249 Stories Series Conclusion: Now What? Living as Global Christians with Todd Ahrend of The Traveling Team

The Savvy Sauce

249. Stories Series Conclusion: Now What? Living as Global Christians with Todd Ahrend of The Traveling Team

**Transcription Below**

Acts 1:8 (NIV) "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Questions and Topics We Cover:

1. What does it actually look like for you to live with eternal eyes and how can we grow in living the same way?

2. Will you teach us about these four categories: goer, sender, mobilizer, and welcomer?

3. Years ago, you shared a story about one international student that has stuck with me for nearly a decade. Will you retell that for us now?

Dr. Todd Ahrend graduated from Northeastern State University, has a Masters from Dallas Theological Seminary and a Doctorate from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

He is the founder and international Director of The Traveling Team, a national missions mobilization movement. He and his wife, Jessica, have spent over two decades traveling both nation-wide and abroad, speaking to thousands of people about involvement in world evangelization. Todd has exposure in over sixty countries and has lived in the Middle East.

He is the author of The Abrahamic Revolution and In This Generation. Todd and Jessica have six children.

Email Dr. Todd Ahrend to speak at your event: [e-mail]

The Traveling Team Website

The Missions Course

Connect with The Savvy Sauce on our Website

Please help us out by sharing this episode with a friend, leaving a 5-star rating and review, and subscribing to this podcast!

Thank You to Our Sponsor: Sue Neihouser

Gospel Scripture: (all NIV)

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 3:24 “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:25 (a) “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.”

Hebrews 9:22 (b) “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:11 “Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Luke 15:10 says “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Romans 8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”

Ephesians 1:13–14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession- to the praise of his glory.”

Ephesians 1:15–23 “For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

Ephesians 2:8–10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God‘s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.“

Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.“

Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

**Transcription**

[00:00:00]

Laura Dugger: Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, where we have practical chats for intentional living. I'm your host, Laura Dugger, and I'm so glad you're here.

[00:00:17]

Laura Dugger: Thank you to the Sue Neihouser team for sponsoring this episode. If you're looking to buy or sell a home this season, make sure you reach out to Sue at 309-229-8831. Sue would love to walk alongside you as you unlock new doors.

We are wrapping up this fascinating stories series today with my guest, Dr. Todd Ahrend. I'm also going to go ahead and just give you his email address up front, because I'm assuming many of you will also want to reach out to him and invite him to be a speaker at your church or at your event, and he has given me permission to share his email address. So it is [e-mail], and 1040 is all spelled out. I'll link to it in the show notes so you can see it as well. [00:01:17]

But Dr. Todd Ahrend is an author, speaker, and founder of The Traveling Team, which is a national missions mobilization movement. He's gifted at giving us an eternal perspective, which changes everything, and he has stories to share, just like the other guests in this series. But Todd is also going to wrap up this series by answering the question, now what, for each of us as we've encountered these testimonies.

After concluding this conversation, I pray that we are all clearer on what the next step is in our lives and that we have answers to this question, how then shall we live?

Here's our chat.

Welcome to The Savvy Sauce, Todd.

Todd Ahrend: Well, thank you, Laura. Great to be here.

Laura Dugger: I'm so excited to get a chat today. Will you begin by taking us back in your life and share a little bit about both before and after you were following Christ? [00:02:20]

Todd Ahrend: Yes. Well, I'll tell you what, man, I was not raised in a Christian home. At age 16, I went to church with a friend of mine, became a Christ follower, thought God wanted to bless me, but I didn't realize He wanted to change me. And so it wasn't until college that I got plugged into a campus ministry and saw what discipleship was, like, oh my gosh, how to share the gospel. They just sort of trained me in the basics. And from there, I really became ruined with wanting to do ministry.

So here I am getting my degree, but at the same time, trying to share Christ with my fraternity, trying to start a campus movement. After that, I just thought, "Man, all I want to do is minister to students." And so for the past, like, 25 years, my wife and I have been leading a ministry called The Traveling Team that we started in 1999 that just helps college students with global vision. [00:03:29]

Laura Dugger: I think it's so fascinating when the Lord really grows our heart for this age group in a time where He went and He saved us. So will you share more about the work that you and your wife get to do with The Traveling Team?

