L esson 3 *October 14–20

(page 22 of Standard Edition)

God’s Call to Mission

Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Gen. 11:1–9, Gen. 12:1–3, Dan.
9:24–27, Matt. 1:21, Gen. 12:10–13:1, Acts 8:1–4, Acts 1:8.

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).

G
od can sometimes move us out of our comfort zone and make
us His witnesses. Sometimes this change can be used to
accomplish His purposes, such as in the example of the dis-
persing of the people at the Tower of Babel. “This dispersion was the
means of peopling the earth, and thus the Lord’s purpose was accom-
plished through the very means that men had employed to prevent
its ­fulfillment.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 120.
Abraham, meanwhile, went from his home country to another (Genesis
12) as a means of witness. The disciples of Jesus went from working
among only their own people (Acts 3) to working for others, as well
(Acts 8:1–4). In Acts 1:8, Jesus laid down a principle of evangelism:
they would start locally, Jerusalem and Judea, then go to Samaria and,
ultimately, to the ends of the earth.
But even if we do not leave our country, God still wants us to reach
out to the people around us. When the church in Jerusalem was becom-
ing complacent, its members were dispersed. Though persecution
came and people suffered, these unfortunate events became a means of
spreading the good news all over the world.

* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, October 21.

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 S unday October 15
(page 23 of Standard Edition)

Moving Beyond Our Comfort Zone

In order to reach others, God intends for us to move beyond our
comfort zone. The desire to remain only with our own ilk and ethnic or
social kind can lead to selfishness, even evil. This danger is one of the
lessons derived from the story of Babel.

Read Genesis 11:1–9. What were the intentions of the people? What
were they wanting to do, and why would God thwart it?

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This story of the people at the Tower of Babel reveals their great
ambition. They were planning to make a monumental structure—a city
and a tower such as existed nowhere else in the world: “a tower that
reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves”
(Gen. 11:4, NIV).
How often today do people seek to do the same? Whether through
politics, art, business, even religion, it doesn’t matter. There are those
who want to make a great name for themselves. In the end, how futile
and meaningless their endeavors are. (See Eccles. 2:1–11.)
The Bible says in Genesis 11:4 that these people wanted to build
the tower so that they would avoid being scattered over the face of the
earth. They wanted to stick together for their own selfish reasons. But
God had another plan.
These people were also united for this work. But “the Lord said,
‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do
this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them’ ” (Gen.
11:6, NIV). This ambitious plan of the people was, in fact, evil.
Though Scripture does not say it explicitly, Ellen White says that they
didn’t trust God’s promise that He would never destroy the earth with
water again (Gen. 9:14, 15). They intended to build for their own perceived
safety rather than to trust God’s Word. Whatever their ultimate motives,
God knew that their intentions were not pure but were filled with selfish
ambition, and so He prevented them from achieving their stated goals.

Are you part of a group or ethnic community that is more

comfortable among themselves? In what ways may you possibly
engage with others who are not part of your race, ethnicity, or
nationality?

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 M onday October 16
(page 24 of Standard Edition)

Becoming a Blessing to the Whole World

Read Genesis 12:1–3. In what way was God’s instruction to Abram a
call to mission?

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God asked Abram (whose name He later changed to Abraham) to
leave his country and his people and go to another land. It was all
part of God’s plan to use Abraham as a vehicle to fulfill His divine
purposes in the earth. And Abraham went, according to the Word
of the Lord. If God has a plan for you, it may be a call for you to
leave your extended family and your people and go to a place that
He is opening up for you to serve Him, in order that you can be a
blessing to others.

Read the following texts. What does each text tell of God’s covenant,
His promise to us?

Gen. 3:15

Gen. 17:19

Num. 24:17

Isa. 9:6

Dan. 9:24–27

Matt. 1:21

From the above texts, it is clear that God was going to accomplish
the promise, made in the Garden of Eden, that Someone will come as
a solution to the sin problem. This solution, Jesus Christ the Messiah,
was to arise from the line of Abraham and Isaac (through Sarah).
Hebrews 11:9 states that Isaac and Jacob were heirs to the promise of
blessing that God made to Abraham.
We don’t know exactly how much Abraham himself knew or under-
stood of just how the promised Seed would arise through him, but he
moved out in faith anyway. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was
called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance.
And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8, NKJV).
What an example to us!

