Xplore

6 lessons eXploring
god’s Word, God’s World, and God’s Work
Xplore
6 Lessons Exploring
God’s Word, God’s World, and God’s Work

www.xplorestudy.com
 Contents
1 Introduction

3 Lesson 1
God’s Word: God’s Heart

10 Lesson 2
God’s World: THUMB

18 Lesson 3
God’s Work: Sending

26 Lesson 4
God’s Work: Welcoming

34
XPLORE
copyright © 2010
Lesson 5
Published in 2010 by The BodyBuilders Press God’s Work: Going
www.thebodybuilders.net

All rights reserved.

No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means–for
example, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording–without prior
written permission of the publisher.
42 Lesson 6
God’s Work: Mobilizing

Website: www.xplorestudy.com

The XPLORE study is a resource of Every Ethne, a ministry of the US Center for World Mission.
www.everyethne.org

ISBN: 978-0-9825107-1-1
50 Appendix

Printed in the United States of America.

www.xplorestudy.com
Intro
have you ever wondered...
� what is the Bible really about anyway?
� is God still at work in the world today?
� is my life meant to be part of something bigger?

what is XPLORE about?

� It is about what God told Adam and Eve to do.
� It is about God’s promise to Abraham.
� It is about the passion of Jesus.
� It is about the purpose of the Church.
� It is about a movement that is rapidly growing throughout the world.

It is about the very heart of God…His heart for the knowledge of His Glory to
cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

begin xploring!
This study is designed to begin exploring these very ideas. So get together with some
friends and talk about what you are learning on this journey!

Here is what’s involved in each of the six lessions:

Prep It Evaluate the accuracy of your view of God.

Read It Educate yourself about how God wants you to join in what He
is doing today.

Discuss It Prep these questions, study the verses, and express your thoughts
in discussion with your XPLORE study group.

Live It Examine new ways to live out your convictions. 

Pray It Enter into God’s presence and intercede for people groups who
have not yet come to know and love Jesus.

we must be global christians with a global vision

because our god is a global god.
— john stott
[1
 lesson 1
god’s word: god’s heart
you can do something other than
working with god in his purpose ,

but it will always be something lesser,

and you couldn’t come up with something better.

— steve hawthorne

[3
 Prep It
in our backyard
God is bringing college students, professionals, and families from people
groups with little or no direct access to the Gospel right here to the United
States. These “internationals” are often the best and brightest from their
countries, and many of them are living right in our dorms and neighborhoods.
In this lesson we will see God’s heart for those who are away from their
homelands and how He wants us to extend His love in very real ways.

For the following questions, circle either true or false.

T or F – Welcoming international students is only for people who have the gift
of hospitality.
T or F – There are over 630,000 international students who study and live in
the United States each year.
T or F – Many international students believe that all Americans are Christians.
T or F – Most international students don’t even really have time to be friends
with Americans.
T or F – 80% of international students will never be invited into an American home.
T or F – 60% of international students come from the 10/40 Window.
T or F – Of the 220 Heads of State in the world, 40% once studied in the US.
T or F – To really be an effective welcomer to internationals, you have to have a
lot of time, money, personal charm, and discussion topics ready at hand.    

lesson 4
Write down the words that come to your mind when you think of
internationals. What scares you the most about reaching out to students
or families from other countries?

answers: F, T, T, F, T, T, T, F

god’s work: welcoming

[internationals]
students, professionals, refugees, and families who
are living in a country other than their homeland.
i am ready to burn out for god.
i am ready to endure any hardship, if by any means i might

save some. the longing of my heart is to make known my glorious

[welcomer]
people who take the time to get to know internationals through
redeemer to those who have never heard. hospitality, service, etc. and make them feel welcome.

— william burns
26 ] [ 27
Read It
[welcoming the world at your door]
by douglas shaw and bob norsworthy