Todd Ahrend: Oh, man, yes. You know, when you look at the world and the lostness and just the extreme unreached, and you ask the question, how in the world is someone going to go there, learn the majority language, learn the minority language, translate scripture, you think, Man, you got to get someone who is energized, is ready, is young, is like, I can do this. So we just thought, man, where do workers come from to reach the extreme unreached?

And we just thought, man, there's something about college students. They're the most sendable, the most mobile, the most passionate, really. When you think about it, it's like, I'll go to Yemen, you know. [00:04:33] We just thought, man, let's go to college campuses and speak, give a 35-minute talk at the pre-existing ministries that are doing a fantastic job, The Cru, the InterVarsity, the BCMs, the Chiapas, the Wesley Foundations. Let's go in there and give a 30-minute message on God's story and scripture of reaching the nations from Genesis 12 to Revelation 5:9. And then let's invite them to go spend a summer.

So every semester, we send three teams out and we speak on 120 campuses a semester. 120 campuses. So tonight, there's a team speaking at UC Berkeley, there's a team speaking at University of Wisconsin, a team speaking at University of Charleston in South Carolina.

We just challenge students with, "Hey, this is what the world looks like. You're getting an engineer degree. Would you consider going to an internship in India this summer and praying about a lifetime?" [00:05:37]

Our ministry is called The Traveling Team. We've been doing it for 25 years. And it has been such a joy to cast vision to these students.

Laura Dugger: As you're casting this vision to them, what would you say is the purpose that you hope for them?

Todd Ahrend: Well, I think our big purpose would be that they would live a global Christian life. Like, what does that mean to live, whether you're a nurse, a doctor, an engineer, or a full-time pastor? That's sort of our big-picture goal.

But because we're talking to 18- to 22-year-olds who have really their life in front of them, we can say, Man, would you consider giving the next 15 years of your life to going long term, to learning a language, planning a church, translating scripture?

So if we were at Montana State and we got 250 students that we're speaking to, 90% are going to be going into the workforce in America. [00:06:40] They're going to be what we would call the senders. But 10% are going to be the goers. So we're sort of targeting both groups. We're saying, Hey, be a global Christian. But some of you, you need to get a passport, get on a plane, and go and plan a church.

Laura Dugger: And you called out some specific ages. So with this population, you really are connecting with a very special group. So I'd love to hear your perspective on what you've learned about the reasons why people, specifically between these ages of 18 and 22, are so instrumental to global impact with the good news about Jesus.

Todd Ahrend: Yeah. Oh, there is just—I mean, you talk about The Savvy Sauce. There is something savvy sauce about that age group. I mean, I don't understand it. But when you look at history, over the last 300 years, every major missions movement has been launched by 18- to 22-year-olds. I don't understand it. I just study it. [00:07:48]

I spent three years writing a book called In This Generation that just basically tracks every major missions movement and how it goes back to universities. And you just kind of scratch your head, and you're like, Okay. I mean, think about this, Laura. In 1806, if you were a college student, you had nine colleges you could go to. That's it. I mean, we hadn't even founded Mississippi yet. You had nine colleges. You could go to Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, Cornell. I mean, that was it, right?

Well, there is also a college called Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. And a young man named Samuel Mills goes there. He's 18. He's a freshman. There's no mission agency. America has not sent one missionary. If you were a college student in 1806 and you wanted to be a missionary, you had to go to London, and then they had to send you. We didn't have a mission agency. [00:08:47]

But yet in 1806 at Williams College, Samuel Mills starts the first five mission agencies and then launches, in 1812, the first missionary to India with Adoniram Judson. And then fast forward 1886, John Mott, Robert Wilder, Grace Wilder, these college students that were sophomores, juniors, and seniors and they decide they're going to launch really a second movement after the Samuel Mills movement of 1806. They're going to launch a second movement. Are you ready for this? They sends out 20,000 to the world, and then 80,000 stayed behind to send them. I mean, that's not even counting the Cru, the InterVarsities, the Wycliffe Bible translators. I mean, this is just two of the first.

And so I think there's just something about that age group where you and I know and many of your listeners know the simple truth is this. The older you get, the more stuff you get, the harder it gets to risk. It's hard to risk when you've got two kids, mortgage, and soccer practice. [00:10:01] It's hard to risk going to Saudi Arabia for 10 years. But that age group, they don't have a ton. They have a cracked iPhone. That's it. That's it. And so they are just more willing to risk. And I guess risk is right because God loves risk.

