Once again, Southern Baptists have accepted the challenge to
reach North America with the gospel.
God’s Plan for Sharing (GPS) is very simply a dream — every
believer sharing, every person hearing. To put it even more succinctly, GPS is
the vision of fulfilling the Great Commission in North America by 2020.
Just like Bold Mission Thrust of a generation ago, GPS is an
audacious vision.
The first step on this journey is called “Across North
America.” The goal is to reach every home in the United States and Canada
through prayer walking, gospel distribution, and an invitation to attend church
on Easter Sunday. It’s the first of six, two-year campaigns that will carry GPS
through 2020.
North Carolina Baptist evangelism leaders are promoting a
customized version of GPS called “Find it here.” North Carolina specific
resources are available from the evangelism office at (919) 459-5557 or at
Across North America in 2010 consists of four simple
components:
- A three-week targeted media saturation taking place March
20 through April 11 (TV, radio, billboards, newspapers, etc).
- Participating churches prayer walking their communities on
the weekend of March 20.
- Participating churches on March 27 distributing clear bags
containing a “Find It Here” gospel drop-in piece and an invitation to Easter
services to each home in their surrounding neighborhoods.
- Participating churches conducting a five-week follow-up
process after Easter.
I’m often asked, “How can something so simple make such a
big difference?”
When you get God’s people to do God things, He shows up and
makes a huge Kingdom difference.
A great example is a church that participated in one of four
GPS pilot projects last spring. At the time they were running about 300 in
Bible study.
BP photo Segey Tseona, left, a member of Lifeway Baptist Church, a Russian-speaking church in Philadelphia, discusses the gospel with a shopper. |
The pastor had lost his vision, and the church was in
decline. Seventy-five members joined the pastor in prayer walking the community.
As they prayer walked, God broke their hearts for their community and a new
vision was born. Instead of just hanging the bags on the doors, the members
engaged lost people in the community as God opened doors for conversation.
The vision didn’t stop there. Those who participated began
to recognize opportunities to share the gospel in their circles of influence.
To make a long story short, they had their largest
attendance in 10 years on Easter Sunday and baptized 19 people.
Imagine what would happen if 50,000 Southern Baptist
churches and missions joined hands and hearts and moved “Across North America”
together. We would touch every home in North America with the gospel, millions
would begin relationships with Christ, families would be restored and
communities and churches would be transformed.
Author Tim Sanders captures the spirit of GPS: Across North
America in his bestseller, Saving the World at Work.
Sanders recalls the story of Steve, who heard Tim’s
challenge, “If there are people in your life who are important to you, and you
haven’t given them sufficient recognition in the last three months, shame on
you. If you have reduced your relationships to e-mail threads, shame on you.”
Steve managed nine engineers and felt guilty about the lack
of personal interaction he had with them. So, he met with all nine and shared a
word of praise for something related to their job performance.
He also encouraged them in their personal lives and
appreciated them as individuals.
Two days after Steve’s round of encouragement, Lenny entered
Steve’s cubicle with a gift: an Xbox along with a video game. Steve was
thrilled but wondered how Lenny could afford such a lavish gift. He was stunned
when Lenny told him, “I sold my chrome-plated 9mm semiautomatic.”
He continued, “I’ve worked here two years, and if I died,
you would only find out from payroll… That’s how disconnected I thought you
were from me … I don’t have a single friend in the company.”
Lenny said his only friend was the Internet, and it was there
he found the “suicide chat rooms.”
Lenny had started a three-month process of
preparing himself to pull the trigger.
“I was almost there… Then the other day … you came into
my cubicle,” Lenny whispered. “You told me, ‘Lenny, I’m glad you came into my
life.’”
That very day, Lenny sold the gun and bought the Xbox.
With tears streaming down his face he said, “Sir, in exchange for my life, my
soul, this gift is for you.”
GPS: Across North America and the story of Steve and Lenny
are alike. They call for urgency and simplicity. There are Lennys all around
us. They are our family, friends, co-workers and neighbors. Their need is
urgent and not complicated.
They quickly need a word of encouragement and the simple
message of the gospel.
May God use GPS: Across North America to move Southern
Baptists to live and share with urgency. This is the first step of what will be
one of the most exciting journeys we as Southern Baptists will ever take._ь
To find out more about how your church can connect with GPS
nationally, contact Sarah Whitfield at [email protected] or (770) 410-6390.
Also visit www.gps2020.net.
Praying across North America
You’re invited to pray for every heart and every mile of
North America, focusing specifically on those who need a relationship with
Jesus Christ.
Here are some ways you can prepare:
- Pray with insight. Be aware of where you are praying.
What do you see along the way? Do you see children’s toys? Then pray for that
family. Do you see a street lamp? Pray that people will discover the light of
Christ and that believers will be a light to the world.
- Pray with intentionality. While we should always be sensitive
to how the Holy Spirit leads us to pray, March 20 is a day to intentionally
pray for those who need a personal relationship with Christ. Begin now to pray
specifically for those in your community who need to hear the gospel.
- Pray with the heart of an intercessor. An intercessor is
someone who “stands in the gap” — a gap between one person and their need for
God or for God to work in their life. As people prayer walk, look for
opportunities to pray with people for people’s needs.
- Pray with information. Do you know who lives in your
community? How many single parents are there? What kind of crime rate is in
your community? What unreached people groups live in your town? Be open to
learning about the “hidden” needs in your community.
- Pray with inspiration. Prayer walk with scripture verses.
Pray God’s promises.
- Pray for the impossible and expect God to answer. Don’t
limit God and His ability to answer prayer. Pray big. Pray for those who are
lost with faith that God can redeem anyone. (Ephesians 3:20 and Hebrews 11:6)
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