, but it also gives a powerful picture of the gospel in that it is true of all genuine Christians that God adopts them into his family and gives them a right to all the privileges of his children (Rom. 8:15-17; Gal. 3:26; 4:5; Eph. 1:5; 1 Jn. 3:1).
Response
How can we respond? It is simple. Begin to pray for these six groups of people. As you pray for them, seek to learn as much as you can about them. Not only pray for the needs they have but also ask God how you can serve each one. Are there things he would have you do beyond pray? Watch and see how God answers you.
Joyfully serving these six groups with you!
Tom
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