Laura Dugger: I love that. Will you say just a little bit more, God loves risk?

Todd Ahrend: Yeah. Risk is right. I remember, I mean, for 20 years, Laura, for 20 years, my wife wanted to adopt, and I was saying no. I was like, "I don't want to do this. I don't want to do this. We already have five kids. That's a basketball team." And she's like, "Every basketball team needs a sub." I mean, she prayed. I mean, she did so much.

And really, a friend of mine took me to coffee, and we just... there was no purpose, just to catch up. And I told him about adoption, and he's like, "Man, when was the last time you risked something? Like you live in your safety circle. Risk is right." [00:11:04] That just changed me. I was like, oh my gosh, man. I do. I mean, I'm a middle-aged man in the middle of America with a middle savings account and middle of safety. And I'm like, you're right, I haven't risked anything lately. So we ended up adopting a five-year-old boy from Asia.

I just think there's something about saying, Lord, I am coming out of my safety circle, I'm going to say yes to you. And for all of us, it's different areas. But for college students that we talk to, we're really challenging to come out of the American dream and to move east. So that's our challenge to them and sort of our challenge to others.

Laura Dugger: I love it, Todd. You brought up your family, so let's go there for a moment as well. Because this week I've really been thinking about the parable – and I'm just going to completely paraphrase – where the seed falls on different places, four different categories. [00:12:06] But the last one it falls in the good soil, and it can produce the harvest of 30 or 60 or 100-fold.

So as I'm thinking in my brain, okay, these college students, this age, this is so impactful. Let's back it up. You have six children in your home that you and your wife are homeschooling. What are you doing to cultivate that good soil in hopes of preparing them even so they're ready at any time when God calls them, but even in this specific age group of college students that you work with, they're ready for a yes to God, whatever He asks.

Todd Ahrend: Well, raising kids, whether public, private, or homeschool, it's never easy. But for us, we started off by saying, okay, they're middle names. We're going to give their middle names missionary names so that they have someone to look up to that's actually in their name. [00:13:06] So all six of our kids are named after missionaries.

Then not only that, but just being proactive and saying, okay, when we're at the library... I mean, we train our kids, even we're at the library and you see someone who looks, acts, or talks different, you go up to them and ask them, Where are you from?

We host international students in our home. I mean, this Thanksgiving, Laura, it was hilarious. My wife's like, "Okay, honey, I hope you're okay with this. We're having a girl from Syria, a girl from Uganda, and a girl named Bindi who's a Hindi." And I'm like, "Okay, this is going to be crazy."

So we had a round of Thanksgiving table. We had no meat, but we had a Hindu, a Syrian, and a Ugandan. And we're training them in theology. Right now the three oldest are going through Grudem systematic theology with my wife just to sort of help that foundation. So, I mean, we do all that we can.

My kids all have passports. They're international travelers. [00:14:08] They're going with me to Portugal in September. So we just do our best to prepare them for what's coming, but also to say, Hey, what really matters? And that is the word of God in the souls of people. That's what we give our time to.

Laura Dugger: And now a brief message from our sponsor.

[00:14:26]

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[00:17:03]

Laura Dugger: Just thinking of either your parenting experience or your work with The Traveling Team, what would you say are some of the most memorable God stories that stand out to you?

Todd Ahrend: Man, I got one this week that knocked me off my feet. It was crazy. We've been doing The Traveling Team for 25 years. We're literally probably one of the most unknown and hidden ministries. Because even our name, when we started the ministry, we decided to call it even something nebulous, The Traveling Team. So that when we went into a Cru or a BCM or a church, that church could just say, Hey, this is The Traveling Team and it felt like we were a part of their ministry already. Like, Oh, is this the Cru traveling team? Is this the intervarsity traveling team? Is this the BCM? So it's real nebulous. Most people don't even know how to say it. The Traveling Team. Some people say, oh, travel team or whatever. So we're just so hidden. [00:18:02]

But what's crazy is I got this email this week, and it was the top 10 organizations or people who have done the most in reaching the unreached in the last 20 years. It was specifically the 10 top people or organizations that have done most in sending students to the unreached. And I looked... I mean, John Piper was on the list. David Platt was on the list. Perspectives was on the list. Ralph Winter was on the list. And literally what caught my eye was number one was The Traveling Team. And I was like, "What? Are you joking?"

