Prophets Discipling The Nations.

PRAYER:

Lord we thank You for letting us know Your plans in advance, which helps us to share our light with all people. May You be lifted up, may all men be drawn unto You.  You have blessed us to be a blessing, help us to share Your truth with all. Help us to present you to everyone in such a way that you are lifted up before all nations.  Father, thank You for the diversity You have created. Please help us have a love that breaks all barriers that could get in the way of serving our fellow brother or sister in need. Thank You for coming to save all people.  Lord thank You for our Great commission. Help us to go into all the world like You commanded.

In Jesus’ name amen.

The Prophets Foretold

(Isaiah 60:3; Micah 4:1-2)  The prophets foretold of a message that welcomed all people! In the Scriptures the prophets foretold of a time when the Gentiles would be drawn to the light of Israel.

(Isaiah 56:6-8).  In this context the house of God is supposed to be a house of prayer for all people

(Jonah 3:7-10; 4:1)  The attitude of Jonah toward Nineveh can characterize those who want to horde the blessing of God.  Jonah wanted to keep exclusivity with the message of salvation and he reluctantly delivered it.

WHAT DO THESE VERSES TEACH ABOUT UNIVERSAL OUTREACH, AND ABOUT HOW LIMITED SOME IN ISRAEL WERE IN UNDERSTANDING IT?

The attitude of Jonah toward Nineveh were characterized by the Israelites in Jesus' day as people who wanted to horde the blessing of God for themselves.

God has called us to be the light of the world. God wants us to draw all people to Him and He has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others. The blessings of God are for the purpose of sharing the message of salvation with others. We must let others know about the mercy and the grace of God and shine our lights to the entire world.

God is a gracious God and He is looking to reunite the nations and bring together all who were scattered. We must be mindful that we do not adopt the mindset of Jonah. God has called us to be the light of the world.

Woe Unto Thee

God has also given His people advantages, and they will also have to give an account for what they did with those advantages.

(Matthew 11:20-24)  Jesus describes places where He worked miracles and why He expected more from the people. Jesus performed many miracles in these towns, yet they were unresponsive to the miracles He performed. Jesus says that if the Gentiles had the same advantages they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes.  Jesus was expecting more from the Jews because He gave them more advantages.

(Luke 4:25-30)  This passage lets us know that not everyone was healed who could have been, as the healings were strategic. God has a reason and a purpose for why He chooses to bless one and not another.

(Luke 17:11-19)  Jesus heals ten leprous men but only the Samaritan came back and thanked God for the healing. The miracles should have brought all ten back to glorify God, but only one came back and gave thanks. God chooses to bless people in order to expand His kingdom and reach all people.

(John 10:16)  You may be tempted to think that you are the only person that God wants to save, but there are other sheep He has who are not of this fold.

What crucial message comes from these texts? 

God wants to reach all people with the message of the gospel. God has other sheep that will respond to His voice when He calls.

How can we take what is written here and apply it to ourselves, in our own time and context?
We must be careful that we do not take the blessing of God for granted.

What principle is revealed here that we have to be very careful about?

We are blessed in order that we may be a blessing to others, not to sit on our pedestal of righteousness and look down on those who do not know what we know.


We Would See Jesus

How is the universlity of the gospel message reveled in these verses?

(John 12:20-32)  There were some Greeks who approached Philip and said we would see Jesus. This indicates that the message of the gospel appealed to all people.  Anyone who wanted to know the truth was drawn to Jesus.

What was the cost? 

He explained to them that discipleship would require a sacrifice.
How do we understand the meaning of this?
Jesus explained to the crowd what His death was going to accomplish, but they did not quite get it.


Breaking Down Barriers

What Ellen G. White writes in "The Desire Of Ages" brings the point of this lesson home.  It reads - "A certain Samaritan, in his journey, came where the sufferer was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him. He did not question whether the stranger was a Jew or a Gentile....He did not consider that he himself might be in danger of violence by tarrying in the place. It was enough that there was before him a human being in need and suffering....Thus the question, "Who is my neighbor?" is forever answered. Christ has shown that our neighbor does not mean merely one of the church or faith to which we belong. It has no reference to race, color, or class distinction. Our neighbor is every person who needs our help. Our neighbor is every soul who is wounded and bruised by the adversary. Our neighbor is everyone who is the property of God."  (Ellen G. White, The Desire of ages, p 503)

In what way do these verses show why regional, ethnic, and other barriers should have no place among Christians as they seek to make disciples among all nations?

