DEEP-DIVE SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE

Based on: Sent — Week 2: The Mission of God Primary Text: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:13-15 Series Context: The "Sent" series on the mission of God Time: 90-120 minutes

LEADER PREPARATION

(Read before your group meets)

Overview: This session explores the missio Dei — the mission of God — as the organizing story of all Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, God has been on a mission to restore what sin broke, and he has chosen to accomplish that mission through his people. This guide goes deeper into what it means to be a "sent" people, examining the biblical foundations of missions and what active participation looks like.

Big Idea: God's mission to restore broken relationship with humanity is the thread running through all of Scripture — and every follower of Jesus is called to participate through prayer, going, and giving.

Essential Background:

• The Greek word apostolos (apostle) literally means "sent one." The church is by definition a sent community, not a gathered club.
• The Great Commission in Matthew 28 uses a grammatical structure in Greek where the main command is "make disciples" — going, baptizing, and teaching are the means by which disciples are made.
• The phrase "far from God" used in the sermon is a pastoral way of describing what Paul calls being "alienated from the life of God" (Ephesians 4:18) — a condition every human being shares before Christ.
• Missions is not a program the church does. According to theologian Christopher Wright, "It is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world."

Preparation Checklist:

• Read Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, and Romans 10:13-15 twice, in two different translations
• Review the word studies below so you can share them naturally
• Think through your own answers to the discussion questions — especially Q6 and Q9
• Pray for each group member by name, asking God to stir a heart for missions in your group

Facilitator Encouragement: You don't need to have been on a mission trip or have a missions background to lead this discussion well. Your job is to ask good questions and create space for honest conversation. The Spirit will do the rest.

OPENING

(5-10 minutes)

Icebreaker Question: Think of a time someone went significantly out of their way for you — crossed a distance, rearranged their schedule, or made a real sacrifice — just to reach you. What did that feel like?

Allow 2-3 people to share briefly. Then transition: "Today we're going to look at the greatest 'going out of the way' story in all of history — God's own mission to reach people far from him. And we'll discover that we're not just the recipients of that story. We're written into it."

TEACHING TIME

(15-20 minutes)

Share these points conversationally — you're not lecturing, you're setting the table for discussion.

Historical & Cultural Context

(5-7 minutes)

The word "missions" can feel like a church program or a foreign concept — something professionals do in faraway places. But the biblical concept is far older and more personal than that.

In the ancient Near East, when a king sent a representative, that representative carried the full authority of the king. They weren't speaking for themselves — they were the king's voice, the king's presence. This is the world Jesus steps into when he says, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21).

The Jewish audience hearing Jesus in Matthew 28 would have recognized the echo of God's words to Abraham in Genesis 12 — "I will bless you, and you will be a blessing." From the very beginning, God's plan was never to bless one nation and stop there. The blessing was always meant to flow outward to all nations. The Hebrew word for "nations" there — goyim — is the same root concept as the Greek ethne in the Great Commission: "make disciples of all nations." This isn't a New Testament idea — it's the fulfillment of a promise made in Genesis.

Key Word Studies

(5-7 minutes)

"Sent" / "Mission" — Greek: apostellō (verb); apostolos (noun) The root word behind both "mission" and "apostle" simply means to send with authority and purpose. When Jesus says "as the Father sent me," he uses apostellō. This means our sending is patterned after his — purposeful, costly, and carrying the authority of the one who sends. The church isn't gathering people to come to us; we are sent people going to them.

"Nations" — Greek: ethne Often translated "Gentiles" or "nations," ethne refers to people groups — ethnic, linguistic, cultural communities. The Great Commission isn't just about geography. It's about crossing every kind of human barrier that separates people from the gospel. Your neighborhood, your workplace, and your family table are all ethne in this sense.

"Reconcile" — Greek: katallassō Paul uses this word in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 to describe what God has done in Christ and what he calls us to participate in. It means to change from a state of enmity to friendship — to restore a broken relationship. This is the heart of missions: God is restoring what sin destroyed, and he invites us into that work as his "ambassadors."

Important Cross-References

(3-5 minutes)

Have someone look up each of these and read them aloud:

• Genesis 12:1-3 — God's original "sending" of Abraham, with the promise that all nations would be blessed through him. Missions begins here, not in the New Testament.
• Isaiah 6:8 — "Here am I. Send me." The prophet's response to encountering God's holiness. Genuine worship often produces a willingness to be sent.
• Romans 10:13-15 — Paul's "missions chain": people call on the Lord → they believe → they hear → someone preaches → someone is sent. The whole chain depends on people willing to go.
• 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 — We are called "ambassadors" of reconciliation. An ambassador doesn't represent themselves — they represent the one who sent them.

SCRIPTURE READING & OBSERVATION

(10-15 minutes)

Read aloud: Matthew 28:18-20 (have someone read from NIV, then another from ESV or NLT)

Observation Questions (don't discuss yet — just notice):

1. What words or phrases are repeated or emphasized?
2. What surprises you about what Jesus says — or doesn't say?
3. What questions does this passage immediately raise for you?
4. Notice the structure: Jesus begins with authority and ends with presence. What does that tell you about the nature of the command in between?

DEEP DIVE DISCUSSION

(40-50 minutes)

Section A: Understanding the Text

(3-4 questions | 15-20 minutes)

1. The sermon described missions as "God's desire to win people back to him" — a restoration of what sin destroyed in Genesis. Looking at Matthew 28:18-20, how does Jesus' command connect to that larger story? What does it mean that all authority is given to him before he gives the commission?

