SUPPLEMENTAL SCRIPTURES
- Isaiah 40:9
- John 5:36; 17:4
- Romans 10:15
- Ephesians 6:15
The sound of the guard’s footsteps echoes outside the cell door—does he come with a message of freedom? Footsteps approach a pitiful hovel—could it be someone is bringing a morsel of food? That steady tread approaching a secluded mountain village—is it a missionary bringing the story of salvation? Followers of Jesus have a divine challenge and responsibility to be ambassadors of Christ. The Apostles were instructed to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. That commission is just as binding today as the day it was given. The task is tremendous.
QUESTIONS
- When Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me,” of what was He speaking?
- Acts 10:38 declares that Jesus went about doing good. The Gospel can be represented by many acts. How many ways can you think of that would come under the title of helping to spread the Gospel?
- In what ways could the actions of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33) be used as an example in spreading the Gospel?
- What goes hand in hand with faith as the Gospel is carried to the world? Why? See James 2:14-16.
- Often people have a feeling of responsibility for the needs of the world. James states specifically to whom we should offer clothing or food. What does he say?
- Mark 16:15 focuses on a different and broader responsibility of the Christian. What is this responsibility?
- Write in your own words what you think Isaiah 52:7 means.
- When Peter and John were called before the council and commanded not to speak or teach in the Name of Jesus, they responded, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” Today, what sort of witness should we exhibit to the world? See John 20:29 and 1 Peter 1:8.
- What does John 9:4 tell us about the urgency of our responsibility?
THEME THOUGHTS
The purpose of this quarter is to focus on the meaning of complete consecration. Keeping this in mind, we started this quarter with a lesson on the heart, “for out of it are the issues of life.” We continued with various members of the physical body, showing that each member can be consecrated and can be used in the service of the Lord. In order to be totally committed to Christ, we should not only consecrate the parts of our physical body, but also our will, time, money, relationships, and future. As you study these lessons, you will find that in many cases they overlap. For instance, the lesson which deals with the tongue relates closely to the lesson on the heart, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” We are not suggesting that each part can be consecrated as a segment, or in a certain progression, but rather endeavoring to stress that total commitment to Christ involves all of these aspects. Consecration begins with salvation when one dedicates his life to God, but total commitment to Him involves day-to-day decisions. You might say that we have taken one lesson on total consecration and divided it into thirteen sections in order to give an in-depth coverage.