(uplifting theme music)
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(music ends)
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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 glad that you
could join us again this week
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as we continue
our journey through
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"God's Mission, My Mission."
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And we are looking
today at week number three,
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"God's Call to
Mission," an exciting study
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which we'll begin right
after prayer. Let's pray.
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Father, thank You
for being with us today
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and giving us an
opportunity to learn more about
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how we can be
involved in the mission
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of sharing the
gospel with others.
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We ask that You'll
bless our time together today,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Well, we're grateful this week
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to have Greg Whitsett with us.
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He is the planning
director at Adventist Mission.
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Greg, welcome.
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>>Thank you, glad to
be here. >>So tell us
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a little bit
about this; what is it
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to be the planning
director at Adventist Mission?
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What's kind of your
background that's brought you
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to where you are and
what you're doing right now?
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>>Well, my wife
and I enjoyed 16 years
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of mission
service in Southeast Asia.
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In the last five years,
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we've been working at
the General Conference.
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Right now as planning director,
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the great thing I enjoy
is that I actually am able to
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partner with the
Adventist Mission directors
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and the divisions
and the attached unions
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to the General Conference
and support them with funding,
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but also in any
other ways--training
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and different resources
and that sort of thing.
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>>And so you're
bringing that to all of us
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so that we can figure out
how we can be more effective
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in the mission fields
wherever we happen to be,
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and we're grateful for that.
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So this week, we're looking
at "God's Call to Mission."
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Now, it would be a
natural assumption for us
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to say, "Oh, God's
call to mission, Matthew 28.
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"Let's go to
the Great Commission
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and just find out all about it."
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But in this lesson,
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you didn't jump
straight to Matthew 28.
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You went somewhere else.
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Tell us where you went
and why you went there.
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>>Well, yeah, we go to,
actually, the Tower of Babel
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in-- >>Naturally.
>>...naturally-- (laughs)
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in Genesis, chapter
11, and the reason for that
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is a couple of things.
One, 70% of the Bible is story.
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And so we find a
lot of meaning in story.
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But second of all, this
is where we have the dilemma
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of the languages being confused,
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and how is God
gonna resolve this?
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Because that's
the barrier; you know,
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the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit is to help us
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overcome the
barrier of languages.
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So it just seemed
like a good place to begin.
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>>All right, so we're starting
here in the Tower of Babel.
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Give us a little
picture of what's going on.
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>>Well, absolutely.
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Why don't we actually turn
there to Genesis, chapter 11,
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and we'll look at a few verses.
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>>Sure.
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>>And beginning in
verse one, it says,
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"Now the whole earth had
one language and one speech."
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Wouldn't that be nice today?
Google Translate helps us,
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but--I enjoyed a
ride once across Moscow,
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talking with a taxi
driver using Google Translate.
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It worked quite well, but
we know that often it doesn't.
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The languages, of course,
are not one language anymore,
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but at this time of
earth's history, it was.
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And in verse two,
"And it came to pass,
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"as they
journeyed from the east,
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"that they found a
plain in the land of Shinar,
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"and they dwelt there.
Then they said to one another,
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'Come, let us make bricks
and bake them thoroughly.'"
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And so then they--it
begins to describe this process,
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what they're doing, and
the reason is in verse 4:
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"Let us build ourselves a city,
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"and a tower whose
top is in the heavens;
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"let us make a
name for ourselves,
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"lest we be scattered abroad
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over the face of
the whole earth."
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And so we see that
they had an intentionality,
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that they wanted to
make a name for themselves
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because they didn't
want to be scattered.
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And the thought comes to my
mind, well, why in the world
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(chuckles) are they
afraid of being scattered?
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You know, a lot of
times we tell the story
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that they were
afraid of the flood.
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You know, maybe the
flood would come back,
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and I think
there's some truth to that.
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But what's
explicitly stated here
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is that they
didn't wanna be scattered.
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Well, we know
that this is a concern
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because this is based
on the story of the flood.
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In Genesis,
chapter 9, in verse 1,
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God actually blesses Noah
and his sons, and He says--
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this is, of course,
after they come out of the ark,
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and they've had the
sacrifice and the rainbow
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and different
things like that happen,
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God tells them, "Be
fruitful and multiply,
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and fill the earth,"
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which, when we read that, we
should be thinking, of course,
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what God's
blessing was in Genesis
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when He created Adam and
Eve, that they were to multiply
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and fill the
whole earth. >>Right.
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>>So it seems
that God's blessing
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is that He wants
us to spread out.
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And that is a blessing.
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And so what we see in Genesis,
chapter 11 is they're saying,
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"We don't want to do this."
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Even though they
have all this history
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that's fresh in
their minds, they still,
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they don't want to
follow this command,
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meant to be a
blessing, to spread out.
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And so they stay to
make a name for themselves
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and to stay together.
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And so of course, God
needed to do something
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to help them avoid,
because--and in fact,
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this is a revolt happening.
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And I've often asked
people, is this, is God--
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well, let's read the verse first
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before we get
ahead of ourselves.
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Would you read verse 8 and 9?
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>>Sure. Verse 8 says, "So
the Lord scattered them abroad
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"from there over the
face of all the earth,
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"and they ceased
building the city.