I mean, I love Piper. I love Platt. Those guys are my heroes. But to say that this email came across my desk, and number one... because that's all we do. I mean, you think you speak on 120 campuses a semester for the last 25 years, a million college students, and one message: The nations need you. [00:19:11] God is waiting for your yes.

Pioneers, which is a major mission agency, they brought me into Orlando and said, "Hey, we want you to speak to all our new recruits," and I said yes. I got there and they looked at me and said, "Hey, do you know why we brought you in?" I said, "No." And they said, "Because The Traveling Team has recruited 40 percent of these students."

We were at the Cru headquarters in Orlando, and they treated us like gold. They were like, "We love The Traveling Team." We think 35% to 40% of all our goers have been impacted by you guys." And so I'm just sitting here going, Oh, my gosh, like in 1999, a college student, my wife and I just got married after I graduated. I'm sitting at my desk. We decided to name it The Traveling Team. And now, 25 years later, we're hearing these God-sized things that we never would have imagined.

Laura Dugger: That is incredible. And how encouraging and exciting. [00:20:13] So congratulations. What an awesome email to open.

Todd Ahrend: Oh, so, so fun.

Laura Dugger: And then I'm curious, even with those mountaintop experiences, and I'm sure there's valleys, what does it actually look like day to day for you to live with eternal eyes? How can all of us listening grow and live in the same way?

Todd Ahrend: Well, I'd say for many of us who are Christ followers, the world pulls you to itself every day. I mean, the world pulls you to itself every day. There are four words that I try not to say during the day, but they sort of come out in my heart. I fight against these four words.

The first word that comes out is as soon as I get up in the morning, I look at my savings. The first word I think is savings. [00:21:13] I go into my phone, I go into my app, and I look at my savings and I say, Grow, little guy, grow. For some reason, my heart... I love my savings. I'll look at it four times a day.

And then I go downstairs, and I make a cup of coffee, and my six kids come downstairs. And my second word comes out, which is safety. Keep them safe. And then I go to work, and I think, Oh, my third word comes out, resume. Lord, make me more famous than all my friends. And then I get home, and the fourth word comes out, relax.

So I look at my own life, and it's like every day I'm consumed with savings, safety of my kids, my own resume, and my own relaxation. And then God is like, Hey, Matthew 28:18-20, make disciples of all nations. And I'm like, well, Lord, I will as long as it doesn't affect my savings, safety, resume, and free time. [00:22:16] And He's like, oh, it does.

So I think living with this eternal eyes is saying, Man, Lord, I need to find out what matters to you and make it matter to me. Are the things I'm living for worth Christ dying for? Have I reduced the Christian life to just saving, safety, resume, and my free time?

And I think of Romans 15:20. I mean, Paul the apostle, missions wasn't on his radar. Doing three tours across the Roman Empire and planting churches, that wasn't what he thought he was going to be doing. But when he met Jesus, he got a new Lord, and a new Lord means a new mission. I mean, a new Lord means a new mission. So Romans 15:20, "I make it my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ is not known." Like it's a fight. I have to make it. I have to desire to want to go to the unreached, pray for the unreached, give to the unreached, because the world pulls me to itself. [00:23:24]

Laura Dugger: I'm curious then, even if you look at flipping those words, do you have any handles for us to grab onto to replace that with that can give us that vision?

Todd Ahrend: Oh, that's so good. I don't know, man. I mean, wow. Maybe God's word, God's world, and God's work. Maybe those three.

Laura Dugger: That's so good. I can tend to fall into speaking Christianese without even realizing it, so I'd love for you to clarify this language. What is the difference between reached and unreached?

Todd Ahrend: So reached and unreached. You know, I thought the world was made up of the lost and the saved. But the world is actually made up of the reached and the unreached. The difference between reached and unreached would be... a reached person would be someone who is in Frankfurt, Germany. They are not a Christ follower. They don't know where a Bible study is. [00:24:39] But if they wanted to, they could go to the embassy suites in Frankfurt, open the drawer and find a Bible in German. They could meet a Christian in their apartment complex. They could find a German-speaking church, and they have access to the gospel. They're not Christ followers, but they are reached in the fact that they have access. So when you think of reached, think of access.

