Want to learn more about Biblical Missionaries? Use these Bible Studies for personal devotion, group Bible studies, or teaching a church class. Below are links to the lessons in this 13-part series.
Put yourself in God’s place. Assume you created humans
and they turned against you. Would you go to heroic efforts to save
them? Or, would you just scrap the current crop (God did warn them
that sin caused death – Genesis 2:17) and create a new crop of
humans? How many times have you scrapped a project and started anew?
For some reason God did not start anew with us. He determined to
rescue us from sin, and that provides a learning opportunity for us
with regard to missions. Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible and
learn more!
Everyone should be a missionary of some type, right?
Perhaps you thought you were not good enough to share the good news
about Jesus? Abraham is one of the most celebrated men in the Bible,
and he is a giant of faith. But, Abraham had some issues that will
give encouragement to those of us who realize our own flaws. We
should not wait to advance God’s kingdom until our flaws evaporate,
for Abraham also teaches us about the blessings of advancing God’s
message. Let’s jump into our Bible study of Abraham’s story and
consider the tension between being flawed and being blessed!
When you think about your future, what do you want to
happen? You want good things to happen! Good health, good jobs, good
relationships are the things we want. For some, the hope is even more
basic: enough to eat, freedom of speech, freedom to work, freedom of
religion. When bad things happen instead, we have a hard time
understanding how a loving God could permit it. John 9:1-3 records a
discussion about a blind man. Jesus explained he was blind “so that
the work of God might be displayed in his life.” When we face
difficult times, it presents an opportunity for God. Let’s jump into
our Bible study to learn more about this intriguing idea!
Which would you rather do, predict military success for
your country or help the enemy of your country? Unless you don’t like
your country, the answer is easy. Think about how popular you are
predicting success, and how unpopular you are helping the enemy.
These questions give us insight into our study this week about the
prophet Jonah. 2 Kings 14:25 tells us that Jonah predicted military
success for Israel. No doubt he was a national hero. Then God came to
him with a different missionary ministry. Let’s plunge into our study
of the Bible and learn more!
Two weeks ago we discussed the Israeli slave girl in
Naaman’s home. What an amazing missionary adventure she started!
This week we look at more captives, this time from Jerusalem. Their
lives are turned upside down. But, instead of blaming God, they
decide to be faithful, and they change the world. Let’s dive into our
Bible study and learn more!
Your life is probably not centered on one great event
in which you can step up and stop a holocaust. More likely, your life
is a series of smaller decisions about right and wrong. Will the way
you make decisions in the small things of life reveal how you would
make the great decisions of life? If you fail in the small
decisions, will this force you into larger, more difficult decisions?
Let’s dig into the story of Esther and look at this familiar story in
a little different way!
What does Jesus teach us about sharing the gospel? What
“missionary” tips does He share? One interesting tip is about light
and mission. Another tip helps us understand better the “Kingdom of
God.” Let’s dig into our study of the Bible and learn more!
How good are you when dealing with cross-cultural
issues? I’m not very good because I have not had much practice. Two
cross-cultural events stand out in my mind. When I started law school
about a third of my fellow students were Jewish. I thought Jews were
Biblical characters. It was surprising to have them in my class
competing with me for grades! One time when I was traveling in
Canada, a French-Canadian demanded to know why I did not speak
French. French? I replied that I lived in the United States and that
the alternative language to know was Spanish. I’m doubtful that I
made a friend. How do we deal with cultural differences in sharing
the gospel? Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and see what we
can learn!
“Peter and the Gentiles” sounds like it might be a
singing group! Peter brought a sound alright, but it was the sound of
the gospel to the Gentiles. Peter, under the direction of the Holy
Spirit, broke through barriers of race and religion to expand the
work of God. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and see what we
can learn from Peter’s evangelistic work that will guide us in our
missionary efforts today!
What would you say if you were not getting your fair
share of food? For some, this is called being on a diet, but in the
early church it was called racial discrimination. According to Acts
6:1-2, allegations were made that widows of one race were not being
given equal food under the church feeding program. The church decided
to select seven deacons to take care of this “wait[ing] on tables”
problem. These deacons, according to Acts 6:3-4, were to be men “full
of the Spirit and wisdom.” Stephen and Philip were chosen. Shortly
thereafter, Stephen was killed by Jewish leaders in Jerusalem for
sharing the gospel. Let’s plunge into our Bible study by picking up
the story of Philip!
Three weeks ago we witnessed Jesus sharing the gospel
with a Samaritan woman at the well. Two weeks ago, we learned about
Peter’s vision that led him to share the gospel with Cornelius, a
Roman Centurion. Last week, we read the great things Philip did to
bring the gospel to Ethiopia and Samaria. Paul, the man we study this
week and the next, is the early church leader most identified with
bringing the gospel to the Gentiles. Let’s jump into our study of the
Bible and learn more about his amazing story!
When I was young, my father told me stories about how
he was always the fastest worker. I took those stories to heart, and
when I had manual jobs I always tried to be the fastest. In school, I
applied this idea to try to get the top grade. Mental health experts
might worry about this kind of thing, but I never thought it harmed
me in the long run. At some point I noticed that I was not the
smartest guy around, and so I had to become more reasonable about my
goals. In our study of the Bible this week, Paul talks about this
kind of attitude. He says, in 1 Corinthians 9:24, that only one
person wins a race. “Run in such a way as to get the prize.” Let’s
race into our study of the Bible and learn more about winning the
prize!
Religious leaders tell me that the gospel must be
preached to everyone before Jesus can come again. They are not making
this up, for this statement is found in Matthew 24:14. Is this
literally what Jesus means? Without thinking about it, I’ve taken it
literally. People nudge me in that direction by showing me parts of
the world that have not heard the gospel. They say we need to target
those places, and then Jesus can come. The logical problem arises
with all of the people who have already lived and died in a part of
the world not reached by the gospel. What about them? How do they
impact our goal? Let’s dive into our final study about being a
missionary and see what the Bible says!
