Read for This Week’s Study: Jonah 1–4; Nahum 1:1; 2 Kings 17:5, 6; Ps. 24:1; James 1:27; Isa. 6:1–8. Memory Text: “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me’ ” (Isaiah 6:8, NKJV). Not everyone called to mission was as compliant as Abraham. Jonah is an example (read Jonah 1–4). God called Jonah to cry out against Nineveh, capital of Assyria. This city, located in modern-day Iraq, was 560 miles from Jerusalem, a good m...
Oct 28, 2023•7 min•Season 5Ep. 1828
“Love for perishing souls inspired Abraham’s prayer. While he loathed the sins of that corrupt city, he desired that the sinners might be saved. His deep interest for Sodom shows the anxiety that we should feel for the impenitent. We should cherish hatred of sin, but pity and love for the sinner. All around us are souls going down to ruin as hopeless, as terrible, as that which befell Sodom. Every day the probation of some is closing. Every hour some are passing beyond the reach of mercy. And wh...
Oct 27, 2023•8 min•Season 5Ep. 1827
Read Genesis 12:1–9. What do these verses teach about submitting to God’s will, even when the path ahead does not seem clear?One of the main qualities of Abraham was his submission to God’s will. All the experiences of Abraham with God were characterized by this submission.His calling: Abraham received a challenging call from heaven: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’ ” (Gen. 12:1, NIV). When he heard a voice f...
Oct 26, 2023•9 min•Season 5Ep. 1826
Read Genesis 19:1–29. What was the result of Abraham’s spirit of hospitality, love, and prayer?The text gives an interesting indication about the position of Lot in the city of Sodom: “Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom” (Gen. 19:1, NKJV). This means he was an important character in the city, certainly a public officer, because sitting in the gate is a privilege of officers, judges, and kings (2 Sam. 19:8, Jer. 38:7, Ruth 4:1).Genesis 19 almost parallels chapter 18 and the story of the angels ...
Oct 25, 2023•12 min•Season 5Ep. 1825
Read Genesis 18:23–32 and James 5:16. What should this teach us about the power of intercessory prayer?The dialogue between Abraham and God is a type, a representation, of intercessory prayer. Abraham is presented in this chapter as an intercessor before God for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He was pleading for them, in behalf of them; that is, he was in a way acting as a type, a symbol, of Jesus as our Intercessor before the Father. Our mission today will be successful only if we proceed wi...
Oct 24, 2023•10 min•Season 5Ep. 1824
Read Genesis 18:16–33. How did Abraham exercise his great quality of love for all people without distinguishing tribe, race, or people?The second quality of Abraham drawn from Genesis 18 was his love for people, even for those he did not personally know. This is a great lesson for each of us. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were sinners, far removed from his values, but his heart was full of love for everyone without any distinction of race, gender, language, or religion.God, then, reveals to A...
Oct 23, 2023•11 min•Season 5Ep. 1823
Read Genesis 18:1–15. What elements of hospitality are demonstrated in Abraham’s response to his guests?Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. This behavior was unusual. At that time of the day in summer, when the sun is at its zenith, everyone is looking for shade and for a fresh breeze. But, perhaps, Abraham was enduring the heat in order to help anyone who might be passing by.While there, he saw three travelers. His practice, most likely, was to offer hospital...
Oct 22, 2023•11 min•Season 5Ep. 1822
Read for This Week’s Study Genesis 18, James 5:16, Rom. 8:34, Heb. 7:25, Gen. 19:1–29, Gen. 12:1–9. Memory Text: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34, 35, NKJV).From the start, Abraham wanted to be used by God for mission. This truth can been seen, for example, in Genesis 18, when God warned him about what was going to happen ...
Oct 20, 2023•6 min•Season 5Ep. 1821
Read Ellen G. White, “The Great Commission,” pp. 25–34, and “A Seeker for Truth,” pp. 131–142, in The Acts of the Apostles.“Before ascending to heaven, Christ gave His disciples their commission. He told them that they were to be the executors of the will in which He bequeathed to the world the treasures of eternal life. You have been witnesses of My life of sacrifice in behalf of the world, He said to them. You have seen My labors for Israel. And although My people would not come to Me that the...
Oct 20, 2023•7 min•Season 5Ep. 1820
Read Acts 1:8. What principle did Jesus present when doing the work of sharing or being His witnesses to the world?This is the principle set out by Jesus that shows us how we need to act as His disciples, who have the good news to share with others. Sharing the truth is not about convincing others how wrong they are, but about sharing Jesus as portrayed in the three angels’ messages of Revelation 14:6–12.There are, however, some principles in the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8.First, “ ‘you will be ...