Suppose you are called by God to go, “not knowing” where you
are going. How do you respond, and why?
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 T uesday October 17
(page 25 of Standard Edition)

Abraham’s Call
Following the call of God, Abraham entered the land as God had
commanded him. However, right from the start, things didn’t seem to
go too well for him. He arrived where God told him to go, but accord-
ing to the Bible, “the Canaanites were then in the land” (Gen. 12:6,
NKJV)—pagans known for their cruelty and violence. No wonder that
right after Abraham got there, the Lord appeared to him and said, “ ‘To
your descendants I will give this land’ ” (Gen. 12:7, NKJV). No doubt
Abraham needed the encouragement.
However, things still didn’t go particularly well for him, at least at
first.

Read Genesis 12:10–13:1. What things happened to him next, and

what mistakes did this man of God make?

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How discouraging it must have been for him: leaving a comfortable
and most likely prosperous existence in the homeland, only to go, “not
knowing where he was going” (Heb. 11:8, NKJV). And one of the first
things he faced was a famine! This famine was so bad that he had to
leave the place he had been told by God to settle in and go somewhere
else. And then things got even worse after that.
“During his stay in Egypt, Abraham gave evidence that he was not
free from human weakness and imperfection. In concealing the fact
that Sarah was his wife, he betrayed a distrust of the divine care, a lack
of that lofty faith and courage so often and nobly exemplified in his
life. . . . Through Abraham’s lack of faith, Sarah was placed in great
peril. The king of Egypt, being informed of her beauty, caused her to
be taken to his palace, intending to make her his wife. But the Lord, in
His great mercy, protected Sarah by sending judgments upon the royal
household.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 130.
No one has ever said mission work was easy, and by lying, by being
deceitful, Abraham only made matters worse. Fortunately, God is a God
of patience, and He didn’t cast off His servant for his mistake, which,
unfortunately, would not be the only one Abraham would make. How
comforting to know that even 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 mission.

What lessons can we take from the story about Abram in Egypt?

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 W ednesday October 18
(page 26 of Standard Edition)

The Early Church and Comfort Zones

Read Acts 8:1–4. In the early church, what brought about the scatter-
ing of believers beyond their comfort zone?

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Until this time, the early church was mainly in Jerusalem (or within
the Jewish territory and among the Jewish people). When persecu-
tion began—in which Saul, a devout Jew and a Pharisee, was actively
involved—the church in Jerusalem was then dispersed all over Judea
and Samaria. Jesus had predicted in Acts 1:8 that “ ‘you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria’ ” (NIV). This
statement was fulfilled, as noted in Acts 8:4, that “those who had been
scattered preached the word wherever they went” (NIV).
Even after the church began to move out beyond Jerusalem, the
believers were still preaching in the regions of the Jews or in the
neighborhoods of the Jewish people in other cities. Acts 11:19
indicates that the believers were dispersed all the way to Phoenicia
(Lebanon) and Cyprus, but they did not at this stage preach the mes-
sage to anyone other than the Jews alone. The disciples of Jesus and
the early church did not intend to see the Gentiles, but only Jews,
come to the Lord. They still had very narrow views on what the mis-
sion of the church was to be.
Peter, a disciple of Jesus and one of the leading figures of the early
church, was averse to taking the gospel message to the Gentiles, even
after Paul had begun to do so. Peter was known as an apostle to the cir-
cumcised (meaning the Jews), and Paul an apostle to the Gentiles (Gal.
2:8). Early on, Peter did not even want to be seen with the Gentiles
(Gal. 2:11, 12). However, God moved Peter out of his comfort zone and
changed his heart. He was starting to learn about what the gospel com-
mission really entailed and what Jesus’ death was meant to accomplish
for the whole world.

Read Acts 10:9–15, 28, 29. What was the message that the Lord was
giving to Peter, and how must we, in our day and age, apply this
principle to the work of mission?

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 T hursday October 19
(page 27 of Standard Edition)

