(upbeat theme music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're delighted that
you could join us this week
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because this week we are
beginning a brand new quarter.
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We are looking at 13
weeks dedicated to God's mission
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and my mission and your mission.
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So we're on a 13-week journey,
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taking a look at how we
can be very much involved
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in the work of spreading
the gospel here on earth.
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But before we dive in
today, let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we wanna thank You
for giving us an opportunity
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to be a part of sharing
this great gospel message
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with the world. And we
ask that during this quarter,
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You will help us to
find very practical ways
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that we can do that.
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We ask Your blessing on
today's study as we get started.
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And we thank You
in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Well, we're
delighted to start this week
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with Kleber
Gonçalves. He is the director
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of the Center for Secular
and Post-Christian Mission.
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Kleber, thanks for joining us.
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>>Thank you for having me.
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>>Now, this is a
really exciting quarter
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because we are, as I said,
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talking about how we
can be personally involved
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in the spread of the gospel.
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And we're gonna be
blessed this quarter
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by you, most certainly,
for the first few lessons
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or first couple of lessons,
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but then we have some
other contributors as well.
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Who are all these contributors
and why are they involved
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in what we're
looking at this quarter?
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>>Actually, Eric, we had a
team approach for this quarter
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under the Office
of Adventist Mission
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at the General Conference.
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We have six
global mission centers.
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Each of the center,
we have the challenge
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and the privilege of
finding bridges of communication
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with the hardest people groups
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to be reached around the world,
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like the Jewish
people, Hindus, Buddhists.
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I have the
privilege of directing
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the Center for Secular
Post-Christian Mission.
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So as a team, we,
together with excitement,
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we brought this quarter
to help the world church
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to understand that all of us,
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we can be part of God's mission,
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if you understands what
He wants through our lives.
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>>So over the
course of 13 weeks,
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we're looking at very
practical ways we can do that.
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Give us kind of an idea
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where are we going--without
giving everything away
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of what we're
gonna be covering--
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what are some areas that
we're gonna be exploring,
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that we're going to be
discovering, that we can share?
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>>Well, first of all, we
need to better understand
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who God is and what is
His plan through our lives.
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Mission is not for
those who are more skilled
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or those who have the
privilege of going through
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a theological education.
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Mission is something that
all of us can be involved.
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So that's the main purpose
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is to understand
how each one of us
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can be part of this mission.
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So on a weekly basis,
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we will not only understand
biblical aspects of mission,
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but also how can we practically
be involved in the mission.
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>>And that's exciting.
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As I looked through
this quarter's lessons,
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Thursday of each week is about
that practical application.
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>>That's correct. >>So you learn
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some of the theological,
the purpose behind it,
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but then Thursday it
gets down to the real deal.
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How do we do that?
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>>Actually, we're gonna
be presenting a challenge
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to all of us.
>>Oh, that's fantastic.
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>>How can we be
involved in this mission?
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>>So 13
challenges as we go through.
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>>Yeah. >>Wonderful. Wonderful.
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So this week, week number one,
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is "God's
Mission to Us - Part 1."
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When we take a look
at the God of mission--
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we find in Genesis 3:9
this question that God asks.
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He says, "Where are you?"
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It sounds like God is busy,
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God is looking, God is
on a mission to do that.
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So how do we
understand God's nature,
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His purpose in this
question, "Where are you?"
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>>Actually, Eric, for us
to understand what mission
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is all about, we have
to start with God Himself.
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He is the foundation.
He's the center of mission
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'cause mission
is started with Him.
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So it's a fundamental
step that we have to take.
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And actually,
this very question,
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the very first question God
asks in the book of Genesis--
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"Where are you?"--it has a
profound missiological aspect.
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He didn't ask,
"What have you done?
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Why did you do that?
Why did you disobey?"
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No, no. He
asked, "Where are you?"
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And He knew where
Adam and Eve were.
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He was pushing them
for them to understand
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where they actually were.
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And this is something that all
of us, we need to understand,
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where we are,
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to understand that we
depend on Him all the time.
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When we understand His purposes
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and what He wants to
do through our lives,
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we really grasp the privilege
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of being part of His mission.
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>>So it sounds like
He's a searching God.
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He's a God who
wants to interact with us.
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He's a God who obviously cares.
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If He's not coming
out wagging a finger,
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you know,
saying, "You did wrong"--
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>>That's true.
>>...but He's reaching out
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to us to connect with
us where we happen to be.
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He's clearly a God that cares,
very much a God that cares.
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So when we understand
that God is that type of a God,
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who is reaching out, who's
caring, who's a God of mission,
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what would that personally
mean to you or to me or to us?
