Taking the Gospel to the World (Stewardship) Today we will study how God is taking His last warning message to the world before the end comes. Let’s ask God’s Spirit to bless us. (Pray.) For our first text, let’s turn to… Matt. 24:14, 15 (Read) Jesus said an important last day sign is the gospel going to the world. We live in a time when this is being fulfilled. Notice the connection to the study of Daniel’s book. Jesus predicted that people like us from around the world would study prophecy in the last days. It is exciting to see that we are fulfilling this prophecy, isn’t it? What Jesus predicts in Matthew 24, John the Revelator sees fulfilled. Let’s turn there to… Rev. 14:6 (Read) John saw the gospel going to the entire world before Jesus returns. We know the context here is just before the second coming because it is depicted here in verses 14 and 15. [The following is to prove this point. You don’t need to present it. “The time is come for thee to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe” is a clear indication this is Jesus’ return. If we go to Matthew 13:39 we find the harvest is the end of the world.] Notice what the gospel teaches as it goes to the world in the last days. Rev. 14:7, 8 (Read) It teaches the very things you’ve been learning in our studies. We are in the judgment hour. It is time to worship God as the creator and to keep his seventh-day Sabbath holy. The fall of Babylon. The fall of Babylon is also announced in… Rev. 18:1-4 (Read) God calls His people out of Babylon. He has true people in every church. But He will not let them stay in those churches to receive the plagues. He invites them to come out so they can be safe. Now, when a person goes out of one thing it means they go into something else. When people leave Babylon they go into God’s church. It is from this concept that we get the word “church.” In the Greek language the word for “church” is ecclesia. It is based on the root word “ek” which means “out.” We use the word “Exit” for a place to go out. The church is the people who respond to God’s call to come out of Babylon and to follow Jesus. When we leave our old ways to worship God in truth, how do we become part of God’s church? 1 Cor. 12:12, 13 (Read) We are baptized into the body of Christ, or the church. (Eph. 1:22, 23 Body of Christ = the church.) When we are baptized into Christ we become part of His church. We see this is what happened in the early church. Acts 2:40-47 (Read) Those who were baptized were added to the church. They did not act independently. They fellowshipped together. Worshipped together. And they believed the same Bible doctrine. This tells us there was a real church order and structure. The early church was organized with specific doctrines, set worship meetings, standards of living, etc. Let’s look at one text that tells us this. Titus 1:5 (Read) Paul instructed elders to be ordained and for things to be set in order. (Supporting texts: Acts 15:1-23; 16:4, 5.) This organization in the early church enabled the church to take the gospel to the world. Without organization you have chaos. Look at how the apostle Paul helped the churches organize. 1 Cor. 14:33, 40 (Read) God is not the author of confusion but of decency and order because this facilitates carrying the gospel to the lost. Part of this early organization included the ability to finance the spread of the gospel. We read about this in… 1 Cor. 9:13, 14 (Read) Those who preach the gospel are to be funded in the same manner the Old Testament priests were supported. This is where the tithing system came in. Have you ever heard of the tithe? The tithe means one tenth. God designates that we should return one tenth of our income to Him to be used to promote the gospel. Let’s look at some texts on tithing. Num. 18:21 (Read) The priests didn’t have secular jobs to support themselves. They ministered full-time. The tithe provided for their needs. Matt. 23:23 (Read) Jesus endorsed tithing in the New Testament when He said, “You pay tithe… these ought you to have done…” How important is it to support God’s work? Mal. 3:8-11 (Read) God says when we don’t return tithe and offerings we are robbing Him. He owns all we have. He wants us to acknowledge this by returning one tenth of our income and then offerings as we are blessed. Not to do this, shows we do not honor God as the giver of everything. This is one of those rare places in the Bible where God asks us to prove Him. It is as though He is saying, “Are you wondering how you can pay the bills with ten percent less to live on? Well, try me and I will show you the power of God. Start returning your tithe to me and I will pour you out so many blessings that you will not have room to receive it.” This really is a fantastic promise! I have tested it and found it to be true. (Share your testimony of how God has blessed your faithful stewardship.) Not only is tithing and offerings a test of our trust in God and acknowledgment of His ownership, but it also reveals we share God’s interest in saving lost people. When we share God’s heart for saving lost people, we will want to finance taking the gospel to the world. What attitude should we have when giving? 2 Cor. 9:6, 7 (Read) God loves a cheerful giver. We are happy to give to God because He has given so much to us in giving His love, His Son, etc. I like the way the Seventh-day Adventist Church handles tithes and offerings. (Explain our tithing system.) Because the Adventist Church has followed the Bible in tithing it has been able to finance the gospel going to more countries of the world than any other Protestant church. Let me take a moment to answer some common questions about tithing. 1. When should I tithe? Do it first, as soon as you get your check (Prov. 3:9). 2. Should we tithe before or after taxes? Tithe your increase (Deut. 14:22). Pay tithe before government taxes. God is first. 3. Can I place my tithe wherever I see fit? Tithe is not to be used for whatever we choose. It is to be brought to the storehouse—God’s church. God has specified it is to be used by His church to pay for the ministry. Offerings are to be used at our discretion, as we see the need (Mal. 3:10; 2 Chron. 31:11, chambers means storehouses). God’s people look forward to Jesus’ return. Did you know the Bible tells us what we will say when we see Jesus coming in the sky to take us home? Isa. 25:9 (Read) We will say, “This is our God! We have patiently waited for Him. He is now here. And He will save us!” I want to be ready to say this when I see Him. Don’t you? And I want there to be thousands of others ready. This is why I am part of God’s church. I want to be part of a group that helps each other get ready for Jesus’ return and that helps take the gospel to the world. Would you also like to be part of such a group of believers? (Pause) Shall we pray? (Pray.) Copyright © 2003 and 2007 by Gary D. Gibbs NOTE TO INSTRUCTOR: This study is best given AFTER a person has made a decision to join the remnant church.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Sep 2013 10:25:48 +0000
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