L5-2Q

Mission to the World

May 2, 2015

Sabbath Afternoon

INTO ALL THE WORLD

(What connection do you think the following illustration has with the Bible texts in Wednesday’s section?) Wycliffe Bible Translators have been translating the Word of God into as many languages as possible. Cameron Townsend, pioneer of linguistic and missionary endeavors in Central America, desperately wanted to translate the Bible into the local Indian languages of Mexico.

In 1935 Townsend and his wife, Elvira, with several students who had learned his methods, went to Mexico to undertake their work. The group settled in a tiny Aztec village, a two-hour mountain drive from Mexico City, and began learning the language of the local people. They had the support of the secretary of labor, who was interested in a cultural program for the Indians. He had his department publish Townsend’s primers for teaching Aztecs to read.

Townsend worked diligently to improve the quality of their life while celebrating the unique qualities of their culture. In the village where he worked day to day, he noticed a freshwater spring that ran down the backside of the village, only to be wasted on the steep slope. He encouraged the villagers to plant crops in such a way as to take advantage of the water supply. They diverted the spring to an open area, and soon successful crops were producing much food. The economy in that area blossomed, and Townsend wrote an article about the whole experience.

The article found its way to the desk of the president of Mexico, Lázaro Cárdenas, who was curious about this gringo who would live among his people and help them in such a profound way. Townsend had gone to live in an area where even the local government employees refused to live. The president made a journey to the village to meet Townsend, and when the car pulled into the center of the village, the humble missionary made his way over to meet the visitors. Townsend greeted the president and was surprised to be greeted with, “You are the man I have come to see! Tell me about what you are doing here.”

Townsend shared his story and reminded the president of his desire to translate the Scriptures into the local language. Lázaro Cárdenas gladly allowed him to translate the Bible into the local tongue; this began a friendship with the Mexican government that lasted many years. During that season of favor, the gospel spread throughout the region and the Word of God proliferated among many different cultures.

Mission work is all about sharing the gospel, but in many scenarios, the walls have to be broken down by selfless service and hard work. It’s not unlike the Savior and the way He worked on behalf of people. Can you think of some examples in the life of Christ?

Key Text: Choose one of the texts from Wednesday’s section of the lesson.

Write it here and memorize it this week.

Sunday 

HERE’S WHAT I THINK

• On the forum are posted some requests for your feedback about mission. Be sure to go online and share what you think it takes to be a missionary.
• Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and honest. Say what you think.

Monday

WHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO SAY?

Different people, different opinions. Some of the quotations below represent the views of true kingdom citizens; others may not. Can you tell the difference? How do these statements compare with what God is saying in His Word? After reviewing the texts in the God Says . . . section of the lesson, write a statement that captures your belief. Be prepared to quote yourself at Sabbath School.

• “Christ’s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Savior mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’”—Ellen White, 19th-century inspired writer and church cofounder.

• “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light”—Ion Keith Falconer, Scottish missionary who went to Aden, on the Arabian peninsula, in 1885.

• “The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible.”—Ralph Winter, U. S. Center for World Mission.

• “Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell.”—C. T. Studd, 19th- 20th-century English missionary in China, India, Africa.

• “No one has the right to hear the gospel twice, while there remains someone who has not heard it once.”—Oswald J. Smith, 20th-century Canadian pastor and evangelist.

• “If you found a cure for cancer, wouldn’t it be inconceivable to hide it from the rest of mankind? How much more inconceivable to keep silent the cure from the eternal wages of death.”—Dave Davidson, 21st-century writer.

• “Someone asked, ‘Will the heathen who have never heard the Gospel be saved?’ It is more a question with me whether we—who have the Gospel and fail to give it to those who have not—can be saved.”—Charles Spurgeon, 19th-century English Baptist preacher, author, and editor.

• “The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time.”—Carl F. H. Henry, 20th-century theologian and first editor of Christianity Today. 

Write your own quotation.
What I say is . . .

Tuesday

SO WHAT? 

• One of the most moving scenes in all of Scripture is found in Matthew 9:35-38: “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field’” (NIV).

• The word “compassion” actually means, “your guts twist and cry out”! Crude? Maybe. But compassion moves people to action. From a distance, you can pity someone who is hurting. You can even sympathize and hurt for people who are suffering, because you know what they are going through is horrible. But you can still stay home and do nothing. Compassion, as seen in the life of Jesus, forces people to act. Jesus shouts, “I need workers to help!” Most people stop short of responding because they do not know what to do.

• Start with your money. People who give to missions are more likely to live the mission. Another paraphrase might be “Put your money where you want your heart to be.”

• Carve out time to pray for and write letters to missionaries.

• Send a disposable camera and enough money for postage to a missionary to take pictures of where they are working and have them send the camera back to you to develop so you can see what is going on.

• Sponsor a student missionary with letters of encouragement from home.

• Send Bibles to a school or church overseas.

• These are just a few ideas. The important thing is to do something. And it seems that the more you do, the more you will know what to do. It is not entirely clear why this is true, but it works. Try it.

Wednesday

 GOD SAYS . . .

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

Acts 1:8 (NIV)

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Mark 16:15, 16 (NIV)

”He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.’”

John 20:21 (NIV)

“Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’”

Psalm 22:27, 28 (NIV)

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.”

Isaiah 49:6 (NIV)

“I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Romans 10:18 (NIV)

“But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: ‘Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.’”

Colossians 1:6 (NIV)

“The gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.”

Revelation 14:6 (NIV)
“Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people.”

(More: Isaiah 61:1-3; Ephesians 2:17, 18.)

Thursday

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

• Try to imagine yourself as a follower of Jesus when He was alive on this earth. Envision how compelling it must be to watch Jesus as He walks among the people, hearing and caring, coaching and giving. People are drawn to the Savior because He saves. He helps. He changes people with the touch of His hand or the truths in His message. When Jesus walks through a town, people are different.
• Now jump back to reality, 2,000 years later. Would it surprise you to know that He promised the same kind of results for you? Check this out: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12, NIV).
• Sounds unbelievable? Not for God. Look at the book of Acts and see for yourself that it’s ordinary people doing little things for their Savior who produce extraordinary stories. What we have to remember is that these great people, these workers for God, are just like you and me. Ordinary people. But the step from ordinary to extraordinary is the moment we do the little things in response to God’s call to “go.” 

 Friday

HOW DOES IT WORK? 

• With a group of your friends or family members choose areas of the world to pray for this week (and every week). Pray for a different area each day, or each person choose a different area to pray for all week.
• Go to www.adventistyearbook.org/, scroll down to the map of the world, and click on a colored area you want to pray for. You will be taken to plenty of specific names and places for which to pray. You may even want to send the ones you pray for a letter and encourage them to continue serving diligently for the gospel (the addresses are there too). Imagine how powerful it would be if teens from all over the world were praying for and sending notes of encouragement to those working around the world!