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How should we relate to that?
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How ought we to relate to that?
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>>Actually, it's this
concept that we believe in a God
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that cares for us. And actually
His attitude was to come
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in direction of Adam and Eve.
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He came to them.
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And the same thing
happens to all of us.
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There is a thread, Eric,
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in the Bible from the
book of Genesis to Revelation
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in which we see a God
that wants to be with us.
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And when we
understand His nature,
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His relational nature of being
together, connected with us,
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it does change
even our understanding
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in our practice of mission.
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And throughout
the Old Testament,
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we see this, and the New
Testament, the same thing.
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His desire to be
with us and to love us
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so we can share the same
experience with those around us.
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>>So He's a God who
cares. He wants to be with us;
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He wants to commune with us;
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He wants to communicate with us.
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There are some
in the world today
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who have this idea that
God is kind of a distant God,
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some who believe that
He's sort of got this,
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got this world spinning and
then kind of disappeared to go
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care for more
important and weighty matters.
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But it seems here like we've
got this picture of a God who,
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like you said, He does care.
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He's very much
involved in what's going on.
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What kind of encouragement
would you give to somebody
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who's maybe heard that
God is distant, doesn't care?
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What words of help
would you give to them
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to kind of help them
to see? And of course,
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we're gonna unpack
this a great deal more,
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but somebody who's
struggling with that,
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what would you tell them?
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>>Let me use one of the
most beautiful stories we find
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in God's Word: Joseph.
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When we read his experience,
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we see that things
were going really bad to him
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and actually getting worse.
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And the Bible text says
that, "But God was with him."
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God was with him.
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The problem, Eric, is not with
God; the problem is with us.
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Are we aware of His presence?
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You see, even when Jacob
was fleeing from his brother,
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after the dream he
had, he felt God's presence.
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And he said, "I was
not aware that he's here."
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That's the issue. Are we aware?
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Do we see His presence with us?
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So when we have this assurance
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that He's with us all the
time and He wants to be with us,
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it does help us to understand
how can we really get involved
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in this relationship
and how we can share Him
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with other people.
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>>So you just
touched on something
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that I wanna unpack
just a little bit more.
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Once we understand
that He wants to be with us,
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He gives us the opportunity
to let other people know
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that He wants to
be with them as well.
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How important is that knowledge,
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that understanding
of His personal nature,
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His reaching out to us?
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How important is that as we
seek to give that to others,
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to share that with others?
What does that mean to us?
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>>Actually, this is
something that we explore
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on the very first week.
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That when we have this awareness
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and this
assurance that He's with us,
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we have the
privilege of understanding
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His greatest
attribute: His love.
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And when we understand
God's love for us personally,
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when you understand the
privilege of being in His
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presence, it does change us.
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It does touch us in such a
way that we are transformed,
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and we cannot be
simply keeping this wonderful
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thing just for us.
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We need to share
with other people.
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So that transformation process,
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it's part of what's the Lord
wants through us in His mission
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so we can share our story, our
experience with other people.
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So that's the wonderful
motivation that we find
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when we understand His presence.
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>>And really this whole quarter,
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we're going to
be looking at that
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in one facet or
aspect or another.
00:09:19.15\00:09:22.82
Now, in this quarter,
00:09:22.82\00:09:24.36
we're going kind of week
by week as we usually do,
00:09:24.36\00:09:26.96
day by day, to get
this understanding,
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this better idea of
God's mission and my mission,
00:09:29.66\00:09:33.03
God's mission and our mission,
00:09:33.03\00:09:34.50
or my mission,
makes it very personal.
00:09:34.50\00:09:36.67
But if somebody is reading
through this quarter's lessons
00:09:38.01\00:09:42.38
and they're saying,
"Okay, this makes sense,
00:09:42.38\00:09:43.95
"I'm beginning to see how
this applies and its importance,
00:09:43.95\00:09:48.58
"but I want more;
00:09:48.58\00:09:49.98
I wanna learn more; I
wanna understand more,"
00:09:49.98\00:09:52.49
we also have a
companion book that goes along
00:09:52.49\00:09:56.32
with this quarter's lesson.
00:09:56.32\00:09:58.63
Share with us a little
bit about that companion book
00:09:58.63\00:10:01.40
and why somebody
might want to get that,
00:10:01.40\00:10:03.80
in addition to the
Adult Bible Study Guide
00:10:03.80\00:10:06.50
that we're going
through week by week.