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"Therefore its name is
called Babel, because there
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"the Lord confused the
language of all the earth;
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"and from there the
Lord scattered them abroad
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over the face of all the earth."
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So they didn't
wanna be scattered,
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and God
ultimately scattered them.
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>>Yeah. >>Interesting.
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>>So what they're doing is
that they're trying to obstruct
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from God's plan of how He
wants to bless the human race,
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and they were beginning
a revolt, and God said,
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"Okay, I'm going to
confuse the languages,"
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not as a way to curse them,
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but as a way to ensure
that the blessing will come.
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>>So this is less about
God cursing the human race,
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about more of God trying
to bless them despite the fact
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that they apparently
didn't want that blessing.
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>>Yeah. >>So,
very, very interesting.
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So, next we're going
to Genesis, chapter 12.
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Genesis 11 talks about the
building of the Tower of Babel
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and the
confusing of the languages
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and the scattering of people.
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We get to Genesis, chapter
12, and we pick up the story now
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with God calling Abraham,
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and we're gonna look
more at that next week,
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but we wanna start looking at
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the story of Abraham this week.
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What's the significance of
going right here to chapter 12?
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Chronologically,
that's the case, certainly,
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but what do you
think the message is
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that God's trying to
get across to us here?
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>>Well, what's
interesting that we need to
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kind of think about
for a second is that
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no sooner had God
confused the languages
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that God calls a missionary.
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Isn't that interesting?
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So, the challenge
we have today to go to
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every nation,
kindred tongue, and people,
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is actually a call that began
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as soon as the
languages were confused.
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And so let's
actually look at verses
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1-3 there in chapter 12.
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It says,
"Now...Lord had said to Abram:
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"'Get out of your
country, from your family...
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"'from your father's house,
to a land...I will show you.
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"'[And] I will
make you a great nation;
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"'I will bless you
and make your name great;
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"'and you shall be a blessing.
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"'I will bless
those who bless you,
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"'and I will curse
[those] who curse you;
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"'and in you all the families
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of the earth shall be blessed.'"
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And I think that's
really important to notice there
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because that word "family" could
also mean "tribe" or "people."
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It's not just the nuclear family
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of a mom and dad
and the kids, right?
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So, the idea was is that
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now that we have
these different languages,
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people are going to
be broken up into tribes,
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into people groups.
And God intends, even here,
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that all of these different
groups are going to be reached
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because He knows that
they're going to forget Him
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and what His plan
is, to redeem this world
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from the curse of
sin that leads to death.
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>>And here we are
looking at the world today,
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and we can see all of
these tribes and people groups
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and families
spread over all the earth
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and a lot of confused languages.
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You know, it's difficult
for us to reach across,
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not impossible, but more
difficult for us to reach across
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those borders or
those obstacles, as it were.
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As we look at
Genesis, chapter 12 here,
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what are a couple of
takeaways that we can
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learn from this story
that we're looking at here
00:08:37.15\00:08:39.61
in Genesis 12 about Abram?
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>>You know, immediately,
Abram obeys and he goes,
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and it's a beautiful story,
00:08:46.05\00:08:48.32
but as we read
further into chapter 12,
00:08:48.32\00:08:52.56
we find he runs into
trouble almost immediately.
00:08:52.56\00:08:55.73
It's a sad situation.
00:08:55.73\00:08:57.23
I remember as a child I
was reading through the Bible
00:08:57.23\00:09:00.07
while I was in
elementary school,
00:09:00.07\00:09:01.30
and I'd get to this and I'd say,
00:09:01.30\00:09:02.24
"What in the world?" You know,
00:09:02.24\00:09:03.51
"People forget so
quick; why is this happening?"
00:09:03.51\00:09:05.11
I thought, "I'm
never gonna be like that."
00:09:05.11\00:09:06.41
But we all know, and
I've been a missionary,
00:09:06.41\00:09:08.71
like I mentioned earlier,
16 years, we were overseas,
00:09:08.71\00:09:11.28
and I find myself
making mistakes as well.
00:09:11.28\00:09:14.72
So, this actually
has some encouragement
00:09:14.72\00:09:16.92
for those of us
who've lived long enough
00:09:16.92\00:09:18.39
to have made some mistakes.
00:09:18.39\00:09:19.79
It's the story of
Abram in Egypt. In verse 10:
00:09:20.89\00:09:24.53
"There was a famine in the land,
00:09:24.53\00:09:25.96
"and Abram went down
to Egypt to dwell there,
00:09:25.96\00:09:28.13
for the famine was
severe in the land."
00:09:28.13\00:09:30.80
Now, the problem was, of course,
00:09:30.80\00:09:32.73
is that he had a
beautiful wife, (chuckles)
00:09:32.73\00:09:35.00
and it's a very odd
solution he comes up with.
00:09:35.00\00:09:38.97
In verse 12, it says,
"Therefore it will happen,
00:09:38.97\00:09:40.94
when the Egyptians see
you"--talking to his wife--
00:09:40.94\00:09:43.61
"they will say,
'This is his wife';
00:09:43.61\00:09:45.48
"and they will kill me,
but they will let you live.
00:09:45.48\00:09:48.72
"Please say you are my sister,
00:09:48.72\00:09:51.22
"that it may be well
with me for your sake,
00:09:51.22\00:09:53.82
that I may live because of you."