The opposite of that would be like a 16-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia. She'll never hold an Arabic Bible. She'll never meet a Christian that speaks Arabic. She'll never be invited to an Arabic-speaking church. She doesn't even know how to get there. She has no access.

So the reached have access, and they're lost, many of them, by their own choice. They don't want it. The unreached don't have access, and they're lost really by our choice of not going, praying, and giving. [00:25:43]

There's 10,000 reached people groups across the world. 10,000 of them would be reached. 7,000 would be considered unreached people groups. And so for me and you and the listener, we need to think about how can we live strategically to see both the reached, our near neighbors in our backyard, and the unreached know Christ. And so how can we live reaching the reached and the unreached?

Laura Dugger: Well, and that makes me think of a local Perspectives class, which is where I first heard you speak many years ago. And it was the first time that I had even been introduced to these four categories. And they're goer, sender, mobilizer, and welcomer. So, Todd, can you tell us about all four?

Todd Ahrend: Yeah. As you think about a global Christian, we need to think about those categories, the goer, the sender, the mobilizer, and the welcomer. [00:26:54] The goer is what many of your listeners probably think when they take a mission. It's like, Oh, you get on a plane. You fly over salt water. You learn a language. You plant a church. And yes, that's a goer.

Typically, we would classify you as a goer. A goer would be someone who's going two years or longer. So two years is about the normal time it takes you to learn a language. So a goer would be someone who's two years or longer going to the unreached or the reached parts of the world.

The sender is the person who stays but gives sacrificially. The sender is not just tithing. Like we tell people, it's not about tithing. It's about sending. So because you are giving sacrificially, you've got to be well-read on missions. You've got to be well-prayed up. You've got to know where God's working, where He's not. You've got to know where the money is going in missions. You've got to know where the unreached are, where the reached are. You've got to know where the Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Chinese world is. [00:28:01]

To be a good sender, because you're sending resources and you don't have unlimited resources, you need to be learning and praying so that you can give effectively. It's not like just, Oh, my niece is going here. I'm going to send some cash.

A serious sender is like, okay, where's the unreached? What are the needs? Who are some of the best investments going there? And how can I fuel what God's doing? So that's a sender.

Then you have the mobilizer, which is the one who's inviting bored and busy believers to be involved in God's mission. The mobilizer looks at the Christian who's just like, yeah, man, I go to church. I'm in a Bible study, and I eat a Chick-fil-A. That's what I do. The mobilizer is saying, Man, no, there's more to life. I want to invite you to come to Indonesia with me and see. Get involved in this missions program at our church. Read this biography with me. When we study the Bible, I want to show you God's heart for the world. [00:29:01]

So the mobilizer basically has a passion for the world and a passion to pass it on. And they're just raising awareness, encouraging believers. I tell people behind every missionary is a mobilizer. You're not born a missionary. Missionaries are made, not born. And mobilizers are the ones who do it. So The Traveling Team, that's specifically we are a mobilization ministry. All we love to do is mobilize.

And then you have that fourth category, welcoming. I mean, 1.2 million international students are studying here from, I think, about 180 countries. 1.2 million. So if you live in college towns, they're easy to find. But, man, for many of us in our cities, we have refugees, international students, and immigrants.

And so we would just encourage people, man, have eyes to see.[00:30:03] You know, who's on your kid's soccer team? Who do you work with? Who do you go to the grocery store with? Who do you see in that aisle? And just initiate and welcome them and befriend them.

So those would be the four main categories: the goer, the sender, the mobilizer, and the welcomer.

Laura Dugger: Well, I think it was on your website, thetravelingteam.org, and there's a section of articles. And within one of them, it was written, "The sender starts the story." So will you also unpack that a bit?

Todd Ahrend: Oh, yes. I mean, wow. I'm reading Romans and Paul says, how can they hear unless they're sent? He's writing to the Church of Rome. He wants to go to Spain, and he wants Rome to be his new sending base because Antioch is way too far away to send them. So he's writing Romans to have Rome support him as he goes to Spain. [00:31:04] And he says, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news, referring basically to himself as he goes to Spain. And then he says, man, they can't believe unless they hear. You're right. You can't believe unless you hear something. You can't hear something unless someone speaks it, obviously, because there'd be nothing to hear. And then he says, man, I can't even speak the gospel unless you send me.

