Sunday: The Nature of Cities
Cities bring together many different cultures, ethnic groups, languages, and religions. Traditionally, each group had its “quarter,” or defined territory. Increasingly, all kinds of people live next door to one another throughout metropolitan regions. This multicultural reality creates risk and complexity, but it also provides great opportunity for the gospel.
Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com
There is greater tolerance for new ideas, a greater willingness to listen to new religions, than often exists in the more traditional cultural settings outside the cities. The city could provide access to many people who otherwise might never come near the Seventh-day Adventist message.
Read Acts 18:1-28 to see one example of how Paul pursued church planting in cities. What points can we learn from what he did there?
In these urban centers, there was a mosaic of many languages, cultures, and ethnic groups, just as cities have today. Paul found specific types of people with whom he connected. He found people who shared his connections to the Jewish faith, to Roman citizenship, and to the tentmaking business in which he was trained. He used these skills to support himself. He lived in the household of a couple who became believers and evangelists themselves. He taught in the synagogue until he was kicked out, and then he started a house church in the home of a believer. He trained and mentored enough new believers so that when he moved on, he could appoint people to lead the group.
Clearly, Paul understood and was comfortable working in the multicultural, multifaith context of the city (see also 1 Cor. 9:20-23). He knew how to adapt to the environment that he was in, and he learned how to present the truth in order to best meet the needs of those he was trying to reach.
How can we as individuals, and our local church as a whole, be better equipped to mingle with our communities so that we can reach them?
(29)
Some of the points I saw were,
1. He stood firm, in what he believed in.
2.He moved from point A to point B to spread the gospel. (Did not stay in one place, he know the importance of spreading the gospel)
3. He trained individuals to preach/ teach the word of God.
4. He supported himself, (therefore, he was bound by his job)
5. Found people with the same interest. ( helpers)
6. Most importantly, he was obedient (unlike Jonah he listened to God)
Paul was willing and adapted to his environment, all the things he did removed any obstacle that would prevent him from spreading God's word.this made him a true evangelist.
Paul adapted to the environment, but did not compromise the true. It is important that we understand that true must be preach pure as it is without removing any part of it.
Esther
Yesterday I spent the sabbath day with the Cleveland Temple SDA church in Trinidad and had a wonderful experience
They went to worship outdoors in a nearby community
Many departments came together to minister by serving breakfast checking blood pressures blood sugars lecturing on health and picking up litter
Some of the people came near while others stood afar off and some stayed at their windows
The community received physical and spiritual food delivered from the adults and the youth
A young man gave a powerful testimony of his transformation from a life of drugs to a servant of Jesus
Just as Jesus mingled we followed His method and one of the community's listeners came forward to pray thanking God for sending the church
Let's build relationships with Jesus and follow Him to build relationships with our communities
Let's get the message out quickly to prepare others to meet Him
Thx you Lord for this quartets lesson
Thanx Maundy for such an explanation, mingling in the city by meeting people's, needs helps coz when we leave them out in the community, they remain demanded wanting to know more about the people who cared for them in time of need
And one thing i believe is that everyone has the opportunity to preach the gospel be that @work,home,journey etc. there is a door for Jesus' name to be spoken but we always misuse the chances we get
As we approach the end, we must do our part to reach out to our neighbors and coworkers, we must look for opportunities to share our faith in a tactful manner. We are responsible for their salvation! It is necesary to come out of our comfort zone in order to plant the seed of the gospel as did Paul.
Very true! And our comfort zone should be in Jesus Christ.
I discovered this in the Friday reading:
To a great degree this must be accomplished by personal labor.
This was Christ\'s method.
His work was largely made up of personal interviews. He had a faithful regard for the one-soul audience. Through that one soul the message was often extended to thousands. {COL 229.2}
Lets join hands to do as our brothers in christ did so as ro reach many people
Lets allow Jesus to do his will in us and great will be the results
We should boldly spread the Bible truth being mindful that the world in general and cities to be specific are flooded with prosperity messages which are so inspiring to the fallen beings.