¤¤¤
00:00:01.30\00:00:06.30
¤¤¤
00:00:11.31\00:00:15.31
>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
00:00:16.31\00:00:17.61
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:00:17.65\00:00:19.58
Glad that you could
join us again this week.
00:00:19.61\00:00:21.45
We're getting near the
very end of this quarter.
00:00:21.48\00:00:23.85
This is lesson 11 of 13, and
we're looking at something very,
00:00:23.89\00:00:27.32
very significant today.
00:00:27.36\00:00:28.79
It's actually part 2 of
what we looked at last week,
00:00:28.82\00:00:31.86
so we're looking at
"Mission to the Unreached,"
00:00:31.89\00:00:34.36
and this is part number 2.
00:00:34.36\00:00:36.80
Let's begin today with prayer.
00:00:36.83\00:00:39.10
Father, thank You
again for being with us,
00:00:39.13\00:00:41.30
and we ask that
You will be with us
00:00:41.34\00:00:43.44
as we seek to reach others,
especially the unreached.
00:00:43.47\00:00:47.31
We ask now that You
would bless our time together,
00:00:47.34\00:00:49.91
and we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
00:00:49.94\00:00:52.11
Well, we're blessed
this week once again
00:00:52.98\00:00:54.68
to have Doug Venn back with us.
00:00:54.72\00:00:56.35
He is currently serving
00:00:56.38\00:00:57.69
as the
assistant to the president
00:00:57.72\00:00:59.05
for Adventist
Possibility Ministries,
00:00:59.09\00:01:01.16
but when he authored
this portion of the study,
00:01:01.19\00:01:03.83
he was the director for
Global Mission Urban Center.
00:01:03.86\00:01:06.96
Doug, welcome back.
00:01:07.00\00:01:08.60
>>Douglas Venn: It's
great to be with you, Eric.
00:01:08.63\00:01:10.00
>>Eric: That was a lot of
words to describe where you are
00:01:10.03\00:01:13.77
and where you've
been, but we're grateful
00:01:13.80\00:01:15.14
for the
contributions that you've made
00:01:15.17\00:01:16.57
to this quarter's lesson.
00:01:16.60\00:01:19.27
And so, this particular
week, we're looking at
00:01:19.31\00:01:21.71
"Mission to the Unreached,"
and there's this story
00:01:21.74\00:01:24.81
that we go into here
00:01:24.85\00:01:26.41
that kind of reminds me of
a little bit of a field trip.
00:01:26.45\00:01:29.15
Now, field trips are
often enjoyable things.
00:01:29.18\00:01:32.05
I remember back
when I lived in Germany
00:01:32.09\00:01:34.06
during my high school years,
00:01:34.09\00:01:35.69
a fun field trip
that we would go to
00:01:35.72\00:01:38.49
was a science center
for children, for youth.
00:01:38.53\00:01:43.26
It was called, it
was called Evoluon,
00:01:43.30\00:01:45.90
in Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
00:01:45.93\00:01:47.77
So that was fun. It
looked like a spaceship,
00:01:47.80\00:01:49.54
looked like a giant flying
saucer, and you'd go in there
00:01:49.57\00:01:52.41
and just all kinds
of fun stuff for kids.
00:01:52.44\00:01:54.68
But we're
looking at a field trip
00:01:54.71\00:01:57.05
that Jesus goes on
with the disciples here,
00:01:57.08\00:01:59.18
and it's not to the Netherlands,
00:01:59.21\00:02:02.12
it's not to a
flying saucer-looking
00:02:02.15\00:02:04.25
spaceship thing.
00:02:04.29\00:02:05.75
He takes them to a
place called Tyre and Sidon,
00:02:05.79\00:02:09.09
and when He goes there--
when they go there, there's--
00:02:09.12\00:02:13.96
What's going on?
00:02:14.00\00:02:15.56
Why are the disciples
not thrilled beyond words
00:02:15.60\00:02:19.03
to be able to go to this place?
00:02:19.07\00:02:20.87
>>Doug: Well, as
any master teacher,
00:02:20.90\00:02:23.34
they're wanting to
look at how the students
00:02:23.37\00:02:28.54
can kind of master the material,
master the lesson learned.
00:02:28.58\00:02:34.05
So what was the lesson that you
learned on your field trip that,
00:02:34.08\00:02:37.19
you know, years later,
00:02:37.22\00:02:38.45
that you reflect on
that science center?
00:02:38.49\00:02:40.69
>>Eric: One of the
lessons that I remember now is--
00:02:40.72\00:02:42.96
I think the science center
00:02:42.99\00:02:44.29
closed in the
late 1980s or '90s.
00:02:44.33\00:02:47.03
So, take advantage of
things while they're there,
00:02:47.10\00:02:50.33
while the opportunity
exists because you never know
00:02:50.37\00:02:52.50
when they're going to be gone.
00:02:52.53\00:02:54.00
And so, I still
have fond memories
00:02:54.04\00:02:56.37
of going to
Evoluon in Eindhoven.
00:02:56.40\00:02:58.37
>>Doug: Yeah, well, I
think that that's the same.
00:02:58.41\00:03:00.68
Jesus was trying to take--
00:03:00.71\00:03:02.98
give His
disciples insight on site.
00:03:03.01\00:03:06.41
And that's what,
whether your science teacher--
00:03:06.45\00:03:10.32
I remember going to city
hall, I remember meeting,
00:03:10.35\00:03:13.69
you know, other public officials
on different field trips,
00:03:13.72\00:03:16.73
but one of the favorite ones for
me was going to the food bank.
