Saturday, June 25, 2016
The Role of the Church in the Community June 25 -July 1 2016
The Role of the Church in the Community
Introduction: The Whole Gospel
A pastor held up his Bible before the congregation. It was in tatters, full of holes. In seminary he and some classmates had gone through his Bible and underlined every passage that dealt with justice, poverty, wealth, and oppression. Then, with a pair of scissors, they cut out every verse dealing with those topics. When they finished, his Bible was in shambles. Throughout Scripture these themes are so central that there is a lot missing from the Bible when they are removed. The tattered Bible speaks powerfully and loudly about the things that God cares about.
What should this story say to us as Seventh-day Adventists? It should say a lot. Research shows that approximately 30 percent of Seventh-day Adventists are involved in meeting the needs of the community outside the church. What about the remaining 70 percent? Jesus calls His entire end-time church to proclaim and live the whole “everlasting gospel” (Rev. 14:6).
What is the whole gospel? Jesus’ mission and ministry depicted in Luke 4:16-21 portray the whole gospel as more than preaching the truth of salvation by faith, however foundational that is to all that we do. Jesus shows us that preaching the gospel also means tangible expressions of love and compassion for the poor, hungry, sick, brokenhearted, oppressed, outcast, and imprisoned. It’s about biblical justice and undoing what the devil has done, at least to whatever degree we now can as we look forward to Jesus’ ultimate triumph over evil at the end of the age.
This quarter we will explore this wholistic version of the “everlasting gospel” and will examine the role of the church in impacting their communities with this gospel. We define the “church” as a community of people who, together, do not exist for themselves but who are called out to live and to preach the everlasting gospel as expressed in the ministry of Jesus. This means not only preaching the gospel but living it in our lives through ministering to the needs of those in our local communities.
Organizationally, how does your local church serve those in need? All ministries of the church (for example, health, family, youth, Sabbath School, deacons/deaconesses, etc.) exist to work together for serving the community as well as church members. Adventist Community Services (ACS) units or centers work from the church to demonstrate the gospel and prepare the way for hearing the Word of God. In some parts of the world ACS is called Dorcas, Adventist Men, or some other name. The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s humanitarian agency with a nongovernmental organization status, though it does not operate from the local church, is another important part of reaching those in need.
How do you personally express your appreciation for what Godhas done for you in Christ? One church member put it this way:
On the street I saw a small girl,
cold, shivering in a thin dress,
with little hope of a decent meal.
 I became angry and said to God:
“Why did You permit this?
 Why don’t You do something about it?”
For a while God said nothing.
 Then that night He replied quite suddenly:
“I certainly did something about it.
I made you.”
-In Dwight Nelson, Pursuing the Passion of Jesus (Nampa,Idaho: Pacific Press® Publishing Association, 2005), p. 78.
Lesson 1* June 25-July 1
“The Restoration of All Things”
Sabbath Afternoon
Readfor This Week’s Study: Gen. 1:26-27; Deut. 6:5; Gen. 3:8-19; James 4:4; Gal. 4:19; Mark2:1-12; John 10:10.
MemoryText: “SoGod created mankind in his own image, in theimage of God he created them; male and female he created them"(Genesis1:27, NIV).
All one has to do is look around, at the world, at the neighborhood, at oneself, to see the point. And the point is? Something is terribly wrong.
It’s called the Fall, it’s called sin, it’s called rebellion, and it’s called the great controversy.
And yet, the good news is that it’s not permanent. It’s not going to last forever. Jesus came, died for the sins of the world, and promised to come again. And when He does, nothing of this world will remain. Instead, a new kingdom, His eternal kingdom, will begin. “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever" (Dan. 2:44, NKJV).
What a restoration!
But we don’t have to wait until the Second Coming for the restoration to begin. Those who are in Christ are a new creation now (2 Cor. 5:17); and we are predestined to be conformed to the likeness of Jesus now (Rom. 8:29). Also, He calls us and empowers us, as His church, so that we can work toward the restoration of others as well.
