Lesson 3 Review: God’s Call to Mission

Introduction

Memory Text: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NKJV).

God can move us out of our comfort zone to accomplish His purpose. He scattered the people during the time the tower of Babel was being built, he called Abram out of his country, the disciples left their people to preach the message all over the earth. God can take us out of our comfort zone to become witnesses for Him. However, even if we do not leave our country, God still wants us to reach out to the people around us. Jesus laid down the principle of evangelism: they would start locally, Jerusalem and Judea, then go to Samaria and, ultimately, to the ends of the earth.

What does the story about the tower of Babel teach us about evangelism?

God intends for us to move beyond our comfort zone, beyond just our ilk, ethnic or social group for mission. The people of Babel did not trust God’s plan, we are to trust in God. The people were trying to make name for themselves, which turned out futile. We are to trust God and His promises rather than chasing futile things.

What does God’s instruction to Abram teach us about God’s mission?

God’s mission is to bring us in unity again with Him. He made the promise in Genesis 3:15 and through Genesis 17:19, Numbers 24:17, Isaiah 9:6, Daniel 9:24-27, Matthew 1:21 we see the promise fulfilling. We also see how through Abraham this promise is fulfilled. If God has a plan for you, you may have to leave your extended family and your people and go to a place that He is opening for you to serve Him, in order that you can be a blessing to others. This was how God’s plan for Abram was fulfilled. We should also have faith in God knowing that He is God, even as Abram did.

What other lessons can we learn about Abram’s call and his stay in Egypt?

Things didn’t really go well for Abram when he entered the place God showed him, they were Canaanites there already, but God gave him encouragement, ‘ “To your descendants I will give this land.” ’ Abram whose name was changed to Abraham encountered famine, He had to go to Egypt but to ensure his safety he had to conceal the fact that Sarai was his wife, but in all these, God was with Abraham. Even though He lied, God was patient with him, He did not abandon him. The lesson here is that God is loving, patient, always there for us. Despite our errors, if we cling to the Lord in faith and submission, as did Abraham, not only can our errors, sins, and faults be forgiven, but the Lord can still use us for His mission.

What was the nature of the early church before its great persecution?

The early church was mainly in Jerusalem (or within the Jewish territory and among the Jewish people). Even after the church began to move beyond Jerusalem, the believers were still preaching to Jewish people in other cities. They still had narrow views of what the mission of the church was to be. Peter too, a leading figure of the early church, was averse to taking the gospel message to the Gentiles, even after Paul had begun to do so. However, God moved Peter out of his comfort zone and changed his heart to learn about the gospel mission and what Jesus’ death on the cross was meant to accomplish for the whole world.

What does the nature of the early church teach us?

God’s intention for us is to preach this message to everyone irrespective of ethnicity, tribe or social status. This is the intention of Jesus’ death.

What are the principles stated in the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8?

First, “ ‘you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem’ ” (Acts 1:8). As already seen in the previous lesson, this refers to our own home, our church, our neighborhood, and our community. We need to be witnesses in the area God has initially placed us.

Next, “ ‘in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’ ” (Acts 1:8, NIV). This tells us that our mission crosses cultural boundaries, beginning from where we are to other far areas. Our mission is to the ends of the earth.

In Conclusion,

God’s call to mission may require us to leave our comfort zone, but we are assured that He will always be there with us if we cling to Him. I pray that we learn to trust and have faith in God in every circumstance in Jesus’ name.