00:03:16.76\00:03:20.56
And there we got to
help and serve and, you know,
00:03:20.60\00:03:24.27
repack, you know,
rice and lentils and beans
00:03:24.30\00:03:27.44
and other legumes
00:03:27.47\00:03:28.44
and stack peanut
butter jars on the shelves,
00:03:28.47\00:03:30.31
but at the end we
always got doughnuts.
00:03:30.34\00:03:32.97
>>Eric: That
makes it worthwhile.
00:03:33.01\00:03:34.31
>>Doug: That's why I
remember; it was a sweet lesson.
00:03:34.34\00:03:36.61
But our teachers,
and just like here,
00:03:36.64\00:03:39.45
Jesus, He's wanting to teach
His disciples about mission.
00:03:39.48\00:03:44.39
And so, those insights on
site, I think that that's--
00:03:44.42\00:03:48.39
I wanted to jump in
to actually look here
00:03:48.42\00:03:51.29
of some of these lessons,
00:03:51.33\00:03:54.00
at what's going
on in the background.
00:03:54.00\00:03:56.30
So, in Judges 3,
verses 1 through 6,
00:03:56.33\00:04:00.20
we see that God used
these ancient people,
00:04:00.24\00:04:03.54
of the Sidonians and of Tyre,
to actually test Israel's faith.
00:04:03.57\00:04:08.54
Also, in 1 Kings,
chapter 5, verses 1 through 12,
00:04:08.58\00:04:12.38
we can see here how Israel,
working with these people groups
00:04:12.41\00:04:16.52
of the--in Tyre and
Sidon, they actually had
00:04:16.55\00:04:19.82
this trade negotiation,
this trade partnership.
00:04:19.85\00:04:23.89
So there was
this economic benefit
00:04:23.93\00:04:26.16
for both nations happening.
00:04:26.19\00:04:29.33
But with the interaction
comes also the opportunity
00:04:29.36\00:04:34.84
to be exposed to other
cultures and worldview and,
00:04:34.87\00:04:38.74
just like I got to
taste doughnuts there,
00:04:38.77\00:04:41.28
and I know that my
mom, growing up at home,
00:04:41.31\00:04:44.41
we didn't have doughnuts a lot,
00:04:44.45\00:04:46.18
so that's why it was so
special. And for you, you know,
00:04:46.21\00:04:50.35
being there in
that part of Germany,
00:04:50.39\00:04:52.39
you got to have insights on site
in a different cultural setting.
00:04:52.42\00:04:57.29
But King Solomon
00:04:57.33\00:04:58.66
in 1 Kings, chapter
11, verses 1 through 6,
00:04:58.69\00:05:01.63
he actually married
a Sidonian princess,
00:05:01.66\00:05:04.87
but that relationship,
00:05:04.90\00:05:07.54
he was not in a
missionary position.
00:05:07.57\00:05:10.37
And so, she actually invited
him to worship Ashtoreth,
00:05:10.41\00:05:15.54
the goddess of the Sidonians,
and so here we see that,
00:05:15.58\00:05:19.41
despite this family
history between these nations,
00:05:19.45\00:05:22.82
and those are just
three of the other--
00:05:22.85\00:05:25.22
if you have a chance
to jump into God's Word,
00:05:25.25\00:05:28.46
you can actually see
more of this background
00:05:28.49\00:05:30.93
of the mission to these
regions beyond in this lesson.
00:05:30.96\00:05:35.13
But Jesus, He, years later now,
He's bringing these disciples
00:05:35.16\00:05:41.24
to a place that, despite
the paganism and idolatry,
00:05:42.24\00:05:46.04
Jesus wants us and His
disciples to see their bias
00:05:46.07\00:05:52.78
and their bigotry,
and He gives us a model
00:05:52.81\00:05:55.12
for this
cross-cultural, holistic,
00:05:55.15\00:05:57.42
urban mission for us today.
00:05:57.45\00:06:00.06
>>Eric: So, in this
story, we're looking at Jesus,
00:06:00.09\00:06:02.62
the example
that He is giving us,
00:06:02.66\00:06:05.49
the lessons that
He wants us to learn,
00:06:05.53\00:06:09.00
the observations to maybe--
to recognize our own biases,
00:06:09.03\00:06:13.74
our own challenges, perceived
ideas or misperceived ideas.
00:06:13.77\00:06:19.97
We see Christ's compassion,
00:06:20.01\00:06:22.58
His heart for all
kinds of people here,
00:06:22.61\00:06:25.45
including heathen,
including idolaters.
00:06:25.48\00:06:29.18
What motivated Jesus to try
to reach these types of cities
00:06:29.22\00:06:34.02
in His day and what's the lesson
00:06:34.06\00:06:36.59
we can pull from
that for our day?
00:06:36.62\00:06:38.06
>>Doug: Yeah, so I think that
Matthew 9, verses 35 and on,
00:06:38.09\00:06:41.93
we actually see
how Christ was moved
00:06:41.96\00:06:44.60
with compassion when
He saw the multitudes.
00:06:44.63\00:06:48.60
We also see in Luke,
chapter 19, verse 41,
00:06:48.64\00:06:51.17
how when Jesus saw
Jerusalem, He was moved,
00:06:51.21\00:06:54.38
and He wept over the city.
00:06:54.41\00:06:56.75
And so it is today
that-- where are the people?