So I'm studying that passage, and a church invited me to give a talk on the power of the sender, and I literally just thought, oh, my gosh, when the unreached or reached, the first domino that tips is the sender. The sender starts the story. I mean, that's the power of the sender. You get to look out, and the girl that says, man, I'm going to Jordan, I'm going to learn Arabic, I want to be a minister to Muslims, and she's in your living room inviting you to support her, you get to go, man, we're going to give you $300. Go, go, go. You get to fuel her and start the story. So such a privilege to be a sender. [00:32:13]

Laura Dugger: How did you find out about The Savvy Sauce? Did someone share this podcast with you? Hopefully you've been blessed through the content. And now we would love to invite each of you to share these episodes with friends and help us spread the word about The Savvy Sauce. You can share today's episode or go back and choose any one of your other previous favorites to share. Thanks for helping us out. You just give so much energy and purpose to all four of those, so I really like how you draw that out.

Also, just continuing with that Perspectives class, I remember they emphasize how the living God is a missionary God. And during that same class you taught, you also expanded my view by teaching how all Christians are to live as global Christians even if we never travel overseas. So will you clarify and expound upon the biblical reasons for this claim? [00:33:14]

Todd Ahrend: Oh, wow, yes. I mean, Genesis 1-11, you can summarize it in four words: creation, fall, flood, nations. Genesis 1-11 is just Creation, the Fall of Man, the Flood, and Nations. And then Genesis 12 with Abraham and God saying to Abraham, "I am going to bless you to bless all nations."

The mission of God in Genesis 12 really begins and becomes clear in Genesis 12. And God raises up this nation, Israel, to be a holy nation, to represent Him to all nations. And the nation that was going to rescue the nations and show them who God was, they ended up meeting rescued. They spiraled downward of their own self-absorption.

In Matthew 16, Jesus launches the church, and now the church is to go to all the nations. [00:34:16] I mean, what's interesting, when you look at Israel, they were telling the nations, come and see. We have the temple, the glory of Yahweh, God is here. Come and see who God is. And then in the New Testament, Jesus says to the church, go and tell.

When you think about post-resurrection, before Jesus ascended to the Father, we know in Acts 1:3 that there were 40 days that He roamed the earth. So between the resurrection and the ascension, Acts 1:3 says, for 40 days He roamed validating who He was.

And what's crazy, Laura, is that during those 40 days, we don't have much recorded. We only have like 40 verses of what He taught. That's it. I think there's 160 verses in total, but only 40 are in red. So we only have 40 verses of what Jesus taught. And the vast amount of those 40 verses during the 40 days of Jesus roaming the earth before He ascends, they're all pretty much Great Commission text. [00:35:19]

I mean, you got John 20:21 that says, "As the Father sent me, I am sending you." So church, you're a sent one. And then in the second Great Commission text, later that night on the resurrection, He gives us Luke 24:46-48. This is written, Christ will suffer and rise from the dead. Repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations.

So now we go, Okay, we're sent ones to the nations to teach the gospel. And then a few days later, He gives the 11 disciples Mark 16:15, go and preach the gospel to all creation. So He builds on John 20 and Luke 24. With Mark 16:15, He says, go and preach to all nations the gospel. So it's like, okay.

But then in Matthew 28, He's like, not only preach and teach, but make disciples of all nations. So Matthew 28:18-20, you are to now go to all nations, speaking the gospel and making disciples. [00:36:22] And then the fifth Great Commission text would be Acts 1:8. You are my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and against the earth.

When you think of the biblical foundation for why we need to be involved in God's mission, it starts in Genesis 12. But then in the New Testament, we are just bombarded with five Great Commission texts, the last words of Jesus telling us that by the power of the Holy Spirit, you need to go to the nations, speaking the gospel, making disciples, and gathering them into churches.

Like, you can do a lot of things in the world, but you must do that. You must be someone who is actively involved in the mission of God. And so I think you get that.... It's all over the scriptures, but specifically with Israel in Genesis 12 and the church in the five Great Commission texts.

Laura Dugger: I think it's so creative in the way that God calls His people to meet that. [00:37:24] Like, we do think of the goers first, but that can manifest in so many different ways through these different categories that you've articulated for us.

And even some of those passages are especially meaningful because I remember the first time when even this podcast went global and when we get to share the good news and the gospel message of Jesus, it was Him showing me later in scripture, this is one way to make disciples. And the good news is getting to the nations, even through this podcast that you record in your home. It just is humbling.