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare forSabbath, July 2.
SundayJune 26
The Image of God
The Bible says that humanity was originally created in the “image” (Gen. 1:27) of God. An image may be either two-dimensional, such as a mirror reflection or photograph, or three-dimensional, such as a statue or hologram. An image can also be intangible, such as a mental image, an idea that we have in our heads. What does the Bible mean?
Read Genesis 1:26-27. How does Scripture explain what being made in God’s “image” means? See also Gen. 1:31, Deut. 6:5, and 1 Thess. 5:23.
With the creation of our first parents, God set a new standard for life on earth: man and woman. They alone, among all the other creatures made during that time, were in God’s image. They were not evolved apes. As human beings, they and we are radically different from all of the other life forms on earth, and any theology that lessens this difference degrades humanity.
God “called their name Adam” (Gen. 5:2). That is, both of them, male and female, though different and distinct beings, were still one. Together, in their fullness and completeness, they represented the image of God.
The nature of God’s image is wholistic: “When Adam came from the Creator’s hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature, a likeness to his Maker.” - Ellen G. White, Education, p. 15. (Italics supplied.)
The word for “image” in Hebrew is tselem; the word for “likeness” is demuth. These words can connote the physical (tselem) and the inward (demuth), which includes the spiritual and mental aspects of humanity. Ellen G. White recognizes this when she says man was made in God’s image, “both in outward resemblance and in character.”-Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 45.
Deuteronomy 6:5 mentions the various dimensions of the human being: soul (spiritual), heart (mind, mental), and strength (physical body). There is a similar pattern in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. A human being made in God’s image would naturally include all of these dimensions.
Though there’s much more to this idea of being made in “the image of God,” the Bible is clear: human beings are a distinct and unique creation here on earth. No other creature comes close. Why is it important for us to always keep this distinction in mind?
MondayJune 27
The Fall and Its Aftermath
The Bible does not say how long a period of time existed between the finished Creation and the Fall. Days, weeks, years, we just don’t know.
What we do know, however, was that there was a Fall, and the consequences were immediate and apparent.
The first mentioned result of Adam and Eve eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was their sudden realization of their nakedness (Gen. 3:7). They sought to cover themselves from the presence of God. Their robes of light now disappeared. (See Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 57.) Their intimacy with God was disrupted because of their newly discovered intimacy with the self-centeredness of evil. God then sought to educate the first couple in regard to the consequences that their sin had created for them.
Read the following texts and identify the immediate consequences of Adam’s and Eve’s sin as seen in each passage. Also, how are these same consequences manifested today?
Gen. 3:8-10Gen.3:12
Gen.3:13
Gen.3:16
Gen.3:17-19
No question, the Fall was real, the Fall was hard, and the Fall was terribly consequential for the race. The long, sad story of human history, right up to current events, reveals the tragic consequences of sin.
How thankful we can be, then, for the promise that one day the tragedy of sin is going to be over and done and never repeated.
What are ways that we, every day, live with the consequences of our own sins?
TuesdayJune 28
Enmity and Atonement
Read Genesis 3:14-15. What does God mean when He says to Satan, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers” (Gen. 3:15, NIV)? What hope can we find here for ourselves?
The word enmity in Hebrew shares its root with the Hebrew word hate and the word enemy.By eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the couple placed themselves and all humanity at enmity with God (see Rom. 5:10, Col. 1:21, James 4:4). God’s promise here implies that God would set in motion His plan to draw humanity back to Himself, thus shifting their enmity to Satan. Thus, by shifting the enmity from Himself to Satan, God would establish an avenue through which He could save humanity while, at the same time, not violating the principles of His divine government. This is what is known in the original sense as “atonement,” what God has done and is doing in order to ultimately restore what had been lost in the Fall.
What do the following texts reveal about atonement? Lev. 1:3-4; 1 Cor. 5:7; 1 John 1:9.
