Daily Lesson for Monday 9th of October 2023

Matthew 28:16-20 declares the biblical mandate, commonly identified as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), in which Jesus instructs His followers to move outward and make disciples, teaching them in faith, and initiating them into fellowship (see also Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:44-49; John 20:21-23; Acts 1:8).

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The basic components of Matthew 28:16-20 can be seen in four simple aspects: (1) Jesus commands His disciples to go to Galilee to be with Him (Matthew 28:16-17); (2) Jesus comes to them, declaring His authority and sovereignty (Matthew 28:18); (3) Jesus then commissions His disciples to a specific task—namely, make disciples—(Matthew 28:19-20); and finally, (4) Jesus promises to be with His disciples until the end (Matthew 28:20).

Disciple-making is the primary focus of the Great Commission, and the main task of mission. Literally, in the original Greek language, the beginning of Matthew 28:19 says, “Having gone, therefore, make disciples [. . .]” The “therefore” gives to the commission its foundation on what has just been presented (Matthew 28:18): Jesus’ power, authority, and ­sovereignty—all these coming from the victory attained in His resurrection.

It is important to highlight that the only action verb with imperative force in the Great Commission is “make disciples.” Teaching everyone, baptizing them, and sharing Jesus’ teachings to the whole world are the characteristics of the discipleship process. Here Jesus is clearly directing His disciples toward one purpose: making disciples. This is indeed one of the greatest mission passages in all of Scripture. It ends with Jesus’ promise of continuous presence with His followers.

Obviously, the Great Commission was intended to be for more than just the first disciples gathered in that particular circumstance. They could not go to “all nations” by themselves in order to fulfill the new given mission of making disciples. Therefore, the commission is universal in its scope: every true follower of Jesus Christ should be engaged in disciple-making. Furthermore, the message to be ­conveyed—the eternal gospel of Jesus Christ—is intended for the whole world, with no geographical, social, or ethnic limitations.

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The post Monday: Making Disciples: The Focus of Mission appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-02-making-disciples-the-focus-of-mission/

Daily Lesson for Sunday 8th of October 2023

The mission of God in Scripture has Jesus at the front and center as the only way to salvation. Christ Himself declared: “ ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ ” (John 14:6, NKJV). But Jesus also helps us understand the centrality of the triune God to His mission.

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Everything Christ did was either for or from His heavenly Father (see John 4:34, John 5:30, John 12:45). However, we must always remember that Jesus’ mission did not begin when He came into the world. He had received it from the Father even before the creation of our world (compare with Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:20).

Therefore, God planned His outreach to humanity even before He laid the foundations of our planet, and He intentionally entered into humanity’s history in order to accomplish this purpose.

The Son created the world (John 1:3), and at “the fullness of the time” (Galatians 4:4, NKJV), God demonstrated His love by sending the Son here (John 3:16-17). The Son came, died on the cross, and conquered death. Then, sent from the Father, the Spirit came here (John 14:26, John 16:7), convicts the world (John 16:8-11), and today continues the mission of the Father and the Son by empowering and by sending God’s people out for mission (John 14:26; John 16:13-14).

Even though the word “trinity” is not found in the Bible, mission-focused evidences involving all Three Persons of the Godhead are numerous. For instance, after His resurrection, Christ appeared to His disciples and promised them: “ ‘I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high’ ” (Luke 24:49, NIV; emphasis added). Here we find the reality of the Godhead’s mission in one sentence: the Father’s promise, the Son’s assurance of the fulfillment of the promise, and the promise itself, the coming of the Holy Spirit (see also Luke 3:16; Acts 1:4-5,8).

We learn from this that the mission is not ours. It belongs to the triune God. As such, it will not fail.

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The post Sunday: The Triune God: The Origin of Mission appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-02-the-triune-god-the-origin-of-mission/

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Daily Lesson for Saturday 7th of October 2023

Read for This Week’s Study

John 20:21-22; Matthew 28:16-20; Revelation 14:6-7; Deuteronomy 7:6,11-12; Revelation 7:9-10.

Memory Text:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19, NKJV).

The theme, that of God as a God of mission, runs throughout Scripture. It is the connecting thread of human history, and it demonstrates God’s purpose for His creation. Furthermore, it consolidates divine revelation with a main focus: the restoration of God’s image in His fallen children (compare with Colossians 3:9-10; 1 John 3:2).

The mission of God also functions as the background through which we should see and understand God’s Word to us. When we read the Bible, we can identify a God who is intentionally reaching out to us. In spite of the separation caused by sin (Isaiah 59:2), through His mission God continues to restore the broken relationship with humanity until the glorious moment when He will “make all things new” (Revelation 21:5, NKJV).

In the meanwhile, God has chosen to manifest Himself to us in such a way that we can understand His nature and purpose, and above all, we can have a real and lasting relationship with Him. In other words, we not only come to know Him but also share, with others, our experience with Him and His saving love.

In the Scriptures, then, God gives us the basic elements of what His mission is all about.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 14.

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The post Saturday: God’s Mission to Us: Part 2 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-02-gods-mission-to-us-part-2/

The Mission program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is an opportunity for us to understand the needs of others and share in supporting them. Please click on the image below to watch the Mission Spotlight presentation for this week: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt6jKRXq6qg?si=EI6TLzfXF0nrYfnT&w=560&h=315]

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The post Mission Spotlight for October 7 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-october-7/

Join the discussion as we begin a new quarter study. Lesson 1 is God’s Mission to Us: Part 1

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The post ‘God’s Mission to Us: Part 1’ – Hit the Mark Sabbath School appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/gods-mission-to-us-part-1-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/