00:09:53.82\00:09:56.32
And so that's the plot.
00:09:56.32\00:09:57.59
And it's a
horrible plan, of course.
00:09:57.59\00:09:59.83
And sure enough, apparently,
00:09:59.83\00:10:03.16
Pharaoh's servants
were very keen on the fact
00:10:03.16\00:10:05.70
that he wanted beautiful women,
00:10:05.70\00:10:08.00
and they saw that
Sarah was just that.
00:10:08.00\00:10:11.71
And so everything
plays according to the plan
00:10:11.71\00:10:14.61
that Abram had suggested.
00:10:14.61\00:10:17.68
Some missionary
he's being, right?
00:10:17.68\00:10:19.61
He's being taken to
Egypt to be a missionary,
00:10:19.61\00:10:22.38
and here he is
worried more about himself
00:10:22.38\00:10:24.85
and his own survival
00:10:24.85\00:10:26.69
and forgetting about his
wife's safety, obviously.
00:10:26.69\00:10:29.82
And then thankfully,
God comes to the rescue
00:10:29.82\00:10:32.89
and sends a plague.
00:10:32.89\00:10:33.83
What a blessing, and, you know,
00:10:33.83\00:10:35.36
you would never think a
plague could be a blessing,
00:10:35.36\00:10:37.07
but this, of course,
was an excellent blessing,
00:10:37.07\00:10:39.43
an answer to
Sarah's prayers, I'm sure.
00:10:39.43\00:10:42.47
In verse 18, Pharaoh
calls Abram and says,
00:10:42.47\00:10:44.54
"What...have [you] done to me?
00:10:44.54\00:10:46.91
Why did you not tell me
that she was your wife?"
00:10:46.91\00:10:49.18
Because, of
course, of the plague.
00:10:49.18\00:10:50.71
"And why did you
say, 'She is my sister'?"
00:10:50.71\00:10:52.65
And then this is the incredible
irony of this whole thing.
00:10:52.65\00:10:56.45
Here's what Pharaoh says
to the missionary, Abraham,
00:10:56.45\00:11:00.99
"'Now therefore,
here is your wife;
00:11:00.99\00:11:02.72
"take her and go your way.'
00:11:02.72\00:11:04.73
"So Pharaoh commanded
his men concerning him,
00:11:04.73\00:11:06.90
and they sent him away, with
his wife and all that he had."
00:11:06.90\00:11:09.73
>>It's an interesting
picture of a missionary.
00:11:09.73\00:11:12.73
Not exactly what we would...
00:11:12.73\00:11:14.07
exhibit A for doing
everything the right way.
00:11:15.37\00:11:18.21
>>It's incredible.
00:11:18.21\00:11:19.61
And what I find
encouraging, though,
00:11:19.61\00:11:24.41
like I said, as a missionary
who've made my mistakes,
00:11:24.41\00:11:27.02
I remember the first time
00:11:27.02\00:11:28.42
I gave a gospel
presentation to a Buddhist monk.
00:11:28.42\00:11:31.29
He came to me asking, "I
want to know about Christmas."
00:11:31.29\00:11:35.12
I said, "Okay, well,
I'll be happy to share."
00:11:35.12\00:11:36.86
And I began, I said,
"Well, where should I begin?"
00:11:36.86\00:11:39.33
You know, if I just
talk about the birth story,
00:11:39.33\00:11:41.73
he's not gonna
understand the significance.
00:11:41.73\00:11:43.57
So I started back at Creation
and the fall and going along,
00:11:43.57\00:11:47.37
and then I get
to the birth story,
00:11:47.37\00:11:49.14
I kind of skipped a
bit to get to the point,
00:11:49.14\00:11:52.04
but the young man who
was this Buddhist monk,
00:11:52.04\00:11:54.94
he was kind of
chuckling in embarrassment
00:11:54.94\00:11:57.95
because he could
tell I had turned into,
00:11:57.95\00:12:00.88
you know, a
person of conviction,
00:12:00.88\00:12:02.62
and I was trying to
encourage him to be like me,
00:12:02.62\00:12:04.69
a disciple of Christ.
00:12:04.69\00:12:06.82
And by the time I
was done, of course,
00:12:06.82\00:12:08.52
I had to go to the cross,
I had to do the whole thing,
00:12:08.52\00:12:10.23
and by the time I was
done, I knew it was a mess,
00:12:10.23\00:12:13.33
that he didn't understand
00:12:13.33\00:12:14.76
the importance of
what I was saying.
00:12:14.76\00:12:17.13
It didn't ring any bells.
00:12:17.13\00:12:19.30
And to this day, unfortunately,
00:12:19.30\00:12:21.20
I still have contact with
him, but he's had no interest
00:12:21.20\00:12:23.71
in the gospel since then.
00:12:23.71\00:12:25.41
And I think, you know, if I
had approached that differently,
00:12:25.41\00:12:27.58
maybe that story
could have been different.
00:12:27.58\00:12:29.78
But here we have
Abraham who made a big mistake,
00:12:29.78\00:12:33.35
God still uses him, and
it's such an encouragement
00:12:33.35\00:12:36.28
to those of us who fear
that we will make mistakes.
00:12:36.28\00:12:38.92
>>So, a story that
shows shortcomings,
00:12:38.92\00:12:42.22
and all of us have
experienced shortcomings.
