Developing God’s Heart for the World
By Rick Warren
If we’re serious about the goal of the gospel for everyone by 2033, then we have to start here: we must develop God’s heart for the world.
We don’t begin with strategy. We begin with transformation.
Where a Heart for the World Begins
How do you get a heart for the world?
For me, it began by watching the example of my parents as a young schoolboy. Both my mother and father were on the staff of Golden Gate Baptist Seminary for about five years in the San Francisco Bay area. While they were there, in addition to their normal jobs, they took responsibility for showing hospitality to all of the visiting missionaries and international church leaders who came to California.
Growing up, I never knew who was going to be at breakfast or at dinner. One year, my dad kept a record of all the meals my mom had cooked for guests that year. She had cooked over 1,200 meals for 1,200 different guests from around the world! That averages about three people in our home every day of the year.
So as a child, I got to listen to those conversations with all those international church leaders, missionaries, and Christian statesmen. It had a profound effect on my life. In fact, it so influenced me so deeply that Kay and I did this with our own kids growing up. We would invite international leaders of the church from around the world to come into our home.
Sometimes a heart for the lost around you and an appreciation for cultures different from your own can start with simple things: a love for people and a desire to open your home in hospitality.
See What God Sees
Another turning point for me came through Scripture.
Normally I teach people to read the Bible slowly, to digest it. But sometimes you need to read it rapidly to see the big picture. As a young man, I read through the entire Bible in 13 weeks—over and over again.
And when I did, I saw something clearly:
God’s heart is for the whole world.
Not just for me.
Not just for my city.
Not just for my denomination.
Not just for my nation.
But for every nation.
Study the word “nation” throughout Scripture, and you’ll see it again and again—God’s concern is global.
You don’t have to travel the world to get a heart for the world. You just have to read the Bible and see what God cares about.
It Starts with God’s Nature
At its core, a heart for the world begins with understanding who God is.
The Bible doesn’t say God has love. It says God is love.
That means love is his nature, his essence.
The only reason love exists in the universe is because God created it. And the only reason we can love—give it and receive it—is because we are made in his image.
And here’s what that means:
- God has never made a person he doesn’t love
- God has never made a person he doesn’t have a purpose for
- God has never made a person he doesn’t want in heaven
- God has never made a person that Jesus didn’t die for
If you want to know how much people matter to God, look at the cross.
With arms outstretched, Jesus is saying, “I love you this much. I love you so much it hurts. I love you so much I would rather die than live without you.”
The goal of the Finishing the Task movement—the gospel for everyone by 2033—flows directly from God’s love. God has never made a person he doesn’t love and want to know him.
Scripture tells us that the Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
You Don’t Have to Go Far to Care Deeply
You don’t have to travel to a country to learn about it, to care about it, to pray about it, and to work for the evangelization of the people.
Let’s remember that when Jesus told the disciples to go to every nation, it was physically impossible. There were no planes, trains, or automobiles. There were no ocean-bearing vessels. In those days, the only way you went anywhere was by walking or riding a donkey.
He still said, “Go to the whole world.”
Jesus often asks us to do the impossible, but today we are the first generation that can go anywhere in the world within 24 hours. If you don’t believe that, ask a travel agent.
Even more important than that, we have the internet, and we are connecting the entire world.
Every time God gives a new technology, it accelerates the spread of the gospel.
The printing press fueled the Reformation. Today, the internet connects the nations in real time.
This is not accidental.
God has entrusted this generation with unprecedented access to the world. That means unprecedented responsibility. If you have access to technology, you have access to the nations.
Today, you can sit at home in your pajamas and talk to somebody in Belgium, Brussels, Burundi, and Bujumbura all at the same time.
To sum it up: you don’t become a missionary by crossing the sea. You become a missionary by seeing the cross.
How to Develop a Heart for the World (Practically)
So what can you do?
- Read Scripture to understand God’s heart for the nations
- Open your life and your home to people from other cultures
- Learn about the nations and pray for them (join the FTT Breakthrough Prayer team for practical ways to get started)
- Use technology to reach beyond your geography
- Make a personal commitment to care about what God cares about
Because here’s the truth:
If you want the blessing of God, the power of God, and the anointing of God on your life—you must care about what God cares about most.
And what does he care about?
He wants his lost children found.
A Call to the Whole Church
Here is a truth that should create urgency in each of us: The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.
We will never finish the task alone. But if the whole church works together—across denominations, cultures, and nations—we can see the gospel reach everyone.
We don’t have to agree on everything to agree on this:
We have to go.
Let’s develop God’s heart for the world and give our lives to what matters most.
To take your next step towards the goals of finishing the task of the Great Commission, visit https://finishingthetask.com/take-your-next-step/
