Jesus begins the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19, 20) with the word therefore. Whenever we come across this word, we need to look at what precedes it to find the reason behind the statement that follows. In this case, the Great Commission is given based on Jesus’ declaration: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18, NASB).
Jesus’ command to make disciples, to baptize, to teach, and to abide with Him is based on His authority. Too often, we see this Great Commission simply as a command to “go.” Yet, it is a call to rely on His power and authority as we reflect His character and teachings to others. His call to ministry includes His compassion for the poor and the helpless as revealed in the Gospels.
In the lesson this week, we look at how the New Testament church embraced Christ’s compassion for the poor. We saw how the early church after Pentecost organized itself around ministries of compassion and how the disciples and leaders of the growing Christian church made ministries of compassion central to their mission.
Teacher’s Aims:
Explore with your class the balanced wholistic ministry model as portrayed in Acts 2:41–47.
Examine the role of the spiritual gifts that were given to facilitate the church’s ministry and the calling of every member to minister to the needs of others.
As a class, evaluate your church’s effectiveness as you endeavor, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to continue the wholistic ministry of the New Testament church.
Part II: Commentary
Scripture: Invite the class to read Acts 2:41–47. Review the five elements of ministry found in the life of the early church as reflected in this passage. How many of these elements are an intentional part of the ministry of your church?
Worship (Acts 2:42, 46, 47)
Fellowship (Acts 2:42)
Community Services (Acts 2:45)
Reaping (Acts 2:41, 47)
Discipleship (Acts 2:42)
Scripture: Read Acts 9:36–42. Dorcas, or Tabitha, a Christian disciple, lived in the city of Joppa, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Dorcas is a Greek name meaning “gazelle,” and Tabitha is the Aramaic rendering of the same name. Dorcas was a charitable person who made things, especially clothing, for the needy in Joppa. Dorcas was much loved in the community of Joppa. When she became ill and died, the believers who knew Dorcas urgently sent for Peter.
When Peter arrived at the home where Dorcas’s body had been laid out, there were many widows weeping. They all showed Peter the clothing that Dorcas had made. Having sent them out of the room, Peter prayed and said to the dead woman, “Tabitha, arise” (Acts 9:40). She rose from the dead. As a result, many people in Joppa believed in the Lord.
Bringing Dorcas back from the dead was not done for Dorcas’s sake alone. Part of Peter’s motive for raising Dorcas to life most certainly was for the sake of the widows and others in Joppa who needed the help Dorcas could provide. Dorcas is a fine example of how we are to minister to the needs of those around us. Has the spirit of Dorcas been resurrected in your church? What ministry does your church have that would be sorely missed by your community if it were to disappear suddenly?
Illustration: The characteristics of the early church as portrayed in Acts 2:41–46 and in the life of Dorcas lives on today. Here is an example: For the last 18 years a group of compassionate community-minded members of the Spencerville, Maryland, Seventh-day Adventist Church, U.S.A., have been involved in a ministry that they call “Keep in Stitches.” They meet weekly in the morning to study and pray, fellowship, and work together to meet needs in their external community. At noon, they “break bread” by eating lunch together. They have met leaders in their neighborhood and discovered that there were many needs. The group has provided for expressed needs by sewing baby blankets for the children of homeless women in shelters; making pillow cases; assembling personal care kits for homeless men; and responding to requests from overseas mission projects for quilts, blankets, hats, and clothing. What has your church done to discover the needs in your community? What would it take to follow up when you discover the needs?
Scripture: Read the following three biblical passages about spiritual gifts in the early church: Romans 12:4–6; 1 Corinthians 12:4, 5; 1 Peter 4:10.
Note that these spiritual gifts are not simply talents provided to people to do as they please. These are gifts provided for the church to meet its ministry needs. The apostle Paul lines up an impressive list of spiritual gifts that God provides His church through its members. With your class, review these lists in Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:7–11, 27–31; and Ephesians 4:11–13. Make a list of the gifts of the Spirit that your class members think they have. Ask them to share how they have been using their spiritual gifts for ministry inside and outside your church.
Illustration: Consider this: “The New Testament churches were ministering fellowships and in the communities ministering agencies. No difference in rank or status divided the people of God. Church leaders were primarily responsible for preparing the congregation for productive service and witness to the people about them. The church was not viewed as a musical society which hired the performers and sat back to enjoy the performance. The church was an orchestra in which each member was assigned his part to play.”1
Discuss the implications of the above quotation. Ask your class the question, How has each of you been called to minister to others in behalf of Jesus? Encourage class members to discuss the answers in relation to the concept of “every believer, a missionary.”