Theologians sometimes use the word expiation to talk about how this atonement works. The Latin root, expiare , means “to atone for,” and the idea involves reparation for a wrong deed. Someone did something wrong, he or she violated a law, and justice demands a penalty to pay for that wrong. In English, it is sometimes said that the guilty person owes a “debt to society” because of what he or she did.
In our situation we sinned, but in the plan of salvation, the atonement, Christ’s sacrificial death relieves us from the legalconsequences of that wrongdoing. Instead, Christ Himself paid the penalty for us. The punishment that legally (yes, God’s government has laws) should have been ours was given to Jesus instead. That way, the demands of justice were met, but they were met in Jesus instead of us. Though sinners, though we have done wrong, we are pardoned, forgiven, and justified in His sight. This is the crucial and foundational step in “ 'the restoration of all things’ ” (Acts 3:21, NKJV).
WednesdayJune 29
Restoration in Jesus
“My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Gal. 4:19, NKJV).
We were originally created as perfect and complete beings in a perfect and complete world. Unfortunately, this pre-Fall paradise was lost through sin, and the world as we know it is filled with death, violence, suffering, fear, and ignorance. The plan of salvation was created in order to bring this world back to its original perfection. Christ came in order to regain what was lost in the Fall.
“In the beginning God created man in His own likeness. He endowed him with noble qualities. His mind was well balanced, and all the powers of his being were harmonious. But the Fall and its effects have perverted these gifts. Sin has marred and well-nigh obliterated the image of God in man. It was to restore this that the plan of salvation was devised, and a life of probation was granted to man. To bring him back to the perfection in which he was first created is the great object of life-the object that underlies every other.” - Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 595. Though this restoration won’t be completed until the new heavens and the new earth, the process has already begun in us now!
Read Galatians 4:19. Whatever his immediate concerns, what important spiritual point is Paul making here?
In Hebrews 1:3 Christ Himself is presented as the image of God-“the express image of His person” (NKJV). (Compare with John 14:9,2 Cor. 4:4, Col. 1:15.) He desires to unite with us in order to restore God’s image in us. If we consent, Christ, the image of God, can be in us: “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27, NKJV).
The ultimate experience of being restored in His image will occur at Jesus’ second coming (see 1 Cor. 15:49, 1 John 3:2). However, when Christ is in us, and we in Christ, the process of being restored in God’s image begins on this side of heaven. When that happens, we will long to bring those in our community to the One who can restore them as well.
Though the work begins now in us, to restore us, why must we always remember that restoration won’t be totally complete until the second coming of Jesus?
ThursdayJune 30
The Restoring Role of the Church
As we have seen, our world, though created perfect, had fallen, with devastating results. But God had not abandoned us to what would have been our fate, eternal destruction (the fate that science says awaits us). Instead, even before the world began, the plan of salvation was formulated (see 1 Pet. 1:2) and, at great personal cost to Himself, Jesus came to this world, suffered on the cross, and promises to return. And by the time everything is over and sin is destroyed, the world that had been lost will be fully restored.
What’s amazing, though, is that God calls us, His church, even now, to have a part to play working toward this restoration.
Read in Mark 2:1-12 the story of how some friends persistently worked together to bring a paralytic to Jesus. How does this story illustrate the role of the church in healing and restoring people?
The house was crowded because Jesus was there. His love for people drew crowds. The four men made a very large hole in the roof in order to bring the spiritually, mentally, and physically sick man to Jesus. Then Jesus restored him by forgiving his sins, giving him peace of mind, and commanding him to get up and walk. Jesus demonstrated that no one is really healed unless he or she is wholistically restored.
How did the apostle John describe the reason Christ appeared on this earth? What hope can we draw from these promises? Read John 10:10, 1 John 3:8.
It has been said that John 10:10 is the Seventh-day Adventist message in a nutshell. It was clearly Christ’s mission statement. A major role for Christ’s body, His church, is to follow in His footsteps and undo the work of the devil by replacing death with abundant life (see Acts 10:38, 1 John 2:6). The church is called to partner with Christ in moving people toward being restored in God’s image-physically, mentally, and spiritually.
