Bible Study: "Our Audience"
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# 1
What is our goal as a church?
Revelation 14:6-12
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
8 And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
# 2
Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
? What are Jesus commands?
Teach, baptize
? Teach them what?
Keep the commandments
How to accomplish our goal?
# 3
1 Corinthians 11:1
1 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
# 4
If ever it has been essential that we understand and follow right methods of teaching and follow the example of Christ, it is now.
—Letter 322, 1908.
If you would approach the people acceptably, humble your hearts before God, and learn His ways. We shall gain much instruction for our work from a study of Christ's methods of labor and His manner of meeting the people. In the gospel story we have the record of how He worked for all classes, and of how as He labored in cities and towns, thousands were drawn to His side to hear His teaching.
From Evangelism Chapter 4
? Why is it important to humble our hearts?
# 5
Proverbs 3:34
34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
# 6
James 4:6
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
# 7
1 Peter 5:5-7
5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
# 8
James 4:10
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Sympathy
# 9
Matthew 22:35-40
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
? Why are these the two great commandments?
# 10
In every human being, however fallen, He beheld a son of God, one who might be restored to the privilege of His divine relationship.
—Education, 79 (1903). Ev 55.3
# 11
The work of Christ was largely composed of personal interviews. He had a faithful regard for the one-soul audience; and that one soul has carried to thousands the intelligence received.
—The Review and Herald, May 9, 1899. Ev 58.1
# 12
Christ drew the hearts of His hearers to Him by the manifestation of His love, and then, little by little, as they were able to bear it, He unfolded to them the great truths of the kingdom. We also must learn to adapt our labors to the condition of the people—to meet men where they are. While the claims of the law of God are to be presented to the world, we should never forget that love, the love of Christ, is the only power that can soften the heart and lead to obedience.
—The Review and Herald, November 25, 1890. Ev 57.3
# 13
Even the crowd that so often thronged His steps was not to Christ an indiscriminate mass of human beings. He spoke directly to every mind and appealed to every heart. He watched the faces of His hearers, marked the lighting up of the countenance, the quick, responsive glance, which told that truth had reached the soul; and there vibrated in His heart the answering chord of sympathetic joy.
—Education, 231 (1903). Ev 55.2
? What is sympathy?
Sympathy
from Greek sympatheia "fellow-feeling, community of feeling," from sympathes "having a fellow feeling, affected by like feelings," from assimilated form of syn- "together" (see syn-) + pathos "feeling"
Sympathetic vibration/resonance
? How to have sympathy?
# 14
Romans 12:15-16
15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
Individuals
We previously read:
"In the gospel story we have the record of how He worked for all classes"
? What is meant by "all classes"?
# 15
Proverbs 30:8-9
8 Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
9 Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
The Poor
# 16
Christ might have occupied the highest place among the highest teachers of the Jewish nation. But He chose rather to take the gospel to the poor. He went from place to place, that those in the highways and byways might catch the words of the gospel of truth. He labored in the way in which He desires His workers to labor today.
Ev 54.2
? What does it mean to occupy a high place?
? What does it mean to occupy a low place?
? How does Christ desire us to labor today?
? What is an example of someone from a lower class in the Bible?
# 17
Luke 8:27
27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
# 18
Mark 5:5
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
# 19
Luke 8:30
30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
The Rich
? What is an example of someone in the higher class that Jesus ministered unto?
# 20
Luke 19:1-10
1 And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho.
2 And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.
4 And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully.
7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Troubles
What Are Some of the Troubles of the Poor?
What Are Some of the Troubles of the Rich?
What Are Some of the Troubles common to all?
Toubles in General
Nutrition
Health
Death of someone close
Entertainment addiction
Movies, videos, games
Pornography
Drugs and alcohol
Theft
Gambling
Divorce
Relationships and marriage
Housing costs
False beliefs
Depression
Gangs
Unforgiveness
Abuse
Prostitution
Loneliness
Meaningless
Hopelessness
Brokenness
Jail
Ideological groups
Helping Others
# 21
James 1:27
27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
# 22
Luke 14:12-14
12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
# 23
By methods peculiarly His own, He helped all who were in sorrow and affliction. With tender, courteous grace, He ministered to the sin-sick soul, bringing healing and strength.
Ev 54.3
Changing stones into bread is a miracle.
? Is it also a miracle when people in a church work in harmony to help others?
Healing
# 24
Matthew 4:23-24
23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
Many bodily problems come from eating unhealthful foods.
? Can eating in an unhealthy way also affect people's spirit?
# 25
Galatians 5:17
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
# 26
Galatians 6:8
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
# 27
If we are to walk in the light God has given us, we must educate our people, old and young, to dispense with these foods that are eaten merely for the indulgence of appetite. Our children should be taught to deny themselves of such unnecessary things as candies, gum, ice cream, and other knickknacks, that they may put the money saved by their self-denial into the self-denial box, of which there should be one in every home. By this means large and small sums would be saved for the cause of God.
CD 329.3
? Why is self-denial important?
# 28
Sugar is not good for the stomach. It causes fermentation, and this clouds the brain and brings peevishness into the disposition.
—Manuscript 93, 1901 CD 327.1
# 29
It is better to let sweet things alone. Let alone those sweet dessert dishes that are placed on the table. You do not need them. You want a clear mind to think after God's order.—The Review and Herald, January 7, 1902
CD 328.42
Sugar is a common food which we can help other people learn to avoid.
? Why is it important to avoid sugar?
# 30
Overtaxing the stomach is a common sin, and when too much food is used, the entire system is burdened. Life and vitality, instead of being increased, are decreased. This is as Satan plans to have it. Man uses up his vital forces in unnecessary labor in taking care of an excess of food.
By taking too much food, we not only improvidently waste the blessings of God, provided for the necessities of nature, but do great injury to the whole system. We defile the temple of God; it is weakened and crippled; and nature cannot do its work wisely and well, as God has made provision that it should. Because of the selfish indulgence of his appetite, man has oppressed nature's power by compelling it to do work it should never be required to do.
Were all men acquainted with the living, human machinery, they would not be guilty of doing this, unless, indeed, they loved self-indulgence so well that they would continue their suicidal course and die a premature death, or live for years a burden to themselves and to their friends.
—Letter 17, 1895
? What method of helping people's health is suggested by this passage?
Teaching
# 31
He taught in a way that made them feel the completeness of His identification with their interests and happiness. His instruction was so direct, His illustrations were so appropriate, His words so sympathetic and cheerful, that His hearers were charmed. The simplicity and earnestness with which He addressed the needy, hallowed every word.
—The Ministry of Healing, 22-24 (1905). Ev 55.1
? What qualities made Christ's labors effective?
Identification with their interests
Simplicity
Earnestness
from Old English eornoste (adj.) "zealous, serious," or from Old English noun eornost "seriousness, serious intent"
Taught About Eternity
# 32
Matthew 6:31-33
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
# 33
He attended the great yearly festivals of the nation, and to the multitude absorbed in outward ceremony He spoke of heavenly things, bringing eternity within their view. To all He brought treasures from the storehouse of wisdom. He spoke to them in language so simple that they could not fail of understanding.
Ev 54.3
Taught About Glory of God
# 34
Although the great truths uttered by our Lord were given in simple language, they were clothed with such beauty that they interested and charmed the greatest intellects....
To give a true representation of the tender, loving, pitying care exercised by His Father, Jesus gave the parable of the prodigal son. Though His children err and stray from Him, if they repent and return, He will receive them with the joy manifested by an earthly father in receiving a long-lost son who in penitence returns.
—Manuscript 132, 1902. Ev 56.2 - Ev 56.3