Oct 19, 2023•12 min•Season 5Ep. 1819
Read Acts 8:1–4. In the early church, what brought about the scattering of believers beyond their comfort zone?Until this time, the early church was mainly in Jerusalem (or within the Jewish territory and among the Jewish people). When persecution began—in which Saul, a devout Jew and a Pharisee, was actively involved—the church in Jerusalem was then dispersed all over Judea and Samaria. Jesus had predicted in Acts 1:8 that “ ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria’ ...
Oct 18, 2023•11 min•Season 5Ep. 1818
Following the call of God, Abraham entered the land as God had commanded him. However, right from the start, things didn’t seem to go too well for him. He arrived where God told him to go, but according to the Bible, “the Canaanites were then in the land” (Gen. 12:6, NKJV)—pagans known for their cruelty and violence. No wonder that right after Abraham got there, the Lord appeared to him and said, “ ‘To your descendants I will give this land’ ” (Gen. 12:7, NKJV). No doubt Abraham needed the encou...
Oct 17, 2023•9 min•Season 5Ep. 1817
Read Genesis 12:1–3. In what way was God’s instruction to Abram a call to mission?God asked Abram (whose name He later changed to Abraham) to leave his country and his people and go to another land. It was all part of God’s plan to use Abraham as a vehicle to fulfill His divine purposes in the earth. And Abraham went, according to the Word of the Lord. If God has a plan for you, it may be a call for you to leave your extended family and your people and go to a place that He is opening up for you...
Oct 16, 2023•12 min•Season 5Ep. 1816
In order to reach others, God intends for us to move beyond our comfort zone. The desire to remain only with our own ilk and ethnic or social kind can lead to selfishness, even evil. This danger is one of the lessons derived from the story of Babel.Read Genesis 11:1–9. What were the intentions of the people? What were they wanting to do, and why would God thwart it?This story of the people at the Tower of Babel reveals their great ambition. They were planning to make a monumental structure—a cit...
Oct 15, 2023•14 min•Season 5Ep. 1815
Read for This Week’s StudyGen. 11:1–9, Gen. 12:1–3, Dan. 9:24–27, Matt. 1:21, Gen. 12:10–13:1, Acts 8:1–4, Acts 1:8.Memory Text:“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NKJV).God can sometimes move us out of our comfort zone and make us His witnesses. Sometimes this change can be used to accomplish His purposes, such as in the example of the dispersing ...
Oct 14, 2023•6 min•Season 5Ep. 1814
For a witness unto all nations. “The Saviour’s words, ‘Ye are the light of the world,’ point to the fact that he has committed to his followers a world-wide mission. As the rays of the sun penetrate to the remotest corners of the globe, so God designs that the light of the gospel shall extend to every soul upon the earth. If the church of Christ were fulfilling the purpose of our Lord, light would be shed upon all that sit in darkness and in the region and shadow of death; instead of congregatin...
Oct 13, 2023•7 min•Season 5Ep. 1813
Read Revelation 7:9, 10. What does this text suggest about the far-reaching geographical scope of God’s mission?This week’s lesson has intentionally discussed two crucial mission texts that emphasize the centrality of disciple-making in the Great Commission and the message of the eternal gospel. Interestingly, both texts have at least a common connecting point: the “where” of mission. They read: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19, NKJV), “those who dwell on the ear...
Oct 12, 2023•8 min•Season 5Ep. 1812
Throughout history, God has always had those who faithfully represented His character and, in obedience, followed His purposes. God’s people are those who have been called and who have accepted His invitation to be partakers of His grace. All of them have been—and continue to be—God’s instruments for the fulfillment of His mission.Read Genesis 12:1–3 and Deuteronomy 7:6, 11, 12. What was God’s original purpose for His people in the Old Testament?God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants ha...
Oct 11, 2023•9 min•Season 5Ep. 1811
Read Revelation 14:6, 7. What aspects of God’s mission can you identify in the “eternal gospel” (NRSV) presented by the first angel of the three angels’ messages?This is the only place in Scripture in which the words “eternal” and “gospel” are connected. The gospel is the good news of grace offered to all through Jesus Christ. He came into our world to show us “grace and truth” (John 1:14). He lived a sinless life and died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice to bear the penalty of our si...