FridayJuly 1
Further Thought: See other passages on restoring God’s image: Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15, 3:9-11, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 5:17. Read Ellen G. White, “The Creation,” “The Temptation and Fall,” and “The Plan of Redemption,” pp. 44-70, in Patriarchs and Prophets. As a people, we have been called by God to work for others, for the good of others, to seek to point others to the promises of hope and restoration that we have been given in Jesus. There are different ways the Lord can work through us to do this. Some churches provide physical restoration to the people in their community with health programs and services. Also, the church’s system of hospitals and clinics works toward this same goal. Mental restoration and enrichment can take place through classes that equip community members to meet their life needs. Churches may also establish or improve local schools, teach job skills, provide literacy education, tutoring, mentoring, and psychological counseling, et cetera. As they continue their quest for restoration and an abundant life, many people in the community will realize that they need spiritual and moral restoration, too, even though they didn’t originally think so. In fact, this is a key facet of restoration to God’s image (see Eph. 4:22-24). The church is uniquely positioned and equipped to meet these spiritual needs, better than any secular social or health organization.
Discussion Questions:
- Give examples of what your church is already doing toward the physical, mental, and spiritual restoration of the people in your community. What is your church doing in this area? Share with your class your ideas for expanding your church’s restorative ministries in your community.
- How do we understand this idea of physical restoration? After all, no matter what we do to help others regain their health, unless the Lord comes back in their lifetime most will eventually succumb to disease and the ravages of old age. Why is this more proof that full restoration can come only after Jesus returns?
- Discuss the idea of what it means to start being restored into God’s image now. How does that work? How can we know if we are making progress? Why must we have a clear picture of God in order for that restoration to happen? How can we learn not to give up in discouragement if we don’t see the progress that we think we ought to have?
Dismissed But Determined: Part 1
by Isaiah Malek Garang, South Sudan
The visiting Anglican archbishop barely looked at the priest kneeling before him as he dipped his finger into a bowl of ash and painted a small cross on the priest’s forehead. It was Ash Wednesday, and we felt honored to have such a high church official visiting southern Sudan. But when my turn came to step forward and kneel, I did not go forward. My fellow priests urged me to kneel and receive the cross, but I refused. In all my years as a priest in Sudan, I had never found a reference to such a service in the Bible. And if it was not in the Bible, I felt I should not take part.
The archbishop reported my actions to the church, which took swift action. Within two days, another priest and I were dismissed from our positions for refusing the ashen cross. Ten years of dedicated service to the church were as dust beneath our feet. The elders of the 17 churches I had overseen were called in and questioned. Any of them deemed loyal to me were relieved of their church duties. Before the dust settled, 82 people-from church leaders to innocent members-had been dismissed from church office or membership.
I was deeply shaken. What did I do that was such a threat to my church? I wondered. I was forbidden even to enter the church I had so recently led. Some church members feared that if they were seen speaking to me, they too would be dismissed. But in time, I heard that others were unhappy about what had happened.
I needed to know the truth about God, the truth that had resulted in my dismissal. I spent hours a day studying the Bible, searching to know God’s truth. Sometime later Solomon, a distant cousin, came to visit my family. Conversation turned to spiritual matters, and I asked him about his beliefs. Solomon told me that he was a Seventh-day Adventist. Later, I mulled over what Solomon had said about the Sabbath.
I had heard of Sabbath keepers before, but I thought that they were like Jews and did not believe in Jesus. I remembered that while studying in the seminary I had asked the priest why the holy day had been changed from Saturday to Sunday. But he could not give me a satisfactory answer. Some said Jesus had made the change; others said that it was changed to honor Jesus, who rose from the dead on Sunday. These answers left me unsatisfied.
To be continued in next week’s Inside Story.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Lesson 13 Crucified and Risen June 18-24 2016
Lesson 13June 18-24
Crucified and Risen
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 27:11-26; John 3:19; Isa. 59:2; Matt. 27:45, 46, 49-54; Heb. 8:1-6; Matt. 28:1-20.
