God’s Mission My Mission #3 - page 1 of 10
God’s Mission My Mission
God’s Call to Mission
Lesson #3 for October 21, 2023
Scriptures:Genesis 11:1-9; 12:1-3,10-20; 13:1; Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 1:21; Acts 1:8; 8:1-4.
1.
Have you ever felt that God was trying to move you out of your comfort zone? There are many stories in Scripture and from the history of the Christian church in which God has had to move people out of their comfort zones. Think of the story of the tower of Babel.
Genesis 11:1-9: 1 At first, the people of the whole world had only one language and used the same words. 2As they wandered about in the East, they came to a plain in Babylonia and settled there. 3They said to one another, “Come on! Let’s make bricks and bake them hard.” So they had bricks to build with and tar to hold them together. 4They said, “Now let’s build a city with a tower that reaches the sky, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth.”
5 Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which those men had built, 6and he said, “Now then, these are all one people and they speak one language; this is just the beginning of what they are going to do. Soon they will be able to do anything they want! 7Let us go down and mix up their language so that they will not understand one another.” 8So the LORD scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9The city was called Babylon, because there the LORD mixed up the language of all the people, and from there he scattered them all over the earth.—American Bible Society. (1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation* (2nd ed.,Genesis 11:1-9). New York: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible].†‡
[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] This dispersion was the means of peopling the earth, and thus the Lord’s purpose was accomplished through the very means that men had employed to prevent its fulfillment.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 120.1.†‡
[From the Bible study guide=BSG:] This story of the people at the Tower of Babel reveals their great ambition. They were planning to make a monumental structure—a city and a tower such as existed nowhere else in the world: “a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves” (Gen. 11:4, NIV).
How often today do people seek to do the same? Whether through politics, art, business, even religion, it doesn’t matter. There are those who want to make a great name for themselves. In the end, how futile and meaningless their endeavors are. (SeeEccles. 2:1–11.)?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Sunday, October 15.‡§
2.
Compare that with the story of Abraham, who lived among an apostate and idolatrous family and nation. God called him to go to a country to which he had never been.
Genesis 12:1-9: 1 The LORD said to Abram, “Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s home, and go to a land that I am going to show you. 2I will
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give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will bless you and make your name famous, so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
But I will curse those who curse you.
And through you I will bless all the nations.”…
5b When they arrived in Canaan, 6Abram travelled through the land until he came to the sacred tree of Moreh, the holy place at Shechem. (At that time the Canaanites were still living in the land.) 7The LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “This is the country that I am going to give to your descendants.” Then Abram built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8After that, he moved on south to the hill country east of the city of Bethel and set up his camp between Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There also he built an altar and worshipped the LORD. 9Then he moved on from place to place, going towards the southern part of Canaan.—Good News Bible.*†
3.
Abraham was the first known foreign missionary, and he was a very effective one!
[EGW:] God called Abraham to be a teacher of His word, He chose him to be the father of a great nation, because He saw that Abraham would instruct his children and his household in the principles of God’s law. And that which gave power to Abraham’s teaching was the influence of his own life. His great household consisted of more than a thousand souls, many of them heads of families, and not a few but newly converted from heathenism. Such a household required a firm hand at the helm. No weak, vacillating methods would suffice. Of Abraham God said, “I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him.”Genesis 18:19. Yet his authority was exercised with such wisdom and tenderness that hearts were won. The testimony of the divine Watcher is, “They shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.”Genesis 18:19.—Ellen G. White, Education* 187.2.†‡ Compare Review and Herald, February 1, 1912, par. 7. [Genesis 14:14 says he employed 318 trained soldiers!]‡
[BSG:] 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 to serve Him, in order that you can be a blessing to others.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Monday, October 16.†‡
4.
But, most of us will not need to leave our homes and travel to distant countries. There are plenty of “mission fields” right around us. Abraham never returned to visit his birthplace.