00:12:42.22\00:12:44.46
And if we haven't,
which we probably have,
00:12:44.46\00:12:46.76
but if we haven't, we
will see them soon enough.
00:12:46.76\00:12:49.23
>>That's right.
>>But there is hope for us.
00:12:49.23\00:12:51.53
We're looking this week
at "God's Call to Mission,"
00:12:51.53\00:12:55.27
and if you are feeling
that perhaps God is calling you
00:12:55.27\00:12:57.97
to mission in some
way, shape, or form,
00:12:57.97\00:13:00.31
it may not be on the
other side of the earth,
00:13:00.31\00:13:02.54
but maybe it's a
little bit closer to home,
00:13:02.54\00:13:05.51
you want some more resources,
some more guidance in that,
00:13:05.51\00:13:09.55
I wanna encourage you to
pick up the companion book
00:13:09.55\00:13:12.22
to this quarter's
Sabbath school lesson.
00:13:12.22\00:13:13.72
It is called "God's
Mission, My Mission."
00:13:13.72\00:13:16.02
You can find it
at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:16.02\00:13:18.99
Again, that's at
itiswritten.shop,
00:13:18.99\00:13:21.76
"God's Mission, My Mission,"
00:13:21.76\00:13:23.93
a wonderful, wonderful resource
00:13:23.93\00:13:26.33
that will help you
to gain more out of
00:13:26.33\00:13:28.14
this quarter's
Sabbath school study.
00:13:28.14\00:13:30.77
We're going to come right
back here in just a moment
00:13:30.77\00:13:33.11
as we continue taking a
look at "God's Call to Mission."
00:13:33.11\00:13:36.24
We'll see you
back in just a moment.
00:13:36.24\00:13:37.85
(uplifting theme
music swells and ends)
00:13:37.85\00:13:40.48
>>[John Bradshaw] There
might be days when you just
00:13:42.32\00:13:44.25
can't seem to find the energy
to take on life's challenges,
00:13:44.25\00:13:47.59
moments or maybe days or weeks
00:13:47.59\00:13:49.69
where basic tasks
can feel overwhelming,
00:13:49.69\00:13:52.66
times when you feel
as though your heart
00:13:52.66\00:13:54.56
and mind are trapped in a fog.
00:13:54.56\00:13:57.37
Countless people
all around the world
00:13:57.37\00:13:59.23
are dealing with the
weight of depression.
00:13:59.23\00:14:02.00
Most people will experience
depression either firsthand
00:14:02.00\00:14:05.27
or in the lives of
friends or family members.
00:14:05.27\00:14:08.31
There's hardly a person on earth
00:14:08.31\00:14:10.35
who hasn't in some way
been touched by its weight.
00:14:10.35\00:14:13.82
That's why I sat down
with a mental health expert
00:14:13.82\00:14:16.15
to discuss this
vitally important subject.
00:14:16.15\00:14:19.05
Join me and Dr.
Neil Nedley as together
00:14:19.05\00:14:21.22
we explore what actually works
in helping battle depression,
00:14:21.22\00:14:25.19
its root causes,
and its symptoms.
00:14:25.19\00:14:27.76
Don't miss the helpful
and practical information
00:14:27.76\00:14:29.83
in this series,
proven to benefit physical,
00:14:29.83\00:14:32.27
mental, and emotional health:
00:14:32.27\00:14:34.17
"Clearing the Fog,"
00:14:34.17\00:14:35.67
available now on
It Is Written TV.
00:14:35.67\00:14:38.97
(uplifting theme music)
00:14:42.34\00:14:44.98
>>[Eric] Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:46.55\00:14:48.48
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:48.48\00:14:50.69
We're continuing taking a
look at "God's Call to Mission."
00:14:50.69\00:14:53.79
And, Greg, the story
that as we're working through
00:14:53.79\00:14:56.29
this quarter's lesson,
it kind of jumps forward.
00:14:56.29\00:14:58.79
We looked at Abram, we've
looked at the Tower of Babel--
00:14:58.79\00:15:01.43
or--Tower of Babel and
Abram, and now we're gonna jump
00:15:01.43\00:15:04.17
all the way over
into the New Testament
00:15:04.17\00:15:05.90
and jump to the book of Acts.
00:15:05.90\00:15:08.50
Why is this so
important for us to understand?
00:15:08.50\00:15:11.41
What do we find here?
00:15:11.41\00:15:13.74
>>Well, what we
left off with was
00:15:13.74\00:15:17.11
here's Abraham,
Abram at that point,
00:15:17.11\00:15:19.71
no children yet, but he's
accepting this call to mission
00:15:19.71\00:15:23.82
to be a blessing
to all the families,
00:15:23.82\00:15:25.99
to all the tribes or all
the people groups of the world
00:15:25.99\00:15:30.73
after the
languages were scattered.
00:15:30.73\00:15:32.19
So, this important theme
that we're trying to get at
00:15:32.19\00:15:35.56
in this lesson is our
calling, and we wanna see
00:15:35.56\00:15:38.67
how does this play out as
we get into the New Testament
00:15:38.67\00:15:40.70
because we know, of course,
00:15:40.70\00:15:42.74
that Israel
struggled with this calling,
00:15:42.74\00:15:44.77
this mission to be a
blessing to all the peoples.