00:10:06.50\00:10:08.17
>>Actually, the
companion book, Eric,
00:10:08.17\00:10:10.54
has been written by the
Department of World Mission
00:10:10.54\00:10:13.04
at Andrews University by
three colleagues of mine,
00:10:13.04\00:10:16.11
Dr. Wagner Kuhn, Boubakar
Sanou, and Andrew Tompkins,
00:10:16.11\00:10:20.55
the three of them
together, three missiologists,
00:10:20.55\00:10:22.42
they went through
the lessons we wrote,
00:10:22.42\00:10:24.75
and they kind of
pushed it in the direction
00:10:24.75\00:10:27.32
of not only understanding
in a cognitive way,
00:10:27.32\00:10:31.36
but how can we
practice in our own lives.
00:10:31.36\00:10:34.20
So I really hope the
audience and the viewers
00:10:34.20\00:10:36.77
will read also
the companion book
00:10:36.77\00:10:38.77
to better understand
how they can be involved.
00:10:38.77\00:10:41.37
>>You mentioned
the story of Joseph
00:10:41.37\00:10:43.44
as being one that shows
God's love and reaching out.
00:10:43.44\00:10:48.38
What would be another picture
of God reaching out to us,
00:10:48.38\00:10:53.38
His love for us, His
desire to reach out to us?
00:10:53.38\00:10:56.65
Can you think of anything
else that leaps to mind?
00:10:56.65\00:11:00.22
What would be
another example of that?
00:11:00.22\00:11:02.12
>>Another beautiful picture
is when God came to Moses,
00:11:02.12\00:11:04.66
and Moses put
together the tabernacle.
00:11:04.66\00:11:07.23
Actually, He was telling him,
00:11:07.23\00:11:09.73
not only Moses
but to His people,
00:11:09.73\00:11:11.80
"I wanna be with you.
00:11:11.80\00:11:13.57
I wanna dwell among you".
00:11:13.57\00:11:15.54
The center of the place
in which they were gathering
00:11:15.54\00:11:20.08
as people, it
was God's presence.
00:11:20.08\00:11:22.24
You see His desire
to be with His children.
00:11:22.24\00:11:26.61
And it came to a point in
which He said, "You know what,
00:11:26.61\00:11:30.25
I will go myself"--Emmanuel,
"God with us."
00:11:30.25\00:11:34.16
So we see this beautiful
mission throughout the Bible:
00:11:34.16\00:11:36.89
His desire to be with
us, to demonstrate His love,
00:11:36.89\00:11:41.06
and to show us His
purposes for our lives.
00:11:41.06\00:11:44.40
>>So that's what we're
looking at this quarter.
00:11:44.40\00:11:46.33
The God of mission, the
God who is reaching out to us,
00:11:46.33\00:11:49.90
who has reached out to us,
00:11:49.90\00:11:51.71
and who continues
to reach out to us.
00:11:51.71\00:11:53.44
And not only that, but He gives
us the wonderful privilege,
00:11:53.44\00:11:56.68
the wonderful opportunity
of reaching out to others.
00:11:56.68\00:12:00.25
So again, I wanna encourage you,
00:12:00.25\00:12:01.42
if you want to
reach out to others,
00:12:01.42\00:12:03.82
if you are feeling
called to reach out to others,
00:12:03.82\00:12:07.12
you're going to enjoy
this quarter's lesson.
00:12:07.12\00:12:09.26
And you're also going to enjoy
this quarter's companion book
00:12:09.26\00:12:13.63
to this lesson, which you
can find at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:13.63\00:12:17.73
Again, you can find
that at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:17.73\00:12:21.50
I'm going to be back
here in just a moment,
00:12:21.50\00:12:23.24
once again with
Kleber Gonçalves,
00:12:23.24\00:12:24.74
as we continue taking a
look at the God of mission;
00:12:24.74\00:12:28.78
we'll be right
back in just a moment.
00:12:28.78\00:12:31.01
(upbeat theme
music swells and ends)
00:12:31.01\00:12:33.75
>>[John Bradshaw]
While you are familiar
00:12:35.38\00:12:36.58
with the "It Is
Written" television program,
00:12:36.58\00:12:38.92
I wanna invite you on
a journey to understand
00:12:38.92\00:12:41.92
more about what It
Is Written is doing
00:12:41.92\00:12:44.03
to take the gospel of
Jesus Christ to the world.
00:12:44.03\00:12:47.03
We are going to
visit India, Mongolia,
00:12:47.03\00:12:49.80
Guatemala, Moldova, Zimbabwe,
the Philippines, and more--
00:12:49.80\00:12:54.00
work made possible by
It Is Written missions.
00:12:54.00\00:12:58.61
It Is Written
mission teams regularly visit
00:12:58.61\00:13:01.74
parts of the world where
the need for Jesus is great.