2. In Matthew 28:19, the main verb in Greek is actually "make disciples" — not "go." Going, baptizing, and teaching are the means, not the main command. How does that grammatical reality change how you read this passage? What does it mean for how you think about your daily life?

[Leader Tip: If the group isn't sure what to do with this, ask: "If the command is 'make disciples,' does that mean going is optional? Or does it mean going is assumed — that making disciples always requires some form of movement toward others?" This usually opens good conversation.]

3. Romans 10:14-15 presents a chain: sent → preach → hear → believe → call on the Lord. Where do most of us naturally see ourselves in that chain? Where might God be calling us to step into a different link?

4. The word apostellō ("sent") implies carrying the authority of the one who sends. What difference does it make to think of yourself not as a volunteer for God's mission, but as someone sent with his authority?

Section B: Theological Connections

(2-3 questions | 10-15 minutes)

5. Genesis 12:1-3 shows that God's plan was always for his blessing to flow outward to "all peoples." How does this reframe missions — not as a New Testament add-on, but as the heartbeat of Scripture from the beginning? What does it tell us about the character of God?

[Leader Tip: Push toward the theological point that God's nature is inherently outward-moving — he doesn't hoard his blessing. If your group is comfortable with the concept, you might introduce the idea that the Trinity itself is a community of self-giving love that overflows outward. This is why missions flows from God's character, not just his commands.]

6. Isaiah 6 shows that a genuine encounter with God's holiness produced in the prophet a willingness to be sent: "Here am I. Send me." What is the connection between worship and mission? Can you be genuinely worshiping God while being indifferent to the people he came to save?

7. Paul calls believers "ambassadors" in 2 Corinthians 5:20. An ambassador doesn't represent themselves — they represent the one who sent them, in a foreign land, among people who may not welcome the message. How does that image expand or challenge your understanding of what it means to live as a Christian in your community?

Section C: Contemporary Application

(3-4 questions | 15-20 minutes)

8. The sermon described three ways every Christian should be involved in missions: pray, go, and give. Honestly, which of the three comes most naturally to you — and which feels most uncomfortable? Why do you think that is?

[Leader Tip: This question often reveals a lot about people's underlying assumptions. Some people are generous givers but never pray specifically for the lost. Others pray but never invite anyone to church. Encourage honesty without judgment. The goal isn't guilt — it's awareness that leads to growth.]

9. The sermon said, "The shortest missions trip is across the street to your neighbor — or across the living room to your kid who's not serving the Lord." Who is the person in your immediate world who is "far from God"? What would it look like to be intentionally "sent" to that person this week?

10. Thinking about the Romans 10 chain — sent, preach, hear, believe — what breaks down most often in your experience? Is it that people aren't being sent? That the message isn't being shared? That people aren't hearing in a way they understand? What would it take to repair that link?

11. The sermon noted that there's a difference between a meal you give someone (which is gone) and a classroom you build (which keeps producing graduates year after year). How does this principle of multiplying impact shape how we think about investing our time, money, and energy in God's mission?

[Leader Tip: This question connects the "eternal ROI" concept from the sermon to the group's own discipleship. You might ask: "What are the 'classrooms' in your life — the investments that keep multiplying?" Think: mentoring a younger believer, teaching a class, raising children in faith.]

PERSONAL APPLICATION

(15-20 minutes)

Give the group 2-3 minutes of quiet reflection before inviting sharing.

Reflection Questions:

1. On a scale of 1-10, how "sent" do you feel in your daily life — at work, in your neighborhood, with your family? What would it take to move that number up by even one point?

2. The sermon challenged everyone to pray, go, and give. Is there one of those three that God is specifically nudging you toward right now? What's one concrete step you could take this week?

3. Is there someone in your life who is "far from God" that you've stopped praying for — maybe because it feels hopeless, or you've grown comfortable with the distance? What would it look like to recommit to praying for them regularly?

This Week Challenge:

Choose one person in your life who doesn't know Jesus. Write their name down. Commit to praying for them by name every day this week — specifically asking God to soften their heart, create an opportunity for conversation, and give you courage to take it. Share that name with one other person in this group for accountability.

Optional step: If you feel ready, reach out to that person this week — not with an agenda, but with genuine care. A text, a coffee invitation, a meal.

PRAYER & CLOSING

(10 minutes)

Suggested Prayer Focus:

Close by praying in three movements — mirroring the three ways to participate in missions:

1. Pray for the lost — Have group members silently (or aloud) name the person they identified in the application time. Ask God to draw them.

2. Pray for the sent — Pray for missionaries, church planters, and pastors around the world who are doing the work of the Great Commission, often at great personal cost.

3. Pray for your own willingness — Ask God to cultivate in each person a heart that says, like Isaiah: "Here am I. Send me."

Suggested Closing Prayer (leader or volunteer):

"Lord, you are a sending God — you sent your Son, your Spirit, and now you send us. Forgive us for the times we've treated the church as a destination rather than a launching pad. Stir in us a love for the people you love — the ones who are far from you. Give us courage to pray, to go, and to give in ways that outlast us. May we be people who bear fruit that remains. In Jesus' name, amen."

This guide was created for small groups wanting to go deeper into Scripture together. You don't need all the answers — you just need to show up, ask good questions, and trust the Spirit to work.