(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 excited this week
to be studying another lesson
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as we're looking at
God's mission and my mission.
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This week we are
looking at lesson number four.
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Lesson number four is all
about "Sharing God's Mission,"
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and we're
excited to dig into it.
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But before we do,
let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we want to ask
that You'll be with us today
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as we take a look at how
we can be more fully involved
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in Your mission. We ask that
You'll bless our time together,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name. Amen.
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Well, we're blessed this week
to have with us Amy Whitsett.
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She is an associate director
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of the Institute
of World Mission.
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Amy, thanks for joining
us. >>Thanks for having me.
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>>Now, Amy, tell
us a little bit about
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what is it to be
an associate director
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of the Institute
of World Mission?
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What is the
Institute of World Mission?
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How does that
kind of all fit into
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what we're talking
about this quarter?
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>>The Institute of
World Mission was established
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in the 1960s
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to train all of the
General Conference missionaries
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that are sent
out. So, as you know,
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we have missionaries
from everywhere to everywhere.
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And when you have that, then
you have cross-cultural issues
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that you may not
be familiar with.
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And so we help the families
get ready for transition.
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We help them deal with issues
of educating their children.
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How do you find a good school?
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Language learning, settling in,
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but then also all of
that cross-cultural stuff--
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how do different people think?
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How do different
people see the world?
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And just to help them to
be more effective missionaries
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wherever they go.
>>Well, fantastic.
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Well, we're excited to
have you bring your expertise
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in that area. You've
served as a missionary,
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you've trained missionaries,
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and we're looking this
week at "Sharing God's Mission,"
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and especially
with respect to Abraham.
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So we're kind of
spending some time
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in the story of Abraham here.
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What are some of the
traits that we see in Abraham
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that would serve
us as missionaries
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when we're
seeking to reach others,
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to reach the world around us?
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What do we see
in Abraham's life?
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>>I really like
looking at Genesis, chapter 18,
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the story just
before Sodom and Gomorrah,
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and from that story itself,
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we can get three real
lessons or traits from Abraham.
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The first is he was hospitable.
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He showed
hospitality to strangers.
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He also loved people,
and he prayed for people.
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He interceded for them.
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And so this lesson
delves into all three of those.
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What does that look like?
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And how can we apply
that in our lives today?
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>>All right, so we've got
Abraham. He's very hospitable.
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What were some ways that we
see that hospitality manifest
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in the way that he
lived and dealt with people,
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interacted with people?
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>>Yeah. So if we go
to Genesis, chapter 18,
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if we look at the first four
verses--I'll just read them.
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"Then the Lord appeared to him
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"by the terebinth [tree]
of Mamre, as he was sitting
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"in the tent door
[of] the heat of the day.
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"So he lifted his eyes
and looked, and behold,
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"three men were standing by him;
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"and when he saw them,
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"he ran from the
tent door to meet them,
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"and bowed himself to
the ground, and [he] said,
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"'My Lord, if I have now
found favor in Your sight,
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"'[don't]
pass...by Your servant.
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"'Please let a little water
be brought, and wash your feet,
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and rest
yourselves under the tree.'"
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And so he's actually--I mean,
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this is such a
beautiful picture for me
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that Abraham was
resting, but he was watching.
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He was aware of what
was going on around him.
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And when he saw
these three travelers,
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three strangers coming through,
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he recognized they had a need.
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It's hot, the
heat of the day, right?
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They're hot, they're
sweaty, they're tired,
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they may even be hungry,
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and he didn't just wait
for them to come to him.
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He went to them, and he said,
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"Would you come and rest
under the terebinth tree?
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"Just have a break.
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Wash your feet, wash your hands,
wash your face, be rested,"
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and then later
on in the chapter,
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we see he actually
prepares a meal for them,
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and he takes care of them.
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And so this idea of hospitality
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is not just being hospitable
to those who come to us,
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but being hospitable to
those who don't come to us,
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that we're actually watching
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for the needs
of people around us
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and that we recognize
opportunities to help,
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and that we're willing to help,
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that we're ready to help
when people are needing it.
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And it's really
interesting to me, too,
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that he provided for
their physical needs.
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It wasn't, you know,
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"Come, let's have a
spiritual conversation.
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"I'm a God
follower, and God called me.
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Let me tell you the
story." It was, "Come and rest.
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"Come just be part of my
home, be part of my community
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for a little bit, and
rest and be refreshed."
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And I think that's
really a powerful thing.
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You know, there's
a lot of studies now,
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especially after COVID,
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that people are dealing
with a lot of mental illness,
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a lot of
depression, a lot of loneliness.
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Even though we've all
got these smartphones,
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and we're more connected--
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we hear this all the time:
more connected but more distant.
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People are lonely,
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and they want to
have a sense of belonging.
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And if we can show hospitality
to them by bringing them in,
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I think that's a
great mission opportunity
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and a great place to start.
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>>And there are
lots of people out there.
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Now, what if somebody says,
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"Well, in theory,
that sounds great,
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but bringing
people into my house?"
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You know, maybe my
house isn't the cleanest.
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Maybe I don't live in
the best part of town.
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Maybe I just, maybe
I'm not a people person.
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I'm playing the
devil's advocate here,
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all the excuses, kinda like
Moses was good at making excuses
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why he couldn't do
what God told him to do.
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What would you tell
somebody who's like,
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yeah, I see what Abraham did,
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but, ah! Bringing
somebody into my house?
