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Posts Tagged ‘God’s Great Missionaries’

Have you ever experienced a dramatic change in perspective? In 1543,astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus published a theory that would transform how humans viewed themselves and their place in the universe.

Copernicus used mathematics and astronomical studies to disprove the belief that the earth was the center of the universe, around which all planets and stars orbited. Instead, he argued, the earth is just one of a number of planets that travel around the sun. Today we know that earth is an infinitesimal speck in the vast, unfathomably huge universe. But for the religious and intellectual leaders of the sixteenth century, Copernicus had advanced an unwelcome theory that required a shocking change in perspective. It was not something easy for people to grasp, and it took awhile before his position became accepted. Old and set ideas are not easy for anyone to give up, no matter how wrong they are!

Radical changes in perspective are rarely comfortable. In Isaiah 6 the prophet encounters the unfathomable vastness of God’s majesty, and it becomes a defining moment in his life; his perspective of God, himself, and his mission changes in an instant.

Have you had an encounter with God? This week, we’ll take a few moments to consider how our knowledge of God changes our perspective, priorities, and understanding of our place in the universe. We’ll think about how our views, as Christians, radically differ from those who believe that we live in a godless universe and that our existence here is purely by chance!

Join us for this vital discussion.

Ironically, The Good Shepherd is the title of a 2006 motion picture about a fictional American who helps start the Central Intelligence Agency, a spy service that may have reached its apex during the Cold War between America and the former Soviet Union. The life portrayed is one of substance and shadow, disguises and deceptions, all packed with drama.

For a life of intrigue, suspense, and thrills, however, you don’t have to look much farther than Philip, plucked from the ranks of day-to-day church members in Jerusalem, first to help serve meals, then to break the bread of life to others. His ministry crossed deserts, was carried (by others) into Africa, and even touched the “untouchable” land of Samaria.

Philip “got around” and brought hope and help to people in need. His active partner was God the Holy Spirit, and the results were something to behold. Philip was a good shepherd of the people he served, but, of course, he wasn’t the “Good Shepherd” that Jesus was. However, Philip’s readiness to tackle new projects and difficult tasks is one we would do well to emulate.

There are people waiting!

Join us this week as elder Richard White leads our discussion.

No one can look at the story of Daniel, I believe, without getting a chill up and down one’s spine. This is a thrilling story of four young men who could have elected to “go with the flow,” but instead held fast to the Lord their God and won promotion and honor for it!

You could argue, perhaps, that the story of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael,and Azariah—the Jerusalem four—is in fact the Christian message. In this weeks lesson, we find young men totally dedicated to serving God. They won’t compromise principles at the dinner table. We see each of the four unwilling to “adapt” their faith to their new situation; telling King Nebuchadnezzar they’d rather die than dishonor God!

God delivers them in the midst of it all. Not everyone today, of course, will face the same earthly success that these four received. People are killed for their faith. But for every believer, there’s hope that God is true to His promises and that we can trust them, no matter our earthly fate.
May our love for Jesus and the crying needs of the world around us motivate us to “dare” something great for God.

Join us this week as Elder Joe Luste leads our discussion of this noteworthy lesson.

Peter, Daniel, David, Isaiah, Moses, and Paul. The Bible is replete with the stories of men who have done great things for God and with God, and there’s no doubt about that. However, it would be dishonest—even foolish—to minimize the role of women in the Bible. From Eve, through whose seed the Savior Himself was promised, to Sarah, Rebekah, Esther, Mary, Martha, and others, the ministry of women is of inestimable value to God’s church and His people.

This week’s lesson explores some of the essential women of the New Testament church and their impact on the world around them. These women, and countless others, didn’t wait for marching orders from a field general or for a committee to meet and agree on their role. Instead, they fulfilled that old bromide about success: “Find a need and fill it.”

Join us, and Elder Calvin D. Lester, for our discussion this Saturday, September 6th. And when you do, remember gender is not a prerequisite for being used of God; a willing heart is the only necessary qualification.

Very few New Testament characters rival Simon Peter in terms of bold actions and outrageous statements. He invited himself to walk with Jesus on the water, he cut off a man’s ear, and he initially refused to let Jesus wash his feet just before the Last Supper. Often, when Jesus asked His disciples a question, it was Peter who spoke up. With James and John, Peter accompanied Jesus on some of His most outstanding miracles.

Yet often in the sermons that mention Peter, he’s treated as kind of a lovable buffoon; someone who speaks and acts before he thinks through the results of his words or actions. The implied message of these sermons is, “Don’t be like Peter. Keep your mouth shut and your hands to yourself. It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

That attitude misses the entire point of his story: Peter’s influence in the early church was huge because he was willing to take risks for Christ. When Peter was converted and transformed, the Holy Spirit used Peter’s bold proclamations and brave actions to build up Christ’s kingdom.

Can the Lord use only “perfect” people—or is there room for folk like you and me?

Peter’s story shows us through his humanness that God can use just about anyone. Peter swore, denied Christ, even resorted to violence, and yet, he went forth with “the keys to the kingdom” and became a mighty witness for God’s truth and God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah, or Christ.

Peter was a fisherman, unschooled in the higher realms of Scripture, certainly not one who sat at the foot of the rabbis of old. Yet, despite his “rough” background and sometimes “raw” behavior, God’s grace transformed him into an evangelist par excellence.

Can you think of people whom you’ve known over the years whose worldly experience ill-fitted them for spiritual achievement, and yet these people were used to reach others with the gospel and the three angels’ messages?

Join us over the next two weeks as Owen Kong provides us with his leadership to facilitate this vital exploration and discussion.

Some people read the Bible as if they’re cramming for an exam or preparing to play a game of Trivial Pursuit. They fill their heads with lots of details: names, places, chapters, and verses. But that kind of knowledge, while useful on a certain level, does not have the power to transform our lives. Jesus said to those who persecuted Him, “ ‘You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life’ ” (John 5:39, 40, NIV).

This week’s lesson focuses on one of Christ’s disciples who, perhaps more than any other, understood Jesus’ character of unconditional love and unqualified acceptance of sinners.

This lesson is to remind us that knowledge about the Bible will take us only so far in securing our salvation. In the final analysis, only our relationship with Christ will save us and transform us—as it did for John—from being a “child of Thunder” to a “disciple whom Jesus loved.”

Join us this week as elder Richard White leads and facilitates our discussion through this important lesson.

Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

Imagine: Jesus comes to where you work (at the office, assembly line, shop, classroom, barn, or company vehicle).

Who was Jesus Christ? Was He just a great teacher?
Just a prophet? The Son of God? Divinity in the flesh? Most important, what is He to you?

Is Jesus your Savior? Is He your example? Is He your Lord? What evidence do our lives give that reveal just how we view Jesus?

If you placed yourself within your favorite story from the Gospels about Jesus, how would you feel? What would it motivate you to do, today, tomorrow, and beyond?

Join us this week as we discuss our understanding of, and relationship to, Jesus and how it has changed and progressed over the years.