Global Focus Week Convocation

This week was Global Focus Week at Liberty University — a week dedicated to cultural awareness and immersion of cultures from around the world. 

David Platt took the stage for Wednesday’s Convocation to speak to students about global missions and following God’s call to spread the word of God to others. Conrad Mbewe, who pastors a church in Zambia, spoke on how “God is the fountain of wisdom” during Friday’s Convocation. 

Platt began his talk by showing a map representing the reached and unreached people and areas of the world. 

“In these red areas, there is approximately 3.2 billion of them who will die,” Platt said. “If they have never heard the gospel when they die, they will go into eternity having never been reached with the good news of God’s love. I actually believe we can reach them.”

Platt then explained that with modern globalization, there are so many ways students can serve around the world while spreading the gospel. From doctors to businessmen, Platt spoke about how there are jobs all around the world that students can take on while following the Great Commission.

Mbewe focused on finding true wisdom through being missions minded. 

“The answer first of all is found in those wonderful words in Psalms 67, ‘Let the nations be glad,’” Mbewe said.

Mbewe explained the metaphor of the world being like a “global village.” He began by explaining how missions are more than just people from America going out across the world, but that it is rather an effort made by all the nations to pour the gospel into areas that have never heard it. 

He spoke about the story of Job and the achievements of humanity. He claimed that even though humans are far ahead of every other creature, they still need help. Mbewe talked about how the world, despite its achievements, still sins and lacks wisdom. Mbewe then went on to give students a new perspective on what wisdom really is.

“It is the ability to understand life as God meant it to be,” he said. “It is the ability to make decisions that are in line with the way life was meant to be. Therefore, to make moral decisions, to make spiritual decisions that are going to be for the good of your life, the good of your home, for the good of your world (and) for the glory of God. When you define wisdom that way, you’ll soon begin to realize how desperately the world of human beings still lacks wisdom.”

Mbewe continued to explain the value of godly wisdom to students through the story of Job. He told students that such wisdom is more valuable than anything one could gain from any great achievement here on earth, and he encouraged them to seek this wisdom in their lives. 

Both Convocations spoke about the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 and encouraged students to think more about global missions during Liberty’s Global Focus Week.

Austin is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion