SDA Sabbath School Lessons

#9 Outreach Gifts

• Sabbath 2/22- Evangelism
• Sunday 2/23 - Evangelism: The Lifeblood of the Church
• Monday 2/24 - Gifts of Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues
• Tuesday 2/25 - The Gift of Evangelism
• Wednesday 2/26 - The Gift of Discernment
• Thursday 2/27- The Gift of Missionary
• Friday 2/28 - Further Study
• Inside Story - Prayers Answered in Mongolia, Part 1

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EVANGELISM

The word evangelism comes from the Greek word euaggelizein, which is a combination of two words, eu, meaning "good," and aggellein, meaning "to carry news," or "to proclaim something." The word gospel, a direct derivative of these Greek words, means "the good news." "Good news" is used 132 times in the New Testament.

Some form of the word euaggelizein, meaning "to evangelize," is used 55 times in the New Testament, mostly by Luke and Paul. Luke uses it as a synonym for the proclamation of the good news, and Paul uses it to explain the mission of Jesus.

The outreach gifts of the Spirit empower evangelism.

EVANGELISM: THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE CHURCH (Matt. 28:18-20).

"The very life of the church depends upon her faithfulness in fulfilling the Lord's commission." - The Desire of Ages, p. 825.

Look up the four versions of the great commission in your Bible.  What do these versions communicate to you?  Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:19-23.

Evangelism is a term that takes in the entire procedure of presenting the good news to nonbelievers and integrating them into the church.  Evangelism is an application of the great commission.

Read again Matthew 24:14, 28:16-20, and Acts 1:8.  How is the subject of these verses related to evangelism?

"The church is God's appointed agency for the salvation of men.  It was organized for service, and its mission is to carry the gospel to the world." - The Acts of the Apostles, p. 9.

Ratio	Explanation
Nonmember-guests-in-the- congregation ratio=5/100	At least 5 of every 100 persons attending on Sabbath morning should be guests from the church's ministry area.
Members'-soul-winning- network ratio = 1/2	One of every 2 active members should identify their network of nonmember friends, relatives, work associates.
First-time-visitor-retentionratio = 1/4 Second/third-time-visitorratio = 3/4	One of 4 first-time visitors from the church's ministry area should become active members within a year. Three of 4 second-, third-, and fourth-time visitors should be active within a year.

GIFTS OF TONGUES AND INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES (Mark 16:17).

These are two of the most controversial gifts, mostly because of the way they are used in Pentecostal circles and the Charismatic movement.  They are considered outreach gifts in this series of lessons, based on Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 14:22:  "Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers" (NIV).

Text	What does it say about tongues?
Mark 16:17
Acts 2:4-11
Acts 10:46
1 Cor. 12:10, 28
1 Corinthians 14
1 Cor. 12:10; 14:5, 39

No one knows exactly what situation Paul was facing in 1 Corinthians 14.  In general, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has assumed that the gift of tongues refers to the ability to learn and use a language or languages not one's own, often in a miraculous way as on the Day of Pentecost.  Most illustrations of speaking in tongues in Adventist mission literature underline this belief.

On the other hand:  "Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church.   Some have been deceived here." - Last Day Events, p. 159.

Reversing the Tower of Babel.  At the Tower of Babel, God confused people's language so that sin would be confined to small pockets of people.  At Pentecost, He reversed the process and caused large numbers of people to hear the gospel.  That is why tongues can be classified as an outreach gift.

THE GIFT OF EVANGELISM (2 Tim. 4:5).

The gift of evangelism is unique.  People with this gift can lead people to decisions for the faith in ways that are almost impossible for others.  The Lord gives them words to speak and places them in situations where they find receptive people.

Study carefully the following examples of people with the gift of evangelism.  How does this gift work?  2 Tim. 4:5; Acts 8:26-40.

Do all Christians have the special gift of evangelism?  1 Cor. 12:14-20.

The obvious answer is No.  There are two issues involved here. Worldwide studies show that usually no more than 5-10 percent of a church's active membership will have the spiritual gift of evangelism.  Why is this the case?  First of all, because the gift of evangelism is a specialized gift.  Evangelism in this sense does not mean only public meetings.  It involves many outreach methods like those mentioned above.  Second, not having the gift of evangelism does not mean sitting back and doing no outreach at all.  A basic principle of Christian life is this:  Not all Christians are evangelists, but all Christians are witnesses.  All Christians are responsible for witnessing, telling friends, relatives, and work associates the gospel story and presenting a personal testimony.  But those having the gift develop skills in opening conversations, encouraging decisions, doing "the work of an evangelist" (2 Tim. 4:5) with finesse and dexterity.

Do you have the gift of evangelism?  Ask yourself whether you have the specialized abilities of an evangelist.

THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT (1 Cor. 12:10).

The gift of discernment is classified as an outreach gift because it is part of the process of telling right from wrong in the presentation of the gospel.  This gift is also called "the ability to distinguish between spirits" (1 Cor. 12:10, NIV).  Others call it the gift of insight.