Memory Text:“‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matthew 28:18, NKJV).
An ad in a British magazine asked if someone would donate his or her body to science. It said that scientists had been studying Egyptian mummification and were looking for a volunteer with a terminal illness who is prepared to donate their body after death. These scientists believed, the ad claimed, that they had cracked the secret of how the Egyptians did it, and that the body “would be preserved—potentially for hundreds or even thousands of years”—(www.independent.co.uk/news/science/now-you-can-be-mummified-just-like-the-egyptians-1863896.html).
As Christians, we don’t need to worry about having our corpses preserved. God has promised us something so much better than that. The death of Jesus, where He paid in Himself the penalty for our sins, and then His resurrection, when He was the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor. 15:20, NKJV)—have paved the way for our corpses, not to be “preserved” like some ancient pharaoh (besides, if you have ever seen some of those corpses, they aren’t too pretty, anyway) but to be transformed into incorruptible bodies that will live forever.
This week, the final chapters in Matthew, we study the inexhaustible truths regarding our Lord’s death and resurrection and the hope that these two events offer us.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 25.
Jesus or Barabbas
Read Matthew 27:11-26. What are some of the deeper implications of the choice given to the people and the choice that they made?
It was Barabbas the murderer who was supposed to be crucified on the middle cross. The criminals on either side were possibly his associates. Barabbas was not a first name but a last one. Bar means “son of,” just as Simon bar Jonah meant “son of Jonah” or Bartholomew meant “son of Tolomeo.” Barabbas meant “son of abbas”—meaning “son of the father.” Many early manuscripts record Barabbas’s first name as Yeshua (Jesus). Yeshua was a common name at the time, meaning “Yahweh saves.” So, Barabbas’s name was along the lines of “Yahweh saves, son of the father.”
Talk about a farce!
“This man had claimed to be the Messiah. He claimed authority to establish a different order of things, to set the world right. Under satanic delusion he claimed that whatever he could obtain by theft and robbery was his own. He had done wonderful things through satanic agencies, he had gained a following among the people, and had excited sedition against the Roman government. Under cover of religious enthusiasm he was a hardened and desperate villain, bent on rebellion and cruelty. By giving the people a choice between this man and the innocent Saviour, Pilate thought to arouse them to a sense of justice. He hoped to gain their sympathy for Jesus in opposition to the priests and rulers.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 733.
Pilate was wrong. Unless under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, people will inevitably make the wrong spiritual choice, as did the mob here. In the end, we all have to choose between Christ or Barabbas, Christ or the fallen corrupted world, between life or death. “‘And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil’” (John 3:19, NKJV).
Why do people tend to prefer darkness over light? How can you see even in yourself this inherent tendency? What should that tell you about the reality of our fallen nature, and even more important about our need to surrender ourselves totally to the Lord?
Our Crucified Substitute
“Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Matt. 27:45, 46, NKJV). What is the meaning of this cry? How do we understand its implications in terms of the plan of salvation?
Matthew records what has been called by theologians “the cry of dereliction.” Dereliction brings in the idea of abandonment, of something to be left alone and in need. In this case we can see Jesus’ sense of abandonment by the Father. The darkness that surrounded the land at that time symbolized divine judgment (Isa. 13:9-16, Amos 5:18-20, Jer. 13:16); Jesus was experiencing in Himself the horrific consequences of sin, of the complete separation from the Father. In our behalf, He was bearing, in Himself the divine judgment against sin that should have been ours. “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Heb. 9:28, NKJV, see also 2 Cor. 5:21). On the cross Jesus appropriates the language of Psalm 22:1 because in a unique way He was experiencing what humans experience, the separation from God due to sin. “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isa. 59:2, NKJV).
This wasn’t pretend. Jesus truly bore the wrath of God against sin; the penalty for our transgressions fell upon Him, and thus filled His soul with consternation and dread as He bore the weight of guilt, our guilt, upon Himself. How bad sin must be in the sight of God that it took one member of the Godhead to suffer the guilt and punishment of sin in order for us to be forgiven it!