Starting From Where You Are

Read Acts 1:8. What principle did Jesus present when doing the work
of sharing or being His witnesses to the world?
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This is the principle set out by Jesus that shows us how we need to act
as His disciples, who have the good news to share with others. Sharing
the truth is not about convincing others how wrong they are, but about
sharing Jesus as portrayed in the three angels’ messages of Revelation
14:6–12.
There are, however, some principles in the words of Jesus in Acts 1:8.
First, “ ‘you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem’ ” (NIV). As we
have seen (but it is worth repeating), we are to be His witnesses in the
place where we physically reside. This may include our own home, our
church, our neighborhood, and our community. We need to be His wit-
nesses first where we are, in the area He has initially placed us—home
or work—and to be His witnesses to the people closest to us. It can
be close family or extended family, church people, work colleagues,
neighbors, and the community.
Sometimes people are interested only in going off to a far country
and alien culture to be God’s witnesses. But they do not witness to
people around them now. We should begin where we are and move from
there as the Lord leads us.
Next, “ ‘in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’ ”
(Acts 1:8, NIV). Again, Jesus affirms the reality that witnessing
involves crossing cultural boundaries. Beginning from where we
are, we may be called to move to other areas to reach out to dif-
ferent social, ethnic, and religious groups. If I belong to a certain
ethnic or language people group, it may be much easier for me to
witness to them because of minimal cultural barriers to cross. In
some areas of the world, only one clan or tribe is represented in the
makeup of the church. However, Jesus’ great commission tells us
that as His witnesses, moving out of our comfort zone and investing
our resources for such people groups is crucial. They also need the
message of Jesus.

Challenge: Identify and make a list of people groups with special

needs in your community, whom the church has not made efforts
to reach.
Challenge Up: Begin praying for an opportunity in the near
future to become engaged in mission to people with special needs.

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 F riday October 20
(page 28 of Standard Edition)

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Great Commission,” pp.

25–34, and “A Seeker for Truth,” pp. 131–142, in The Acts of the Apostles.

“Before ascending to heaven, Christ gave His disciples their commis-

sion. He told them that they were to be the executors of the will in which
He bequeathed to the world the treasures of eternal life. You have been
witnesses of My life of sacrifice in behalf of the world, He said to them.
You have seen My labors for Israel. And although My people would not
come to Me that they might have life, although priests and rulers have done
unto Me as they listed, although they have rejected Me, they shall have still
another opportunity of accepting the Son of God. You have seen that all
who come to Me confessing their sins, I freely receive. Him that cometh to
Me I will in no wise cast out. To you, My disciples, I commit this message
of mercy. It is to be given to both Jews and Gentiles—to Israel, first, and
then to all nations, tongues, and peoples. All who believe are to be gathered
into one church.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 27, 28.
The Great Commission is clear: “ ‘Go therefore and make disciples
of all nations’ ” (Matt. 28:19, NKJV). Therefore, it is definitely about
going to others, especially other nations.
“The gospel commission is the great missionary charter of Christ’s
kingdom. The disciples were to work earnestly for souls, giving to all
the invitation of mercy. They were not to wait for the people to come
to them; they were to go to the people with their message.”—Ellen G.
White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 28.
“There are in our world many who are nearer the kingdom of God than
we suppose. In this dark world of sin the Lord has many precious jewels, to
whom He will guide His messengers. Everywhere there are those who will
take their stand for Christ. Many will prize the wisdom of God above any
earthly advantage, and will become faithful light bearers. . . . Convinced
that Peter’s course was in direct fulfillment of the plan of God, and that
their prejudices and exclusiveness were utterly contrary to the spirit of the
gospel, they glorified God, saying, ‘Then hath God also to the Gentiles
granted repentance unto life.’ Thus, without controversy, prejudice was
broken down, the exclusiveness established by the custom of ages was
abandoned, and the way was opened for the gospel to be proclaimed to the
Gentiles.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 140–142.

Discussion Questions:
Ê How would you define the word mission as you apply it to your
own life?

Ë In what ways could you, daily, express mission in your attitude and
behavior? How can you be more mission minded in your daily tasks?