00:06:56.78\00:07:00.62
They live in the cities.
00:07:00.65\00:07:01.95
And so that's why
we are called to also
00:07:01.98\00:07:05.85
do that cross-cultural--
it may not be comfortable,
00:07:05.89\00:07:09.76
it may not be our
normal way of living,
00:07:09.79\00:07:13.29
but Christ calls us,
just like He did His disciples
00:07:13.33\00:07:16.70
2,000 years ago,
to care and to share.
00:07:16.73\00:07:21.34
>>Eric: So, Doug, I wanna
read a passage here for you,
00:07:21.37\00:07:23.94
and this is in
Matthew, chapter 4.
00:07:23.97\00:07:25.74
We're going to look
at verses 23 through 25.
00:07:25.77\00:07:29.44
Matthew 4,
starting in verse number 23,
00:07:29.48\00:07:31.95
it says, "And Jesus
went about all Galilee,
00:07:31.98\00:07:34.68
"teaching in their synagogues,
00:07:34.72\00:07:36.08
"preaching the
gospel of the kingdom,
00:07:36.12\00:07:37.92
"and healing all
kinds of sickness
00:07:37.95\00:07:39.85
and all kinds of
disease among the people."
00:07:39.89\00:07:43.43
So Jesus is preaching,
He's teaching, and healing,
00:07:43.46\00:07:46.09
is His three-part
ministry, as it were.
00:07:46.13\00:07:48.03
It says, "Then His fame
went throughout all Syria;
00:07:48.06\00:07:51.10
"and they brought
to Him all sick people
00:07:51.13\00:07:53.34
"who were afflicted
with various diseases
00:07:53.37\00:07:55.37
"and torments, and those
who were demon-possessed,
00:07:55.40\00:07:58.21
"epileptics, and
paralytics; and He healed them.
00:07:58.24\00:08:00.81
"Great multitudes followed Him--
from Galilee, ...from Decapolis,
00:08:00.84\00:08:04.75
Jerusalem, Judea,
and beyond the Jordan."
00:08:04.78\00:08:08.95
So, where are all these
people-- it says they're coming
00:08:08.98\00:08:13.39
from a wide variety of areas.
00:08:13.42\00:08:15.52
What's drawing them to Jesus?
Where are they coming from?
00:08:15.56\00:08:18.96
>>Doug: Well, Jesus
selected Capernaum as His base
00:08:18.99\00:08:22.16
for His ministry, and
that was the crossroads
00:08:22.20\00:08:24.87
for these nations
and these regions.
00:08:24.90\00:08:26.74
But then Jesus, then
He stretches--because He--
00:08:26.77\00:08:30.54
if we jump to today's lesson,
00:08:30.57\00:08:34.24
it's basically based
in Matthew, chapter 14.
00:08:34.28\00:08:37.98
We see here He-- John
the Baptist is beheaded,
00:08:38.01\00:08:42.12
His cousin, then
they take some time away,
00:08:42.15\00:08:45.39
and He goes to a
quiet place in verse 13,
00:08:45.42\00:08:48.99
but then that's where
the crowd follows Him,
00:08:49.02\00:08:51.19
and we see part of
where that crowd is from,
00:08:51.23\00:08:53.70
and He feeds the
5,000, He walks on the sea,
00:08:53.73\00:08:56.06
and then He then jumps into this
area of how defilement comes in,
00:08:56.10\00:09:03.24
in verse--chapter 15, and
then He leaves that region
00:09:03.27\00:09:08.68
and goes to Tyre and Sidon.
00:09:08.71\00:09:10.88
And so, here we see that Jesus
is caring for all of these areas
00:09:10.91\00:09:17.19
which were
Jewish and also Gentile.
00:09:17.22\00:09:20.86
And so it is for us,
is that how today are we--
00:09:20.89\00:09:23.73
are we just talking to
our own, our own tribe,
00:09:23.76\00:09:26.83
our own family of faith,
or are we also, like Jesus,
00:09:26.86\00:09:30.07
being intentional about going
to those who've never heard?
00:09:30.10\00:09:34.17
>>Eric: So, He's
making an effort.
00:09:34.20\00:09:36.74
It's not just kind of
happening. >>Doug: Yes.
00:09:36.77\00:09:39.51
>>Eric: But He's
making an intentional effort
00:09:39.54\00:09:40.94
to reach out to
these individuals.
00:09:40.98\00:09:43.98
>>Doug: That's correct.
00:09:44.01\00:09:46.18
>>Eric: Bring that
real quick into our day.
00:09:46.21\00:09:49.35
What might these people--where
might these people be around us?
00:09:49.38\00:09:53.05
You mentioned cities.
>>Doug: Yeah, well, again,
00:09:53.09\00:09:56.79
the majority of the population
today lives in the major cities
00:09:56.83\00:10:00.86
of the world. And that
may not be where you live
00:10:00.90\00:10:03.83
or where I
live, but that's where
00:10:03.87\00:10:06.17
the majority of
the population lives.
00:10:06.20\00:10:08.14
And I'm reminded in the book,
"The Desire of Ages," page 399,
00:10:08.17\00:10:12.51
that "after [this]
encounter with the Pharisees,
00:10:12.54\00:10:15.38
"Jesus withdrew from
Capernaum, and crossing Galilee,
00:10:15.41\00:10:18.95
"repaired to the hill country
on the borders of Phoenicia.