00:13:01.74\00:13:05.58
It might sometimes
seem like a hopeless task,
00:13:05.58\00:13:08.58
a mission impossible,
except that it isn't.
00:13:08.58\00:13:11.59
It cannot be.
00:13:11.59\00:13:13.12
This is mission
possible because Jesus said
00:13:13.12\00:13:17.13
this gospel of the
kingdom shall be preached
00:13:17.13\00:13:19.33
in all the world.
00:13:19.33\00:13:20.93
If you can't go there yourself,
00:13:20.93\00:13:22.93
you can be there
with It Is Written.
00:13:22.93\00:13:25.97
"Mission Possible."
00:13:27.10\00:13:28.74
Watch now on itiswritten.tv.
00:13:28.74\00:13:32.71
There's something I
wanna tell you about
00:13:33.84\00:13:35.64
that is so important.
00:13:35.64\00:13:37.58
It's My Place With Jesus,
00:13:37.58\00:13:40.12
It Is Written's
ministry to children.
00:13:40.12\00:13:43.49
Take the children you care
about to myplacewithjesus.com.
00:13:43.49\00:13:48.36
At My Place With Jesus,
00:13:48.36\00:13:49.92
you'll find so much
that will bless your children
00:13:49.92\00:13:52.73
or grandchildren
or great-grandchildren
00:13:52.73\00:13:55.50
or the children at church.
00:13:55.50\00:13:57.80
There are the My Place
With Jesus Bible Guides,
00:13:57.80\00:14:01.40
21 studies that will take
the children you care about
00:14:01.40\00:14:04.77
into the Word of God.
00:14:04.77\00:14:06.61
They'll learn
the important things,
00:14:06.61\00:14:08.91
especially the love of God
00:14:08.91\00:14:11.28
and the sacrifice
Jesus made for them. As well,
00:14:11.28\00:14:14.98
take your children to
Journey Through the Bible.
00:14:14.98\00:14:17.45
It's there at
myplacewithjesus.com.
00:14:17.45\00:14:19.92
It's a special
Bible-reading program
00:14:19.92\00:14:22.92
that will get
children into the habit
00:14:22.92\00:14:24.76
of reading their Bible daily
00:14:24.76\00:14:26.33
and connecting
with God regularly.
00:14:26.33\00:14:28.40
So don't forget
myplacewithjesus.com
00:14:28.40\00:14:31.43
from It Is Written.
00:14:31.43\00:14:32.87
(upbeat theme music)
00:14:33.87\00:14:36.50
>>[Eric] Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:38.11\00:14:39.61
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:39.61\00:14:41.61
We are continuing to take a look
00:14:41.61\00:14:43.14
at the God of mission
this week on lesson number one,
00:14:43.14\00:14:46.05
"God's Mission to Us."
00:14:46.05\00:14:48.22
And, Kleber, when we
look at God's mission to us
00:14:48.22\00:14:51.02
and His desire to reach us,
00:14:51.02\00:14:53.15
as you mentioned,
there are several different
00:14:53.15\00:14:55.12
pictures of
that--with the tabernacle,
00:14:55.12\00:14:56.99
God with Moses, with Joseph.
00:14:56.99\00:14:59.29
But there was really
one picture of where God
00:14:59.29\00:15:02.56
really made manifest
His desire to be with us.
00:15:02.56\00:15:07.64
And that's the Incarnation.
00:15:08.44\00:15:10.01
Help us to better
understand the Incarnation
00:15:10.01\00:15:13.31
so that we can appreciate
it, if it were possible,
00:15:13.31\00:15:16.01
in all its fullness
and what that really means
00:15:16.01\00:15:18.88
to you and to me
and to everyone today.
00:15:18.88\00:15:20.92
>>Actually, when
we think carefully
00:15:20.92\00:15:23.62
of the Incarnation, it's a
mystery for us to really embrace
00:15:23.62\00:15:28.12
how wonderful was God's
decision to come Himself.
00:15:29.49\00:15:34.23
You see, God
meant, that meant God
00:15:34.23\00:15:38.03
to be with us and to go
through what we go through
00:15:38.03\00:15:41.90
as human beings.
00:15:41.90\00:15:43.41
Not only to put in concrete ways
00:15:43.41\00:15:48.14
the reality of the
first promise of Genesis 3:15.
00:15:48.14\00:15:52.48
And God told Satan
that "I will put enmity
00:15:52.48\00:15:56.55
between you and man."
00:15:56.55\00:15:58.15
See, He was
making possible for us
00:15:58.15\00:16:02.09
a way in which we
can really have hope,
00:16:02.09\00:16:03.76
the reconciliation with God.