Ì How important is it that we examine our hearts and seek power

from above to be purged from prejudice against those unlike us?
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i n s i d e
Story
Desperate for a Mission Story
By Andrew McChesney
Gina Wahlen was excited to visit a house church in a country where
Christians face persecution for their faithfulness to God. She had arrived to
collect mission stories for Adventist Mission.
The house church turned out to be a former home on the ground floor of an
apartment building. The apartment had been gutted and turned into a church
with a main sanctuary on one side and a small room on the other. Gina began
interviewing people in the small side room with an interpreter.
The people were earnest and kind. But they didn’t seem to have any special
stories, speaking instead about the technical aspects of a house church.
As time passed, Gina grew desperate. This was the only place where she
had planned to collect stories in the country. “Dear Lord, please help me to
find someone who has an inspiring story,” she prayed. “I don’t know how to
find anyone because I don’t speak the language, and I don’t think that the
interpreter can help. So, Lord, would You please send someone?”
Soon afterward, a woman stepped into the room. Gina felt impressed to
speak with her and struck up a conversation through the interpreter.
“Have you been coming to this church for long?” Gina asked.
No, the woman hadn’t. She had been coming for only a few months.
Gina asked how she had learned about Seventh-day Adventists.
The woman said she had been walking with her children to the market
on a Saturday. As they walked along the sidewalk, two neatly dressed men
approached.
“The seventh day is the Sabbath,” said one.
“To learn more, look on the internet,” said the other. Then the men kept
walking.
The woman went home and searched online. Somehow, she found a series
of Adventist presentations by a U.S. evangelist that had been dubbed into her
language. She watched many programs and was greatly blessed.
Then, she somehow found the house church. She showed up, prepared for
baptism, and was baptized shortly before Gina’s arrival. “I was amazed when
I heard her story and was so delighted that God answered my prayer in such a
beautiful way,” Gina said.
Gina Wahlen served as Mission quarterlies editor at Adventist
Mission for three years. Currently, she works as editor and project
manager for the Office of the General Conference President. The
house church featured in this mission story illustrates Mission
Objective No. 2 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go”
strategic plan, “To strengthen and diversify Adventist outreach
in large cities, across the 10/40 Window, among unreached and
under-reached people groups, and to non-Christian religions.”
Read more: IWillGo2020.org.

Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School
38 mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at AdventistMission.org.
 teachers comments

Part I: Overview
In the previous two lessons, we have seen that mission is, first and
foremost, rooted in the work of God. God’s mission is the impetus for
all other forms of mission if they are to be successful. This week the
focus moves from God’s mission to humanity’s call to partner with
God in sharing His love with the broader world. While the focus is on
the human aspect of mission, all that follows should be read in light of
the previous two weeks, which focus on God’s missiological initiative
and intent.
Scripture has numerous stories and passages that illuminate God’s
active call to human beings as His partners to share in the blessings He
desires all humanity to experience. This week, we will explore several
such instances. All the examples found in this week’s portion must be
read in light of God’s original Creation design found in Genesis 1–2,
summarized most succinctly in Genesis 1:26–28. Even after the Fall,
God’s original intentions for humanity remained the same, but His
implementation of those intentions changed because of the relational
breakdowns that were a result of Adam and Eve’s choice. Now, in addi-
tion to God’s original desire, there was a need for a plan of Redemption.
This plan started in the Old Testament; was fulfilled in Jesus’ life,
death, and resurrection; and was shared, throughout the rest of the New
Testament, by the followers of Jesus.

Part II: Commentary

When God created the earth and placed humanity within the newly created
world, God shared an original intention with Adam and Eve. They were
called to watch over the earth, including all the living creatures, and to
be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:26–28). Implicit within this injunction,
through the constant refrain of “good” during the Creation week, is the
notion that God placed humanity in a world surrounded by wonderful
things. To learn about these things and live within this world would lead
to flourishing and abundance. God was intimately involved in the ongoing
life of earth; God’s practice was to walk in the Garden of Eden periodi-
cally (Gen. 3:8). The first humans were given substantial freedom to live
out their God-given functionalities in creative ways. This enterprise was
the original mission call from God to humanity.
After the fall of humanity and the entrance of sin into the realities of
this earth, things changed. But the changes did not negate the original
call of God to humanity. Repeatedly, God reminds those willing to listen

39
 teachers comments

that they are to be fruitful and multiply and take care of the earth (Gen.
9:1; Gen. 15:4, 5; Gen. 22:17, 18; Gen. 35:11). The Bible repeats this
theme from beginning to end, culminating in a re-created earth found in
Revelation 21–22.
Sin, however, ushered in the necessity of a salvific plan that would
make it possible for humanity to be able to fully live the life God
intended. Redemption was demonstrated to humanity through the ritual
of sacrifice. As Adam and Eve shared this plan with succeeding gen-
erations, they included the sacrificial act as part of revealing the scope
of what God would do to rescue fallen humans. While many probably
struggled to grasp how Redemption would work, some could see that
God had a plan that brought hope. This plan would become part of the
call of God for humanity to share with the world. God’s plan would make
it possible for humans to live the reality He originally intended for them
in Eden.

