I tried to imagine the setting of our topic for this week on Exiles as Missionaries. I tried to picture Daniel, his three companies and many others being forcibly rounded up to be taken from their homeland as captives. The homes they lived in, the streets they played on, the schools they learned in, the … Continue reading –>
Bangladesh ~ By Doneshor Tripura Doneshor was glad to be home, watching his father’s water buffalo. He had been away at school and had just completed his high school graduation exams. The day grew hotter, and Doneshor decided to go for a swim in the nearby river while the buffalo grazed nearby. He waded into … Continue reading –>
Multitudes will be called to a wider ministry. The whole world is opening to the gospel. . . . From every quarter of this world of ours comes the cry of sin-stricken hearts for a knowledge of the God of love. . . . It rests with us who have received the knowledge, with our … Continue reading –>
Daniel was an Israelite in involuntary banishment from Israel, as were Joseph and Moses in Egypt, Nehemiah in Babylon, and Esther in Persia. Their lives reveal that it is possible to live faithfully to God in spiritually and culturally unsupportive environments. With God’s direction it was even possible to attain prominent administrative positions in these … Continue reading –>
[Lesson plan for July 25—31, 2015] Key Thought : We have a mission to engage creatively with society and to demonstrate the power of faith within our culture. 1. Have a volunteer read Daniel 1:8-13. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is. b. What … Continue reading –>
Daniel was not merely an interpreter of other men’s dreams, significant as that was in this context. In Daniel 7-12, he had his own visions, which revealed the future of great world superpowers. Daniel’s visions especially emphasized that, despite earthly rulers and their plans and machinations, God retains final control of nations. In the end, … Continue reading –>
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? (Dan. 6:20). The king called Daniel the servant of the living … Continue reading –>
In Daniel 2, Daniel had an opportunity, born out of necessity, to witness to the power of the true God, as opposed to the false ones of Babylon. After singing a hymn of praise with his Jewish compatriots and thanking God for answering their prayers (Dan. 2:20-23), he interpreted the king’s dream and testified to … Continue reading –>
[Discussion starters for Lesson 5, July 25—31, 2015] 1. A handbook for missionary activity. Have you ever wished for a, comprehensive handbook for church activity? During my missionary years I could always obtain good advice, but if only I’d had a systematic presentation of all the things I should know… How could the book of Daniel help … Continue reading –>
Read Isaiah 39:5-7 and Daniel 1:1-2. How are these verses related? Daniel, whose name means God is my judge, was force-marched from a defeated Jerusalem into the Babylonian capital. The book of Daniel gives glimpses of his life in the courts of Babylon and Persia. After three years of education in Babylon, Daniel was employed … Continue reading –>