00:10:18.98\00:10:21.92
"Looking westward, He could see,
spread out upon the plain below,
00:10:21.95\00:10:26.15
"the ancient
cities of Tyre and Sidon,
00:10:26.19\00:10:28.09
"with their heathen temples,
their magnificent palaces
00:10:28.12\00:10:30.69
"and marts of trade,
00:10:30.73\00:10:32.39
and [their] harbors
filled with shipping."
00:10:32.43\00:10:34.73
So, we see that the
people are in the same kind
00:10:34.76\00:10:39.00
of economic centers in
these population centers,
00:10:39.03\00:10:41.94
and so that's where Jesus,
00:10:41.97\00:10:43.81
He didn't just
stay with the Jews.
00:10:43.84\00:10:47.01
He crossed these national--
He's crossed these borders
00:10:47.04\00:10:50.61
to then actually
go and care for one,
00:10:50.65\00:10:53.58
this woman and her daughter.
00:10:53.62\00:10:57.62
>>Eric: So they--
in many people's minds,
00:10:57.65\00:11:00.16
if they're in the city, as
it were, if they have a home,
00:11:00.19\00:11:06.63
if they have a good
job, they have a decent car,
00:11:06.66\00:11:09.76
maybe three or four decent cars,
they've kind of got it made,
00:11:09.80\00:11:14.30
at least from a
certain perspective.
00:11:14.34\00:11:16.84
And it might seem as
if it would be difficult,
00:11:16.87\00:11:20.21
if not futile,
to try to reach them
00:11:20.24\00:11:23.81
because they seem
to have it together.
00:11:23.85\00:11:26.98
Or we think they perceive
that they have it together.
00:11:27.02\00:11:30.59
But is it always
futile to try to reach them?
00:11:31.55\00:11:33.89
I'm guessing the answer is no.
00:11:33.92\00:11:35.46
>>Doug: No, it's not.
00:11:35.49\00:11:36.79
And that's where we
can look at how Jesus cared
00:11:36.83\00:11:39.53
for the wealthy in His
day. If we look at in Jericho,
00:11:39.56\00:11:43.43
Jesus
ministered to the emotional
00:11:43.47\00:11:45.60
and social situation that
Zacchaeus found himself in.
00:11:45.63\00:11:50.11
And we could look
through all of Christ's ministry
00:11:50.14\00:11:53.51
and start looking at where
did He care for these people.
00:11:53.54\00:11:57.01
The Roman centurion--
and the list can go on,
00:11:57.05\00:12:00.98
so that's where we
are challenged today
00:12:01.02\00:12:03.82
to follow Christ's example,
00:12:03.85\00:12:06.49
propels us into
those urban areas.
00:12:06.52\00:12:09.32
>>Eric: So, there are lots
of people in the urban areas,
00:12:09.36\00:12:11.33
which is kind of what, by
default, makes them urban--
00:12:11.36\00:12:13.80
>>Doug: Yes, that's right.
00:12:13.83\00:12:15.10
>>Eric: ..is the
concentration of people.
00:12:15.13\00:12:16.43
And with those-- the
concentration of people,
00:12:16.46\00:12:18.77
there's frequently affluence;
there's frequently poverty.
00:12:18.80\00:12:23.30
>>Doug: Right, you
have your extremes.
00:12:23.34\00:12:24.64
>>Eric: You've
got extremes there.
00:12:24.67\00:12:26.34
There's a lot of
worldliness in cities,
00:12:26.37\00:12:29.21
which means that
there's also a lot of need.
00:12:29.24\00:12:31.68
Now, they may or may
not recognize that need,
00:12:31.71\00:12:34.42
but we can go and reach
them in an effort to help them
00:12:34.45\00:12:38.99
become aware of that need.
00:12:39.02\00:12:41.69
And trust that God is
going to lead and guide
00:12:41.72\00:12:44.53
and direct us in
that. We're gonna be looking
00:12:44.56\00:12:46.76
more at how we can
reach the unreached here
00:12:46.80\00:12:48.76
when we come
back from our break.
00:12:48.80\00:12:50.43
But before we go to the
break, I wanna remind you,
00:12:50.47\00:12:52.63
if you haven't yet done so--
00:12:52.67\00:12:54.37
and we're getting
late in the quarter,
00:12:54.40\00:12:56.50
but it's not yet past time--
00:12:56.54\00:12:59.31
make sure you pick
up the companion book
00:12:59.34\00:13:02.08
to this quarter's lesson.
00:13:02.11\00:13:03.58
It is "God's Mission My
Mission" by Gary Krause.
00:13:03.61\00:13:07.32
You will find some wonderful
additional resources in here,
00:13:07.35\00:13:11.65
references. You're going
to find more Bible verses
00:13:11.69\00:13:15.26
that will help you to understand
00:13:15.29\00:13:16.62
how God's
mission and your mission,
00:13:16.66\00:13:18.73
my mission, are
exactly the same.
00:13:18.76\00:13:21.33
This will help you teach
your Sabbath school class,
00:13:21.36\00:13:23.90
it will help you
to contribute more
00:13:23.93\00:13:25.43
to your Sabbath school class,
00:13:25.47\00:13:26.90
and you'll be
blessed if you pick it up.
00:13:26.94\00:13:28.74
We're going to come
back in just a moment
00:13:28.77\00:13:30.47
as Doug and I
continue looking at
00:13:30.51\00:13:32.81
the "Mission to the Unreached."
00:13:32.84\00:13:34.44
We'll be back
in just one moment.
