13: God's Mission Completed - Teaching Plan

Key Thought : Jesus promise of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain enables His people to complete His mission on earth.

[Teaching plan for God’s Mission Completed September 23, 2013]

1. Have a volunteer read Matthew 28:18-20.

a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. What does it mean that Jesus will be with you always, even to the end of the age?
c. Personal Application : In what ways, in your area of influence, can you be a more effective witness for the Lord? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your relatives states: I think that we don’t follow the counsel here. We teach and baptize, but we don’t continue to teach our believers all things what Jesus has commanded. We may lose a lot of members that way.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Joel 2:23,24.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. How are the early and the latter rains different? What do they symbolize?
c. Personal Application : Are we supposed to sit back and do nothing until the latter rain falls upon us to witness with great power? If not, why not? Wouldn’t we just be spinning our wheels until God’s power is poured out? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your friends states, “What is this early and latter rain stuff? The Holy Spirit was poured out on Pentacost and its power has been with us ever since. There have been many mighty workings of the Spirit through His believers over the years. The latter rain has already fallen.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Revelation 12:17.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. Who is the dragon, who is the woman, who is the remnant, and what is the testimony of Jesus?
c. Personal Application : How has the devil manifested his anger toward you because of your obedience and witness? If he hasn’t bothered with you, what might be the problem? Share.
d. Case Study : One of your neighbors states, “Why do so many of the churches say the gifts of the Spirit died with the apostles? And then other churches misapply and misuse the understanding and application of Spiritual gifts. Why is there so much confusion?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Joel 2:28-32.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What does Joel mean by all flesh here? Will non-Adventists be giving the three angel’s messages with Holy Spirit power? Will heathen and non-believers see dreams and visions? Or is the Spirit only given to those who obey Him and are watching and waiting and praying for His Spirit? Share your thoughts.
c. Personal Application : How can you tell if a dream or vision is from the Lord, or the result of too much pickles and ice cream, or a troubled mind? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Note : “Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.” MH p. 149.

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13: God’s Mission Completed – Teaching Plan — 4 Comments

Tyler Cluthe on September 23, 2013 at 9:38 am said:

The key thought for the lesson plan is that the latter rain, "enables His people to complete His mission on earth" but in the last paragraph of Monday's lesson there is a quote from Ellen White that says that it is, "to prepare the church for the coming of the Son of man." The two ideas are similar but really quite different. Michael's Key thought encapsulates the theme for the week's lesson - that of completing the commission Jesus gave his church to be witnesses to all nations and the finial touches in the process of sanctifying the church. Certainly that is something that we should be doing.

The Ellen White quotation is about preparing the church for what is coming especially the seven last plagues. It is a time of refinement, of preparation for an experience that the church is nowhere close to being ready for. It is something that is hinted at in the parable of the ten virgins where all ten start out with oil but only the five wise virgins have extra oil. That extra oil comes as a result of the latter rain.

For the church the problem comes in two areas: First is the fact that we have the Laodicean condition of not knowing our real spiritual condition. The second is not knowing just how severe the temptations will be during the plagues and that we think it is going to be far easier than it will actually be.

So to me the latter rain involves the two main purposes, that of sending the spirit of Elijah as a witness and that of preparing for the finial events psychologically, spiritually and maybe even physically (for an explanation of the last purpose see The Great Controversy, p 622).

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- John Gilmore on September 27, 2013 at 5:53 pm said:
  
  For those who have greater light (who are “rich and increased with goods”), that possession makes them responsible for its use, both in obedience to the truth and in sharing it others. If we who know the truth don't live by the truth, we need not the latter rain but the former rain to bring conversion.
  
  But once we are converted, we will want more power to enable us to share more effectively the blessings of God with those around us. That power is the "latter rain" work of the Holy Spirit. We need that power now, not only in the future.
  
  And the more we are involved in both seeking and sharing God's will, the more we will be prepared to separate from this sinful world. Our hearts will be longing more and more intensely to see heaven and, above all, our Savior, not just by faith but face to face.
  
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Tyler Cluthe on September 23, 2013 at 10:18 am said:

The questions that Michael asks under 4b are interesting! As I understand it during the time of the outpouring there will be a lot of movement in and out of the church. Like it was during the former rain I think there will be those outside the church that will experience visions and dreams - and maybe a whole lot more.

We have as a precedent the experience of Cornelius, a centurion in the Roman army. He apparently was an honest, God fearing man but also not in the church. Acts 10:1-6 records the vision he had that directed him to seek Peter in Joppa (see also Acts 10:22, 34-35, 44). The rest of the story is of acceptance and baptism of not only Cornelius but also all those that were with him.

I think it is a grave mistake to limit what God will or will not do in order to save that which was lost. I also think that we must remember what Jesus said, "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd" (Jn. 10:16 NKJV). On top of that we are told that there will be people in Heaven that have never heard the name of Jesus but because they have followed the little light they had God will save them. In other words our church is not an exclusive club - it encompasses the entire world of those who are safe to save.

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- John Gilmore on September 27, 2013 at 5:46 pm said:
  
  It is true that God is aiming to save all He can, whether they know it or not. And Romans 2:14-16 lets us know that some will be saved without knowledge of the Word of God.
  But as “the truth will set you free”, the greater our knowledge of the Bible, the more power we may have for evangelism. See Romans 10:13-15. The more intimately we know Him who is the Truth, the more clearly we can present Him to others.
  
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13: God’s Mission Completed – Teaching Plan