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I'm not real sure about that.
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>>You know, what's
interesting to me is that
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Abraham brought
them to the tree.
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He didn't say, "Come into
my tent." "Come to my tree,"
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and this kind of
troubled me for a little bit
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because I thought, well,
is that really hospitality?
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When I was young,
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my family would always have
people over Sabbath afternoon.
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If we didn't have
somebody over Sabbath afternoon,
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it was 'cause one of
us was sick, you know?
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So having people to my home,
it's a natural thing for me.
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But I understand for
other people it's not.
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And this idea of
bringing people to a tree,
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I think there's a
couple things going on.
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One, we don't have to
necessarily bring them to our
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home, but just bring them
into our sphere of influence.
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You could even just
take them to a neutral place
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if you don't want them
to come into your home.
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Go to a quiet
restaurant; meet them in a park;
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go for a walk together.
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There's plenty of ways
that you can invite people.
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But I think what's
really interesting to me
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and something that I
learned living overseas
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is that we have
a great opportunity
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to influence the spiritual
atmosphere in our homes.
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And in a world where
there's so much chaos,
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to bring them into a place
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that's filled with the
peace of the Holy Spirit
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is a really
special and powerful thing.
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And so I would encourage people,
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bring them to your home
if you can, but if you can't,
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pray over the place
where you will take them
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and pray that the Holy
Spirit's presence will be there
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at the table that
you're sitting at,
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in the park bench
that you're sitting at,
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that the Holy
Spirit will be present,
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and that you're controlling
the spiritual atmosphere
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where you're at.
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>>So Abraham invites
them to come to the tree.
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How does that
hospitality manifest itself?
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You've touched on a few things.
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He said, "Come out of the heat."
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There's a little bit
of shade there perhaps.
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He's providing some
for their sustenance.
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What else does this look like
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as Abraham is reaching
out to these individuals?
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>>You know, it's interesting.
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Ellen White talks about this,
and she says in "Education"
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that when
Abraham's "tent was removed,
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"the altar [always] remained;
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"and [that]
many...roving Canaanite[s],
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"whose knowledge
of God had been gained
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from the life of
Abraham His servant,"
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they stopped at the altar.
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They "tarried at [the] altar
to offer sacrifice to Jehovah."
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His love for God,
his passion for God,
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the way that he kept his home,
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and the way that
he ran his family,
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I think was a great
indication of God's love
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and God's presence in his life
and made an impact on people
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that he didn't even realize
he was making an impact on.
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And I think that's something
that we take for granted
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is that people are watching us.
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What does it look like to
be a true follower of God?
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What does it look
like to believe in God
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and to trust in God?
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You know, a lot of times
people have a misconception
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that a Christian's
life should be perfect
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without any problem,
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but people can't relate
to people with no problems.
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We all know that
we have problems.
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It's not about
not having problems.
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It's about having the grace
to live through the problems,
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getting the grace and the
strength that we need from God
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and the peace to go
through the problems,
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to manage the conflicts.
That's what draws people.
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>>So we may not be able to
have this memorial that we leave
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as Abraham left a memorial and
moved on to different places.
00:09:03.00\00:09:06.37
What would be a more
modern version of that
00:09:06.37\00:09:10.61
that we could strive for,
00:09:10.61\00:09:13.95
that we could hope to have
that same sort of an impact?
00:09:13.95\00:09:17.85
>>For me, I think it
would come in the form
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of, like, family
routine and family ritual.
00:09:20.02\00:09:22.79
I remember when we
were living in Asia,
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we had a man who was
working as a gardener for us.
00:09:25.43\00:09:28.10
And he came to me one day,
and he said, "Amy, guess what?
00:09:28.10\00:09:30.90
We pray and sing and read
the Bible before every meal."
00:09:30.90\00:09:33.74
I said, "That's great."
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And he's like, "Yeah,
we do it just like you do."
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And I thought, we
don't do that at every meal.
00:09:36.54\00:09:39.27
(laughing) What
is he talking about?
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And then I realized,
you know, every breakfast,
00:09:41.38\00:09:43.41
when our children were
young, we had a devotional book
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that we would read
from every morning.
00:09:45.88\00:09:47.92
So we'd read, we would
pray, and then we would eat.
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And then in the
evening after the baths,
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we'd sit on the
couch, and we would sing,
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and we would read a
Bible story, and we would pray,
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and the kids would go to bed.
00:09:57.16\00:09:58.19
And somehow he interpreted this
00:09:58.19\00:10:00.73
as this is what it
means to be a Christian,
00:10:00.73\00:10:02.90
and he started doing that.
So that was a family altar.
00:10:02.90\00:10:06.77
That was something
that we've left behind
00:10:06.77\00:10:09.60
that he was able to see and
he's patterning, and guess what?
00:10:09.60\00:10:13.41
Other people are watching him.
00:10:13.41\00:10:15.24
It's a memorial that's
living on even past us.
00:10:15.24\00:10:18.21
Even though it's
not a physical memorial,
00:10:18.21\00:10:19.85
it is--the routine
is a memorial itself.
00:10:19.85\00:10:24.22
>>It made an impact.
00:10:24.22\00:10:25.72
It was something that
was observed, experienced,
00:10:25.72\00:10:29.36
and then that experience molded
00:10:29.36\00:10:31.86
and shaped their own experience.
And then as you mentioned,
00:10:31.86\00:10:35.16
it goes on and on and on,
the way that it should be.