Todd Ahrend: It's good stuff. Good stuff, Laura.

Laura Dugger: I'm just going to reference that class you taught one more time. But you shared one story about an international student, and it has stuck with me for nearly a decade now. So will you retell that for us?

Todd Ahrend: Sure. I'm guessing it's the story of my friend Spencer. He was at K-State University in Manhattan, Kansas. [00:38:29] He knew that he didn't have any international friends, and he knew that there was an incredible opportunity to reach internationals on campus. And so he one day was like, "Man, I'm going to go in the union, sort of initiate. My heart's pounding, and I'm going to find international students, sit down and talk to them."

And so he does just that. He goes in the student union at K-State University, he sees an international student studying by himself, his heart's pounding, and he walks over and starts talking to the guy. It's a Chinese guy, and he's so excited to have a great 40-minute conversation.

Spencer's like, My first Chinese friend. This is epic." And the Chinese student's like, "Well, man, it's May 1st. I graduate May 8th. I'm flying back to Beijing in eight days." And Spencer's like, "Oh, man, I thought we were going to be friends for four years." So Spencer gives him his number and says, "Man, in eight days, if you need anything, just call me." [00:39:27] He doesn't think he's ever going to hear from this Chinese guy again. But the guy texts him Friday night and says, "Hey, can you give me a ride to the airport Saturday afternoon?" And Spencer texts him back, "Yes." And the guy texts him back, "Lots of luggage." And Spencer texts him back, "No problem."

So Spencer rolls around the dorm, the guy comes out and Spencer's like, "He had the largest hockey bag I've ever seen." And we push and push and push and finally get in the back of my SUV. He's like, we shut the trunk. We high five. And the student says, "Oh, we have another." Spencer's like, well, the airport at Manhattan, Kansas is only like two miles from the campus. So let's just strap it to the top two miles, roll down the highway. It's fine.

So they strap the second one to the top. They're driving to the airport two miles away and my friend Spencer's like, "Hey, what's in the bags?" And the Chinese student says, "Oh, gifts." [00:40:25] And Spencer's like, "Oh, you mean like souvenirs, like your souvenirs you're taking." And the Chinese student says, "No, it's souvenirs that I brought from China to give to my American friends. I made none. I made none." That's a tragedy.

Laura Dugger: I mean, that one leaves me emotional and convicted. I guess just speechless. But I think what it leaves me asking at the end of that story, nearing the end of this conversation, and even as I think of ending and closing this stories series where we have focused for months on God's stories throughout the world, it leaves me asking, Todd, now what, how then shall we live?

Todd Ahrend: Well, I think for many of us, the first step is to get educated. [00:41:26] I mean, a lot of us... I mean, we just don't know what we don't know. And so, man, how can I get a heart for the world? I wrote a book called The Abrahamic Revolution that just is sort of the bottom shelf: What's God's word say? What's the world look like? And then how can we live a global Christian life?

For some of us, it's just getting educated. What does the Bible say about missions? Who are the nations around me? How do I talk to a Hindu, Buddhist, or Muslim about Jesus?

We launched an online course that's real simple and real fun. It's called themissioncourse.com. And it's six really well-done 45-minute videos of the six basic things that a believer needs to know. I think it's like 45 bucks. You go online, you can watch it with your friends, your family, your kids. Put your homeschooled kids in front of it, whatever. [00:42:29]

The first one is the biblical basis of missions. The second one is the history of missions. The third one is the task remaining. The fourth one is how do you even plant a church overseas? They build on each other. I think just getting educated.

Then secondly, getting engaged, like stepping out, going to your pastor and saying, Hey, who are some missionaries that we send that I can start emailing, praying for, and supporting? When is the next trip we're doing as a church? Do we have anything that welcomes the nations here as a church? Having eyes to see as you're just doing life and initiating with people. In your Bible studies, saying, Hey, I got this article off thetravelingteam.org called What is the Mission of God? It's seven minutes. Can we just read it before we leave here? And just start engaging people in that mission. So getting educated and getting engaged. [00:43:31]

Laura Dugger: I will certainly add links in the show notes for today's episode so that we have these tangible things that we can go to next. I just think of 1 Corinthians 11:1 that says, follow my example as I follow the example of Christ. Todd, where else can we go to follow you as you're following after Jesus?

