Sabbath School Lesson Begins
Biblical Missionaries
Lesson 7 August 8-14
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’ Study: 2 Tim. 1:8-9; Isa. 42:1-9; Dan 9:24-27; Luke 2:8-14; Matt. 10:5-6; Acts 1:1-14.
Memory Text: Again Jesus said,
(John 20:21, NIV). Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you
According to Scripture, a core activity of the Trinity is mission. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are involved in saving humanity. Their Word began at the Fall and continues through until the end. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit will then restore this redeemed world to full unity with the divine will.
According to the Gospels, Jesus underwent the radical change int human form necessary for His mission to succeed. In Jesus Christ, the meaning of history comes into focus, the total mission activity of Go becomes coherent, and the deepest needs of humans for meaningful existence are fulfilled.
In the New Testament, we are made acquainted with the purposes of the incarnation of Jesus Christ. We find here how He outlines the program for mission, and we get glimpses of how Jesus met people fro other nations, people of other faiths. In the Word of God, we can see the incredible saving activity of God on behalf of fallen humanity.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath August 15.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began
(2 Tim. 1:8-9, NKJV).
Besides being great texts about the futility of salvation by works these texts reveal the eternal nature of salvation; they show that the plan for our redemption had been formulated long, long ago.
So it is no wonder that all through the Old Testament Jesus Chris is revealed in one way or another. Especially powerful are the prophecies, which clearly show that Jesus is indeed the Messiah.
Read the following Old Testament texts, all applied to Jesus. What do they say about Him an His role as Messiah? Isa. 61:1; Dan. 9:24-27; Isa. 7:14; 9:6 42:1-9.
The prophet Isaiah describes the mission of Jesus with these words Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations … I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness
(Isa. 42:1,6-7, NIV).
Dwell on the incredible idea that Jesus, the Creator, took upon Himself our humanity and in that humanity lived an died as He did. What great hope does this offer you in a world that, in and of itself, offers no hope at all?
Jesus Christ is Lord of both the church and the world. His coming is a fulfillment of the Old Testament expectations of a saved community that would extend far beyond the Jewish people. The coming of Jesus especially His suffering and resurrection, ushered in a new age in which the distinction between Jew and Gentile, as far as the gospel is concerned, disappears. Jerusalem would remain the center, at least for a while. However, the point of departure was no longer Herod’s temple in Jerusalem but the Jews converted to Christ; they had become the living temple. These Christian Jews would then be the true remnant
This announcement of the worldwide, universal mission of Christ a Savior of all nations was repeated at His birth, during His childhood and at His baptism.
What do the following text teach about the universal mission of Jesus to the world?
No question, Jesus came as the Savior for all humanity. What does this truth mean for us in the context of mission?
The missionary spirit needs to be revived in our churches. Ever member of the church should study how to help forward the work of God both in home missions and in foreign countries. Scarcely a thousandth part of the work is being done that ought to be done in missionary fields. God calls upon His workers to annex new territory for Him There are rich fields of toil waiting for the faithful worker.
—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol.
6 p. 29.
(Matt. 15:24, NIV). I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel
Between His first public appearance and His crucifixion, Jesus focused His ministry almost solely on the Jewish, particularly in Galilee. The Lord addressed Himself first to Israel. Before the Cross there are very few messages of good news to the Gentiles. Apparently Jesus wanted to awaken the Jewish people to their place, purpose, an role in God’s overall mission for lost humanity. Israel was to have the opportunity to be the witnesses of God’s message to the world.
Read Matthew 10:5-6. Why would Jesus say here what He did? How do we understand these words in the context of the universal scope of what Christ came to do and in the context of missions as a whole? Contrast this text to Matt. 28:19.
When we consider the life and ministry of Jesus, we must observe clear distinction between His thinking, ideals, principles, an planning on one side and the way He accomplished these purposes on the other. In His day-to-day life and ministry, He identified Himself with Jewish culture, just as the Old Testament predicted of the Messiah. But the impact of His incarnation was universally applicable. Through His death and resurrection, He would bear the sins of the world (John 1:29).
We detect here an important biblical principle for establishing mission. The first move is directed to creating a center in order to establish a strong and stable geographical and cultural base: Israel and the Jewish people. When that has been accomplished, mission should next develop outward from the center into ever-widening expanses.
Think about your home church. How well does it model the idea expressed above—that is, a strong and stable base that eventually is able to reach out to others? How can you avoid the danger, which man churches face, of being self-oriented, worrying about your own needs to the neglect of witness and mission?
Although Jesus spent the major part of His time among the Jews serving them in their cultural context, He made clear in His teaching and ministry that His mission was universal. The gospel should be preached to the nations, with Israel as the initial base. The salvation of the Gentiles is part of God’s plan. It was embodied in Jesus’ teaching.
How do the following teachings of Jesus indicate mission to non-Jewish people?
