Lesson 4 Saturday October 21 - Sharing God’s Mission

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 to Sodom and Gomorrah. “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7, NKJV). And in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, “His servant the prophet” was Abraham.Abraham was resting during the heat of the day when he saw three travelers. “Abraham had seen in his guests only three tired way­farers, little thinking that among them was One whom he might worship without sin.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 138, 139.Abraham, however, soon became personally involved in God’s mission. His involvement, as revealed in this chapter, was to pray for and intercede for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. That is, he wanted to see if, somehow, these people, despite themselves, could be saved. In a sense, if that is not what mission is about—what is?Throughout this chapter, three great spiritual qualities of Abraham are revealed: hospitality, love, and prayer—qualities that can greatly aid in mission, as well.*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 28.