00:13:34.48\00:13:35.94
>>John Bradshaw:
Among Jesus' final words
00:13:40.08\00:13:41.78
to His closest
friends was a commission
00:13:41.82\00:13:43.85
to take the gospel to the world.
00:13:43.89\00:13:46.09
What would He say
to His friends today?
00:13:46.12\00:13:49.89
Don't miss "To
Seek and to Save."
00:13:49.92\00:13:52.59
Join me for reports and
insights from around the globe
00:13:52.63\00:13:55.86
and see what God is
doing to reach the lost
00:13:55.90\00:13:58.20
with the good news.
00:13:58.23\00:14:00.27
We'll visit It Is
Written mission projects
00:14:00.30\00:14:02.07
around the planet,
00:14:02.10\00:14:03.41
and you'll learn
how you can participate
00:14:03.44\00:14:05.21
in growing the kingdom of God.
00:14:05.24\00:14:07.61
Of the 8 billion
people in the world,
00:14:07.64\00:14:09.88
almost 6 billion
are not Christian,
00:14:09.91\00:14:12.55
and it's said that 3
billion people alive today
00:14:12.58\00:14:15.88
have never had the
chance to hear the gospel.
00:14:15.92\00:14:19.35
It's time to seek and to save,
00:14:19.39\00:14:22.89
an inspiring look
at the power of God
00:14:22.92\00:14:24.83
to change a life
and the opportunities
00:14:24.86\00:14:27.13
you have to lead
someone to salvation.
00:14:27.20\00:14:31.27
"To Seek and to Save,"
00:14:31.30\00:14:33.60
brought to you
by It Is Written TV.
00:14:33.64\00:14:36.97
¤¤¤
00:14:39.64\00:14:44.01
>>Man 1: What does the
Bible say about astrology?
00:14:44.05\00:14:45.95
¤¤¤
00:14:45.98\00:14:50.95
>>Man 2: Why do bad
things happen to good people?
00:14:50.99\00:14:52.89
¤¤¤
00:14:53.25\00:14:59.19
>>Girl: What color is Jesus?
00:14:59.23\00:15:01.76
>>John Bradshaw: If
you have a question,
00:15:01.80\00:15:03.10
we'd love to find an
answer for you from the Bible.
00:15:03.13\00:15:05.53
"Line Upon Line"
from It Is Written TV.
00:15:05.57\00:15:08.40
¤¤¤
00:15:09.40\00:15:13.44
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:13.48\00:15:14.84
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:14.88\00:15:16.58
We're looking at
"Mission to the Unreached."
00:15:16.61\00:15:20.08
And, Doug, a moment
ago we were talking about
00:15:20.12\00:15:22.32
people in the
cities and how, frequently,
00:15:22.35\00:15:25.12
they're doing well or not well,
00:15:25.15\00:15:28.36
and it can be
viewed as a challenge,
00:15:28.39\00:15:31.79
and it is, indeed, a challenge.
00:15:31.83\00:15:33.46
You and I have both
worked in New York City;
00:15:33.50\00:15:35.80
we've both
ministered in Manhattan.
00:15:35.83\00:15:37.70
It's a
different world out there.
00:15:37.73\00:15:40.84
Are there any
resources that are available
00:15:40.87\00:15:44.67
that would help us to
reach people in urban centers?
00:15:44.71\00:15:49.48
>>Doug: Yes, one
resource, as a faith family
00:15:49.51\00:15:53.15
around the world, is
the initiative called
00:15:53.18\00:15:55.12
Mission to the Cities.
00:15:55.15\00:15:56.55
You can go to our
website, missiontothecities.org,
00:15:56.58\00:16:00.92
and you can find resources
there on how to serve and work
00:16:00.96\00:16:05.46
with the people--like we served
the stockbrokers, you know,
00:16:05.49\00:16:10.03
the Zacchaeuses of today,
00:16:10.07\00:16:12.23
as well as then you can find
those--and in Luke, chapter 18,
00:16:12.27\00:16:16.37
we see
Bartimaeus, or the blind man--
00:16:16.40\00:16:19.11
so, those who
are most vulnerable,
00:16:19.14\00:16:21.58
and there's resources available
for local churches, families--
00:16:21.61\00:16:25.98
maybe you're a
young professional
00:16:26.01\00:16:28.42
seeking on, you know, how
can God use your creativity
00:16:28.45\00:16:32.32
and your skills to help
share the three angels' messages
00:16:32.35\00:16:37.03
to those individuals on
the full continuum of people
00:16:37.06\00:16:43.13
who live in the
cities-- 'cause that's Jesus--
00:16:43.16\00:16:45.30
He cared for all of them,
and so that example propels me
00:16:45.33\00:16:50.31
and propels us, as a
Adventist family, to care.
00:16:50.34\00:16:53.44
>>Eric: And that
website once again was?
00:16:53.48\00:16:55.18
>>Doug: Missiontothecities.org.
00:16:55.21\00:16:57.51
>>Eric: Very good, all right.
00:16:57.55\00:16:58.91
So, in the cities,
you have the wealthy,
00:16:58.95\00:17:01.95
and we'll talk for a
little bit about them.
00:17:01.98\00:17:03.95
Wealth in this world
is finite. >>Doug: Yes.
00:17:03.99\00:17:07.82
>>Eric:
Eventually, it comes to an end.
00:17:07.86\00:17:10.13
As somebody has
once famously said,
00:17:10.16\00:17:13.53
"I've never seen a
hearse pulling a U-Haul."
00:17:13.56\00:17:15.66
You can't take it with you.