Despite the fact that Jesus ministered mainly among the Jews there’s no question that from the very start His mission was for the whole world. Right at His baptism, John the Baptist said it clearly: The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said,
(John 1:29, NKJV). The word world (Greek kosmos occurs about one hundred times in the Gospels. About half of these refer to the worldwide scope of Jesus as the Redeemer. Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
In the parable Jesus told in Luke 14:16-24, those invited made all sorts of excuses for not coming. Read those excuses again. On one level, none appeared unreasonable, did they? What important lesson should we take from this for ourselves?
Jesus spent the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension primarily in preparing the disciples and His church for worldwide evangelism. The best-known and most quoted resurrection account in Matthew’s. However, during this period there were other occasions during which the risen Christ could have given further details on the gospel commission. There were two appearances in Jerusalem, two in Galilee (one by the Sea of Tiberias, one on the hilltop) and the meeting reported in Acts 1:1-14.
There are five structured occasions in the Gospels and in Acts in which the Great Commission narrative is dealt with from various angles: on a mountain in Galilee (Matt. 28:16-20); at a table (Mark 16:14-16); in the upper room (John 20:19-23); on the beach (John 21:15-17); and just as He was taken up into heaven (Acts 1:6-9). What key points do all of these incident have in common?
Under the power of the Holy Spirit and obeying the words of Jesus the apostles quickly spread across the ancient world. Paul preached on the northern shore of the Mediterranean; Philip worked in Samaria According to early Christian tradition, Matthew traveled to Ethiopia and Thomas to India.
Though starting out small, and with so much opposition, through the grace of the Lord these faithful followers were able to spread the gospel message to the world. Whatever their faults, weaknesses, fears doubts, and struggles, they accepted the call and worked for the salvation of the world. That is, what they learned about Jesus, what they got from Jesus, they sought to share with others. Isn’t that what being a Christian is all about?
What have you been given in Christ? How should God’s gift to you through Christ influence your attitude toward witness an mission to others?
Friday
Further Study: According to Matthew, Jesus foretold that this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as testimony to all nations, and then the end will come
(Matt. 24:14, NIV). At the same time, the Scripture make another point clear:
(Matt. 24:36). Note also Jesus’ words: But of that day and hour know no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only
(Acts 1:7, NIV). It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority
Thus, while the good news of the gospel has been preached and is being preached as never before, and while we believe that Christ’s coming is soon, we must not get caught up in dates and speculating about dates. We are not to be engrossed with speculations in regard to the times and the seasons which God has not revealed. Jesus has told his disciples to
—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 189.watch,
but not for a definite time. His followers are to be in the position of those who are listening for the orders of their Captain; they are to watch, wait, pray, and work, a they approach the time for the coming of the Lord.
Inside Story ~ ~ By Reena Murm
Shanti was raised in a Christian home in Bangladesh. When she was still quite young her father died. Her mother struggled to feed her family. When Shanti was 13 years old, her mother gave her to a Hindu man in marriage.
According to custom, when Shanti went to live in her husband’s family, she was expected to take his religion. But Shanti refused. Her husband’s family treated her badly, and everyone worked to separate Shanti from her Christian faith. But Shanti clung to her God.
Shanti was expected to serve her mother-in-law, who treated her as a slave, shouting at her and denouncing her. Because Shanti refused to give up her faith in God, she was considered unclean and not allowed to work with food or utensils in the kitchen. But her mother-in-law made sure there was plenty of other work for the girl to do.
Shanti’s husband, Bhudroy, was much older than Shanti and treated her kindly, but he was powerless to help his young bride, for he didn’t dare defy his mother’s orders.
There was no escape for the young bride, for the couple was expected to remain with the family until after the first child was born. Three years after they married, their first daughter, Reena, was born.
Shanti tried to share her faith with her husband whenever she could, and over time he began to believe that Shanti was following the right religion. An Adventist pastor lived in the same village as Shanti. He visited the family and explained the church’s beliefs, hoping to make Shanti’s life a bit easier. Shanti’s mother-in-law refused to listen to the pastor, but her father-in-law listened. The pastor returned to visit the family often, sharing his faith and Bible promises with the family members who were open to hear them.
As he worked in the village, the pastor found a number of people who were interested in learning about the Bible. The pastor arranged to hold evangelistic meetings. Without Shanti’s knowledge, her husband asked the pastor to study the Bible with him. Then he was secretly baptized. Shanti didn’t know about her husband’s interest until after he was baptized, but she was thrilled.
Shanti’s mother-in-law, however, was very unhappy to learn that her son had abandoned his gods to worship his wife’s God. She growled under her breath when she saw Shanti and Bhudroy going to church together. She often tried to prevent them from attending church. She would hide some household valuable and demand that the couple find it before they went to church. These searches often made the couple late.
To be continuedProduced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org
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Sabbath School Lesson Ends
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