“ ”
...Today in the U.S., over 726,000 of the world’s best and brightest toward America with his
students, scholars, and researchers from every nation live within experiences during his
minutes of a local church. These international students attend America’s short sojourn in the United
institutions of higher learning, not searching for land or gold, but for the States.
prestige of an American education or an edge in the application of new Fortunately, the experience
Western technology. Many of these future leaders will return to their of many international
societies equipped with competitive students stands in sharp
reaching out to skills for the geo-economic race contrast to this. An
internationals can into the future. Others will remain international student,
in the U.S. serving as leaders befriended by American
make a significant
in fields such as business or Christians, is now one of
contribution to education, joining an even the world’s leading venture capitalists with a wide-ranging influence for
god’s plan for larger number of permanent Christ, even sharing the gospel with one of the computer world’s most
residents coming to this powerful CEOs. Another, now a professor in an Asian country, was led
reaching the world. country yearly. to Christ while studying in the U.S. and is currently mentoring three
These students and recent immigrants come the U.S. with specific children of Islamic heads of state in their doctoral studies!
educational and career goals and plans, but most of them are unaware Another example of the positive influence a committed Christian can
of a personal divine plan from God. As caring and committed Christians have by reaching just one international student comes from an American
cross their paths and offer friendship, these internationals can learn Islamic cleric who was concerned that Iran was in danger of soon
about the greatest friend of all, Jesus Christ. becoming a Christian nation. This mullah insisted that a Christian revival
Immersed in a new culture and far from family and friends, international was beginning to sweep Iran, and one of the primary forces driving this
students and recent immigrants often experience a high degree movement was the growing influence of returned international students
of loneliness. They may feel out of place, lost, and anxious about who had become Christians while studying in the United States!
understanding new people and new situations. Relatively simple tasks, such as Developing friendships with internationals and immigrants in our
locating housing or banking or shopping, can overwhelm and bewilder midst doesn’t require seminary training. Everyday kindnesses and
them. Facing these challenges alone can lead to discouragement and hospitality can speak volumes. As relationships form, take advantage
discontent. of opportunities to present the love, claims, and call of Christ. You can
...The course of history answer questions and help them grow in their understanding of the
might have been different Christian faith.
if during the 1920s a lonely By reaching out to international students and recent immigrants with the
student named Matsuoki love and gospel of Jesus Christ, you can make a significant contribution
had been befriended by to God’s plan for reaching the world. Many international students return
loving Christians. Instead, he to their home countries and reproduce their faith. Recent immigrants
returned home and 20 years often represent peoples that could once only be reached by sending
later helped plan the attack on missionaries.
Pearl Harbor. In his memoirs,
Matsuoki connected his anger The world is at your door. Open up your life and welcome them in.

[ 29
Discuss It Live It
Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 10:18-20
How have your thoughts about internationals
changed after examining God’s Word on the
1
topic?
What do these verses reveal about God’s heart for internationals?
What would it look like to “love them as yourself?”
[ideas...]
initiate a conversation with the next
1 Kings 8:41-43, Isaiah 56:6-7, Mark 11:17 1
2
international you see (this will likely
How does God feel about the prayers of “foreigners?” How can we be more awkward for you than them).
see internationals as precious people created in the image of God introduce yourself and ask questions
and not as projects? about their culture. after your conversation
ask if they would like to get together to
talk more, get their number and you are
on your way...
go to the university recreation facility,
Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 24:46-48, Acts 1:8 2 international restaurants, or grocery
3 In light of Jesus’ commands here, how could reaching out to
international students who are in our country be very strategic?
stores to meet new friends
invite your new friend(s) into whatever
3 you are doing (laundry, shopping,
studying, going home for the weekend or
Thanksgiving break)
Mark 5:14-20, John 4:39-42
4 What can we learn from these passages about Jesus’ attitude toward
foreigners? How did one person’s encounter with Jesus impact their
How will you begin to serve as a welcomer?
entire community?
Who will keep you accountable?
Ephesians 2:11-13
5 What truths do these verses display about our lives and the lives
of the internationals who live around us? What actions would God
encourage us to take because of these truths?
30 ] [ 31
[true story]
I met Samuel, a Chinese
international student, after I
came back from a short-term
trip to China. We started getting
together to play basketball and
eat meals. One day over lunch,
Samuel asked if he could go
to church with me. I excitedly
agreed. Samuel started asking
me questions about the Bible,
and I tried my best to answer
him and show him God’s word.
One day while we were hanging
out, I felt God leading me to
explicitly share the gospel with
him. Samuel understood and
accepted Christ that night!
All it took for me to welcome
an international was to be
AVAILABLE and OBEDIENT.
I didn’t do anything. I was just
along for the ride while God was
accomplishing His purpose
through me!
— Hudson
Hudson was great! It was really
his attitude and personality that
drew me to Christ. I remember
him inviting me to hang out all
the time. Almost every night
we did something. And every
time I had a question about the
Bible or Jesus, Hudson always
helped me find an answer. I’m
really thankful Hudson is my
friend.
— Samuel
Pray It
[unreligious] Unreligious live mostly in China,
North Korea, North Asia, and Europe

beliefs:
� they are mostly atheistic, with some remnants of ancestor worship or
Buddhist beliefs
� many have Communist governments that tell the people there is no God
� 1 in 6 people on earth belong to this group

ming people of china

� 14,000 people
� less than 2% believers

Even the Buddhist temples are empty [pray]

in Maoxian County of China! An entire
generation has received an atheistic
education, and now the Ming people ridicule Pray that as the Ming people observe the evidences of God through His
1 creation, they will begin to seek Him as Creator. Pray for believers to bring
any religious beliefs. This younger generation
mocks their parents animistic or Buddhist the message of Christ.
beliefs, calling them “superstitious.”
Pray the Lord would connect you with international students who are eager
Teams of Christians who try to distribute 2 to know Christ!
gospel literature face arrest. Will the nearly
14,000 Ming people living in this region ever
Ask God to help you be intentional about welcoming internationals that
hear of salvation through Christ? There are 3 you come across every day.
no known Christians, no Scripture in their
language, and no broadcasts available.

Years ago, these people of mixed ancestry

faced prejudice. Since the Han Chinese
didn’t accept them socially, the Ming people
adopted a separate identity, wearing distinct

TH U MB
clothing and forming their own villages.

32 ]