00:17:15.70\00:17:17.77
You can't take it with you, so,
eventually, it comes to an end.
00:17:17.80\00:17:20.24
But there is a
wealth that can continue.
00:17:20.27\00:17:24.11
What's the
difference between the two?
00:17:24.14\00:17:25.61
>>Doug: Well, and
that's where Jesus looks--
00:17:25.64\00:17:29.21
we can see from
His life in ministry
00:17:29.24\00:17:32.15
that He had His eye
on the eternal prize,
00:17:32.18\00:17:35.45
and that is where--to help
people to see that this world
00:17:35.48\00:17:41.06
is passing, but that, in Christ,
00:17:41.09\00:17:43.39
that we can have
eternal life and salvation.
00:17:43.43\00:17:48.06
And we actually jump into that
here in the story in Matthew,
00:17:48.10\00:17:53.10
chapter 15, here at verse 22:
00:17:53.13\00:17:55.57
"And behold, a woman of Canaan
00:17:55.60\00:17:57.67
"came to that region
and cried...to Him, saying,
00:17:57.71\00:18:00.24
"'Have mercy on me,
O Lord, Son of David!
00:18:00.28\00:18:03.11
My daughter is
severely demon-possessed.'"
00:18:03.14\00:18:06.01
And you can see
here that she cuts
00:18:06.05\00:18:09.62
through that social
class, and she confronts Jesus,
00:18:09.65\00:18:14.96
but notice that she has faith,
because how would she know
00:18:14.99\00:18:20.23
that Jesus is the Messiah,
00:18:20.26\00:18:22.20
'cause she's using a
very specific term there
00:18:22.23\00:18:26.20
that refers actually to
Jesus as the anointed one.
00:18:26.23\00:18:32.74
Anyway, to me, that shows
that God is working outside
00:18:32.77\00:18:37.38
of our boundaries as humans,
and God is actually wanting to--
00:18:37.41\00:18:41.82
and His Spirit is
working with all peoples.
00:18:41.85\00:18:45.19
>>Eric: So, this story is
one that I think many of us
00:18:45.22\00:18:48.26
are very familiar
with. >>Doug: Yes.
00:18:48.29\00:18:50.06
>>Eric: Sometimes
the challenge comes in:
00:18:50.09\00:18:51.79
How do I now apply what's here
to my life in a practical way?
00:18:51.83\00:18:57.13
I know the story, I
could recite the story,
00:18:57.17\00:19:00.27
but now bringing it to my day,
what does that look like for me?
00:19:00.30\00:19:05.17
>>Doug: Well,
there are several ways
00:19:05.21\00:19:07.44
that we could go with this,
00:19:07.48\00:19:08.78
but I wanted to
confront when I wrote this--
00:19:08.81\00:19:14.55
I was asking God's
Spirit to say what do I need.
00:19:14.58\00:19:19.05
What does the Adventist
family around the world--
00:19:19.09\00:19:22.06
what do we need
when we look at mission?
00:19:22.09\00:19:24.46
And in this case,
mission to the cities.
00:19:24.49\00:19:26.86
And I was confronted
that here in Matthew,
00:19:26.90\00:19:30.30
he wrote his
perspective for the Jews.
00:19:30.33\00:19:35.57
But if you look
at Mark's Gospel,
00:19:35.60\00:19:37.84
he wrote his
perspective for the Gentiles.
00:19:37.87\00:19:41.28
So in this case, if we were
to compare Matthew's account,
00:19:41.31\00:19:45.21
comparing that in Mark
7, verses 24 through 30,
00:19:45.25\00:19:48.32
we actually can see
that there's a difference
00:19:48.35\00:19:51.25
between how both were
led by the Holy Spirit,
00:19:51.29\00:19:55.22
but because of their audience,
they have a different angle.
00:19:55.26\00:20:00.63
And so that's where I would say
that here in Matthew this woman,
00:20:00.66\00:20:05.87
you can see her
foreignness in different ways,
00:20:05.90\00:20:10.81
and I say
that--obviously, in verse 21,
00:20:10.84\00:20:14.64
they're in the region
of Tyre and Sidon, okay?
00:20:14.68\00:20:17.78
So, they're in that area.
00:20:17.81\00:20:20.72
And verse 22-- "a
woman of Canaan"--
00:20:20.75\00:20:22.68
and we went through and
we already talked about,
00:20:22.72\00:20:26.02
you know, who
were the Canaanites,
00:20:26.05\00:20:27.96
who are these Sidonians,
who are these people from Tyre,
00:20:27.99\00:20:31.09
historically. But Mark's
Gospel, he actually looks at
00:20:31.13\00:20:37.27
and shows her motherness,
and so that, you know,
00:20:37.30\00:20:40.90
she also is a Gentile.
00:20:40.94\00:20:42.80
And so, here,
Matthew-- you could say,
00:20:42.84\00:20:45.67
"Well, this lady's a
heathen," but in Mark's Gospel,
00:20:45.71\00:20:48.68
"No, she's like us.
00:20:48.71\00:20:50.08
"She's a beloved
mother who's having compassion
00:20:50.11\00:20:52.45
for her daughter."
00:20:52.48\00:20:54.35
And so, that's one
thing that I wanted to,
00:20:54.38\00:20:57.79
as I wrote this lesson
and moved by God to say,
00:20:57.82\00:21:01.96
you know, "How
does this apply to me?
00:21:01.99\00:21:04.09
"What are my biases and
stigmas against other people,
00:21:04.13\00:21:08.76
wherever they live?"