And yet, even amid this horror, Jesus could cry out, “My God, My God!” Despite all that was happening to Him, His faith remained intact. He would stay faithful to the end, regardless of the suffering, regardless of the sense of being forsaken by the Father.
What is it like to feel separation from God due to sin? Why is claiming the righteousness of Christ our only way back, a claim accompanied by repentance, confession, and a resolve to forsake that sin?
Torn Veil and Rent Rocks
Each Gospel writer told the story of Jesus from various perspectives, but all focused on His death. Matthew alone, though, records the opening of the graves after the temple veil was torn.
Read Matthew 27:49-54. What is the meaning of these events? What hope do they point to for us?
Jesus died right after the mob, in ignorance of Jesus’ real words, mocked Him about having Elijah come to save Him. Their mockery was another powerful but sad example of how Jesus has been misunderstood by many of His own people.
Matthew then records that the curtain in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The symbolism is unmistakable: a new era in salvation history had begun. The sacrificial services, for so long pointing to Jesus, were no longer necessary. The old earthly type was now replaced by something so much better.
Read Hebrews 8:1-6. What do these texts say that help us to understand what happened to the earthly sanctuary system and what has replaced it?
Matthew records not only the tearing of the veil but the rocks splitting, the graves opening, and some of the dead being raised—events that could happen only because of what Jesus had accomplished by dying as our Substitute for sin. So here in Matthew, we can see things happening that the old system itself could never have caused. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb. 10:4, NKJV). Of course, only Jesus could take away sins, and for us the great result, the great promise, of Jesus’ taking away our sins is the resurrection from death. Without that promise, we have nothing (see 1 Cor. 15:13, 14, 19). In these early resurrections (we don’t know how many), we can see the hope and promise of our resurrection at the end of this age.
The Risen Christ
The Christian faith centers not only on the cross but on the empty tomb. The truth is, the majority of people in the world, including non-Christians, believe that a man named Jesus of Nazareth died on a cross. Not long after Jesus lived we find historical references such as this one from Tacitus, a Roman historian: “Nero … inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians … by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus.”—Tacitus, A.D. 57-117 (www.causeofjesusdeath.com/jesus-in-secular-history).
There’s little debate, then or now, about whether a historical figure named Jesus was condemned and crucified.
The hard part is the Resurrection: the idea that Jesus of Nazareth, who was dead on a Friday afternoon, became alive again on a Sunday morning. That is what many people struggle with. After all, a Jew crucified by the Romans in Judea was a fairly common occurrence. But a Jew raised from the dead after being crucified? That’s another matter entirely.
Yet, without this belief in a risen Jesus, we simply do not have a Christian faith. Paul wrote: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith … If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:14, 19, NIV). Jesus’ death itself had to be followed by His resurrection, because in His resurrection we have the surety of our own.
When we come to the story of the resurrection of Jesus, we have two options. The first option is to view this story as sentimental propaganda written by a few lonely followers of Jesus to keep His memory alive, the way we try to keep the memory alive when a well-known figure dies today. The second option when we come to the story of the Resurrection is to take it literally, a firsthand account of an extraordinary event, an event later interpreted to have implications for every human being who ever lived.
Read Matthew 28:1-15. Why does Jesus tell the women (in verse 9) to “rejoice” (NKJV)? Of course, they can be glad that He was resurrected, that their Master came back. But what is the real reason to rejoice at the resurrection of Jesus?
The Great Commission
For many people, one of the most hard-to-understand things Jesus did was to return to heaven and entrust the gospel ministry to humans. How often we disappoint Him and ourselves, and as the Gospels show, His early followers were no exception. Yet, it’s by entrusting us with ministry that Christ shows His love for us and our need of Him.
Read Matthew 28:16-18. Compare Jesus’ words, “‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (vs. 18, NKJV) with Daniel 7:13, 14. How do these texts relate to each other?
Read Matthew 28:19, 20-the final verses of this Gospel. What does Jesus say, and what is the relevance of His words to us?