00:15:44.77\00:15:47.64
And they started
to see themselves
00:15:47.64\00:15:49.14
as kind of a
privileged people, God's people,
00:15:49.14\00:15:52.91
and actually
held themselves aloof
00:15:52.91\00:15:55.15
with the rest of the people.
00:15:55.95\00:15:58.02
So we want to look at
this in the New Testament
00:15:58.02\00:16:00.26
and see how it unfolds.
00:16:00.26\00:16:01.69
>>So you take us
here to Acts, chapter 8.
00:16:01.69\00:16:04.79
What's going on
in Acts, chapter 8?
00:16:04.79\00:16:06.23
>>Well, in Acts,
chapter 8, it starts off
00:16:06.23\00:16:08.53
with a picture of
Saul, who later becomes Paul,
00:16:08.53\00:16:10.67
the great
missionary to the Gentiles.
00:16:10.67\00:16:13.10
But in the first verse, we have
this very difficult picture,
00:16:13.10\00:16:17.21
where it says
in Acts 8, verse 1,
00:16:17.21\00:16:20.51
"Now Saul was
consenting to his death.
00:16:20.51\00:16:24.61
"At [the] time a great
persecution arose against
00:16:24.61\00:16:28.35
"the church
which was at Jerusalem;
00:16:28.35\00:16:31.82
"and they were all
scattered throughout the regions
00:16:31.82\00:16:35.36
of Judea...Samaria,
except the apostles."
00:16:35.36\00:16:38.89
So they're starting to scatter.
00:16:38.89\00:16:40.73
And what I wanna
point out, though,
00:16:40.73\00:16:42.66
with this verse is,
again, this word "scatter."
00:16:42.66\00:16:44.77
Did you catch that? (chuckles)
00:16:44.77\00:16:46.50
That's exactly what God
wanted Adam and Eve to do,
00:16:46.50\00:16:50.14
to multiply and fill the earth,
00:16:50.14\00:16:51.77
knowing his sons to do
as they needed to, again,
00:16:51.77\00:16:54.61
populate the earth, and the
Tower of Babel was an approach
00:16:54.61\00:16:57.78
and a revolt to not do that.
00:16:57.78\00:16:59.15
Well, this is what's
happening here again.
00:16:59.15\00:17:01.65
But it's in this case,
we see it's persecution.
00:17:01.65\00:17:05.02
The persecution is
spreading them out.
00:17:05.02\00:17:07.96
If we can go to
chapter one, of course,
00:17:07.96\00:17:10.66
we have that
command, the instructions
00:17:10.66\00:17:13.70
that Jesus gave the apostles,
00:17:13.70\00:17:16.80
and it reads, "But
you shall receive power
00:17:16.80\00:17:19.90
"when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you;
00:17:19.90\00:17:21.57
"and you shall be
witnesses to me in Jerusalem,
00:17:21.57\00:17:24.67
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth."
00:17:24.67\00:17:27.81
So again, that outward focus--
00:17:27.81\00:17:29.04
>>It's the
spreading, the spreading again.
00:17:29.04\00:17:31.31
>>Exactly. So, this,
as I mentioned already,
00:17:31.31\00:17:35.82
this is the theme
of the entire Bible.
00:17:35.82\00:17:39.19
The Bible is really a
missionary text. (chuckles)
00:17:39.19\00:17:41.52
This is God's way of
not only revealing Himself
00:17:41.52\00:17:44.33
but also the instructions He's
given to those who follow Him
00:17:44.33\00:17:47.50
of His goal to
reach out to all people.
00:17:47.50\00:17:51.20
But what we find, of course,
00:17:51.20\00:17:53.57
as the history
of Israel unfolds,
00:17:53.57\00:17:55.97
is that the temple is built.
00:17:55.97\00:17:58.01
And remember, when Solomon
was dedicating that temple
00:17:58.01\00:18:00.84
in 1 Kings, chapter 8,
in his dedicatory prayer,
00:18:00.84\00:18:04.71
he prayed about when the
foreigners come and when they
00:18:04.71\00:18:08.95
pray, that God
would hear that prayer.
00:18:08.95\00:18:11.59
But let's look at
Isaiah because there
00:18:11.59\00:18:13.76
we have the famous verse
that we're all familiar with
00:18:13.76\00:18:17.33
about the
significance of the temple.
00:18:17.33\00:18:22.00
It's Isaiah 56.
00:18:22.00\00:18:24.17
And I'd like to
start in verse 6;
00:18:24.17\00:18:29.17
read verse 6 and 7.
00:18:29.17\00:18:30.34
Would you read that? >>Sure.
00:18:30.34\00:18:31.84
This is Isaiah 56,
starting in verse 6.
00:18:31.84\00:18:34.01
It says, "Also the
sons of the foreigner
00:18:34.01\00:18:36.04
"who join themselves
to the Lord, to serve Him,
00:18:36.04\00:18:38.65
"and to love the name of
[his] Lord, to be His servants--
00:18:38.65\00:18:42.18
"everyone who keeps
from defiling the Sabbath,
00:18:42.18\00:18:44.62
"and holds fast my covenant--
00:18:44.62\00:18:46.92
"even them I will
bring to my holy mountain,
00:18:46.92\00:18:49.72
"and make them joyful
in my house of prayer.