The Call of Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3)

This week’s lesson highlights the call of God to Abraham, found in
Genesis 12:1–3. The call has several vital elements that need to be
understood if we are to fully grasp what the call of God for mission has
been, currently is, and will continue to be. First off, the call is rooted
in the Genesis 1:26–28 narrative. This connection is most clearly
articulated in Isaiah’s reference to the call of Abraham and Sarah to
share the joy of Eden with the world (Isa. 51:1–3). When God called
Abraham to be a blessing to the nations, the divine call implied that
the blessing entailed sharing a way of life, expressed through profound
freedom and creativity, intended by God from the beginning. A quick
read of Genesis 12:1–3 makes it difficult to fully grasp the blessing,
but its meaning becomes clearer when read within the broader corpus
of Scripture. Genesis 22 adds additional detail to what Abraham was
called to share, namely, the plan of God to provide a Substitute for
humanity through death and subsequent resurrection. This plan gave
humanity hope that the effects of sin and death could be overcome.
It also gave hope that the promises of Genesis 1:26–28 could be fully
realized again in the future.
Another element of the call to Abraham that is overlooked is found in
Genesis 12:1–3. Abraham was called to bless the nations. We are called
to do the same. We often fail to note that the nations also would bless
Abraham (Gen. 12:3a). God’s call to mission always implies a two-way
blessing. Those who follow God must be prepared to receive a bless-
ing from the broader world around them, as well. The call to mission
is always a call to bless and be blessed. Understanding this dynamic
changes the called person’s, or persons’, attitude toward others and

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 teachers comments

changes one’s approach to sharing the good news. We will explore this
theme more next week.
When we read Scripture, a noticeable trend flows throughout both
Testaments. The trend is that God had to remind humanity periodi-
cally of the original call in Genesis. The need for a reminder resulted
from two things: (1) often God’s followers forgot what God called
them to do, and (2) changing times required reinforcements of their
calling. That is, the overall point to God’s call needs to be contextu-
alized, from time to time, but the call itself remains essentially the
same.
Space does not allow for a full exploration of all the subsequent
reminders of God’s call to mission throughout the Bible, but a few can
serve as examples. When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt into
the wilderness, God explicitly reminded His people that, as a nation,
they were called to serve all other nations as priests (Exod. 19:4–6);
in other words, Israel was called to be a blessing to the nations around
them and to receive blessings from them. Solomon repeated the call
in his dedicatory prayer for the newly built temple (1 Kings 8:41–43).
The prophets of both Israel and Judah repeated this call in various
ways, as can be seen in Isaiah 19:23–25 and Micah 4:2–5. After the
Israelites returned from exile, God again reminded them of this call
through the prophet Zechariah (Zech. 8:20–23).
Jesus lived out the call and demonstrated it, ultimately leading to
the fulfillment of the plan of salvation through His life, death, and
resurrection. After spending a few years with Jesus and witness-
ing His resurrection, the disciples were called in the same way that
Abraham and then Israel had been called, as we read in Matthew
28:18–20. The apostle Paul also recognized that his calling was
rooted in the same call as that given to Abraham, as he states explic-
itly in his letter to the followers of Jesus in Galatia (Gal. 3:8, 9, 14).
The last time the call is given in Scripture is found in Revelation
14:6, which is not a new call but rather simply a reiteration of the call
that started in Genesis 1:26–28 and was carried forward throughout
history. We believe that this final call is for those of us living during
this time in the last days of earth’s history.
Thus, the call to live and flourish, as God intended in the Garden
of Eden, is our call today. We have hope that living the calling and
flourishing is possible because of what Jesus did on earth and does
for us now in heaven. It is a privilege to partner with God in this call-
ing and to go out intentionally into the wider world with a blessing to
share, while also expecting to receive a blessing from those we meet.

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 teachers comments

Part III: Life Application

Often when people hear or preach on the call to mission, they reduce
that call to sharing the good news as a form of information. There is no
doubt that part of sharing the blessing first introduced to humanity in the
Garden and carried forward through many conduits in history involves
sharing information. But the call is so much more than that.
When we recognize that the call of God to us, as humans, is rooted
in Genesis 1:26–28, this understanding can lead us, through our vari-
ous talents and skills, to draw people toward the blessing of flourish-
ing that God intends for us. Our witness to others should be combined
with sharing the plan of salvation, but, ultimately, the life that salva-
tion makes possible will give meaning to the call God has given us.
Therefore, our call is to live out the blessings of God in such a way
that people see and desire what we have in God. This idea means that
your workplace, your home, and your circle of friends are the primary
locations where you live out the call of God. While preaching and
handing out literature have their place, the primary fulfillment of the
call to Abraham and you also includes how you live out your daily life
in intentionality with others who have not surrendered to Jesus, or have
not had the privilege yet of meeting Him. But remember that the call
of God is a twofold blessing. As you live out the call in your daily life,
expect and look for blessings to come back toward you from people
whom you may not even expect.

Notes

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teachers comments

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