Ellen G. White suggests that nearly 500 believers had assembled on a mountain in Galilee after the Resurrection. (See 1 Cor. 15:6.) His gospel commission was not just for the disciples but for all believers. “It is a fatal mistake,” she writes, “to suppose that the work of saving souls depends alone on the ordained minister. All to whom the heavenly inspiration has come are put in trust with the gospel. All who receive the life of Christ are ordained to work for the salvation of their fellow men. For this work the church was established, and all who take upon themselves its sacred vows are thereby pledged to be co-workers with Christ.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 822.
Have you often thought of yourself as a coworker with Christ? In what specific ways can you be more active in taking the gospel to your world?
Further Thought: As did all the other Gospel writers, Matthew wrote about the resurrection of Jesus. Also, as did his fellow writers, he wrote next to nothing about what the meaning of the Resurrection itself was. Though they depicted the story of the Resurrection, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John gave us no real theological explanation of it, even though it’s so central to the Christian faith. It’s in Paul’s writings that we get the most detailed explanation about the meaning of the cross. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:20-22, NKJV). Paul also wrote that we have been “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead” (Col. 2:12, NKJV). Peter, too, has something to say on this crucial topic: “There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 3:21, NKJV). Though we don’t know why the Gospel writers didn’t go into any detailed explanation, some scholars have seen this as more evidence of the truthfulness of their accounts. After all, writing many years after the events, why didn’t they use this opportunity to give a detailed explanation of what they wanted people to believe about the Resurrection? If it were a fraud or a con, why not take the opportunity to make it mean whatever they wanted it to mean? Instead, they simply tell the story, making no attempt to embellish it with any theological explanations as to what it all was supposed to mean.
Discussion Questions:
- At the moment of Jesus’ death, the temple curtain from the Old Covenant was torn from top to bottom, and a New Covenant was ushered in, presided over by a new High Priest, Jesus Christ. “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God,” (Heb. 10:19-21, NKJV). How does it make you feel to realize that Christ Himself now serves as our High Priest?
- Matthew’s Gospel covered so many subjects, so many topics. What things in particular struck you regarding how Jesus was presented here? How can studying this Gospel help you better to understand what it means to be a Christian and to follow the teachings of Jesus?
Try Jesus-Part 3
When Gayle saw how interested Neal and I were in what the children were learning, she gave us a video series to watch. The videos presented Bible truths such as the Sabbath in a way that we did not feel threatened. As we watched the videos we realized that for the first time Christianity was making sense to us. Neal had never wanted to go to church before, but suddenly he was spending all his free time learning more about God. On the other hand, I had been trying for years to figure out what really happens to people when they die. Little by little we realized that Christianity held far more for us than we had ever thought. It was definitely not a dull religion filled with meaningless traditions. We found it a vibrant, living faith, a faith we could really hold onto!
Our new friends invited us to a series of Bible studies on the book of Revelation. We invited another family with whom we had become friends, and they enjoyed the studies as much as we did. Then Gayle invited us to an evangelistic series at her church. Our friends went with us to every meeting. Even our children found plenty to hold their attention. Every night after the meetings, we discussed what we had seen and heard. Some of our discussions lasted far into the night. When the speaker asked for those to stand who wanted to dedicate their lives to God, our whole family-and our friends-stood up together.
As I look back on what happened, I realize that God did, indeed, have a plan for our lives when we moved from South Africa to a new home in Australia. In just one year we had moved from one continent to another, received an invitation to "Try Jesus," and made the decision to follow Jesus and be baptized. What a life-changing year that was!
One day at church we were introduced to two young boys, cousins, who, the pastor told us, had been responsible for putting the "Try Jesus" card into our letter box. We are so grateful to those two young people-as well as to Gayle-for the part they all played in leading us to the Lord. We are forever changed, and I continue to be overwhelmed when I think of how much God loves us-so much that He will bring together a series of miracles to lead us to Him.
Cally Moore and her family live in Sydney, Australia.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)