Todd Ahrend: Man, thetravelingteam.org is 900 pages deep. So many articles. It's a resource that many authors who are writing mission books use. I remember the first time I opened a book and I looked at the bottom footnote, it said, "These statistics are taken from thetravelingteam.org." And I mean, I about flipped. I'm like, "Are you joking me? We're quoted in a book. This is incredible."

And now, I mean, now it's just sort of become humorous. When a new mission book comes out, the first thing I do is I go back to the bibliography of the footnotes and I'm like... because I know. [00:44:33]

So it's just really a gift that we've given the body of Christ to say, hey, we have full-time researchers. We have writers on missions. Thetravelingteam.org is a phenomenal resource to use. And then in the top right corner, it says, follow the team. It says our schedule. So like tonight, you can like see, oh, where are we speaking? What are we doing? Where are the three teams at? What campuses?

Laura Dugger: I love it. That will be easy to find in the show notes. You're already aware that we're called The Savvy Sauce because "savvy" is synonymous with practical knowledge. And so as my final question for you today, Todd, what is your savvy sauce?

Todd Ahrend: What a question! I think one of the things that we just always challenge people with and encourage ourselves to do is read the scriptures with the nations in mind. [00:45:34] Don't just look for promises, blessings, and things that God has for you, but also go, man, God blesses me in Psalm 67 so that all nations will be blessed.

Our savvy sauce is to just read with missions in mind. Take a yellow highlighter, and if you see the word peoples, nations, tribes, world, earth, just highlight that verse. Let the mission of God penetrate your soul and to see how it goes through all scripture so that you go, man, this isn't an option if I retire early or if I never married, this isn't an option to be considered. It's really a command to be obeyed and a privilege to participate in.

And so just permeating the scriptures with what is God's heart for the nations and how can I get that in my heart as the world recruits me to itself every day. I would say that's some sick savvy sauce. [00:46:34]

Laura Dugger: Well, I was clearly impacted the first time that I heard you share a message, and I'm leaving this conversation even more in awe of our good God. I was eagerly anticipating this chat because I expected that you were going to share a contagious, eternal perspective. And you certainly delivered, Todd. So thank you very much for being my guest.

Todd Ahrend: Thank you, Laura.

Laura Dugger: One more thing before you go. Have you heard the term "gospel" before? It simply means good news. And I want to share the best news with you. But it starts with the bad news. Every single one of us were born sinners, but Christ desires to rescue us from our sin, which is something we cannot do for ourselves.

This means there is absolutely no chance we can make it to heaven on our own. So, for you and for me, it means we deserve death and we can never pay back the sacrifice we owe to be saved. We need a Savior. [00:47:38]

But God loved us so much, He made a way for His only Son to willingly die in our place as the perfect substitute. This gives us hope of life forever in right relationship with Him. That is good news.

Jesus lived the perfect life we could never live and died in our place for our sin. This was God's plan to make a way to reconcile with us so that God can look at us and see Jesus. We can be covered and justified through the work Jesus finished if we choose to receive what He has done for us.

Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

So would you pray with me now? Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to take our place. I pray someone today right now is touched and chooses to turn their life over to You. [00:48:40] Will You clearly guide them and help them take their next step in faith to declare You as Lord of their life? We trust You to work and change lives now for eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, you are declaring Him for me, so me for Him. You get the opportunity to live your life for Him. And at this podcast, we're called The Savvy Sauce for a reason. We want to give you practical tools to implement the knowledge you have learned. So you ready to get started?

First, tell someone. Say it out loud. Get a Bible. The first day I made this decision, my parents took me to Barnes & Noble and let me choose my own Bible. I selected the Quest NIV Bible, and I love it. You can start by reading the Book of John.

Also, get connected locally, which just means tell someone who's a part of a church in your community that you made a decision to follow Christ. I'm assuming they will be thrilled to talk with you about further steps, such as going to church and getting connected to other believers to encourage you. [00:49:42]

We want to celebrate with you too, so feel free to leave a comment for us here if you did make a decision to follow Christ. We also have show notes included where you can read Scripture that describes this process.

Finally, be encouraged. Luke 15:10 says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." The heavens are praising with you for your decision today.

If you've already received this good news, I pray that you have someone else to share it with today. You are loved and I look forward to meeting you here next time.