Hebrews 11:9: By faith he [Abraham/Abram] lived as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God.—Good News Bible.*‡
5.
We know that on some occasions, God communicated with Abraham directly. Remember that Abraham did not have a pastor; he did not have a Bible; he did not have a Sabbath
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school class or prophet to direct him. But
, he did have numerous relations with God directly, including visions and personal visits. Did the Devil visit him also?
[EGW:] Abraham had greatly desired to see the promised Saviour [sic] He offered up the most earnest prayer that before his death he might behold the Messiah. And he saw Christ. A supernatural light was given him, and he acknowledged Christ’s divine character. He saw His day, and was glad. He was given a view of the divine sacrifice for sin. Of this sacrifice he had an illustration in his own experience. The command came to him, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, ... and offer him ... for a burnt offering.”Genesis 22:2. Upon the altar of sacrifice he laid the son of promise, the son in whom his hopes were centered. Then as he waited beside the altar with knife upraised to obey God, he heard a voice from heaven saying, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest [sic] God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.”Genesis 22:12. This terrible ordeal was imposed upon Abraham that he might see the day of Christ, and realize the great love of God for the world, so great that to raise it from its degradation, He gave His only-begotten Son to a most shameful death. [Was this story primarily for the onlooking universe? Or, for the Jews and the Sanhedrin? CompareJohn 8:56.]
Abraham learned of God the greatest lesson ever given to mortal. His prayer that he might see Christ before he should die was answered. He saw Christ; he saw all that mortal can see, and live. By making an entire surrender, he was able to understand the vision of Christ, which had been given him. He was shown that in giving His only-begotten Son to save sinners from eternal ruin, God was making a greater and more wonderful sacrifice than ever man could make.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 468.4-469.1.†‡ [SeeJohn 8:48-59.]‡
6.
You might feel uncomfortable going beyond your comfort zone; but, think of Abraham going to a land full of pagan people known for their violence. Did he feel safe? Did he worry every night that he was going to be attacked and destroyed?
7.
Abraham did, however, have the promise of God that the land was going to be given to his descendants. SeeGenesis 12:6-7 as quoted in Item #2 above.
8.
Things did not go smoothly for Abraham in his early years in Palestine. Fortunately, God was able to turn Abraham’s deceit into an ultimate blessing for his descendants.
9.
Did Abraham think that God was going to take him into a land flowing with milk and honey? It was not long before there was a famine in Canaan, and Abraham had to move further south and finally go all the way to Egypt to live temporarily. Did the entire household go?
10.
While Abraham was in Egypt, people told Pharaoh about how beautiful Abraham’s “sister” was; and so, Pharaoh took her into his harem. Then, he discovered that she was actually Abraham’s wife. But, Pharaoh recognized that Abraham was a powerful man. Abraham had some connections to powers that Pharaoh did not understand. Pharaoh sent Abraham out of the country with blessings and gifts. But, Pharaoh also made a law that Egyptians should not closely associate with people who herd animals.
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[EGW:] During his stay in Egypt, Abraham gave evidence that he was not free from human weakness and imperfection. In concealing the fact that Sarah was his wife, he betrayed a distrust of the divine care, a lack of that lofty faith and courage so often and nobly exemplified in his life.... Through Abraham’s lack of faith, Sarah was placed in great peril. The king of Egypt, being informed of her beauty, caused her to be taken to his palace, intending to make her his wife. But the Lord, in His great mercy, protected Sarah by sending judgments upon the royal household.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 130.1.†‡ [How old was Sarah at that time?]‡
11.
The laws passed by the Egyptians against associating with shepherds served as a protection for the children of Israel many years later when they immigrated to Egypt because of another famine. Being forced to live separately from the Egyptians, they developed into a separate nation instead of just melting into Egyptian society.