00:21:08.80\00:21:10.43
And God's Spirit is
wanting to propel me to cross
00:21:10.47\00:21:13.30
those boundaries to care and
to share the hope that we have,
00:21:13.34\00:21:17.01
as found and described in
the three angels' messages
00:21:17.04\00:21:19.67
in Revelation 14.
00:21:19.71\00:21:22.28
There's a power quote
I wanted to look--here,
00:21:22.31\00:21:24.31
in "Desire of Ages," page 400:
00:21:24.35\00:21:27.45
"Christ did not immediately
reply to the woman's request.
00:21:27.48\00:21:31.25
"He received
this [representation]
00:21:31.29\00:21:33.32
"of a despised race as
the Jews would have done.
00:21:33.36\00:21:36.89
"In this He
designed that His disciples
00:21:36.93\00:21:39.13
"should be
impressed with the cold
00:21:39.16\00:21:41.16
"and heartless manner in
which the Jews would treat
00:21:41.20\00:21:44.10
"such a case, as evinced
by His reception of the woman,
00:21:44.13\00:21:49.17
"and [in] compassionate manner
in which He would have them deal
00:21:49.20\00:21:53.84
"with such distress,
00:21:53.88\00:21:55.01
as manifested by His subsequent
granting of her petition."
00:21:55.04\00:21:58.45
So, in this, Jesus is
confronting my bigotry,
00:21:59.31\00:22:04.89
my biases, my, you know,
00:22:04.92\00:22:07.86
stereotypes that I have
towards a daughter of God
00:22:07.89\00:22:13.50
or a son of God who His
Spirit is already working,
00:22:13.53\00:22:16.97
as evidenced here
in Scripture that,
00:22:17.00\00:22:19.23
wait a second, when-- if
we look at other places like,
00:22:19.27\00:22:23.81
I think of immediately,
of Luke, chapter 18,
00:22:23.84\00:22:27.44
where the blind man, he asked,
00:22:27.48\00:22:29.94
"Hey, what's going on?" He's
reading that social media feed,
00:22:29.98\00:22:32.88
and the crowd says,
"Hey, it's Jesus of Nazareth."
00:22:32.91\00:22:35.92
But wait a second, God's
Spirit was already working
00:22:35.95\00:22:38.79
on this man's
heart, and he said,
00:22:38.82\00:22:40.29
"No, this is
Jesus, Son of David."
00:22:40.32\00:22:42.42
So, here we see this
faith shining in a bright--
00:22:42.46\00:22:46.66
in a dark place
that is unexpected.
00:22:46.70\00:22:49.33
And that's where I, you know,
00:22:49.36\00:22:51.00
going into this lesson, we--
00:22:51.03\00:22:52.90
at the beginning,
we have a field trip.
00:22:52.93\00:22:55.50
Jesus is giving insight on site.
00:22:55.54\00:22:58.31
And so, we're seeing
how that the Holy Spirit
00:22:58.34\00:23:02.68
was confronting
His disciples to say,
00:23:02.71\00:23:05.48
"Wait a second." In verse 24:
00:23:05.51\00:23:07.95
"I was not sent except to
the lost sheep of...Israel."
00:23:07.98\00:23:10.65
But this is where the mother
says, no: "Lord, help me!"
00:23:10.69\00:23:14.49
And then there's
this kind of this racial--
00:23:14.52\00:23:18.93
or this well-known at
that time--illustration that,
00:23:18.96\00:23:24.33
"It's not good to
take the children's bread
00:23:24.37\00:23:26.67
and throw it to the little
dogs"--or the little puppies.
00:23:26.70\00:23:29.64
But in verse 27,
00:23:29.67\00:23:30.77
but, "Yes, Lord,
...even the little [puppies]"--
00:23:30.81\00:23:32.94
okay, so the Greek word
there is actually, you know,
00:23:32.97\00:23:36.18
the favorite, you know,
00:23:36.21\00:23:38.05
household pet
who's always there,
00:23:38.08\00:23:40.92
"eats the crumbs, which
fall from their masters' table."
00:23:40.95\00:23:44.35
And so in this exchange,
we lose sight or maybe,
00:23:44.39\00:23:47.76
you know, Jesus
calling this lady,
00:23:47.79\00:23:49.96
you know, a dog, this can--
00:23:49.99\00:23:52.16
we may not catch all
the cultural implications,
00:23:52.19\00:23:55.30
but what we can
see is that verse 28,
00:23:55.33\00:23:58.27
that Jesus says to her,
"Woman, great is your faith!'"
00:23:58.30\00:24:02.47
That He has this faith detector,
00:24:02.50\00:24:04.31
whether it's in
Jericho with Zacchaeus,
00:24:04.34\00:24:06.44
or the blind man, or
here in Tyre and Sidon,
00:24:06.47\00:24:09.14
that this woman is
emitting, you know,
00:24:09.18\00:24:13.25
she's responding out of--
to the Spirit of God's work
00:24:13.28\00:24:16.95
in her heart, and thus she
is showing her faith in Jesus,
00:24:16.99\00:24:20.59
in who He is. And we
have the opportunity to today
00:24:20.62\00:24:23.66
in, whether it's
in a subway, in a bus,
00:24:23.69\00:24:26.23
on an airplane, or
at a café in a city,
00:24:26.26\00:24:29.30
that we can also bring
hope and see how God is working
00:24:29.33\00:24:33.80
on these people's lives.