Illustration: In the New Testament church, and today, dynamic Christian communities were, and are, full of believers who serve others and are involved in wholistic ministry. Wholistic congregations come in many forms, but they have certain features in common: (1) a wholistic understanding of the church’s mission, (2) Christ-centered spirituality, (3) healthy congregational dynamics, and (4) wholistic ministry practice.
What follows are some intentional activities that a wholistic church engages in:
Striving for wholistic understanding of the church’s mission, the wholistic church:
Encourages a vision of well-balanced ministry that includes, discipleship, evangelism, and social action.
Supports charity, compassion, community development, and justice advocacy. Anywhere humans are suffering provides opportunity for the church to shine as the body of Christ.
Sees ministry as fundamentally relational, seeking to develop longterm relationships with ministry recipients and welcoming them into church fellowship.
Views mission as both local and global in scope.
Striving for sanctification and Christ-centered worship, the wholistic church:
Centers congregational life around meaningful worship, with an emphasis on profound gratitude for salvation by grace through faith in Christ.
Relies on the power of God’s Spirit for fruitful ministry.
Is led by the inspired Word of God and teaches doctrines that are solidly grounded in the principle of sola Scriptura—the Bible and the Bible only—as the absolute moral standard for right and wrong.
Encourages a devotional life of worship, prayer, and study for the purpose of growth and discipleship.
Shares God’s self-sacrificial love for the lost, lonely, and broken and cultivates a commitment toward outreach as a natural outgrowth of the worship of God.
Striving for healthy congregational dynamics, the wholistic church:
Realizes that the relationships within the church need to be loving and healthy. No one wants to walk into a church where the tension can be felt because families aren’t getting along with one another.
Prays for and supports our pastors and leaders with empathy for the burden the Lord has placed on their shoulders and also remembers to be patient and forgiving if they make mistakes.
Striving for wholistic ministry practice, the wholistic church:
Calls, trains, equips, and organizes members for ministry, building on the full range of spiritual gifts.
Sustains ministry by working harmoniously with others in an organized way. Not thinking of oneself as a maverick, know-it-all, or martyr who is not accountable and dependent on fellow brothers and sisters.
Remembers that ministry has a dual focus: to those inside the church and to those outside. A lopsided focus on one can sometime undermine the other.
As a class, evaluate how your church rates in the above categories. Pray together that the wholistic ministry approach of the New Testament church will become a reality in your church.
Part III: Life Application
In the New Testament, ministry is service to God and to the community in His name. Jesus provided the pattern for Christian ministry. He did not come to receive service, but to give it (see Matt. 20:28, John 13:1–17).
Ask your class what they expect the church to do for them.
Challenge them to understand that the success of the church’s ministry depends more on what each member contributes to the ministry than on what the church members expect to receive.
List the ministries and services that your church provides internally and in the neighborhood.
Invite your class members to identify which of the listed ministries and services they are involved in, and write their names on the list under the ministry in which they are involved.
Thank those who are involved and challenge the others to minister in these areas.
Notes
``
Ministry should certainly place emphasis on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others so they can come to know Him and receive Him as the personal Savior and Lord of their life. It should inspire them to go even further, causing them to aspire to know Christ as the essence of their existence and life ministry. Christians, additionally, are called to minister by meeting people’s needs with love and humility on Christ’s behalf. Take turns reading the following: Matthew 20:26; John 2:5, 9; Acts 6:1–3; Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; and Colossians 4:12. If you were to examine the minutes of your church board over a period of time, what percentage of the decisions made do you think would deal with direct ministry in the community where the church is? How can your board meetings become more missional?
1 Rex Edwards, A New Frontier: Every Believer a Minister (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press®, 1979). pp. 6, 7.
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Jesus begins the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19, 20) with the word therefore. Whenever we come across this word, we need to look at what precedes it to find the reason behind the statement that follows. In this case, the Great Commission is given based on Jesus’ declaration: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18, NASB).
Jesus’ command to make disciples, to baptize, to teach, and to abide with Him is based on His authority. Too often, we see this Great Commission simply as a command to “go.” Yet, it is a call to rely on His power and authority as we reflect His character and teachings to others. His call to ministry includes His compassion for the poor and the helpless as revealed in the Gospels.
In the lesson this week, we look at how the New Testament church embraced Christ’s compassion for the poor. We saw how the early church after Pentecost organized itself around ministries of compassion and how the disciples and leaders of the growing Christian church made ministries of compassion central to their mission.
Teacher’s Aims:
Part II: Commentary
Scripture: Invite the class to read Acts 2:41–47. Review the five elements of ministry found in the life of the early church as reflected in this passage. How many of these elements are an intentional part of the ministry of your church?
