Introduction: 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!
- The Light
- Read Isaiah 7:14 and Isaiah 42:6-7. These are prophecies
about coming of Jesus. What missionary activities of Jesus
are predicted? (Notice the reference to light. He will be
a “light” to the Gentiles. He will “open eyes” he will
release those “who sit in darkness.”) - What does this suggest is the work of a missionary?
- Read Luke 2:8-11. What accompanied this lone angel? (“The
glory of the Lord shone around them.” Again, this is a
reference to great light.) - Read Luke 2:25-32. What does Simeon say is the mission of
Jesus? (Jesus is a “light for revelation to the Gentiles.”
He is “glory to your people Israel.”) - Let’s say you are looking at something and you are
having a hard time seeing it. When you add more
light, does it change what you are looking at? (No.
It just allows you to see and understand better. You
might not even know something is there if you do not
have enough light.) - As we consider our opportunities to share, what does the
idea of bringing “light” to others suggest? (We do not
need to bring new information as much as we need to help
people make sense of the information already in front of
them.) - The Light and the Kingdom of Heaven
- Read Matthew 10:5-6. We previously read the prophecy that
said Jesus was to be a light for the Gentiles. How to you
explain this focus? (Have you noticed that you need to
focus light to make it the brightest? The Foundation for
which I work decided years ago to have a narrow focus. By
concentrating our energy on a specific issue, we can make
a change. Jesus is not excluding the Gentiles, instead He
is focusing the mission of disciples at this particular
moment.) - Read Matthew 10:7. Jesus gives the disciples a very short
message: “The kingdom of heaven is near.” What does that
mean? - Read Matthew 3:1-3. What message did John the Baptist
preach? (He preached the same message: “The kingdom of
heaven is near.”) - What did John mean by this message? (That Jesus was
coming!) - Read Daniel 7:13-14. What did Daniel see in vision? (The
same thing! That Jesus’ kingdom was coming!) - Jesus is present when He tells the disciples to preach
that the kingdom of heaven is near. Why not say that it is
here? - Read Romans 14:17-18. What makes up the kingdom of heaven?
(“Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” When
John and Jesus spoke of the “kingdom of heaven,” they did
not mean merely that Jesus was present, they meant that
people would accept Him as Savior and Lord. They would
follow Jesus and that would bring “righteousness, peace
and joy.”) - Is the kingdom of heaven in you?
- Read Acts 1:6. How clear was the disciples’ understanding
of the kingdom of heaven? (They were preaching it, but
they did not completely understand it. The kingdom of
heaven is within us. It comes to you and me right now.) - Since Jesus was leaving at that moment to return to
heaven, how did the disciples get this straight in
their minds? (Read Acts 1:4-5. It was the pouring out
of the Holy Spirit in power that helped them get this
right.) - Let’s continue with Jesus’ missionary instructions to His
disciples. Read Matthew 10:8. What have the disciples
received? (This is part of the power of the kingdom of
heaven – the Holy Spirit. If we have received the power
to heal, we should share it. Between this text and the
first two chapters of Acts, we see how critical the Holy
Spirit is to our missionary activities.) - Read Matthew 10:9-10. Every missionary outreach I’ve been
involved in is free for the audience. Do you value
something that is just given to you? - Should we change this approach and impose a charge on
those come to our missionary presentations? (Jesus
did not charge people for listening to Him, but here
He says to pass the cost to the listeners.) - Read Matthew 10:11-13. When Jesus says “let your peace
rest on [the person’s home]” is this imparting part of the
kingdom of heaven? (Yes!) - Read Matthew 10:14-15. What does this suggest about
repeated attempts to convert a person? (Christians in the
workplace get into trouble because they “harass” (not the
word I would use) fellow employees to become believers.
This text tells us that we need not make repeated attempts
to convert someone who is not interested.) - Read Matthew 10:16. How do you understand this
instruction? (Use your common sense! Use wisdom in an
honest way in sharing the gospel.) - Read Matthew 10:17-20. We talked about the initial focus
of the gospel message. Who is now included in the intended
audience? (Governors, kings and Gentiles.) - If you were just going door to door, would you be
able to witness to a king or governor? (Unlikely.) - What makes this possible? (Difficult
circumstances. The disciples will be charged
with crimes.) - When I argue in court, I carefully prepare what I’m
going to say. When I preach a sermon, I practice it
at least seven times before I present it in church.
Why should I be less diligent in my own defense if
I’m arrested? (We will be given God’s words to say.
God’s words are superior to my words.) - God is not a God of disorder. Why would He wait
until the last minute to share His words with
me? (I think the main point is that we should
not worry.) - Faith
- Read Matthew 28:16-17 and Mark 16:14. We will get to the
“Great Commission” in verses that follow each of these
texts. How do you explain this lack of faith in Jesus’
resurrection? - Critics of the Bible say that the stories of the
resurrection are lies. If you were fabricating a
story about Jesus being resurrected, would you insert
comments like these? (No! You would say “everyone
knew He had been resurrected.”) - Are you qualified to share the gospel?
- Read Mark 16:15-16. What is the “good news?” (The good
news is that the Kingdom of Heaven has come, Jesus lived a
perfect life, died on our behalf, and was resurrected to
eternal life – thus giving us the assurance of eternal
life if we believe and are baptized. This give us
“righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans
14:17-18.) - Read Mark 16:17-18. Should we incorporate snake handling
into our worship service? If you say, “No!” how do you
explain this? - Look carefully at each thing Jesus specifically
mentions. If you were to head out on a missionary
journey to a foreign land, what “tools” would you
need? (You would need to communicate with the people,
you would need to be protected against animal attacks
or drinking or eating something that would make you
sick. You would need to resist demons. Performing
miracles brings an audience to your message. These
are not “entertainment,” these are missionary tools.) - Read Matthew 28:18-20. What assignment and what promise
does Jesus give us? (To make disciples, to baptize, and to
teach them about God’s will. God promises to be with us
(through His Holy Spirit)to the end.) - Friend, will you accept the assignment Jesus has given to
you? Will you follow His tips and use His tools to share
with others the Kingdom of Heaven is near? - Next week: Cross-Cultural Missions.
