DIVINE MISSIONS (Part One)
Today’s Lesson
Prayer Point - Pray that the peace of the Lord will be your portion: in your home, office and your church even as you bear the message of salvation around.
Previous Knowledge - The teacher appoints a student to review last week's lesson in terms of lesson outlines, memory verse, gains from the lesson and the life application of the lesson. Teacher marks the workbook.
1. Opening
A. BIBLE PASSAGE -Genesis 12:1-3
B. Memory Verse - "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." John 20:21
C. Lesson Introduction - A great number of believers are indifferent towards missions and missionary work. Little do they know that missions is the heartbeat of God. God has been behind missionary activities since the fall of man. Today, we want to study about God and His missionary purpose to all nations. May the Lord open our eyes to see what He wants us to see, in Jesus' name.
TEACHER’S DIARY
A. Lesson Aim - To study about divine mission.
B. Teaching Objectives and Lesson Plan
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to appreciate the fact that divine missions are a priority. They should be able to understand the purpose of missions. To achieve the objectives, teacher explains why mission should be given priority. Teacher also explains the purpose of mission.
Teacher concludes by encouraging students to support mission.
C. Text Review-GENESIS 12:1-3
Today's text was focused on the Fourth Dispensation promise. It is also referred to as "Abrahamic Covenant."
The following are the highlights of the "fourth dispensatrion".
a. The dispensation extended from the call of Abraham to the giving of the law of Sinai. Its stewardship was based upon God's covenant with Abraham.
b. The covenant observed specific provisions which affected Abraham himself, his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. Under the covenant, your blessing is directly proportional to your obedience. Gen. 12: 1
c. God made unconditional promise of blessings through Abraham's seed specifically to the nation of Israel and then to the church of Christ and finally to the gentile nations. Gen. 12.
Another dimension of the covenant was the inevitable promise of blessing to anyone who blessed Abraham and eventual curses to anyone who cursed him (the Israelites and the Jews).
a. The implication of this covenant on us is that God wants us to trust Him for His promises for our lives.
b. The assurance of the blessings is to the whole world. That is why you and I must be involved in missions so that the whole world will enjoy His divine provision of salvation and covenant of blessings.
D. Teaching Method – Teacher should use lecture method.
E. Time Management - 15 minutes for Opening, 30 minutes for Lesson Outline, Summary, Conclusion and Assignment, 15 minutes for General Review.
2. Lesson Outlines
i. LESSON OUTLINE 1 - GOD'S MISSIONARY PURPOSE
i. God created man for His glory and to fellowship with man always. Gen 2:8, 18-22.
ii. Satan did not like the fellowship (do not forget he lost the fellowship privilege when he sinned in Heaven), so he came with his weapon of sin which led to the fa"11 of man. Consequently, fellowship between man and God was destroyed. Gen 3:5; Isaiah 43:21
iii. God is interested in restoring man back unto himself. He did this through the following process.
a. He gave the ever powerful promise to redeem man when he said that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. Gen.3:15-16
b. He established a covenant with Noah, Abraham and others - Genesis 9: 1-17; Gen.12. One can hastily say that the promise was to a particular nation (the Israelites) but this is not absolutely true. The promise of restoration of man is for the whole world. Gen. 12:3; Gen. 18:18; Gen. 22:18; (In you shall all the nations of the earth be blessed).
c. He directed us to bring the salvation message to the whole world, so that the whole nations of the earth might be saved. Matt 24: 14; Matt 3:19-20; Luke 24:47
Class Activity 1 - Why is missionary activity important to God?
ii. LESSON OUTLINE 2 - WHO IS A MISSIONARY?
i. The word missionary came from the Latin word 'mitto' which means "to send" and the Greek equivalent of the word is "Apostello"
ii. A missionary is not the white man who left his country to come and establish schools, health centres and in the process preach the gospel.
iii. A missionary is anyone (black African or white European) who obeys the instructions to go into all the world and preach the gospel. Mark 16:15
iv. A missionary' is the fellow who is commissioned by a superior authority (God) to bring salvation messages to the whole world.
v. The Bible example of the missionaries are John, Barnabas, Silas, Paul, Timothy, etc.
Summary: The missionary is the one sent forth to relate God's salvation plan to the whole world. He is the proclaimer of the gospel.
Conclusion: Since God takes missions seriously, we as His people should not do less. We must find our place in the business of preaching' the Gospel to the whole world and play our parts well.
Assignment. See assignment in the workbook.
DIVINE MISSIONS (Part Two)
Today’s Lesson
Prayer Point - Pray that the Lord will help you to do his will.
Previous Knowledge - The assistant teacher should review the previous week's lesson while the teacher marks the workbook.