00:18:49.72\00:18:52.43
"Their burnt
offerings and their sacrifices
00:18:52.43\00:18:54.76
"will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called
00:18:54.76\00:18:58.23
a house of
prayer for all nations."
00:18:58.23\00:19:00.67
>>Ah, see there? That "house
of prayer for all nations."
00:19:00.67\00:19:04.14
But at the same time
that this was the ideal,
00:19:04.14\00:19:07.84
we know that they
isolated themselves.
00:19:08.94\00:19:11.08
They had prejudice
towards the foreigner.
00:19:11.08\00:19:14.15
They saw the
foreigner as an enemy,
00:19:14.15\00:19:16.42
not as someone
to love and to win
00:19:16.42\00:19:19.12
to become disciples of Jehovah.
00:19:19.12\00:19:21.46
Of course, that
problem is talked about.
00:19:21.46\00:19:23.93
Jeremiah is the one
who calls--and later
00:19:23.93\00:19:26.23
Jesus quotes
Jeremiah 7, verse 11 about
00:19:26.23\00:19:29.00
the temple
becoming "a den of robbers."
00:19:29.00\00:19:31.37
And that prophecy that the
Messiah would clean it out,
00:19:32.73\00:19:35.37
which is exactly what
happened in Matthew 21,
00:19:35.37\00:19:37.91
where the market was just set up
00:19:37.91\00:19:39.27
in the outer
court, and the foreigners,
00:19:39.27\00:19:42.44
that was a place
where they would come
00:19:42.44\00:19:43.78
and where they would worship.
00:19:43.78\00:19:45.21
Of course, they're
not able to do that.
00:19:45.21\00:19:47.78
So, clearly, the
children of Israel
00:19:49.22\00:19:52.05
lost sight of their mission.
00:19:52.05\00:19:54.09
But I want to
come back to Acts now,
00:19:54.09\00:19:55.86
because, again,
we're trying to say, okay,
00:19:55.86\00:19:57.53
now that Christ has
come and He's reorienting
00:19:57.53\00:19:59.76
their hearts towards mission,
00:19:59.76\00:20:01.40
He's showing
that this is the case.
00:20:01.40\00:20:03.87
But in Acts, chapter
11, verse 19, it says,
00:20:03.87\00:20:08.14
"Now those who were
scattered after the persecution
00:20:08.14\00:20:11.24
"that arose over Stephen
traveled as far as Phoenicia,
00:20:11.24\00:20:15.24
"Cyprus, and
Antioch, preaching the word
00:20:15.24\00:20:18.91
to no one but the Jews only."
00:20:18.91\00:20:21.22
Isn't that something?
00:20:21.22\00:20:22.68
And what's interesting is
that the verse just before it,
00:20:22.68\00:20:24.95
in verse 18, when
Peter came back, you know,
00:20:24.95\00:20:27.92
the Holy Spirit had
been poured out on Cornelius.
00:20:27.92\00:20:30.79
He was the
centurion who was over
00:20:30.79\00:20:32.99
the Italian regiment
in Caesarea Maritime,
00:20:32.99\00:20:36.43
which is actually where
Pontius Pilate's base was at.
00:20:36.43\00:20:40.67
So here, his, I wonder,
00:20:40.67\00:20:42.90
maybe Cornelius was
even the chief bodyguard
00:20:42.90\00:20:46.21
for Pontius Pilate.
00:20:46.21\00:20:47.71
And here, he's
receiving Christ as his Savior.
00:20:47.71\00:20:50.81
The Holy Spirit is
being poured out upon him
00:20:50.81\00:20:52.55
and his household,
they're speaking in tongues,
00:20:52.55\00:20:54.62
and Peter realizes, oh, God's
showing no partiality here.
00:20:54.62\00:20:57.59
And he comes back with
a report; everybody's up,
00:20:57.59\00:20:59.55
"What's going on,
Peter? What are you doing?"
00:20:59.55\00:21:01.59
And he says in verse 18--
00:21:01.59\00:21:03.76
well, their conclusion
after he hears the report
00:21:03.76\00:21:06.03
of what God has done:
"When they heard these things
00:21:06.03\00:21:08.43
"they became silent; and
they glorified God, saying,
00:21:08.43\00:21:12.00
"'Then God has also
granted to the Gentiles
00:21:12.00\00:21:15.27
repentance to life.'"
00:21:15.27\00:21:16.57
So they're really
struggling with this
00:21:16.57\00:21:17.91
because on the
one hand it's clear,
00:21:17.91\00:21:19.07
God is not showing partiality,
00:21:19.07\00:21:20.71
He's granting them repentance,
00:21:20.71\00:21:22.31
they're part of
the mission focus,
00:21:22.31\00:21:24.21
but they're
going only to the Jews.
00:21:24.21\00:21:26.01
And this is ironic,
and I think it's often
00:21:27.12\00:21:30.22
descriptive of what
is so natural to us.
00:21:30.22\00:21:33.79
Perhaps we
probably do this today too.
00:21:33.79\00:21:35.66
>>Yeah, it seems like
the easy route, as it were.
00:21:35.66\00:21:39.09
So what do we do
about this as believers
00:21:40.36\00:21:43.00
and as a people who
are called to participate
00:21:43.00\00:21:46.94
in this mission
that God has for us?