00:10:35.16\00:10:37.97
>>Right. >>So Abraham expressed
00:10:37.97\00:10:41.00
his care for others
through his hospitality.
00:10:41.00\00:10:44.31
How else did he
express his care for others,
00:10:44.31\00:10:47.11
his care of others?
00:10:47.11\00:10:49.01
>>It was really expressed
in his love for people.
00:10:49.01\00:10:52.08
And we see this both
for the travelers that came
00:10:52.08\00:10:56.52
but then also in his
pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah.
00:10:56.52\00:11:00.49
And I don't think that he
pled for Sodom and Gomorrah
00:11:00.49\00:11:02.52
just because his nephew
and nephew's family were there.
00:11:02.52\00:11:04.99
I think he really did
have God's love in his heart
00:11:04.99\00:11:08.50
for the people that
he didn't even know.
00:11:08.50\00:11:10.37
>>So a picture of him
and Sodom and Gomorrah,
00:11:10.37\00:11:12.80
a picture of him
00:11:12.80\00:11:14.00
with these travelers
who came by, strangers.
00:11:14.00\00:11:18.14
We talked about having
people in our home, but--
00:11:18.14\00:11:20.88
and we might even
be a little hesitant
00:11:20.88\00:11:22.71
to have friends or
acquaintances in our home,
00:11:22.71\00:11:25.28
but what about strangers?
00:11:25.28\00:11:27.32
I mean, these were just some
individuals who happened by,
00:11:27.32\00:11:30.99
and Abraham reached out to them,
00:11:30.99\00:11:33.19
the people in Sodom and
Gomorrah, largely strangers for
00:11:33.19\00:11:37.46
him, except for a
select few, you know, family.
00:11:37.46\00:11:40.66
But what about strangers?
And maybe that may make us,
00:11:40.66\00:11:44.37
especially living
in this day and age,
00:11:44.37\00:11:46.84
we tend to be a
little more insulated
00:11:46.84\00:11:49.44
and distrustful of
those we don't know.
00:11:49.44\00:11:52.71
>>And rightly so, rightly so.
00:11:52.71\00:11:55.01
There are stories that
are true, (laughs) you know,
00:11:55.01\00:11:56.98
so we do need to be
careful. We need to be wary.
00:11:56.98\00:11:59.11
But again, just
being, I don't know,
00:11:59.11\00:12:02.78
making eye contact with people,
00:12:02.78\00:12:04.69
saying a nice,
pleasant word to somebody
00:12:05.69\00:12:07.62
at the grocery store,
you know, you never know.
00:12:07.62\00:12:09.66
We often hear these stories
00:12:09.66\00:12:11.23
or they pop up on
Facebook or YouTube or something
00:12:11.23\00:12:13.60
of these stories of little
things that people have done
00:12:13.60\00:12:16.20
that made a big impact.
00:12:16.20\00:12:18.60
And the key for this is
being in touch with God,
00:12:18.60\00:12:21.94
being in tune with God.
You know, a lot of people ask,
00:12:21.94\00:12:25.07
"Why have devotions
every day? What's the point?
00:12:25.07\00:12:28.08
I don't get anything from
reading my Bible or whatever."
00:12:28.08\00:12:30.91
The point is, is
to be like a radio
00:12:30.91\00:12:35.15
where you're
tuning in just right,
00:12:35.15\00:12:37.22
you know, the
old-fashioned radio.
00:12:37.22\00:12:38.52
We don't have them now so much,
00:12:38.52\00:12:39.99
but the old ones with the
dial where you had to tune in
00:12:39.99\00:12:42.39
and, you know, get away from
as much of that fuzz and static
00:12:42.39\00:12:44.79
as you can to get the
clearest signal, right?
00:12:44.79\00:12:47.03
That's what our
devotional time does,
00:12:47.03\00:12:48.83
the prayer and
the Bible reading,
00:12:48.83\00:12:50.50
to get us in touch with God's
voice so that we can hear Him.
00:12:50.50\00:12:54.17
And when we're at the
grocery store in line,
00:12:54.17\00:12:56.30
and we feel the tap on
our shoulder of God saying,
00:12:56.30\00:12:58.71
"Say something to this person,"
00:12:58.71\00:13:00.38
that we're ready and
we're willing and we're able.
00:13:00.38\00:13:03.95
And I think that sometimes
we're afraid to do that.
00:13:03.95\00:13:07.22
We're afraid of
making a fool of ourself.
00:13:07.22\00:13:10.69
We're afraid of
maybe doing something
00:13:10.69\00:13:12.49
that might offend somebody
00:13:12.49\00:13:13.96
or make them feel like
we're a little bit weird.
00:13:13.96\00:13:16.19
But I would guess
that nine times out of 10,
00:13:16.19\00:13:18.39
that's not gonna happen.
00:13:18.39\00:13:19.89
We need to get over that
fear hump and just do it.
00:13:19.89\00:13:23.47
If God tells you to
do something, just do it.
00:13:23.47\00:13:25.40
>>If God's leading, there's
00:13:25.40\00:13:26.53
nothing for us to
fear. >>That's right.
00:13:26.53\00:13:27.80
>>Yeah. >>That's right.
00:13:27.80\00:13:29.24
>>Well, we are
taking a look this week
00:13:29.24\00:13:31.01
at "Sharing God's Mission."