[BSG:] Another element of the call to Abraham that is overlooked is found inGenesis 12:1–3. Abraham was called to bless the nations. We are called to do the same. We often fail to note that the nations also would bless Abraham (Gen. 12:3a). God’s call to mission always implies a two-way blessing. Those who follow God must be prepared to receive a blessing from the broader world around them, as well. The call to mission is always a call to bless and be blessed. Understanding this dynamic changes the called person’s, or persons’, attitude toward others and changes one’s approach to sharing the good news. We will explore this theme more [in the next lesson]....
When we read Scripture, a noticeable trend flows throughout both Testaments. The trend is that God had to remind humanity periodically of the original call in Genesis. The need for a reminder resulted from two things: (1) often God’s followers forgot what God called them to do, and (2) changing times required reinforcements of their calling. That is, the overall point to God’s call needs to be contextualized, from time to time, but the call itself remains essentially the same.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 40-41.†‡§
12.
So, to what group or groups do you think God wants you to reach out? ReadGenesis 3:15; 17:19; Numbers 24:17; Isaiah 9:6; Daniel 9:24-27; andMatthew 1:21.
13.
It is very clear from these passages that God has the ability to predict the future, even far in advance. Clearly, He predicted a number of the details of the life and mission of Jesus hundreds of years in advance. He understands human nature and knows how each one of us is going to live our lives.
14.
Coming down to New Testament times, we have other examples.
15.
Following the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, His followers were first completely disheartened, but then, began to share the truth after the 40 days with Jesus and His ascension to heaven. Jesus had told them that they were to spread the good news in Jerusalem, then in Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth. But, they were very comfortable in Jerusalem and continued spreading the good news there.
Acts 8:1-4: 1 Saul [later called Paul] approved of his [Stephen’s] murder.
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That very day the church in Jerusalem began to suffer cruel persecution. All the believers, except the apostles, were scattered throughout the provinces of Judea and Samaria. 2Some devout men buried Stephen, mourning for him with loud cries.
3 But Saul tried to destroy the church; going from house to house, he dragged out the believers, both men and women, and threw them into jail.
4 The believers who were scattered went everywhere, preaching the message.—Good News Bible.*†‡
[BSG:] 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 inActs 1:8 that “ ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria’ ” (NIV). This statement was fulfilled, as noted inActs 8:4, that “those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went” (NIV).
Even after the church began to move out beyond Jerusalem, the believers were still preaching [only] in the regions of the Jews or in the neighborhoods of the Jewish people in other cities.Acts 11:19 indicates that the believers were dispersed all the way to Phoenicia (Lebanon) and Cyprus, but they did not at this stage preach the message to anyone other than the Jews alone. The disciples of Jesus and the early church did not intend to see the Gentiles, but only Jews, come to the Lord. They still had very narrow views on what the mission of the church was to be.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Wednesday, October 18.†‡§
Acts 11:19-26: 19 Some of the believers who were scattered by the persecution which took place when Stephen was killed went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, telling the message to Jews only. 20But other believers, who were from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and proclaimed the message to Gentiles also, telling them the Good News about the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord’s power was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 The news about this reached the church in Jerusalem, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw how God had blessed the people, he was glad and urged them all to be faithful and true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and many people were brought to the Lord. [What does that mean?]
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26When he found him, he took him to Antioch, and for a whole year the two met with the people of the church and taught a large group. It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.—Good News Bible.*†‡
16.
We do not even know the names of those first evangelists who started spreading the gospel to Gentiles! After spending years with Jesus, why do you think it was so hard for
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the disciples to feel comfortable reaching out to Gentiles
as He did? Are childhood prejudices really hard to overcome?
17.
Peter was rebuked by Paul for his prejudice even after that fantastic experience with Cornelius and his family! (Acts 10-11:18) When Peter returned to Jerusalem, he had to take six witnesses with him to confirm that God had indeed poured out His Spirit on Gentiles! (Acts 11:12) Jewish prejudice made that seem impossible.
18.