00:21:46.94\00:21:50.17
What do we take away from this?
00:21:50.17\00:21:53.41
>>You know, I think there's
two important lessons to learn.
00:21:53.41\00:21:56.04
And actually, there are
two problems that we face.
00:21:56.04\00:21:57.95
One is that we
naturally want to do mission
00:21:57.95\00:22:01.35
in our comfort zone, you
know, where it's easiest for us,
00:22:01.35\00:22:05.32
people who we can
speak their language,
00:22:06.39\00:22:08.59
people who are like us;
their culture is similar to us.
00:22:08.59\00:22:11.96
The people who are most
easily able to understand
00:22:11.96\00:22:14.46
and resonate with what
we're sharing with them.
00:22:14.46\00:22:17.33
For example, it
might be easier for us
00:22:17.33\00:22:19.40
to share Christ with
someone who is suffering
00:22:19.40\00:22:22.10
than someone who
seems to be increasing goods
00:22:22.10\00:22:24.94
and in need of
nothing. But God doesn't say,
00:22:24.94\00:22:27.31
"Just focus on those
who are easy to reach."
00:22:27.31\00:22:29.31
You know, we need
to reach on the other.
00:22:29.31\00:22:30.75
So we often focus on the areas
00:22:30.75\00:22:33.18
that are the most
comfortable, the easiest for us.
00:22:33.18\00:22:34.95
But the other one is
that we often think that
00:22:34.95\00:22:38.15
mission service
is only overseas,
00:22:38.15\00:22:41.12
that those are
the real missionaries,
00:22:41.12\00:22:42.62
that I need to go somewhere.
So I'm not really that person,
00:22:42.62\00:22:45.26
so maybe all these instructions
don't involve me (laughs)
00:22:45.26\00:22:48.16
because I'm not
there--or I must go over there.
00:22:48.16\00:22:51.50
But that verse we read
in chapter one of Acts,
00:22:52.70\00:22:56.50
verse 8, you know, they
were to start in Jerusalem
00:22:56.50\00:22:59.51
and then Judea and
Samaria and then all the world.
00:22:59.51\00:23:02.44
And I think the important
lesson here is reflected in
00:23:02.44\00:23:06.11
when Christ said in
Luke, chapter 16, verse 10,
00:23:06.11\00:23:09.25
whoever "is
faithful" in the very little
00:23:09.25\00:23:12.82
will also be
"faithful...in much."
00:23:12.82\00:23:14.29
And so the idea of the
talents being given, right?
00:23:14.29\00:23:17.53
And being
faithful in those things,
00:23:17.53\00:23:18.96
so I think that our
mission field is around us,
00:23:18.96\00:23:21.43
but our mission field around us
00:23:21.43\00:23:23.00
should not just be
in our comfort zones
00:23:23.00\00:23:25.00
because there's a lot of
people around us who probably
00:23:25.00\00:23:27.74
are from other
backgrounds than our own,
00:23:27.74\00:23:30.47
whether that's a
different religious background,
00:23:30.47\00:23:33.17
whether it's different ethnic
groups and that sort of thing.
00:23:33.17\00:23:36.81
But we should begin where
we're at and then move on.
00:23:36.81\00:23:39.85
>>So, you have had
a wealth of experience
00:23:39.85\00:23:43.55
in reaching people on
the other side of the world
00:23:43.55\00:23:46.72
in different cultural context.
00:23:46.72\00:23:48.96
You've also had a fair
bit of experience here at home
00:23:48.96\00:23:52.79
in reaching out to people.
00:23:52.79\00:23:54.50
If there was somebody who
was watching today's program
00:23:54.50\00:23:57.77
and saying to
themselves, "I'm feeling called,
00:23:57.77\00:24:01.40
"I want to answer that call,
00:24:01.40\00:24:03.14
but I'm not quite
sure what that looks like
00:24:03.14\00:24:05.57
practically for me
where I am right now,"
00:24:05.57\00:24:09.08
what advice, what
recommendations would you give
00:24:09.08\00:24:12.95
that person to step
forward and to answer that call?
00:24:12.95\00:24:16.89
>>Good question.
00:24:16.89\00:24:18.15
You know, if a person
is feeling this dilemma of
00:24:18.15\00:24:21.22
"what should I do?",
00:24:21.22\00:24:22.72
that's a sign itself that
God is working on your heart
00:24:22.72\00:24:26.33
because that
dilemma means God is here.
00:24:26.33\00:24:29.26
(chuckling) You know,
this is an opportunity.
00:24:29.26\00:24:31.00
And the first thing is that
the call is always in the need.
00:24:31.00\00:24:33.97
Are there unreached out there?
00:24:34.87\00:24:36.60
Are there
unreached in your community?
00:24:36.60\00:24:38.44
Well, if that's the case,
00:24:38.44\00:24:40.04
then just the principles of
Scripture can teach us a lot,
00:24:40.04\00:24:45.01
and we need to just
simply accept the call.
00:24:45.01\00:24:47.38
But second of all,
we need to pray that God
00:24:47.38\00:24:49.82
will actually help
us to hear His voice.