00:13:31.01\00:13:32.67
He has something
that He desires us to do
00:13:32.67\00:13:35.01
and people that He
desires us to reach.
00:13:35.01\00:13:37.05
If you're
enjoying this week's lesson
00:13:37.05\00:13:38.88
and all of the lessons that
we're looking at this quarter,
00:13:38.88\00:13:41.55
then you want to
make sure that you pick up
00:13:41.55\00:13:43.42
the companion book to
this quarter's lesson.
00:13:43.42\00:13:46.42
It is "God's
Mission My Mission,"
00:13:46.42\00:13:48.29
and you can find it
at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:48.29\00:13:51.73
This gives you more insight,
more depth, more stories,
00:13:51.73\00:13:55.20
more examples of how
God is very much at work
00:13:55.20\00:13:58.20
in the lives of
people just like you
00:13:58.20\00:14:00.54
in sharing the gospel with
others who need to hear it.
00:14:00.54\00:14:03.34
Again, you can find
"God's Mission My Mission"
00:14:03.34\00:14:05.84
at itiswritten.shop.
00:14:05.84\00:14:08.31
We're going to be
back again in just a moment
00:14:08.31\00:14:10.48
as Amy and I continue
looking at the story of Abraham.
00:14:10.48\00:14:14.32
We'll see you
back in just a moment.
00:14:14.32\00:14:16.02
(uplifting theme
music swells and ends)
00:14:16.02\00:14:18.75
>>[John Bradshaw] There
might be days when you just
00:14:20.29\00:14:22.16
can't seem to find the energy
to take on life's challenges,
00:14:22.16\00:14:25.19
moments or maybe days or weeks
00:14:25.19\00:14:27.60
where basic tasks
can feel overwhelming,
00:14:27.60\00:14:30.57
times when you feel as though
00:14:30.57\00:14:31.80
your heart and mind
are trapped in a fog.
00:14:31.80\00:14:35.24
Countless people
all around the world
00:14:35.24\00:14:37.04
are dealing with the
weight of depression.
00:14:37.04\00:14:39.67
Most people will experience
depression either firsthand
00:14:39.67\00:14:43.21
or in the lives of
friends or family members.
00:14:43.21\00:14:46.28
There's hardly a person on earth
00:14:46.28\00:14:48.25
who hasn't in some way
been touched by its weight.
00:14:48.25\00:14:51.79
That's why I sat down
with a mental health expert
00:14:51.79\00:14:54.12
to discuss this
vitally important subject.
00:14:54.12\00:14:56.99
Join me and Dr. Neil Nedley
00:14:56.99\00:14:58.59
as together we
explore what actually works
00:14:58.59\00:15:01.10
in helping battle depression,
00:15:01.10\00:15:03.10
its root causes,
and its symptoms.
00:15:03.10\00:15:05.67
Don't miss the helpful
and practical information
00:15:05.67\00:15:07.74
in this series proven to benefit
00:15:07.74\00:15:09.74
physical, mental,
and emotional health.
00:15:09.74\00:15:11.87
"Clearing the Fog,"
00:15:11.87\00:15:13.38
available now on
It Is Written TV.
00:15:13.38\00:15:16.85
You know that at It Is Written
00:15:20.62\00:15:22.18
we are serious about
studying the Word of God,
00:15:22.18\00:15:24.59
and we encourage you
to be serious as well.
00:15:24.59\00:15:27.36
Well, here's what you do
00:15:27.36\00:15:28.52
if you want to dig
deeper into God's Word.
00:15:28.52\00:15:30.46
Go to itiswritten.study
00:15:30.46\00:15:32.66
for the It Is Written
Bible Study Guides online,
00:15:32.66\00:15:35.60
25 in-depth Bible studies
that will take you through
00:15:35.60\00:15:38.30
the major
teachings of the Bible.
00:15:38.30\00:15:40.50
You'll be blessed,
00:15:40.50\00:15:42.04
and it's something you'll want
to tell others about as well:
00:15:42.04\00:15:44.07
itiswritten.study.
00:15:44.07\00:15:45.84
Go further: itiswritten.study.
00:15:45.84\00:15:48.48
(uplifting theme music)
00:15:50.88\00:15:53.78
>>[Eric] Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:54.88\00:15:56.58
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:56.58\00:15:58.42
We're taking a look at
how we can more effectively
00:15:58.42\00:16:00.66
share our faith with others,
00:16:00.66\00:16:02.49
looking at
"Sharing God's Mission."
00:16:02.49\00:16:05.36
Amy, we were just
talking about how some people
00:16:05.36\00:16:08.30
feel a little uncomfortable
00:16:08.30\00:16:10.07
when they're called to
reach out to and love strangers.
00:16:10.07\00:16:13.20
What are some of those obstacles
00:16:13.20\00:16:15.20
that people
often have to overcome
00:16:15.20\00:16:17.41
in order to get to that point?
00:16:17.41\00:16:19.67
>>Yeah. We had mentioned before
00:16:19.67\00:16:21.24
that one of
those obstacles is fear
00:16:21.24\00:16:23.14
that maybe I'll
make a fool of myself
00:16:23.14\00:16:24.88
or they'll think I'm weird,
00:16:24.88\00:16:26.45
or even worse yet,
that I'll say something
00:16:26.45\00:16:28.02
that turns them off to
the gospel completely, right?
00:16:28.02\00:16:30.52
I think we're sometimes closed--
00:16:30.52\00:16:31.99
that we're gonna close the
door before it's really time.