God is LORD of all peoples, tribes, nations, and tongues. He is God of the universe. God created one man, Adam, and one woman, Eve out of which this earth has been populated. Therefore, every person on this planet is our brother and sister in Christ.
 John 7:35 and John 8:48

Jesus’ ministry in this world transcended race, ethnicity, gender and culture.  The Israelites did not like the fact that Jesus did not follow their cultural and traditional norms. They scornfully talked about Jesus teaching the Greeks.

It gives us a sense of this resentment that they had towards Jesus’ ministry and “mingling” with the banned crowds. They scornfully talked about Jesus teaching the Greeks. They went as far as dishonoring Jesus in the way they called Him a Samaritan and having a demon! The Jewish took Levitical laws to an extreme and considered interactions with Gentiles and the Samaritans to cause one to be defiled and unclean.

Luke 10:27 - So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’[a] and ‘your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus came to seek and save the lost not just the Jews.  Jesus modeled ministry that transcends race, ethnicity, gender, and cultures.


THE GREAT COMMISSION

(Romans 15:12)  "And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust."

(Acts 1:7-8) "And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

(John11:52-53)  "And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.  Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.

(Mathew 28:19-20)  "Jesus’ desire for His church here is that we should make disciples of all nations.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

What's the esential message here, and how does this message fit in so well with the three angels' messages of Revelation 14?

We are to go to all people of all nations and through daily self sacrifice and self denying of common everyday wants and pleasures proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Today more than anytime in the history of man kind anybody, who has the education, political,social and religious status, similar to the characteristics of the apostles, can reach just about everyone on the planet.  If you understand the three angels' message in Revelation 14, it is being proclaimed by these angels through the Christian Church today through the direction of Jesus Christ.

The self denying effort and self sacrificing effort starts at home.  How many people do you know who call themselves Christian do not even take one day out of seven and set aside even a few hours to attend a worship service with like minded people, in honor of God much, less do it on Saturday, the Sabbath, as commanded by God in the fourth commandment found in the scriptures.  How many people do take the effort to worship on the Sabbath, but do sacrifice even a couple of minutes on a daily basis to proclaim the gospel.

When Jesus said things, He said them dramatically to make a point.  Jesus was also a practical Man.  When He said to take up your cross and follow Me, He understood that people have families and responsibilities that they needed to attend to in this life.   The self denying effort and self sacrificing efforts He was referring to is to take time out of your daily life and set it aside for the sole purpose of proclaiming His gospel message. 

These efforts include adhering to all of God's commandments, of which Jesus said, "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Matthew 5:18).  How many people are willing to sacrifice even this much?

THE BASIC TEACHINGS OF JESUS CHRIST.

 

CHRISTIAN LIVING FOR GOD - TODAY AND BEYOND.

 

“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost’ ” (Luke 19:10, NKJV).

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is a story of God seeking after lost humanity.

Luke illustrates this truth by using three important parables found in the 15^th chapter of Luke:

1. The lost sheep (Luke 15:4–7),
2. The lost coin (vss. 8–10),
3. The lost son (vss. 11–32).

The mission of Jesus is a result of God’s love and grace. “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Rom. 5:20, NKJV), and through this grace we find ourselves saved.

Let’s look at the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.

The Parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin (Luke 15:3–10) are the first two in a series of three. The third is the “lost son” or the “prodigal son.” Just as in other cases, Jesus taught these parables in a set of three to emphasize a point.

In these three parables, what was the Pharisees problem with what Jesus was doing?

1. The Pharisees did not complain that Jesus was teaching sinners.
2. The Pharisees thought themselves to be righteous teachers of the law and all others to be wicked.
3. They could not condemn His preaching to “sinners,”
4. They did think it was inconsistent with the dignity of someone so knowledgeable in the Scriptures to “eat with them”, in other words to associate with them.

What is the presupposition behind the statement of the Pharisees, “this man welcomes sinners,”.

• The presupposition is that because of their class status and the knowledge, they were too good to be hanging out with people they thought were beneath them, sinners.

What is the significance of the opening statement in Luke chapter 15?

1. To understand the significance we must consider that the Jewish culture is a shame/honor-driven society that used shame/honor in a way that developed a sort of caste system.
2. Everything that was done in the Jewish culture either brought shame or honor.
3. The primary motivation for what and how things were done was based on seeking honor for oneself and avoiding shame.
4. This was the central and all-consuming preoccupation of all Jewish interaction.

What is the significance of this attitude that they had?

1. The Pharisees thought that if Jesus was actually who He said He was, He would not be associating with these people. 
2. They thought that this verified their claim that Jesus was not the Messiah.
3. Jesus saw this and used these three parables to explain who He was and what His mission on earth was.  Jesus identified Himself as the owner of the lost and was actively engaged in trying to find them.