00:16:03.76\00:16:06.09
So His incarnation is
fundamental in this process
00:16:06.09\00:16:09.26
because it's part of
what I've mentioned to you
00:16:09.26\00:16:11.30
in our first segment, that
of His desire to be with us.
00:16:11.30\00:16:15.30
The tabernacle was a way
to show in practical ways
00:16:15.30\00:16:20.38
that Christ would come.
00:16:21.04\00:16:22.28
Now He's fulfilling
the promise, and not only
00:16:22.28\00:16:25.18
in a way that we
can really see God,
00:16:25.18\00:16:28.32
His image as who He really is,
00:16:28.32\00:16:31.25
but through the
teachings of Christ,
00:16:31.25\00:16:33.52
I mean to the way He lived,
to what He has taught us to do
00:16:33.52\00:16:37.89
and the mission that
He has also given to us.
00:16:37.89\00:16:41.40
So His incarnation,
Emmanuel, "God with us,"
00:16:41.40\00:16:44.33
it's part of
this wonderful process
00:16:44.33\00:16:46.43
in which God intentionally
demonstrated to us His desire
00:16:46.43\00:16:51.44
to be with you,
with me, in which,
00:16:51.44\00:16:53.81
in a way in which we can
really not only understand
00:16:53.81\00:16:56.21
but to live that
experience with other people.
00:16:56.21\00:16:59.71
>>So His desire to
be with us manifested
00:16:59.71\00:17:03.82
in the Incarnation.
00:17:03.82\00:17:05.22
You know, one of the most,
00:17:05.22\00:17:06.96
if not the most, frequently
quoted verses in the Bible
00:17:06.96\00:17:10.26
is John 3:16.
00:17:10.26\00:17:12.16
That really also
helps us to understand
00:17:12.16\00:17:15.00
the significance of
His desire to be with us,
00:17:15.00\00:17:17.77
of what He's
willing to do in order
00:17:17.77\00:17:19.70
to be with us
throughout eternity.
00:17:19.70\00:17:23.47
What does that verse tell us
00:17:23.47\00:17:26.11
about God's mission to us,
00:17:26.11\00:17:29.24
His desire to reach us?
00:17:29.24\00:17:31.95
>>That's a wonderful question.
00:17:31.95\00:17:33.42
Actually we have two
aspects that I wanna highlight.
00:17:33.42\00:17:35.88
I mean, there are
so many in there, but,
00:17:35.88\00:17:37.89
when the text says that
"God so loved the world,"
00:17:37.89\00:17:42.22
it's a way to
demonstrate who He is--
00:17:43.19\00:17:45.96
love--which is something
00:17:45.96\00:17:48.50
that we cannot
force people to love,
00:17:48.50\00:17:51.20
you see, and
actually for love to exist,
00:17:51.20\00:17:53.90
you need to have the
option of not to love, you see;
00:17:53.90\00:17:57.31
it's an exercise
of our free will.
00:17:57.31\00:18:00.68
And then when we go back,
00:18:00.68\00:18:02.24
even to the
beginning of everything
00:18:02.24\00:18:04.61
that's being created by God,
00:18:04.61\00:18:07.02
Lucifer, he
chose a different path.
00:18:07.02\00:18:10.12
So God's in that
attitude of loving us,
00:18:10.12\00:18:14.12
sending His Son.
00:18:14.12\00:18:15.62
And then the second part
I would like to highlight
00:18:15.62\00:18:17.49
is that He gave,
00:18:17.49\00:18:20.13
which is not putting
Himself as the center,
00:18:20.13\00:18:25.10
but also giving us the
opportunity to experience of
00:18:25.10\00:18:29.84
Himself. And for us to
really fulfill God's mission,
00:18:29.84\00:18:32.01
we need to understand
that our egocentric desires,
00:18:32.01\00:18:37.08
they need to be put aside
00:18:37.88\00:18:39.78
so we can really
focus on other people.
00:18:39.78\00:18:42.28
So actually when we are
involved in mission, Eric,
00:18:42.28\00:18:44.55
we're not thinking on ourselves.
We are thinking on others.
00:18:44.55\00:18:48.69
You see, we are
being that bridge
00:18:48.69\00:18:51.53
in which we can really exercise
00:18:51.53\00:18:54.13
love and giving up
ourselves to the fulfillment
00:18:54.13\00:18:58.30
of God's mission. So
those are two important
00:18:58.30\00:19:01.14
and precious things
that we find in John 3:16.