00:16:31.99\00:16:34.29
But, you know,
there's another issue,
00:16:34.29\00:16:36.22
and that is
sometimes this idea of love.
00:16:36.22\00:16:38.46
Unfortunately, English
only has one word, right?
00:16:38.46\00:16:41.76
And it can mean
all kinds of things,
00:16:41.76\00:16:43.83
that there's a whole
spectrum of what love can be.
00:16:43.83\00:16:45.80
And so I like to think
of it more as compassion,
00:16:45.80\00:16:48.84
that we need to have
compassion for people.
00:16:48.84\00:16:51.31
And I believe that
Abraham could love people
00:16:51.31\00:16:54.21
because he realized that as
long as somebody's breathing,
00:16:54.21\00:16:56.61
they have a chance for the
Holy Spirit to impact them.
00:16:56.61\00:16:59.55
And that's what
I want to be like.
00:16:59.55\00:17:01.02
I want to see people
with that perspective,
00:17:01.02\00:17:03.55
thinking if they're still
alive, they're still breathing,
00:17:03.55\00:17:06.29
it doesn't matter what
shape or form they're in,
00:17:06.29\00:17:09.06
there's still opportunity
00:17:09.06\00:17:10.46
for the Holy
Spirit to do something.
00:17:10.46\00:17:11.99
And I want to be a conduit
for that. How can I be a conduit
00:17:11.99\00:17:15.13
for the Holy Spirit
to work in their life?
00:17:15.13\00:17:17.20
And so it's looking at it
through a compassionate lens.
00:17:17.20\00:17:20.07
And we see this
in the life of Jesus.
00:17:20.07\00:17:22.04
You know, there's
several Bible texts.
00:17:22.04\00:17:24.24
There's a couple in Matthew,
Matthew 14:14 and 15:32,
00:17:24.24\00:17:28.48
where the Bible
says, Matthew records
00:17:28.48\00:17:30.88
Jesus looked on the crowds
and had compassion for them.
00:17:30.88\00:17:34.08
You know, one of them
was they needed healing,
00:17:34.08\00:17:37.05
and so He provided that healing.
00:17:37.05\00:17:38.79
Another one was
that they were hungry,
00:17:38.79\00:17:40.36
and He provided them food.
But I think that my favorite one
00:17:40.36\00:17:43.86
is actually in Matthew 9:36,
00:17:43.86\00:17:46.43
where it says He
looked at them with compassion
00:17:46.43\00:17:48.73
because they were
people without a shepherd
00:17:48.73\00:17:50.93
or sheep without a shepherd.
00:17:50.93\00:17:52.40
You know, what
does a shepherd do?
00:17:52.40\00:17:54.04
A shepherd guides;
a shepherd protects;
00:17:54.04\00:17:56.57
a shepherd provides
everything for them.
00:17:56.57\00:17:58.84
A shepherd heals, comforts.
They were without that.
00:17:58.84\00:18:02.94
And if we can look
at people in that way,
00:18:02.94\00:18:05.81
as sheep without a shepherd,
00:18:05.81\00:18:07.28
they need guidance,
they need direction,
00:18:07.28\00:18:09.12
they need comfort,
they need companionship,
00:18:09.12\00:18:12.62
and there's little
things that people need
00:18:12.62\00:18:14.86
that are physical needs,
that are emotional needs,
00:18:14.86\00:18:17.53
even before the spiritual
needs that can provide,
00:18:17.53\00:18:20.23
if we can help provide those,
it can give an opportunity
00:18:20.23\00:18:23.30
to provide
spiritual care as well.
00:18:23.30\00:18:25.23
>>So it opens that
door to the spiritual areas
00:18:25.23\00:18:28.87
that we might not otherwise
have the same access to.
00:18:28.87\00:18:32.04
>>Exactly. >>There's a quote
00:18:32.04\00:18:33.58
that you have referenced here
00:18:33.58\00:18:35.38
in a book called
"Patriarchs and Prophets."
00:18:35.38\00:18:37.05
Would you like
to share that quote?
00:18:37.05\00:18:38.45
>>Yes. Ellen White says,
00:18:38.45\00:18:40.42
and this is from
"Patriarchs and Prophets,"
00:18:40.42\00:18:42.08
page 133 and 134:
00:18:42.08\00:18:44.72
"Abraham was honored
by the surrounding nations
00:18:44.72\00:18:47.16
"as a mighty prince
and a wise and able chief.
00:18:47.16\00:18:50.56
"He did not shut away his
influence from his neighbors.
00:18:50.56\00:18:53.60
"His life and character,
in their marked contrast
00:18:53.60\00:18:56.10
"with those of the
worshipers of idols,
00:18:56.10\00:18:58.57
"exerted a telling influence
in favor of the true faith.
00:18:58.57\00:19:02.10
"His allegiance to
God was unswerving,
00:19:02.10\00:19:05.11
"while his
affability and benevolence
00:19:05.11\00:19:07.31
"inspired
confidence and friendship
00:19:07.31\00:19:09.51
and his unaffected greatness
commanded respect and honor."
00:19:09.51\00:19:13.52
>>A powerful
statement to his effectiveness.
