Urban Ministry in the End Time – Discussion Starters
- Common–or uncommon–sense? [Lesson 12 for September 17] Advice to God’s people confined to exile: Work for the good of the country where you are taken. “If it prospers, you too will prosper.” Stunning words? or common wisdom? More people live in cities today than in the country or less populated areas. Does that mean we should follow them? Or head out away from them into the countryside? Big cities are often home to people who have never heard of Seventh-day Adventists. What should we do about that?
- The Nature of Cities. Do you think that it’s time for a call to the cities? Haven’t we always been instructed to choose homes in the countryside? How do “city people” compare with those who live outside the cities? Do certain teachings of the Seventh–day Adventist church equip us especially for the presentation of our beliefs to metropolitan areas? How does variety of thought as found in our cities lend itself to the presentation of the Three Angels’ Messages? the Second Coming? Bible prophecy?
- The Hurting Place. Have you ever been sitting in a pew in a city church and be disturbed by the sounds of crashing metal and glass, sirens and screams? Or have you sat next to a non-member who shakes his head in bewilderment at the Adventist preacher’s words about the Ten Commandments? If people are startled and even dismayed by our Bible-based teachings, how should we respond to them? Can the Bible calm the troubled spirit? Can we present the Ten Commandments in a loving and hopeful way? How?
Image © Darrel Tank from GoodSalt.com
- Sowing and Reaping in Cities. Don’t miss the parable of the scattered seed and the opportunity to see how the variety of responses is linked to spreading of the gospel in the cities. If you church doesn’t have much “good ground” for spreading the gospel, what should you do about it? How can we prepare the soil for our message of Biblical doctrine? We have at this time highly successful evangelists and preachers in our church. In what ways can city churches take advantage of this talent by inviting city residents to listen to these preachers? How should the training and encouragement of ministers and lay leaders focus on the vast potential of city-based ministries.
- Make it Personal. True or false: we should make friends with non-Adventists who live in the city. Why or why not? How? If your urban ministry is based on a large congregation, can you still create small groups within that large group? If you do, can you reach people more effectively? Will you have more or fewer opportunities to work with small groups when you’re based in a large church in a major metropolitan area than you will with a small church in a small community?
- Reaching out to the Cities. Should we work to extend our ministry to larger cities because it is easier? or harder? What should our motivation be? Before Jesus comes, do you think we’ll see new members surging into city churches? If not, should we slink away and keep out of these churches? What did our prophetic friend Ellen White mean for us to do when she wrote these words: “The work in the cities is the essential work for this time…the result [of such an outreach] will be the setting in operation of a mighty movement such as we have not yet witnessed.” Are you ready?
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What specific time is it that is essential?
Well to me, the time is now for those who live in an urban setting, and it very important time is rapping up, we are living in the last days (Jesus is coming again).
Before the Sunday law being declared but otherwise it will be very difficult for reaching the souls that dwell in town and cities
One way for us to witness to the other city dwellers, is by mingling. We have to mingle. Jesus mingled too, he continued to live a pure life, but he mingled, then he helped others. And I believe health is a big way to help. We were blessed with the health message (people like doctor Oz use the same remedies )so we should use it. People who live in the city are sick, get sick easier, because we are so close to each, viruses spread like wildfire. We are too busy working, we don't have time to exercise and etc. Therefore health is sure way to minister. Everyone is interested in being healthy at some point of their life.
Medical missionary work is the right hand of the gospel, it opens up closed doors in the cities. It is the church's mission for a time as this that diseases especially lifestyle diseases are hurting many without race, gender, etc discrimination. So may we reach out in the cities using this method. We do our part, sowing, and God will do the rest, germination, growth etcetera.
As Jesus did we must meet people where they are. City people's needs varies. The greatest of which is TRUE friendship. After a needs assessment is done. The next step is to meet these needs and help them to fall in love with Jesus, the true source and provider.
I grew up in a big city. SDA members move into the big city and started to attack other Christians from different religious establishments. They become legalists attacking them about Sabbath on a wrong day when God's message for human beings to have a Sabbath day as a day of worship, spending quality of time with family, no work so we can reflect and converse with God through Jesus. They criticized our lifestyles, family values, cultural values, by finding our deficiencies like how we dressed, prayed, eating meats, etc. These kind of un-Christ-like behavior does not reflect God's unconditional love, mercy, compassion, unity to resist temptation of worldly sins, etc.