The disciples and the stepbrothers of Jesus were still so prejudiced against Gentiles that when Paul traveled back to Jerusalem taking some Gentiles with him, those church leaders failed to stand up for Paul when he was accused before the Jewish leaders! (See Acts of the Apostles 400-405.) Who were those Christian leaders who were prejudiced?
19.
Having spent time with Jesus Himself, one might think that the disciples would not make many of the mistakes made in the early church. In fact, what we read is that even the disciples though their homes were in Galilee felt comfortable staying in Jerusalem because that is where other disciples were and other Christians lived.
20.
Finally, the point came when God had to take at least Peter, one of the church leaders, away from Jerusalem and send him directly to a Gentile foreigner.
Acts 10:9-15,28-29: 9 The next day, as they were on their way and coming near Joppa, Peter went up on the roof of the house about noon in order to pray. 10He became hungry and wanted something to eat; while the food was being prepared, he had a vision. 11He saw heaven opened and something coming down that looked like a large sheet being lowered by its four corners to the earth. 12In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and wild birds. 13A voice said to him, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat!”
14 But Peter said, “Certainly not, Lord! I have never eaten anything ritually unclean or defiled.”
15 The voice spoke to him again, “Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.”…
28He said to them, “You yourselves know very well that a Jew is not allowed by his religion to visit or associate with Gentiles. But God has shown me that I must not consider any person ritually unclean or defiled. 29And so when you sent for me, I came without any objection. I ask you, then, why did you send for me?”—Good News Bible.*†
21.
Let us remind ourselves of the directions that God gave to the early church fathers at the very beginning immediately after Christ had ascended.
Acts 1:8: “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”—Good News Bible.*
[BSG:] First, “ ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem’ ” (NIV). As we have seen (but it is worth repeating), we are to be His witnesses in the place where we physically reside. This may include our own home, our church, our neighborhood, and our community. We need to be His witnesses first where we are, in the area He has initially placed us—home or work—and to be His witnesses to the people closest to us. It can be close family or extended family, church people, work colleagues, neighbors, and the community. [Did God put us where we are?]
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Sometimes people are interested only in going off to a far country and alien culture to be God’s witnesses. But they do not witness to people around them now. We should begin where we are and move from there as the Lord leads us.
Next, “ ‘in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’ ” (Acts 1:8, NIV). Again, Jesus affirms the reality that witnessing involves crossing cultural boundaries. Beginning from where we are, we may be called to move to other areas to reach out to different social, ethnic, and religious groups. If I belong to a certain ethnic or language people group, it may be much easier for me to witness to them because of minimal cultural barriers to cross. In some areas of the world, only one clan or tribe is represented in the makeup of the church. However, Jesus’ great commission tells us that as His witnesses, moving out of our comfort zone and investing our resources for such people groups is crucial. They also need the message of Jesus. [How many large nations are trying to stamp out Christianity?]
Challenge: Identify and make a list of people groups with special needs in your community, whom the church has not made efforts to reach.
Challenge Up: Begin praying for an opportunity in the near future to become engaged in mission to people with special needs.?Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Thursday, October 19.†‡§
22.
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; instead, it is about sharing Jesus as portrayed in the three angels’ messages ofRevelation 14:6-12.
Revelation 14:6-12: 6 Then I saw another angel flying high in the air, with an eternal message of Good News to announce to the peoples of the earth, to every race, tribe, language, and nation. 7He said in a loud voice, “Honour [sic-Br] God and praise his greatness! For the time has come for him to judge. Worship him who made heaven, earth, sea, and the springs of water!”
8 A second angel followed the first one, saying, “She has fallen! Great Babylon has fallen! She made all peoples drink her wine—the strong wine of her immoral lust!”
