“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
– Habakkuk 2:14
Jesus spent roughly three years with His disciples then in Matthew 28 He gives them clear directions to “go” - give His message of salvation all around the world, over every generation, to every person so that they might believe in Him. The greatest part is He chose people like you and me to take that Good News to “the ends of the earth.” Anyone who would come to believe in Him and call on His name would not just be saved, but also be called to go, duplicate what He modeled, and join in the fight for more human souls. He is right there with us, through it all, to the very end!
Matthew 28:19-20
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
So, who are Global Opsarion? …And what is an Opsarion?
We are Christ followers who want to share the Good News of Jesus
with all mankind, and train those who believe in Him to
Know God’s Word (the Bible)
Grow in their relationship with God and others
and GO make disciples
Opsarion - it’s Greek for “Little Fishes”
In the first century after Jesus' death, it was dangerous to be one of His followers. The Pharisees and Sadducees saw them as a threat to Judaism, and the Romans snuffed out any group they thought might grow to overthrow the government.
All of Jesus' disciples, and many other believers in The Way (the name for the group of Jesus’ followers), were persecuted for their faith. Because of this, they were cautious when meeting someone new. They developed a sign to use among themselves to signify if someone was part of The Way. One would draw an arc in the dirt with their foot, and the other would use their foot to place a second intersecting arc, with the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish, making an ichthus, then they would know they were friends.
Ichthus - ἰχθύς - is the Greek word for fish.
Opsarion - ὀψάριον - is a neuter noun that means fish, and also food eaten with bread, especially food that is boiled or roasted. It is a diminutive of the word opson, which can also mean "prepared dish". The modern Greek word for fish, psari (ψάρι), comes from opsarion.
In the Bible, opsarion appears in the following verses:
John 6:9
"Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?
John 6:11
"Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”
Our goal at Global Opsarion (GO) is to train people in discipleship.
If you know how, come join one of our GO Teams and dive in with someone who needs a discipler to disciple them.
If you need a charge to regain momentum, sign up for one of our SGTs (pilgrimages).
If you need some training or guidance, journey through
our curriculum to become a disciple-maker.
No matter where you are or what you need, we want to be a resource to help you
grow closer to God and change the world for Jesus!
We can’t wait for you to join us!
Discipleship Curriculum (coming soon)
Our curriculum gives a detailed understanding of what discipleship looks like; walks a reader through the critical steps of how to engage and help someone come to faith, instructs how to truly live out the pattern of being a disciple, and then prepares them to help others duplicate the process. It does not matter if you are searching for Truth or are already a follower of Jesus, our curriculum will teach you the Truth about Him, guide you to know how to trust in and follow Him, then give you practical steps to grow and live out your faith in Him and lead others to do the same.
Our curriculum is best done with a discipler - someone who lives out the Truths in Scripture and then leads others through the same - Yet, you are welcome to venture through it alone with the helps we provide in the workbook and on our website. However, as you’ll learn in our curriculum, we believe that doing this in relationship with someone who can be somewhat of a “guide” - who’s gone through it before - is the best way to do it. But don’t let that stop you! Jump in, learn, grow, and GO As You Go!
Mission Trips (GO Teams)
Our GO Teams go to serve, learn, and grow. First, they are a practical way to develop skills to serve Jesus by serving others. They focus on building relationships, helping believers (new and old) know how to follow God’s precepts and live out what it means to be disciple-makers. Second, when we go “to the ends of the earth”, it is a great time and place to learn the differences in cultures, assess the needs of those we serve, and then know how to teach, or deliver the practical tools for them to serve, learn, and grow. Third, we grow by teaching and preparing them to live Spirit filled lives, leaning on God’s Word to show them how to jump over obstacles in day-to-day life, and training them to become disciple-makers.
Spiritual Growth Trips (SGTs) / Pilgrimages
You ready to go deep?
SGTs are one way you can do just that! All of our journeys… to “The Road To Demascus”, “The Way of St. James”, one of “Paul’s Paths”, “The Via Dolorosa”, or other international or our domestic treks… give you the opportunity to experience the teachings of Jesus through the eyes of His disciples, and prepare you for a life of discipleship.
We design these adventures to dive deep into Jesus’ precepts to prepare you for a lifetime of discipleship with others.
No matter your age, ability, or stature, He calls you to GO where you go, and SGTs are a catalyst to launch you to your full potential.
These 10 day - 2 week trips can be tailored to fit those with limiting capacities, but will challenge all who take the journey. They will challenge us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually in order for us to truly conform our minds, hearts, souls, and actions to follow His directives throughout our lives.
For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
— Acts 13:47