00:19:13.52\00:19:15.58
>>It is. It is. And
that affability, you know,
00:19:15.58\00:19:18.55
we were talking
about this earlier
00:19:18.55\00:19:20.36
(laughing) before
we started filming,
00:19:20.36\00:19:21.96
that the English
language is difficult sometimes,
00:19:21.96\00:19:25.23
and there's words that
we think we understand,
00:19:25.23\00:19:27.23
but then when you
think about it, you realize,
00:19:27.23\00:19:28.76
I really don't
know what that is.
00:19:28.76\00:19:30.03
And "affability"
was one of those for me,
00:19:30.03\00:19:31.43
and I looked it up. And
affability is just likableness,
00:19:31.43\00:19:35.64
you know, that he was
just likable, he was friendly,
00:19:35.64\00:19:39.47
it doesn't necessarily
mean he was outgoing,
00:19:39.47\00:19:41.88
not everybody's outgoing,
00:19:41.88\00:19:43.08
but just open and
friendly with people.
00:19:43.08\00:19:45.55
>>A likable person. >>Yes.
00:19:45.55\00:19:47.08
>>And one would hope that
that would be a characteristic
00:19:47.08\00:19:49.05
that many
Christians would also share.
00:19:49.05\00:19:51.15
>>I would hope so. >>Yep.
00:19:51.15\00:19:52.69
Yeah, there's an interesting
Bible verse here, Matthew 5,
00:19:52.69\00:19:56.29
verse 16 that says, "Let
your light so shine before men,
00:19:56.29\00:20:00.16
"that they may
see your good works
00:20:00.16\00:20:02.13
and glorify your
Father in heaven."
00:20:02.13\00:20:04.07
>>Mm-hmm. >>A powerful passage,
00:20:04.07\00:20:06.47
of course, from
the Sermon on the Mount
00:20:06.47\00:20:08.40
and just a beautiful picture
00:20:08.40\00:20:09.47
of what Jesus' desire for us is.
00:20:09.47\00:20:12.44
>>Right. >>Yeah.
00:20:12.44\00:20:13.68
>>That's right.
>>So we're looking
00:20:13.68\00:20:14.98
at the story of
Abraham. Abraham was hospitable.
00:20:14.98\00:20:18.18
He was a loving individual.
00:20:18.18\00:20:20.48
What other characteristics
or character traits did he have
00:20:20.48\00:20:23.79
that made him effective?
00:20:23.79\00:20:25.39
>>The other thing
that we see in him
00:20:25.39\00:20:26.76
is that he was an intercessor.
In today's language,
00:20:26.76\00:20:29.92
we would say he was a
prayer warrior, right?
00:20:29.92\00:20:32.43
And we see this in his
interaction about Sodom and
00:20:32.43\00:20:37.50
Gomorrah, you know--"If there's
50, oh, wait, no, if there's 45,
00:20:37.50\00:20:40.50
no, if there's 40"--all the
way down to, "If there's 10,"
00:20:40.50\00:20:43.17
you know, he was
putting himself on the line
00:20:43.17\00:20:46.04
for Sodom and Gomorrah,
especially when you realize
00:20:46.04\00:20:49.88
that he knew who he was
talking to at that point, right?
00:20:49.88\00:20:52.81
And he even admits, you know,
"Please forgive your servant,
00:20:52.81\00:20:55.62
but if there's only 10"--
00:20:55.62\00:20:58.69
he was bold, and
he was confident,
00:20:58.69\00:21:00.99
but because he knew what
God's character really was,
00:21:00.99\00:21:04.46
that God's
character really was hopeful
00:21:04.46\00:21:06.56
that there would be 10,
00:21:06.56\00:21:08.30
that there would be
those who wanted to be saved,
00:21:08.30\00:21:10.57
that there would be
those that were open.
00:21:10.57\00:21:13.23
The lesson actually points out
00:21:13.23\00:21:14.90
that this was a type of
Christ in his intercession.
00:21:14.90\00:21:18.11
And Peter actually says that
He calls us a royal priesthood,
00:21:18.11\00:21:22.98
and what did the priests do?
00:21:22.98\00:21:24.48
The priests were intercessors
between the people and God.
00:21:24.48\00:21:28.35
And if we are a
royal priesthood,
00:21:29.45\00:21:31.19
we're called to be priests,
00:21:31.19\00:21:32.65
to be intercessors between
something or someone and God,
00:21:32.65\00:21:35.92
and who is that
something or someone?
00:21:35.92\00:21:37.36
It's the lost. It's
those who don't know Him.
00:21:37.36\00:21:40.16
And so we're called to
intercede on their behalf.
00:21:40.16\00:21:42.90
And I don't know what it
is about intercessory prayer,
00:21:42.90\00:21:45.97
I wish that I
understood more about it,
00:21:45.97\00:21:49.07
but there's a power
to intercessory prayer
00:21:49.07\00:21:51.21
that we don't understand.
00:21:51.21\00:21:52.87
There's certain
rules of engagement
00:21:52.87\00:21:55.84
between God and His angels
00:21:55.84\00:21:59.18
and Satan and his evil host
00:21:59.18\00:22:02.15
that intercession
has a strong role in.
00:22:02.15\00:22:05.62
And I don't know if
it's granting God permission
00:22:05.62\00:22:08.09
to work in people's
lives or what it is,
00:22:08.09\00:22:10.79
but there's a power
there that we can access.
00:22:10.79\00:22:13.53
And it unleashes spiritual
power in people's lives.
00:22:13.53\00:22:17.87
And so I think we need to
take our role as intercessors
00:22:17.87\00:22:20.37
very seriously. We need
to be praying for people.