Experience	The gift in action
Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5:1-10
Simon the Sorcerer, Acts 8:14-25

1 John 4:1 clearly indicates that "spirits" have to be tested.  In some ways, this could be classified as a sign or power gift; the "spirits" discerned are often satanic.

This is not a common gift. It must be used judiciously and with courage.   Many people who have it are fearful of using it, because the consequences can be turbulent. In 1 Corinthians 14:29, discussing the issue of orderliness in worship services, Paul counsels:  "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said" (NIV).  The words "weigh carefully," or "let the other judge" (KJV), translate Greek word that means "make a distinction," "differentiate," "judge correctly."  The exercise of discernment is needed.

Some characteristics of those who have this gift are (1) a keen ability to recognize inconsistencies; (2) the tendency to spot what is wrong with an idea or teaching and to suggest how to fix it; (3) a deep conviction not easily put to rest when they know people are being given half-truths, misapplied truths, or false teachings.

Assume that someone introduces into your church what purports to be new or advanced biblical understanding.  How might your congregation use the gift of discernment in its midst to ascertain the validity of the person’s teaching?

THE GIFT OF MISSIONARY (Rom. 1:5).

The gift of missionary refers to the ability to work cross-culturally.  Not everyone can do this, nor are all called to do so.

There are different types of evangelism and outreach, usually classified according to the target group the evangelizers wish to reach.  Their aim may be (1) the internal spiritual and numerical growth of the existing congregation; (2) bringing new converts from the community into the existing congregation; (3) planting new churches; (4) reaching out to different ethnic, language, or cultural groups.

People with the gift of missionary may work in any of these ways, though most often they function at point 4.  Often they serve outside their country of origin.

Study carefully Peter's experience with Cornelius in Acts 10 and 11:1-18.  Notice his reaction when he arrived at Cornelius' house (Acts 10:27-29).  What did he have to explain to the other disciples?  Did Peter have the gift of missionary?  Gal. 2:7-14.

What circumstances have or have not lead your congregation to take an interest in cross-cultural ministry?  How would you go about starting this kind of ministry?

FURTHER STUDY:

For additional information on the church's outreach, study Luke 24:45-49. See The Acts of the Apostles, chapters 1, 2, 3, and The Desire of Ages, chapter 86.   Two books will help you learn how to use your gift of evangelism in witnessing for Christ:  Mark Finley, Persuasion: How to Help People Decide for Jesus (Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1994) and Philip G. Samaan, Christ's Way of Reaching People (Hagerstown, Md.: Review and Herald, 1990).  For an interesting record of evangelism in the time of the apostles, see Michael Green, Evangelism in the Early Church (Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans, 1970).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:   Ellen White makes the statement: "Every true disciple is born into the kingdom of God as a missionary.' - The Desire of Ages, p. 195. How does this statement correlate with, the gift of missionary? Does "evangelism" mean only public meetings, or are there other methods that those with the gift of evangelism can utilize? In many parts of the world it is common to resort to legal action to solve problems. Under what circumstances would it be appropriate to have someone with the gift of discernment attempt to resolve a difference between church members? What might be the dangers in using this procedure?

Prayers Answered in Mongolia, Part 1

Scott Christiansen

"Oh, yes, we know ADRA," the important Mongolian government official nodded and frowned. "They bring criminals into our country!"  My mouth fell open in shock and amazement.

In 1993 a storm of charges and suspicion broke over ADRA and the tiny Adventist congregation in Mongolia.  A young man from the United States had attended the Adventist church and even volunteered on a church program to help the street children in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital city.  Later we learned that the man was wanted by police in the United States on a variety of charges; and Mongolia was cooperating with the U.S. in arresting him.  The event was big news in Mongolia, and the story became exaggerated and twisted with each retelling.  Unfortunately, ADRA and the Adventist believers were caught up in the negative publicity.

Adventist Christians in Mongolia and around the world prayed fervently that God would overrule in the crisis, and bring honor to His name.  And He did.

The president of Mongolia called a meeting to consider the situation of children in Mongolia.  I had been invited to the meeting, but my name had been dropped from the guest list.  Only quick action by friends got me into the president's meeting.  Throughout the meeting I prayed for an opportunity to introduce ADRA and to give an accurate description of the good work we were doing.

As the meeting was coming to a close, the president said, "Before we close, are there any comments?"  Then, pointing at me, he said, "How about you, young man.  Stand up and introduce yourself."

After the meeting, in answer to prayer, the tide began to turn.  When the ADRA team went to the country's only retirement home to distribute food, warm blankets, and clothing to the 130 elderly men and women there, we found a television news team covering the event.  They produced a ten-minute report of ADRA that aired immediately before a speech by the Mongolian president on the occasion of the Mongolian New Year, which, in that country, is traditionally the time to honor the elderly.

(continued next week)

Scott Christiansen has been the director of ADRA/Mongolia since 1994.

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