00:19:01.14\00:19:04.44
>>And you touched
on something there
00:19:04.44\00:19:06.21
that I think is
really important,
00:19:06.21\00:19:07.44
and that's our opportunity
00:19:07.44\00:19:11.48
to share with others,
00:19:11.48\00:19:13.52
really the "great
commission," if you will.
00:19:13.52\00:19:16.79
You know, God gave Himself,
00:19:16.79\00:19:18.85
but He gives us
that opportunity to share
00:19:18.85\00:19:23.09
what He has done
with other people.
00:19:23.09\00:19:26.33
And it's a very, as
you said, a selfless thing.
00:19:26.33\00:19:29.13
It's not where we--
00:19:29.13\00:19:32.03
at least we
shouldn't gain glory ourselves.
00:19:32.03\00:19:33.97
That's not what the purpose is.
00:19:33.97\00:19:35.47
The purpose is to
lift up God's glory
00:19:35.47\00:19:37.41
and His giving nature and
to share that with others.
00:19:37.41\00:19:41.98
And yet He gives us the
opportunity to share that,
00:19:41.98\00:19:46.98
probably, at least to some
extent, so that we can benefit
00:19:46.98\00:19:49.45
as well. >>That's true.
>>So that we can draw closer
00:19:49.45\00:19:51.62
to Him and gain a
greater and deeper understanding
00:19:51.62\00:19:54.29
of what He has done for us.
00:19:54.29\00:19:56.59
Share with us a
little bit more about
00:19:56.59\00:19:58.16
that great
commission and its significance.
00:19:58.16\00:20:00.66
I know we're
gonna delve into that
00:20:00.66\00:20:02.06
more deeply
later on. >>Yeah, yup.
00:20:02.06\00:20:03.60
>>But help get us
started. Get that ball rolling.
00:20:03.60\00:20:06.80
Help us to
salivate a little bit here.
00:20:06.80\00:20:08.57
>>Yeah, thank you, thank you.
00:20:08.57\00:20:10.04
And actually it's wonderful
what we have mentioned,
00:20:10.04\00:20:12.67
you see, for us to understand
that the great commission
00:20:12.67\00:20:16.18
is not the great suggestion.
00:20:16.18\00:20:17.71
You see, it is
something that He has given us.
00:20:17.71\00:20:19.55
So we need to take it seriously.
00:20:19.55\00:20:22.02
Of course we'll develop further,
00:20:22.02\00:20:24.12
especially in the next week,
00:20:24.12\00:20:25.95
aspects of the great commission.
00:20:25.95\00:20:27.52
But I wanna focus
on the very last part.
00:20:27.52\00:20:30.53
He tell us that we
need to make disciples
00:20:30.53\00:20:33.83
and how to do it.
00:20:33.83\00:20:35.66
But in the end, we
have a beautiful promise.
00:20:35.66\00:20:38.47
Christ says, "I will be
with you until the end."
00:20:39.70\00:20:44.14
You see the same aspect
that I've mentioned before.
00:20:44.14\00:20:47.54
He is promising to be with us.
00:20:47.54\00:20:50.61
And Eric, I think
all of us, we have,
00:20:50.61\00:20:53.05
I have gone myself through
difficult moments in life,
00:20:53.05\00:20:57.29
even in ministry.
00:20:57.29\00:20:58.72
When you face
challenges, you see, the devil
00:20:58.72\00:21:00.72
is doing everything to
discourage you. In those
00:21:00.72\00:21:04.83
moments, I can tell you how
precious that promise has been
00:21:04.83\00:21:08.20
to myself. When I hear from God,
"Boy, just continue doing my
00:21:08.20\00:21:12.27
mission, "this mission;
it's mine, it's not yours.
00:21:12.27\00:21:15.54
And I will be with you."
00:21:15.54\00:21:17.77
And this, I would say
00:21:17.77\00:21:19.01
that it's one of the
most important things
00:21:19.01\00:21:21.18
for us to understand. This
mission, Eric, belongs to God,
00:21:21.18\00:21:26.15
not to me, not to
you, not to a church.
00:21:26.15\00:21:28.98
It's not a church
that has a mission.
00:21:28.98\00:21:31.35
It's a mission
that has a church.
00:21:31.35\00:21:33.52
And that mission is
centering God Himself.
00:21:33.52\00:21:36.02
So that promise,
it's so wonderful
00:21:36.02\00:21:37.86
because we have nothing to fear.
00:21:37.86\00:21:40.20
You see, I just need
to make myself available
00:21:40.20\00:21:44.33
so He will use me in the
way He wants, through His power,
00:21:44.33\00:21:48.87
through the
gifts He has given me.