00:22:20.37\00:22:23.74
>>It tilts that
needle in the direction
00:22:23.74\00:22:27.08
that God would desire
for each and every person.
00:22:27.08\00:22:30.38
And we have an opportunity,
00:22:30.38\00:22:31.71
a privilege to
be a part of that.
00:22:31.71\00:22:34.88
>>Yes. >>And
that's very powerful.
00:22:34.88\00:22:37.25
You're speaking of intercession.
00:22:37.25\00:22:38.72
What does intercession
look like in practical terms?
00:22:38.72\00:22:43.09
>>It's praying for people,
and it's praying with people.
00:22:43.09\00:22:47.13
The question is,
what do we pray for?
00:22:47.13\00:22:48.93
When we were in Asia,
00:22:48.93\00:22:50.80
I was teaching Sabbath
school to the children,
00:22:50.80\00:22:53.23
and I realized, you know,
this one hour in Sabbath school
00:22:53.23\00:22:56.27
is really the
only Bible education,
00:22:56.27\00:22:59.11
spiritual guidance
that these kids get.
00:22:59.11\00:23:00.91
They didn't have the
Sabbath school lesson quarterly
00:23:00.91\00:23:03.11
that they could take home
and do every week, you know,
00:23:03.11\00:23:05.38
or every day. And
so I was thinking,
00:23:05.38\00:23:07.12
how do I lead these children
into a relationship with God?
00:23:07.12\00:23:10.82
What does that look like?
What stories do I need to tell?
00:23:10.82\00:23:13.25
What activities? And I
realized it's through prayer,
00:23:13.25\00:23:16.09
that we need to be
praying with the children
00:23:16.09\00:23:18.69
so that they can see
God working in their life.
00:23:18.69\00:23:21.83
And so I thought, well,
we need to start at home.
00:23:21.83\00:23:23.60
So I got a prayer
journal, and we started praying.
00:23:23.60\00:23:25.60
You know, "What
should we pray for tonight?"
00:23:25.60\00:23:26.80
"Well, let's pray for Grandpa."
00:23:26.80\00:23:27.90
"Okay, let's pray for Grandpa."
00:23:27.90\00:23:29.77
"Let's pray for Grandma."
"Okay, let's pray for Grandma."
00:23:29.77\00:23:32.41
And I got stickers. You know,
00:23:32.41\00:23:33.61
"We're gonna put
stickers by each one
00:23:33.61\00:23:34.84
as we see them answered."
00:23:34.84\00:23:36.31
And we weren't getting
very many stickers in there.
00:23:36.31\00:23:38.31
And I thought, why are
we not getting stickers?
00:23:38.31\00:23:40.22
Why are we not
seeing our prayers answered?
00:23:40.22\00:23:42.28
And I realized we were
praying very generic prayers.
00:23:42.28\00:23:45.72
How do you measure
God being with Grandpa?
00:23:45.72\00:23:48.66
You can't measure that. But
you can measure "Grandpa's sick.
00:23:48.66\00:23:51.69
Help him to get better."
00:23:51.69\00:23:53.93
You can measure "Help the
neighbor's cat to come back
00:23:53.93\00:23:58.90
home," you know, if the
cat's lost or something.
00:23:58.90\00:24:00.27
We need to be really
specific with our prayers
00:24:00.27\00:24:02.27
so that we can see
when God has answered.
00:24:02.27\00:24:04.61
And as we pray those kinds of
prayers, it will encourage us,
00:24:04.61\00:24:09.08
it will deepen our faith,
00:24:09.08\00:24:11.08
but we need to also be
praying those kinds of prayers
00:24:11.08\00:24:13.11
for people with people.
00:24:13.11\00:24:15.65
You'd be surprised at how
many people are open to prayer.
00:24:15.65\00:24:18.19
Even though
they're not spiritual,
00:24:18.19\00:24:19.65
they don't claim to be
spiritual, they're still,
00:24:19.65\00:24:21.49
when they're in a
crisis especially,
00:24:21.49\00:24:22.96
they're open to anything,
anything that'll help, please.
00:24:22.96\00:24:25.66
So if we can
pray a specific prayer
00:24:25.66\00:24:27.40
and allow God to use that,
invite God into that space,
00:24:27.40\00:24:31.40
you know, if you look
at the stories of Jesus,
00:24:31.40\00:24:33.44
He was where the problems were.
00:24:33.44\00:24:35.64
He was where the
pain and hurt was.
00:24:35.64\00:24:37.41
That's where He could work.
That's where He could minister.
00:24:37.41\00:24:39.47
That's where there was
an open door and open heart.
00:24:39.47\00:24:42.34
And so if we can see people
around us who are suffering
00:24:42.34\00:24:45.45
and have our eyes
and antennas, you know,
00:24:45.45\00:24:48.45
tuned in to the
needs of people around us
00:24:48.45\00:24:50.89
and praying God
into those spaces,
00:24:50.89\00:24:53.56
what God could
do would be amazing.
00:24:53.56\00:24:56.59
>>And in order to do that,
00:24:56.59\00:24:57.83
we've gotta be out
there mingling with people,
00:24:57.83\00:25:00.13
meeting people to
know what their needs are,
00:25:00.13\00:25:02.00
to know what to
lift up in prayer.
00:25:02.00\00:25:04.67
Amy, let me ask you, as we're
kind of tying this together,
00:25:04.67\00:25:07.44
what are some mission takeaways
00:25:07.44\00:25:09.84
that we can get
from Abraham's story?