In the parable of the Lost Sheep what does Jesus do to His listeners?

Jesus invites His listeners to place themselves into the story and does this by asking,

• “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep.”  
  • Why does Jesus use sheep? 
    • Two fold,  it was common knowledge in those days of the value of one sheep in relation to the flock value of the flock as a whole.
    • It would be well known who the owner of that sheep would be.
• In doing this Jesus is appealing to their intuitive reasoning and life experiences as a Jewish people. 
• He was removing Rabbinical, religious reasoning and placing the question in the realm of the common everyday person.

What did the Pharisees refuse to see?

• As the story completes, the Pharisees in their pride refuse to see themselves as the shameful “sinners,” that what Jesus was talking about.  Instead eagerly take the honoring label of being the “righteous” people.
• What did this do?
  • By the implication of their own pride, they place themselves in the position of being the less significant than not only the group of ninety-nine, but also the lost one.

What is Jesus’s response to this attitude in regards to what our mission should be as followers of Jesus Christ.

• He responds that “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”.
• Jesus is pointing out that no matter how lost or damaged a person may be, Jesus holds their salvation in higher regard then that of people who claim salvation and feel they are better than the unsaved.

In these three parables, what was Jesus doing to the attitudes of His listeners?

• Jesus was turning His listeners’ understanding of things upside down.
• The Pharisees saw themselves as being the beloved of God and the “sinners” as refuse.
• Jesus uses the Pharisees’ prejudices against them, while encouraging the sinners with one clear message.

What was that message?

• That message is this:
  • God has a tender, personal concern for all human beings.
  • God has a joyous love for individuals who are lost (in sin) and are found (repent).
  • Jesus makes it clear that the Pharisees, who thought they were close to God, were actually distant and those sinners and tax collectors were the ones God was seeking after.

What conclusion can we draw from this?

• In Luke chapter 18 verse 14 Jesus says, “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The Parable of the Lost Son.

What we need to do is to identify things that are in common in these three parables.  By doing this we can gain more context to help us understand the significance of the main elements in this story.

There is a progression of value in the three parables.

What are they?

• In the first parable, one sheep is lost in a flock of 100 sheep.
• In the next parable, one silver coin in ten silver coins is lost.
• In the third parable, one Son out of two is lost.

The power of these parables to reach the audience comes from the shame/honor aspect of the Jewish culture.

What are these aspects?

• To lose a sheep as a shepherd would be a very shameful thing for the one tending the flock
• A coin from a piece of bridal jewelry lost in her own house would be even more shameful since it represented that she was betrothed.
• The lost son, was the worst shame of all for any family in the Jewish culture.

What is the significance of this progression?

It is the progression from seeking after only 1 of 100 sheep, then 1 of 10 coins, then 1 of 2 sons.

• This shows the scope of God’s personal concern for all individuals.

Jesus was trying to show a personal familial relationship for all people in society by relating these three parables.   This relationship was that:

• Men and young boys would have related best to the shepherd and the lost sheep.
• All women would be able to related to the losing a bridal coin.
• Everybody present would understand the relationship of a father and son.

Can someone outline the characters in the Parable of the Lost Son?

• The forgiving father is a picture of God. In telling the story, Jesus identifies Himself with God in His loving attitude to the lost.
• The younger son symbolizes the lost, the tax collectors and sinners of that day.
• The elder brother represents the self-righteous the Pharisees and teachers of the law of that day.

What is the major theme of this parable?

• It is not the conversion of the sinner, but rather the restoration of a believer into fellowship with the Father.
• In the first two parables, the owner went out to look for what was lost.  
  • In this story the father waits and watches eagerly for his son's return.
• We see a progression through the three parables from the relationship of one in a hundred, to one in ten, to one in one.

What does this demonstrate?

• God’s love for each individual and His personal attentiveness towards all humanity.

What important message should we take from this story?

• The graciousness of the father overshadows the sinfulness of the son, It is the memory of the father’s, Gods, goodness that brings the prodigal son, the sinner, to repentance.

In these parables there is a lesson for everyone.  What is this lesson?

• It does not matter how far away from the throne of God you are, how debased you are or what your motives are.   Jesus describes how His Father will accept you.
• “…But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

But, for everyone, it requires somethings.  What are they?

• Recognition of fallen state - “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you” (Luke 15:18).
• Confession of our sins - “…I am no longer worthy to be called your son…”.

There is a second message represented by the second son, what is it?

• Even though you claim Jesus Christ as your savior, you still can be “lost”.
• Like the elder son, many make their home in the Christian Church, yet their heart is in a “distant land” because
  • They are angry, constantly complaining instead of looking for solutions to problems.
  • They have an air of self-righteousness because they refuse to recognize that all human beings, no matter where they are in their life, have the same value in the eyes of God.