9 A third angel followed the first two, saying in a loud voice, “Whoever worships the beast and its image and receives the mark on their forehead or on their hand 10will themselves drink God’s wine, the wine of his fury, which he has poured at full strength into the cup of his anger! All who do this will be tormented in fire and sulphur [sic-Br] before the holy angels and the Lamb. 11The smoke of the fire that torments them goes up for ever [sic-Br] and ever. There is no relief day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, for anyone who has the mark of its name.” [Does that sound like good news?]
12 This calls for endurance on the part of God’s people, those who obey God’s commandments and are faithful to Jesus.—Good News Bible.*‡
23.
So, what is the message to us?
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[EGW:] 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 they might have life, although priests and rulers have done unto Me as they listed, although they have rejected Me, they shall have still another opportunity of accepting the Son of God. You have seen that all who come to Me confessing their sins, I freely receive. Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out. To you, My disciples, I commit this message of mercy. It is to be given to both Jews and Gentiles—to Israel, first, and then to all nations, tongues, and peoples. All who believe are to be gathered into one church.—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles* 27.2-28.0.‡
24.
The great commission of Jesus recorded inMatthew 28:19 is clear; it is about going to others, especially other nations.
[EGW:] The gospel commission is the great missionary charter of Christ’s kingdom. The disciples were to work earnestly for souls, giving to all the invitation of mercy. They were not to wait for the people to come to them; they were to go to the people with their message.—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles* 28.1.†‡
[EGW:] There are in our world many who are nearer the kingdom of God than we suppose. In this dark world of sin the Lord has many precious jewels, to whom He will guide His messengers. Everywhere there are those who will take their stand for Christ. Many will prize the wisdom of God above any earthly advantage, and will become faithful light bearers....
Convinced that Peter’s course was in direct fulfillment of the plan of God, and that their prejudices and exclusiveness were utterly contrary to the spirit of the gospel, they glorified God, saying, “Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.”
Thus, ... the way was opened for the gospel to be proclaimed to the Gentiles.—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles* 140.3-142.2.†‡
25.
Consider and discuss these questions raised in the Bible study guide:
1. How would you define the word mission as you apply it to your own life?
2. In what ways could you, daily, express mission in your attitude and behavior? How can you be more mission minded in your daily tasks?
3. How important is it that we examine our hearts and seek power from above to be purged from prejudice against those unlike us??Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* for Friday, October 20.§
26.
Are we brave enough to take these questions seriously for ourselves?
27.
In our first two lessons, we focused on the fact that this mission was/is originally God’s mission. It needs to be our mission as well. God has been waiting for 2000 years since the time of Jesus for us to comprehend and implement His mission. God has repeatedly promised His close followers that He would bless them, even multiply them through the generations. SeeGenesis 9:1; 15:45; 22:17-18; and 35:11. God’s original plan was for us
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to be fruitful and multiply and live in the Garden of Eden.
However, sin has created a lot of problems, and God has had to work around it in many ways.
[BSG:] Sin, however, ushered in the necessity of a salvific plan that would make it possible for humanity to be able to fully live the life God intended. Redemption was demonstrated to humanity through the ritual of sacrifice. As Adam and Eve shared this plan with succeeding generations, they included the sacrificial act as part of revealing the scope of what God would do to rescue fallen humans. While many probably struggled to grasp how Redemption would work, some could see that God had a plan that brought hope. This plan would become part of the call of God for humanity to share with the world. God’s plan would make it possible for humans to live the reality He originally intended for them in Eden.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 40.‡
28.
The plan of salvation/healing had to demonstrate the terrible truth that sin results in death and that we must turn away from sin in order to be a part of God’s plan for our lives. God will take to heaven those who really want to be there. (See Great Controversy 543.0.)
29.
Has sin and its results on this planet destroyed God’s original plan? Or, does God have a way of putting things back together, eliminating sin and sinners, and making this earth’s future headquarters like the Garden of Eden again? (See Great Controversy 662-674.)
30.
It is a challenge to read down through the history of the Old Testament and see and understand the different ways God sought to teach humans about the plan of salvation.Genesis 1:26-28 reminds us that God said, “We will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us.” That is good news. What do those words mean?