Oct 10, 2023•9 min•Season 5Ep. 1810
Read Matthew 28:16–20. What elements of discipleship can you identify in this passage?Matthew 28:16–20 declares the biblical mandate, commonly identified as the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20), in which Jesus instructs His followers to move outward and make disciples, teaching them in faith, and initiating them into fellowship (see also Mark 16:15, 16; Luke 24:44–49; John 20:21–23; Acts 1:8).The basic components of Matthew 28:16–20 can be seen in four simple aspects: (1) Jesus commands His dis...
Oct 09, 2023•11 min•Season 5Ep. 1809
The mission of God in Scripture has Jesus at the front and center as the only way to salvation. Christ Himself declared: “ ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ ” (John 14:6, NKJV). But Jesus also helps us understand the centrality of the triune God to His mission.Everything Christ did was either for or from His heavenly Father (see John 4:34, John 5:30, John 12:45). However, we must always remember that Jesus’ mission did not begin when He came in...
Oct 08, 2023•9 min•Season 5Ep. 1808
Read for This Week’s StudyJohn 20:21, 22; Matt. 28:16–20; Rev. 14:6, 7; Deut. 7:6, 11, 12; Rev. 7:9, 10.Memory Text:“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NKJV).The theme, that of God as a God of mission, runs throughout Scripture. It is the connecting thread of human history, and it demonstrates God’s purpose for His creation. Furthermore, it consolidates divine revelation with a main f...
Oct 07, 2023•7 min•Season 5Ep. 1807
The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of ‘the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.’ Romans 16:25, R. V. . . . It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He f...
Oct 06, 2023•6 min•Season 5Ep. 1806
Read John 14:1–3. In what ways is it connected with the end-time message found in the Scriptures?During His earthly ministry, one of Christ’s most precious promises, the blessed hope, reflects once again the Creator’s desire to be with us for eternity. Jesus affirmed, “ ‘I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am’ ” (John 14:3, NIV; emphasis added).According to the apostle John, the promise will finally become reality. “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying...
Oct 05, 2023•7 min•Season 5Ep. 1805
Jesus’ life and ministry were God’s ultimate revelation. In about three years God was able to reveal more about who He was and what His mission was all about than in all He had done through any other method in previous generations. Christ was the perfect “image of the invisible God,” the One in whom “all the fullness should dwell, . . . having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:15, 19, 20, NKJV). In Christ, the missionary nature of God was completely made known. Jesus Himself rev...
Oct 04, 2023•8 min•Season 5Ep. 1804
The Old Testament presents how the Creator began to implement a plan through a people who were supposed to represent His nature and purpose to the world. Everything God did was according to His missionary strategy. Through the prophet Isaiah, God said: “ ‘I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, . . . saying, “My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure” ’ ” (Isa. 46:9, 10, NASB). In the New Testament, however, God’s desire to be...
Oct 03, 2023•10 min•Season 5Ep. 1803
Read Genesis 17:7, Genesis 26:3, and Genesis 28:15. What was the main focus of God’s promise to Abraham and his descendants in these verses?In the Old Testament narrative, God continues to act according to His missionary nature in order to fulfill His purposes. For instance, after the Flood the people of Babel decided to gather in one place to build a city and a tower that would reach to the heavens. God intervened, confusing their language with the goal to scatter them around the world (Gen. 11...
Oct 02, 2023•8 min•Season 5Ep. 1802
God created us in His image and likeness. He gave us a perfect world, and His purpose was that we would live in perfect connection with Him, a relationship centered in His most precious attribute: love. But for love to be real, God also gave us another precious gift: free will—the freedom to choose which way to follow. Of course, God gave clear instructions to Adam and Eve about the danger and deadly consequences of disobedience (Gen. 2:16, 17). Satan, in turn, deceptively persuaded Eve that she...
Oct 01, 2023•9 min•Season 5Ep. 1801
Read for This Week’s StudyGen. 3:9–15; Gen. 28:15; Exod. 29:43, 45; Matt. 1:18–23; John 1:14–18; John 3:16; John 14:1–3.Memory Text:“Then the Lord God called Adam and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ ” (Genesis 3:9, NKJV).Mission finds its origin and purpose only in God. This mission did not begin with Abram’s call (Gen. 12:1–4) or with the Exodus (Exod. 12:31–42). It did not begin even with Jesus Christ on the earth (Matt. 1:18–25) or with Paul’s missionary journeys (Acts 13:4–14:26). This mission...
Sep 30, 2023•5 min•Season 5Ep. 1800
Introduction - Quit talking and start doing something!
Sep 30, 2023•9 min
