Tag / Mission to the powerful

by In Light Of The Cross

9: Mission to the Powerful-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by Aaron Kittredge on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt for Sabbath School class, Sabbath, Sabbath December 2, 2023.

Main Theme: God can and will use humble people to bring powerful people to Jesus.

Read in Class: Daniel 4:19-37. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: What happened to the king here, and what does this tell us about salvation coming to one of the world’s most powerful men?

Apply: Even if we are not rich and powerful by the world’s standards, why must we be careful to avoid the kind of arrogance that this king had manifested? Why might that attitude be easier to have than we might think?

Share: Your friend says our political world is being so corrupt and polarized, there is no hope. Your friend says the leaders are so corrupt there is no hope for their eternal salvation. In light of Daniel 4, what do you say to your friend about the corrupt leaders today?

Read in Class: 2 Kings 5:1-19. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What can we take from this story about reaching people for the Lord?

Apply: What lessons should we learn from this story about not pushing people too quickly, especially those who come from a non-­Christian background?

Share: Your friend says if she had been the servant girl, she would never had told Naaman about the prophet who could heal him. Instead she would pray he would die so she could escape and be free to go back home. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: John 3:1-12. Discuss the main idea of this passage.

Study: What does this story reveal about Nicodemus’s spiritual needs and how Jesus addressed them right away?

Apply: Why must we be careful of the trap of thinking that because “we have the truth” (which we do), then the knowledge of this truth alone is enough to save us? How many souls will be lost who had more than enough knowledge, even of the three angels’ messages, to be saved?

Share: Your friend asks if you think Nicodemus ever heeded Jesus’ invitation to be born again? How might John 7:43-52 and John 19:39 help you answer your friend?

Read in Class: Matthew 19:16-22, Luke 19:1-10 and Mark 15:43-47. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: Talk about the contrasts between the stories in Matthew 19:16-22 and Luke 19:1-10. What do think made the differences? What does Mark 15:43-47 tell us about how God uses rich people?

Challenge: Add someone to your daily prayer list who is in a position of power, is not a believer, and is someone you could come in contact with from time to time. Remember Daniel 4. No one is so powerfully corrupt that they are beyond hope!

Challenge Up: Address a letter or email to someone in a position of power—even if it is someone you may never have met—and tell that person that you are praying for him or her.

by In Light Of The Cross

We too, Must be Born Again

Photo by Sunvani Hou00e0ng on Pexels.com

Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 NKJV

Recently while studying the third chapter of John I turned to The Desire of Ages and found a sentence about Nicodemus being startled that also startled me.

He was startled at the thought of a kingdom too pure for him to see in his present state. –Ellen White, Desire of Ages, Page 171.

Now this is a very simple sentence but it spoke volumes to me. It explained to me why I am experiencing all the trials and tribulations I am going through. Even though I am a good pharisee like good ole Nicodemus, after all I am a 5th generation Seventh-day Adventist and minister of the Gospel, but God is still working on my character. He is still fitting me for His kingdom. If God were to remove all my trials and tribulations my character would never be developed to fit me for His kingdom.

Fact is God has not called me to be a pastor because I have it all together,-I clearly don’t have it all together. He has not called me into ministry because I have arrived. Rather God has called me to be a pastor so through the trials and tribulations of a pastor He can discipline me, and recreate me in order to be able to fit and save me into His kingdom. I love being a pastor. I love my job, but lets be real. We all have had moments when we wish we could quit whatever it is we are doing and just run away to a deserted island way off in the South Pacific. We just want to escape all our trials, tribulations and challenges. Problem is, we wont be living alone on little islands in God’s kingdom. God gives us jobs and positions, not to promote us but to humble us and recreate us into His image. The trials, tribulations and challenges we face in our life’s calling are there to humble us so that we will be born again and converted to the kingdom of God.

Those who know me know I love people and have a lot of friends, but again lets be real. Some people just rub us the wrong way. Well I remember a dear old lady years ago in a group Bible study saying, “When someone rubs you the wrong way God is just using them to polish your character.” So I am reminded I don’t need to run away when I face challenging people or situations. Fact is, like Nicodemus, the kingdom of God is too pure for me to enter in my present sate. God knows my character will never be fitted for His kingdom while living on a deserted island in the South Pacific. God has put challenging people and situations in my life in order to convert not them but me!

One night around two thousand years ago a religious leader was told by Jesus, you must be born again. You cannot see the kingdom of God in your present state. You need to be converted. Just a few nights ago, while reading the same story, Jesus told this 5th generation Adventist pastor, you must be born again. You cannot see the kingdom of God in your present state. You need to be converted. Now I know why James said to be happy when we have trials. Those trials are humbling us so we will be willing to be born again and converted. Those trials are fitting us for the kingdom of God. Those trials and tribulations are our salvation! Without them we will never be fitted for the kingdom of God.

“We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22 NKJV

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.