31.
It is very clear that God intended for Abraham and his descendants to be a blessing to the entire world. But, the call to Abraham suggests that as we reach out to others and bless them with the good news, we will receive a blessing in return.
32.
Think about God’s plan for the children of Israel as He went to such incredible lengths to get them out of the land of Egypt and establish them in the crossroads of the world.
33.
Solomon’s prayer made it very clear that at least some of them understood God’s plan.
1 Kings 8:41-43: 41–42 “When a foreigner who lives in a distant land hears of your fame and of the great things you have done for your people, and comes to worship you and to pray at this Temple, 43listen to his prayer. In heaven, where you live, hear him and do what he asks you to do, so that all the peoples of the world may know you and obey you, as your people Israel do. Then they will know that this Temple I have built is the place where you are to be worshipped.”—Good News Bible.*†
Isaiah 19:23-25: 23 When that time comes, there will be a highway between Egypt and Assyria. The people of those two countries will travel to and fro between them, and the two nations will worship together. 24When that time comes, Israel will rank with Egypt and Assyria, and these three nations will be a blessing to all the world. 25The LORD Almighty will bless them and say, “I will bless you, Egypt, my people; you, Assyria, whom I created; and you, Israel, my chosen people.”—Good News Bible.*†
Micah 4:2,5: 2And their people will say,
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“Let us go up the hill of the LORD,
to the Temple of Israel’s God.
He will teach us what he wants us to do;
we will walk in the paths he has chosen….”
5 Each nation worships and obeys its own god, but we will worship and obey the LORD our God for ever [sic-Br] and ever.—Good News Bible.*†‡
Zechariah 8:20-23: 20 The LORD Almighty says, “The time is coming when people from many cities will come to Jerusalem. 21Those from one city will say to those from another, ‘We are going to worship the LORD Almighty and pray for his blessing. Come with us!’ 22Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to worship the LORD Almighty, and to pray for his blessing. 23In those days ten foreigners will come to one Jew and say, ‘We want to share in your destiny, because we have heard that God is with you.’ ”—Good News Bible.*
34.
Doesn’t it seem like those prophets understood God’s plan?
35.
We all recognize that through His life and death, Jesus fulfilled the place that God intended for Him to occupy in the plan of salvation. But, before He left His disciples, He gave them clear instructions about what they were to do.
[BSG:] The apostle Paul also recognized that his calling was rooted in the same call as that given to Abraham, as he states explicitly in his letter to the followers of Jesus in Galatia (Gal. 3:8, 9, 14). The last time the call is given in Scripture is found inRevelation 14:6, which is not a new call but rather simply a reiteration of the call that started inGenesis 1:26–28 and was carried forward throughout history. We believe that this final call is for those of us living during this time in the last days of earth’s history.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 41.‡§
Galatians 3:8-9,14: 8The scripture predicted that God would put the Gentiles right with himself through faith. And so the scripture announced the Good News to Abraham: “Through you God will bless the whole human race.” 9Abraham believed and was blessed; so all who believe are blessed as he was….
14 Christ did this in order that the blessing which God promised to Abraham might be given to the Gentiles by means of Christ Jesus, so that through faith we might receive the Spirit promised by God.—Good News Bible.*†
[BSG:] Thus, the call to live and flourish, as God intended in the Garden of Eden, is our call today. We have hope that living the calling and flourishing is possible because of what Jesus did on earth and does for us now in heaven. It is a privilege to partner with God in this calling and to go out intentionally into the wider world with a blessing to share, while also expecting to receive a blessing from those we meet.?Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide* 41.†‡
©2023, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. *Electronic version. †Bold type is added. ‡Brackets and content in brackets are added. §Italic type is in the source. [sic-Br]=This is correct as quoted; it is the British spelling.
Last Modified: October 13, 2023 Info@Theox.org