00:24:49.82\00:24:54.82
To recognize the
voice of God is actually
00:24:54.82\00:24:57.86
one of the most
challenging disciplines,
00:24:57.86\00:24:59.66
because how do you know it's
God's voice and not your idea
00:24:59.66\00:25:02.90
or, worse yet, a temptation?
00:25:02.90\00:25:05.00
Of course, if it's
based on Scripture,
00:25:05.00\00:25:06.37
that's a good place to start.
00:25:06.37\00:25:08.20
But I often say that mission
work should be done by faith
00:25:08.20\00:25:13.04
just as much as following Christ
00:25:13.04\00:25:16.68
and justification
and sanctification.
00:25:16.68\00:25:19.31
All these things
are done by faith,
00:25:19.31\00:25:20.92
so witnessing
should be done by faith.
00:25:20.92\00:25:22.95
Which means that I need to
be in tune with God's voice
00:25:22.95\00:25:25.95
so that I can sense
that and follow Him.
00:25:25.95\00:25:29.32
I'd like to share a
short story, though.
00:25:29.32\00:25:32.33
After 16 years
working in Southeast Asia,
00:25:33.40\00:25:37.17
we came back to the
States, we settled in Maryland,
00:25:37.17\00:25:39.90
and I was like, you
know, "This is my own language.
00:25:39.90\00:25:43.57
"There's a lot of
people I can reach,
00:25:43.57\00:25:44.81
but where do I begin,
and how do I reach out?"
00:25:44.81\00:25:46.47
And so I was praying about that.
00:25:46.47\00:25:47.61
And it was during the pandemic,
00:25:47.61\00:25:50.15
you know,
isolation for about a year,
00:25:50.15\00:25:51.91
I said, "You know what?
00:25:51.91\00:25:53.35
I think a great place
to start would be to have
00:25:53.35\00:25:55.48
some kind of a block
party during the holidays."
00:25:55.48\00:25:57.95
And so we talked to a
number of neighbors who said,
00:25:57.95\00:26:00.22
"Yeah, we'll help,
we'll do it outside;
00:26:00.22\00:26:02.16
"we'll set up a
canopy out by the road
00:26:02.16\00:26:04.16
"and have some refreshments
and packages and things
00:26:04.16\00:26:07.03
"so we can stay clean and not
00:26:07.03\00:26:08.80
cross-contaminate our
germs"--or what-have-you.
00:26:08.80\00:26:10.67
But we did this, and
our community loved it,
00:26:10.67\00:26:13.50
but, you know,
nothing became of that.
00:26:13.50\00:26:15.44
So we just keep praying.
00:26:16.67\00:26:18.07
Well, the next thing
is we, with our church,
00:26:18.07\00:26:20.94
our pastor appealed to us
all to start connect groups,
00:26:20.94\00:26:23.55
where we could have
these groups that we would
00:26:23.55\00:26:25.05
encourage each other,
like Hebrews says, you know,
00:26:25.05\00:26:26.92
that we should not forsake
00:26:26.92\00:26:28.48
the assembling of
ourselves together,
00:26:28.48\00:26:29.75
but to encourage and
to support each other
00:26:29.75\00:26:32.62
and "to stir up love
and good works," right?
00:26:32.62\00:26:35.62
So, we did that, and
the result of that was
00:26:35.62\00:26:38.53
we've had several baptisms
over the last couple of years.
00:26:38.53\00:26:42.10
Some who lived far away,
some who joined us on Zoom from,
00:26:42.10\00:26:45.97
you know, from a distance,
00:26:45.97\00:26:47.37
and others who are
right there with us.
00:26:47.37\00:26:48.97
So what I'm
trying to say is that
00:26:48.97\00:26:51.47
the best place to start
is just to do what you can.
00:26:51.47\00:26:54.58
And because some of
the people that we shared
00:26:54.58\00:26:56.31
what we were doing
at the block party said,
00:26:56.31\00:26:57.28
"Hey, let's do something else,"
00:26:57.28\00:26:58.41
and so we just kind of evolved.
00:26:58.41\00:27:00.62
And I think that sometimes God
00:27:00.62\00:27:01.85
wants us just to
take those steps.
00:27:01.85\00:27:03.72
We must remember that
God provides the increase.
00:27:05.05\00:27:08.09
Paul "planted, Apollos watered,
but God gave the increase."
00:27:08.09\00:27:11.03
So we just need to be faithful,
00:27:11.03\00:27:12.79
and the results
are really up to God.
00:27:12.79\00:27:14.93
>>Step forward in faith;
see what God does with it.
00:27:14.93\00:27:17.93
Remember, we're not the
ones who are in control--
00:27:17.93\00:27:20.64
very powerful.
00:27:20.64\00:27:21.84
We hope that you've
enjoyed today's lesson,
00:27:21.84\00:27:24.01
"God's Call to Mission,"
and if God is calling you,
00:27:24.01\00:27:26.91
which it sounds
like He probably is,
00:27:26.91\00:27:29.24
step forward in faith
and see what He can do
00:27:29.24\00:27:32.18
in you and through you.
00:27:32.18\00:27:33.68
God bless you,
have a wonderful week,
00:27:33.68\00:27:35.32
and we will see
you again next week
00:27:35.32\00:27:37.09
here on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:37.09\00:27:40.39
(uplifting theme music)
00:27:40.39\00:27:44.49
(music ends)
00:28:26.87\00:28:28.94