Scripture: Read Acts 9:36–42. Dorcas, or Tabitha, a Christian disciple, lived in the city of Joppa, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Dorcas is a Greek name meaning “gazelle,” and Tabitha is the Aramaic rendering of the same name. Dorcas was a charitable person who made things, especially clothing, for the needy in Joppa. Dorcas was much loved in the community of Joppa. When she became ill and died, the believers who knew Dorcas urgently sent for Peter.
When Peter arrived at the home where Dorcas’s body had been laid out, there were many widows weeping. They all showed Peter the clothing that Dorcas had made. Having sent them out of the room, Peter prayed and said to the dead woman, “Tabitha, arise” (Acts 9:40). She rose from the dead. As a result, many people in Joppa believed in the Lord.
Bringing Dorcas back from the dead was not done for Dorcas’s sake alone. Part of Peter’s motive for raising Dorcas to life most certainly was for the sake of the widows and others in Joppa who needed the help Dorcas could provide. Dorcas is a fine example of how we are to minister to the needs of those around us. Has the spirit of Dorcas been resurrected in your church? What ministry does your church have that would be sorely missed by your community if it were to disappear suddenly?
Illustration: The characteristics of the early church as portrayed in Acts 2:41–46 and in the life of Dorcas lives on today. Here is an example: For the last 18 years a group of compassionate community-minded members of the Spencerville, Maryland, Seventh-day Adventist Church, U.S.A., have been involved in a ministry that they call “Keep in Stitches.” They meet weekly in the morning to study and pray, fellowship, and work together to meet needs in their external community. At noon, they “break bread” by eating lunch together. They have met leaders in their neighborhood and discovered that there were many needs. The group has provided for expressed needs by sewing baby blankets for the children of homeless women in shelters; making pillow cases; assembling personal care kits for homeless men; and responding to requests from overseas mission projects for quilts, blankets, hats, and clothing. What has your church done to discover the needs in your community? What would it take to follow up when you discover the needs?
Scripture: Read the following three biblical passages about spiritual gifts in the early church: Romans 12:4–6; 1 Corinthians 12:4, 5; 1 Peter 4:10.
Note that these spiritual gifts are not simply talents provided to people to do as they please. These are gifts provided for the church to meet its ministry needs. The apostle Paul lines up an impressive list of spiritual gifts that God provides His church through its members. With your class, review these lists in Romans 12:6–8; 1 Corinthians 12:7–11, 27–31; and Ephesians 4:11–13. Make a list of the gifts of the Spirit that your class members think they have. Ask them to share how they have been using their spiritual gifts for ministry inside and outside your church.
Illustration: Consider this: “The New Testament churches were ministering fellowships and in the communities ministering agencies. No difference in rank or status divided the people of God. Church leaders were primarily responsible for preparing the congregation for productive service and witness to the people about them. The church was not viewed as a musical society which hired the performers and sat back to enjoy the performance. The church was an orchestra in which each member was assigned his part to play.”1
Discuss the implications of the above quotation. Ask your class the question, How has each of you been called to minister to others in behalf of Jesus? Encourage class members to discuss the answers in relation to the concept of “every believer, a missionary.”
Illustration: In the New Testament church, and today, dynamic Christian communities were, and are, full of believers who serve others and are involved in wholistic ministry. Wholistic congregations come in many forms, but they have certain features in common: (1) a wholistic understanding of the church’s mission, (2) Christ-centered spirituality, (3) healthy congregational dynamics, and (4) wholistic ministry practice.
What follows are some intentional activities that a wholistic church engages in:
Striving for wholistic understanding of the church’s mission, the wholistic church:
Striving for sanctification and Christ-centered worship, the wholistic church:
Striving for healthy congregational dynamics, the wholistic church:
Striving for wholistic ministry practice, the wholistic church:
As a class, evaluate how your church rates in the above categories. Pray together that the wholistic ministry approach of the New Testament church will become a reality in your church.
Part III: Life Application
In the New Testament, ministry is service to God and to the community in His name. Jesus provided the pattern for Christian ministry. He did not come to receive service, but to give it (see Matt. 20:28, John 13:1–17).
Notes
``
Ministry should certainly place emphasis on sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with others so they can come to know Him and receive Him as the personal Savior and Lord of their life. It should inspire them to go even further, causing them to aspire to know Christ as the essence of their existence and life ministry. Christians, additionally, are called to minister by meeting people’s needs with love and humility on Christ’s behalf. Take turns reading the following: Matthew 20:26; John 2:5, 9; Acts 6:1–3; Romans 1:1; Galatians 1:10; and Colossians 4:12. If you were to examine the minutes of your church board over a period of time, what percentage of the decisions made do you think would deal with direct ministry in the community where the church is? How can your board meetings become more missional?
1 Rex Edwards, A New Frontier: Every Believer a Minister (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press®, 1979). pp. 6, 7.