00:25:09.84\00:25:12.27
Some things that we can
say, "Okay, I can grab ahold
00:25:12.27\00:25:14.51
"of that. That's something
that I can do, I can believe,
00:25:14.51\00:25:17.21
I can put into
practice in my life."
00:25:17.21\00:25:19.91
>>First of all, and
I said this earlier,
00:25:19.91\00:25:21.52
we need to be in tune with God's
voice, that we need to be--
00:25:21.52\00:25:24.89
you know, we talk about the
wind, you know, the Holy Spirit.
00:25:26.22\00:25:28.99
You can't see the Holy Spirit.
00:25:28.99\00:25:30.49
Like, it's like the
wind. You can see its effect.
00:25:30.49\00:25:32.29
So be in tune with
00:25:32.29\00:25:33.50
where is the Holy
Spirit working around us?
00:25:33.50\00:25:35.73
Whose lives is He impacting?
Whose heart is He knocking on?
00:25:35.73\00:25:40.10
And if we're in tune with
that, God will reveal it to us.
00:25:40.10\00:25:43.10
If we're in tune with
Him, He'll reveal it to us.
00:25:43.10\00:25:45.21
So that's the first thing,
having daily time with God
00:25:45.21\00:25:48.41
to get our ears and spiritual
antennas tuned to His voice.
00:25:48.41\00:25:52.41
And then we also
need to be taking stock
00:25:52.41\00:25:54.12
of how we're
appearing to people around us.
00:25:54.12\00:25:56.22
Are we affable
people like Abraham was?
00:25:56.22\00:25:59.22
You know, are we kind people?
00:25:59.22\00:26:00.82
Do we have just a peace about
us that attracts people to us?
00:26:00.82\00:26:03.29
Or are we just about business?
00:26:03.29\00:26:05.53
We need to be representing the
kingdom that we're a part of.
00:26:05.53\00:26:08.10
We need to be aware
of the people around us.
00:26:08.10\00:26:10.03
You know, so it's making
sure that I'm right spiritually,
00:26:10.03\00:26:12.83
I'm in tune spiritually,
I'm in tune with God,
00:26:12.83\00:26:15.24
but now I need to
make sure I'm in tune
00:26:15.24\00:26:16.77
with those around me,
too, and that I have the time,
00:26:16.77\00:26:19.54
that I'm not just rushing,
rushing, rushing all the time,
00:26:19.54\00:26:22.08
that I build a
little extra buffer time
00:26:22.08\00:26:24.75
in whatever time I set
aside for grocery shopping
00:26:24.75\00:26:28.12
or whatever
errands I need to do,
00:26:28.12\00:26:29.42
where I'm
interacting with people
00:26:29.42\00:26:32.79
so that I can interact with them
00:26:32.79\00:26:34.52
and I can have
meaningful experiences.
00:26:34.52\00:26:36.83
And then we need to respond.
00:26:36.83\00:26:38.33
And this is
sometimes a scary thing, right?
00:26:38.33\00:26:40.56
We talked about that
earlier, this fear of, you know,
00:26:40.56\00:26:43.10
doing something that's
gonna turn somebody off
00:26:43.10\00:26:44.93
or we'll look like
a fool, or, you know--
00:26:44.93\00:26:47.67
we need to pray for
boldness. Pray for courage.
00:26:49.54\00:26:52.54
I pray for that every day.
00:26:52.54\00:26:53.81
God, please help
me to hear Your voice.
00:26:53.81\00:26:55.68
And then please, please,
please help me have courage
00:26:55.68\00:26:57.71
to do what You
tell me to do. (laughs)
00:26:57.71\00:26:59.55
As much as I may not
want to or as afraid I may be,
00:26:59.55\00:27:02.45
give me the
courage to just do it
00:27:02.45\00:27:03.95
and then just step out in
faith and see what God does,
00:27:03.95\00:27:06.35
and then that will build
our faith. And then finally,
00:27:06.35\00:27:10.36
we need to be inviting
people into our community.
00:27:10.36\00:27:12.96
Whether it's a
community of faith,
00:27:12.96\00:27:14.56
whether it's into our home,
00:27:14.56\00:27:15.73
whether it's just
into our friend group,
00:27:15.73\00:27:18.50
inviting people
into our community
00:27:18.50\00:27:19.93
where they can experience love,
00:27:19.93\00:27:21.74
they can experience acceptance,
and most importantly,
00:27:21.74\00:27:24.21
they can experience
the peace and the impact
00:27:24.21\00:27:27.58
of the Holy
Spirit on their life.
00:27:27.58\00:27:29.28
>>Very practical advice
drawn from the story of Abraham.
00:27:29.28\00:27:33.31
Amy, thank you for
sharing that with us today.
00:27:33.31\00:27:35.18
And thank you
for joining us today.
00:27:35.18\00:27:37.79
We look forward to
seeing you again next week
00:27:37.79\00:27:40.02
as we continue our journey
00:27:40.02\00:27:41.69
of the mission
that God has for us
00:27:41.69\00:27:44.03
and how we play a
big part in that mission.
00:27:44.03\00:27:47.03
God bless you. We'll see you
next time on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:47.03\00:27:49.66
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:49.66\00:27:51.67
(uplifting theme music)
00:27:51.67\00:27:54.57
(music ends)
00:28:26.87\00:28:28.94