00:21:48.87\00:21:50.77
But I need to
understand and never forget
00:21:50.77\00:21:52.81
that He'll be with me
always until the very last day.
00:21:52.81\00:21:56.14
>>So He wants to be
with us. He will be with us.
00:21:57.38\00:21:59.61
He wants us to be involved
00:21:59.61\00:22:01.48
and to get a clear
picture of who He is
00:22:01.48\00:22:03.92
through our involvement.
00:22:03.92\00:22:05.35
And again, I'm trying
not to steal the thunder
00:22:06.45\00:22:08.56
from the coming weeks,
but it's very tempting here.
00:22:08.56\00:22:11.69
What would be some
ways--if somebody says,
00:22:11.69\00:22:13.50
"Okay, I want to get involved.
00:22:13.50\00:22:15.30
"Intellectually I
know I should be involved.
00:22:15.30\00:22:17.97
"I want to share my faith,
but I don't know where to begin.
00:22:19.33\00:22:22.47
"I'm afraid of
putting myself out there
00:22:22.47\00:22:25.71
and what might happen."
00:22:25.71\00:22:27.18
And as we've mentioned,
Thursday's lesson talks
00:22:27.18\00:22:29.91
about practicality
all the way through.
00:22:29.91\00:22:32.08
What would be
some practical ways
00:22:32.08\00:22:33.52
that a person who
hasn't really stepped
00:22:33.52\00:22:36.42
outside their comfort zone,
00:22:36.42\00:22:38.02
who feels maybe
they're not qualified,
00:22:38.02\00:22:41.69
you know, "I'm not
a doctor of theology.
00:22:41.69\00:22:43.69
"I'm not a pastor. I'm not
a Bible worker. I'm just me.
00:22:43.69\00:22:47.83
I'm just a Christian"--if
it's possible to say that--
00:22:47.83\00:22:52.00
"just a
believer"--what could someone do
00:22:52.00\00:22:55.57
to start thinking practically
about how they might share
00:22:55.57\00:22:59.24
their faith with somebody else,
00:22:59.24\00:23:00.61
to be an active part
of that great commission?
00:23:00.61\00:23:04.68
>>Actually, what
you have just mentioned,
00:23:04.68\00:23:06.45
"I'm just a Christian."
It's not just a Christian.
00:23:06.45\00:23:09.02
You are exactly what
you need to be, a Christian,
00:23:09.02\00:23:11.45
to believe in Him.
00:23:11.45\00:23:12.95
And actually it's, I
would say, a two-step process.
00:23:12.95\00:23:15.76
The first one is that
awareness that He is with me.
00:23:15.76\00:23:20.60
I have nothing to fear.
00:23:20.60\00:23:22.73
And then I keep
telling--even during the years
00:23:22.73\00:23:25.13
I had the privilege of
leading a church as a pastor--
00:23:25.13\00:23:28.67
it's, I would say
that many times I have said
00:23:28.67\00:23:31.77
that the most dangerous
prayer you can pray to God
00:23:31.77\00:23:36.14
has only two words.
00:23:36.14\00:23:37.88
It's when you, in sincerity,
you tell Him, "Lord, use me."
00:23:37.88\00:23:42.95
If we are sincere,
00:23:43.62\00:23:45.35
He will use any
type of circumstances,
00:23:45.35\00:23:48.86
any moment,
circumstances in our lives.
00:23:48.86\00:23:51.89
So we can be this
channel, this agent of mission
00:23:51.89\00:23:56.97
for those around me.
00:23:56.97\00:23:58.97
Eric, one of the problems
that we face with Christianity
00:23:58.97\00:24:03.30
and with Adventism is to
think that we can be a Christian
00:24:03.30\00:24:08.28
or a faithful
Seventh-day Adventist
00:24:08.28\00:24:11.75
only two or three hours
00:24:11.75\00:24:14.62
in one day of the
week on a Sabbath.
00:24:14.62\00:24:18.25
We think four walls.
00:24:18.25\00:24:19.55
It's easy to be a Christian,
00:24:20.49\00:24:22.16
a Seventh-day Adventist
within a church building.
00:24:22.16\00:24:25.19
The challenge is to be Christian
and a Seventh-day Adventist
00:24:25.19\00:24:28.50
out there in real
life every single day.
00:24:28.50\00:24:33.17
So when you go
to the gas station,
00:24:33.17\00:24:35.27
when you go to the supermarket,
to the farm, everywhere,
00:24:35.27\00:24:38.24
just pray, "Lord, use me."
00:24:38.24\00:24:40.41
He will put
circumstances in your life
00:24:40.41\00:24:43.28
so you can simply share your
story, share your experience.
