EXTRA Ideas for Adults—Seize the Day—A Mission Without Boundaries

Date: May 24, 2026

Session Title: A Mission Without Boundaries

The Point: Sharing the message of Christ is a privilege that could take you anywhere. 

Podcast—Bible Studies for Life: Adults

Find your weekly podcast that helps both leaders and group members dig deeper into the session, offering clarity, insight, and practical guidance you can use right away. Listen now to strengthen your preparation and maximize your group’s time together.

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ADDITIONAL TEACHING OPTIONS

Optional teaching ideas that incorporate current news, cultural trends, and real-world illustrations to help your group engage more deeply and view today’s issues through a clear biblical lens.Getting Started

Getting Started

Read after discussing Getting Started—Question 1

In a small village in Mexico, there’s no local church or pastor, and children leave school after eighth grade to work in factories. The community has a belief system made up of cultural Catholicism and animism, worshipping their ancestors. It’s in this town that a young man named Pedro lives. At ten years old, Pedro was diagnosed with brittle bone disease, an incurable illness that caused several broken bones and surgeries, leaving him unable to walk without crutches.

The other villagers believed Pedro’s illness was a sign that he was cursed, which weighed heavily on him and caused severe depression. When his parents asked around to find help, a man named Pastor Jacob kept coming up.

Jacob began meeting with Pedro, now in his late twenties, and shared different stories from the Bible. Within a few weeks, Pedro began abandoning his animist beliefs and turning to the gospel. IMB missionary Jimmy Peebles began joining in these meetings and ministering to the young man. And in 2025, Pedro gave his life to Christ and now meets with a Christian church in a neighboring village. He says the group helps offset the loneliness of being the only believer in his village.

Though these three men met in unusual circumstances, God has worked in and through them for the gospel to gain a foothold in an unreached area. Pastor Jacob and Jimmy Pearson found common ground as fellow believers and allowed that to be the launching point to share the gospel with Pedro.

To read more about this article, visit IMB.org and search “From Brittle Bones to Unshakable Faith.”

Get Into the Study (Option for Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a video clip showing some unforgettable places. Then ask Question #1.

Study the Bible (Option for Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play the song “Wherever He Leads I’ll Go” and invite the group to consider whether that’s true in their own lives.

The week’s writer for Extra is Erika Morrison. Erika is the daughter of missionary parents. She lives in Southwest Michigan, where she serves as the executive director of a human services non-profit, and speaks regularly on poverty culture, and having a relationship with Jesus.

Live it Out

Read after discussing Live It Out—Pray for Missions:

The country of Guinea in Africa has around 14 million people, but only nine Baptist churches. Ninety percent of the population is Muslim, while less than one percent identify as Christian. The Baptist movement is only thirty years old in Guinea, and most church leaders grew up in Muslim homes. They’ve never seen a functioning Christian church, yet are enthusiastic to spread the gospel. Two men have stepped up to help lead and shape the growing Baptist movement: Christian and Jacques.

Christian was originally a schoolteacher from Togo and was ordained as co-pastor of his church in 2025. Though his church only has 50-60 members, Christian has been hard at work reaching those around him. He recently started a young adult ministry to teach them how to study the Bible and share their faith.

Jacques grew up in a voodoo-practicing home and was kicked out of his family when he became a believer. He is the first missionary sent from the Benin Baptist Union in Benin. Jacques has partnered with the IMB and Christian, and co-leads the young adult ministry at Christian’s church. The two men are hoping to raise up new missionaries and church leaders in Guinea. Pray for more people to be receptive to them sharing the gospel, and pray for the boldness of the growing Church in Guinea.

To read more about this article, visit IMB.org and search “Two Young Leaders Impact Church Growth in Guinea.”

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Additional Questions

Optional, thoughtfully crafted questions designed to warm up group conversation and guide engagement throughout each Bible passage—helping your group think critically, connect personally, and process Scripture through a clear biblical lens.

Icebreakers

• Where is the most culturally different place you’ve been?
• What foreign country would you like to visit?
• When have you found common ground with someone in an unexpected way?

Acts 13:1-3. When God calls you to go, go!

• What do worship, fasting, and prayer have to do with missions?
• How would you describe the Holy Spirit’s role in reaching the world with the gospel?
• What do we learn about missions from the church at Antioch?

Acts 13:44-47. We will encounter rejection as some people reject the gospel.

• What kind of response should we expect when we take the message of Jesus where it has not previously been heard?
• What must be communicated in order for someone to have access to the salvation of God, and eternal life they can have, in Jesus?
• Why should believers not be surprised when we encounter rejection to the gospel?

Acts 13:48-52. We will experience joy as some people embrace the gospel.

• Why do you think the Gentiles were so eager to hear what Paul and Barnabas had to say?
• What does this passage teach us about persevering in the face of rejection?
• Why does a friend or family member’s conversion produce joy in those who shared the gospel with them?

The week’s writer for Extra is Emily Duncan. Emily is a Southern California native who lives in west Georgia with her husband and daughter. God saved her from Wicca when she was sixteen while at a youth retreat. Emily’s a member of Midway Church in Villa Rica and mentors young women as they transition from high school to college.

[Linked material and sources serve as background illustration only and does not imply endorsement beyond our biblical application.]