The line in a song goes, “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”  This verse as part of that great hymn “Amazing Grace.”

What is the significance of this statement to all of us as Christians today?

• Being lost is the tragedy of all humanity, not just the downtrodden or poor.
• Because “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23). Being found is a privilege that is equally universal.
• But what do we as Christians need to do?
• We need to grasp this concept in faith and cling to it as we in embrace of the the love of our heavenly Father.

Jesus asked Bartimaeus, “ ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ ” (Luke 18:41).

The question I have is, “What would you ask Jesus to do for you today?”

Living By Faith.

Proverbs 29:25, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe”. The verse says that the confusion and wretchedness we have in the fear of what a person can do to us, is contrasted with the security of the one, who not only "fears" the Lord, so as to avoid offending Him, but trusts in Him as his protector and guide by faith alone.

Man, on his own cannot know what is right or what is wrong.  To understand the truth of what is right and what is wrong, man must first understand and obey God’s Universal laws as found in the Bible.  Jesus Christ gave strict instructions on how man can understand the truth to gain what we need to live in this life and secure eternal life.  Jesus Christ said, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33). 

Trusting God and following His commandments instead of our own wishes, needs to be our first priority.  If we do not learn and follow God’s commandments, we are actually committing idolatry.  A Christian must choose to do what God has told us to do and then have the faith to let whatever happens to us, in the hands of the Lord.

Keeping the Law and having Faith, is living by the commandments of God and Obeying His laws as written in the Bible.  It is not living by the doctrines of man, and trusting in the consequences of your own actions.  The Bible says that if you keep God’s law, you are actually waging war on the wicked. 

The people who keep the law are actually considered wise by God and do not run the risk of shaming their parents.  But, if you turn away from the law and refuse to obey it, and then pray to God, your prayer is as much an abomination to God as any other sin a person could commit.  (Proverbs 28:4, 7, 9).   

The acquisition of wisdom is not done by some intellectual or spiritual exercise.  Wisdom comes from an obedience to a law that comes from outside of our own existence, personal psychology, desires, and culture.  It comes from God’s eternal law as written in the Bible.  You are justified to eternal life by your faith in the eternal law of God which ultimately points to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  (Romans 1:16-17).

Seek the Lord in your daily life.  It is the very law of God that identifies sin and if you cannot identify what sin is, you are in danger of committing sin against God and this ultimately leads to an eternal death. (Romans 7:7-13).  What makes the commandments of God, as written in the Bible, different is that they come directly from God and by living by these laws, you are effectively living a life with God.  The law points us to Jesus Christ and by following it we are then justified by faith.  (Galatians 3:24).  By obeying the law we are drawn closer to the Lord and to the salvation He offers us through our faith in Jesus Christ.

People who do not understand and follow God’s law do not understand the fact that they will be judged by the same standards that the people who follow the law are judged.  People who do understand and follow the law, have a complete understanding of what is at stake, eternal life.  There is no such thing as blind faith.  True faith comes from the knowledge of God’s law.

There are strong words for the Rich who feel they are blessed by God.  If you do not abide by the words of the Bible and follow the commandments of God, it says that the love of God is not in your heart.  This person, no matter how rich he is, will perish like all worldly things will perish, he will lose eternal life.  People are warned not to gain their riches at the expense of those who have less than they do. (Proverbs 28:8).  You will be blessed if you give to the poor. (Proverbs 28:27).  Your riches should come to you as a result of hard work and not by chance.  (Proverbs 28:19).

The Bible also has a handbook for the Poor.  Both the poor and the rich who oppress the poor in order to gain their wealth, were created as equals.  God will shine the light of truth equally in both their eyes. (Proverbs 29:13).  God tells us that you are to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44-45).

Proverbs 28:3 goes on to point out that rain is supposed to be a blessing and be fruitful.  It also says that a driving rain can destroy the crops.  People who are blessed by riches should be careful that they do not become likewise destructive by taking advantage or oppressing those who have less in life.  “Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.” (Proverbs 28:6).  God will reward a righteous poor person far more than any physical wealth that can be obtain in this world.

It is more important for any person to have faith, that by understanding and obeying the laws of God, they are far richer than if they would or could obtain all the wealth that this world has to offer.  This world and all its wealth will perish, along with all the unrighteous.  But, the knowledge of God’s law and obedience to it give us eternal life.  It was King Solomon who said that the only real progress a person can make in this life is by understanding and obeying the laws of God as written in the scriptures and, with the help of God, living by them.