00:24:43.28\00:24:48.35
We need to have that experience.
00:24:49.15\00:24:50.79
We need to have a story
with Him in this relationship.
00:24:50.79\00:24:53.69
He will use us.
00:24:53.69\00:24:56.02
So that intentionality of
being aware of His presence
00:24:56.02\00:24:59.63
and the desire
to live as an agent
00:24:59.63\00:25:02.50
for the kingdom
are fundamental for us
00:25:02.50\00:25:04.70
to have this experience of
mission every day in our lives.
00:25:04.70\00:25:09.44
>>So if we pray, "Lord,
use me"--dangerous prayer,
00:25:09.44\00:25:12.54
but a very important
one, a very powerful one,
00:25:12.54\00:25:14.84
one that God
certainly can and will answer,
00:25:14.84\00:25:17.68
He'll bring people into
our paths, opportunities,
00:25:17.68\00:25:21.38
maybe a message that we receive
00:25:21.38\00:25:23.28
somehow via text or something
00:25:23.28\00:25:25.65
to share our faith
with somebody else.
00:25:25.65\00:25:28.49
In order to share your faith,
00:25:29.39\00:25:31.36
you don't
necessarily have to know
00:25:31.36\00:25:34.56
the answer to every question
00:25:34.56\00:25:35.86
about everything in
the Bible ever written.
00:25:35.86\00:25:38.67
I think you and I
probably both fall short
00:25:38.67\00:25:41.00
in that department.
00:25:41.00\00:25:42.50
At least I know I don't
know the answer to everything.
00:25:42.50\00:25:43.91
>>All of us. >>All of us do.
00:25:43.91\00:25:45.51
But we all do have a testimony;
00:25:45.51\00:25:47.88
we all have a testimony
that we can share with others.
00:25:47.88\00:25:51.81
How important is one's testimony
00:25:51.81\00:25:55.42
of what God has done for them
00:25:55.42\00:25:57.45
when sharing
their faith with others?
00:25:57.45\00:25:59.35
>>That's a very
important question
00:25:59.35\00:26:01.09
because it deals
with storytelling.
00:26:01.09\00:26:05.46
It is just telling
people your story with God,
00:26:05.46\00:26:09.20
your experience with Him.
00:26:09.20\00:26:11.53
And that's, I would say,
00:26:11.53\00:26:13.07
one of the most powerful
tools that we can ever have.
00:26:13.07\00:26:16.94
Many times we have this
anxiety of sitting with people
00:26:16.94\00:26:19.24
and simply sharing
God's Word with them.
00:26:19.24\00:26:22.41
But even before we go to
that point, we need to share
00:26:22.41\00:26:27.35
what this has done in my life.
00:26:27.35\00:26:32.15
You see, I work with secular,
with post-Christian people,
00:26:32.15\00:26:34.86
postmoderns, and I
keep telling friends
00:26:34.86\00:26:37.59
and those who want to
be involved in that kind of
00:26:37.59\00:26:40.96
ministry, even before
inviting someone to your church,
00:26:40.96\00:26:44.90
invite them to your home.
00:26:44.90\00:26:47.17
One of the issues we
see today is authenticity.
00:26:47.17\00:26:50.61
They want to see in
our lives that our lives
00:26:50.61\00:26:53.78
are equal to what we preach.
00:26:53.78\00:26:57.01
So it's a way for us simply
00:26:57.01\00:26:58.41
to show and to say
who we are, our story,
00:26:58.41\00:27:02.45
our experience with God.
00:27:02.45\00:27:04.12
It's a powerful way to
really do mission every day
00:27:04.12\00:27:07.89
in what we live.
00:27:07.89\00:27:09.56
>>Authenticity, I like that.
00:27:09.56\00:27:11.03
Kleber, thank you
for joining us this week,
00:27:11.03\00:27:13.36
much appreciated.
>>My pleasure, my pleasure.
00:27:13.36\00:27:15.20
>>And thank you for joining us.
00:27:15.20\00:27:16.43
We're glad that
you could join us
00:27:16.43\00:27:17.60
for this very first lesson,
00:27:17.60\00:27:20.34
looking at God's
mission and my mission.
00:27:20.34\00:27:22.90
Next week we're
gonna come back again
00:27:22.90\00:27:25.04
and continue our journey.
00:27:25.04\00:27:26.61
God bless you and
we'll see you next time
00:27:26.61\00:27:28.34
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:28.34\00:27:31.21
(upbeat theme music)
00:27:31.21\00:27:33.82
(music ends)
00:28:26.90\00:28:28.94