1. Opening
A. BIBLE PASSAGE - ISAIAH 61: 1-3
B. Memory Verse "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." John 4:34
C. Lesson Introduction -In our last lesson on divine missions, we were told who a missionary is so that we do not begin to have a wrong idea about him. Missionaries are people with a call. They are special. It is interesting to note that Jesus our Lord was a missionary. May the Spirit of the Lord open our hearts as we study, in Jesus' name.
TEACHER'S DIARY
A. Lesson Aim - To study about Jesus as a missionary.
B. Teaching Objectives and Lesson Plan
At the end of the lesson, students should have seen how Jesus was a missionary and how and why He sent missionaries.
To achieve this objective, teacher explains how Jesus was a missionary.
Teacher should also explain why Jesus sent us as missionaries.
C. Text Review -ISAIAH 61:1-3
The text indicates the ten messages or responsibilities of the missionary.
These are listed below:
i. To preach the good tiding.
ii. To bind up the broken hearted.
iii. To proclaim liberty to the captives.
iv. To open prisons to those who are bound.
v. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
vi. To proclaim the days of vengeance of the Lord. vii. To declare comfort to those who mourn.
viii. To give beauty for ashes.
ix. To replace mourning with oil of joy.
x. To give garment of praises for garment of heaviness.
NOTE - The missionary should carefully note that the there are two events compressed together in this one view. The "present event" and the "future event". The present events are the nine (9) roles of the anointing in the lives of the missionaries. These are no 1-5, 7-10 excluding no 6. That was why in Luke 4:1620 when this same scripture was given to Jesus to read, He stopped at the "acceptable year of the Lord" then closed the book. The days of Grace is 'now’ The missionary mission is "grace". Mission "no 6" will be accomplished by Christ Himself on the day of His second coming which the Bible refers to as the "day of vengeance" on the wicked". I Thess. 1:7-10. The wicked have a grace now to hear so as to come to the Lord before the grace days are closed.
D. Teaching Method - Teacher should use lecture method.
E. Time Management - 15 minutes for Opening, 30 minutes for Lesson Outline, Summary, Conclusion and Assignment, 15 minutes for General Review.
2. Lesson Outlines
i. LESSON OUTLINE 1- JESUSASAMISSIONARY
This outline will be considered under two sub outlines.
- Jesus was sent as a missionary.
- Jesus' operation in the mission field.
i. Jesus mentioned categorically that His Father who is greater than Him sent Him. John 7: 16; John 9:4; John 17
ii. Jesus related this fact that His Father sent Him, forty three times in the gospel of John and other gospels.
iii. Missionary work means relocating. It means leaving your place of domicile to another new place and to relate with another new sets of people, race, culture, languages, etc.
iv. Jesus as a missionary left all the glory in Heaven came to the troubled world where the language, the culture, the life style, the tradition, etc, are sinful and devilish.
b. Operation of Jesus in the mission field Jesus operated as a missionary in the following ways:
i. He taught publicly and ministered to the crowd. ii. He taught the Jews and the gentiles.
iii. He taught both men and women e.g. the Roman centurion, the syrophenician woman, the Samaritan woman. Matthew 15:2128, Matt. 8:5-13
iv. He taught and healed the sick, the possessed, the oppressed, the obsessed, the depressed, etc Matthew 5: 1-20; 7: 13-37
v. He trained and sent for practical experiences his disciples across different cultures (cross cultural mission.) Matthew 28:19-20; 10:5-7
Class Activity 1-Why must you go on mission?
ii. LESSON OUTLINE 2 -JESUSASASENDER OF MISSIONARIES
i. Jesus in His earthly ministry commanded His disciples to take the message of salvation to the whole world, just as the Father too sent Him. John 17:18
ii. On the resurrection day, the same instruction to go and tell others was given.
iii. Before His ascension both on the Mount of Olives and Galilee, He gave the same instruction.
iv. After His death, resurrection and ascension, He gave the same instruction to Paul. Acts 26: 16-18
v. The instruction was much unrestricted during the great commission episode. It was 'Go ye' into the world.
As far as you are born again, you are a part of the great commission.
Mark 16:15-16; Luke 45:49; John 20:21-22; Acts 1:8.
vi. The mandate of salvation over sin, healing over darkness deliverance from oppression; etc and the power and authority for performance and accomplishment are part of the package of the programme/mission.
Class Activity 2- How was your missionary experience last week?
Relate your experience.
Summary: Be a follower of Jesus in deed as He was a follower of His Father's missionary work.
Conclusion: We cannot afford to disobey the Lord in this regard. If He takes it seriously, we must also.
Assignment: See assignment in the workbook.