00:24:33.84\00:24:35.70
>>Eric: That's powerful,
a beautiful picture here.
00:24:35.74\00:24:37.81
I wanna read a
Bible verse to you, Doug,
00:24:37.84\00:24:40.14
and give you an
opportunity to respond to it.
00:24:40.18\00:24:42.81
It's in 1 John,
chapter 2 and verse 2.
00:24:42.84\00:24:45.08
Here's what it says.
00:24:45.11\00:24:46.75
It says, "And He Himself"--
of course, speaking of Jesus--
00:24:46.78\00:24:49.52
"is the
propitiation for our sins,
00:24:49.55\00:24:52.59
and not for ours only but
also for the whole world."
00:24:52.62\00:24:57.63
What does that verse
tell us about our sameness,
00:24:57.66\00:25:05.77
our oneness, before God?
00:25:05.80\00:25:08.37
>>Doug: We are all sinners.
00:25:08.40\00:25:10.84
"For all have
sinned and [fallen] short
00:25:10.87\00:25:12.61
of the glory of God." And so,
that's where in this situation,
00:25:12.64\00:25:16.38
in this Bible
story, we see Christ
00:25:16.41\00:25:20.52
confronting His
disciple and the Jewish racism
00:25:20.55\00:25:26.29
or the bigotry,
00:25:26.32\00:25:28.52
the biases that they
have in this interaction.
00:25:28.56\00:25:31.56
But you--we can't see
the twinkle in Christ's eye
00:25:31.59\00:25:35.06
when He's talking,
because these are words,
00:25:35.10\00:25:37.43
you know, in red
letters of, from, in my Bible
00:25:37.47\00:25:41.10
of it is written
of what He has said.
00:25:41.14\00:25:44.17
But what we can see is
that Christ in this story
00:25:44.21\00:25:48.58
and in this
lesson, He's comforting
00:25:48.61\00:25:51.45
and challenging us to say,
00:25:51.48\00:25:54.32
"Are we being people of hope
to those who God's Spirit is
00:25:54.35\00:25:59.29
working on, but
maybe He's nudging us
00:25:59.32\00:26:02.79
in a work relationship,
00:26:02.82\00:26:04.13
He's nudging us
with a new neighbor,
00:26:04.16\00:26:06.06
or He's nudging us with
someone who's helping us
00:26:06.09\00:26:09.03
at a restaurant, café, or
at a grocery store, to say,
00:26:09.06\00:26:12.77
"These are my children,
and I want them to know
00:26:12.80\00:26:17.27
the hope that you've
had. Now will you share it?"
00:26:17.31\00:26:21.04
>>Eric: Good, good. We
don't have much time left.
00:26:21.08\00:26:24.08
In fact, we have
very little time,
00:26:24.11\00:26:25.41
but I wanna toss this to
you and give you an opportunity
00:26:25.45\00:26:27.68
just to give a quick answer.
00:26:27.72\00:26:29.35
When we see Jesus'
disciples regularly
00:26:29.38\00:26:31.39
throughout His
ministry, He seem--
00:26:31.42\00:26:32.89
they seem to wanna push people
00:26:32.92\00:26:34.12
away from Him. >>Doug: Yup.
00:26:34.16\00:26:35.46
>>Eric: Jesus doesn't share that
view. Help us to grasp that.
00:26:35.49\00:26:39.23
>>Doug: Well, when
you-- when the mothers brought
00:26:39.26\00:26:41.36
the little children to
Jesus, what did they say?
00:26:41.40\00:26:43.73
"Go away, go
away." So we see it again.
00:26:43.77\00:26:46.60
That's where in--whether
it's feeding the thousands
00:26:46.63\00:26:52.21
and feeding the four
thousands, Jesus says,
00:26:52.24\00:26:54.91
"I didn't wanna send
them away hungry," but here,
00:26:54.94\00:26:59.61
the disciples wanted to
send her away because she keeps,
00:26:59.65\00:27:04.02
you know, chasing
or bothering Jesus.
00:27:04.05\00:27:06.19
And I think the lesson
for me is that--and for us,
00:27:06.22\00:27:09.89
as a faith family--
is that God's Spirit
00:27:09.92\00:27:13.60
is persistently
working on individuals' hearts,
00:27:13.63\00:27:16.30
and I need to listen,
and I need to care and share.
00:27:16.33\00:27:20.27
>>Eric: Very good.
Doug, thank you again
00:27:20.30\00:27:21.77
for being with us this week.
00:27:21.80\00:27:23.37
And thank you for joining
us again this week as well.
00:27:23.41\00:27:26.07
We're delighted
that you could be with us
00:27:26.11\00:27:27.61
as we've looked at
"Mission to the Unreached."
00:27:27.64\00:27:30.58
We looked at part 1
last week, part 2 this week.
00:27:30.61\00:27:33.11
We have just a couple of
weeks left in this quarter
00:27:33.15\00:27:35.22
as we're looking at how
God's mission and my mission,
00:27:35.25\00:27:38.62
your mission, are the same.
00:27:38.65\00:27:40.59
We wish you God's blessings
00:27:40.62\00:27:42.46
and look forward to
seeing you again next week,
00:27:42.49\00:27:44.56
once again, on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:44.59\00:27:48.43
¤¤¤
00:27:48.46\00:27:53.47
¤¤¤
00:28:24.63\00:28:26.60
[Captioning provided by
Aberdeen Broadcast Services]
00:28:26.63\00:28:29.64