Does God call defective persons?
(Genesis 12:1-13; Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8) Blog Oct 15-21, 2023
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) desires fellowship with humanity whom they created. When Adam broke God’s covenant of life, God came looking for him and offering forgiveness based on the death of a divine Substitute. This same God (Father, Son, & Holy Spirit) has commissioned his people to bring others into that divine fellowship by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus to the whole world.
Comfort Zones
1. After the worldwide flood what did people do to avoid God’s command to scatter over the earth? After the flood under the direction of Nimrod, people congregated in the plains of Shinar to build a city & tower to protect them from future intervention by God (Gen. 9:1; 11:1-4).
2. How was Nimrod’s solidarity plan interrupted by God? God wanted people to scatter over the earth & replenish it, so he confounded the people’s language at Babel, making them leave off their tower building & scattering them (Gen. 11:5-9).
3. How does the Babel experience apply to us today? Just as God desired people not to huddle in one secure place at Babel, so today he does not want his people to huddle in one secure place avoiding contact with the rest of the world (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Rev. 14:6).
4. Name some Old Testament characters whom God called to leave their comfort zones? Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Ezra, Esther, Daniel, Jonah, & all the prophets were called by God to leave their comfort zones (Gen. 12:1; Ex. 3:9-10; Jud. 6:14-15; Ezra 7:1-6; Est. 2:8; Dan. 1:3-6; Jon. 1:1-2).
5. Name some New Testament characters whom God called to leave their comfort zones? Peter, Matthew, the early church, Phillip, Paul & all the apostles were called by God to leave their comfort zones (Matt. 9:9; Mark 1:15-18; Acts 8:1-2; 9:3-6; 10:19-20).
Faulty Messengers
6. How did Abram react when God called him to leave his comfort zone in Ur of the Chaldees? Abram by faith obeyed God’s command, leaving his comfortable home & family in Ur (Gen. 12:1-5; Heb. 11:8).
7. Having been called by God to be a missionary, did Abram go on from faith to faith, nothing wavering? No, Abraham’s faith faltered more than once during his life as a missionary (Gen. 12:11-13; 16:1-4; 20:2).
8. Was Moses perfect when God called him to leave his peaceful life as a shepherd and go on God’s errand? No, Moses was not yet made perfect when God called him (Num. 20:11-12; Heb. 11:39-40).
9. How did Jonah demonstrate the sinfulness of his nature when God called him to go and preach to Nineveh? Jonah ran from the presence of God when he was called to be a missionary (Jon. 1:3; Rom. 3:23).
10. What can we expect when God calls us to serve him outside of our comfort zone? When God calls us to serve him we will not yet be perfect & we are likely to resist his call (Eccl. 7:20; Rom. 3:10-12).
Where to Begin
11. What outline for mission territory did Jesus give to his disciples? Jesus instructed his disciples to begin in Jerusalem & Judea before going to Samaria & then to the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8).
12. How do Jesus’ instructions in Acts 1:8 apply to us today? We should begin our mission outreach in our home & neighborhood & then extend to nearby communities and the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8; Eccl. 9:10).
13. What are we likely to encounter when we go beyond our community? Beyond our community we are likely to encounter different cultures, languages, & foods (Gen. 11:9; Est. 1:22; Dan. 1:4-8).
14. How can a person know that God is calling them to be a foreign missionary? The word of the Lord called Jonah. For Paul’s first missionary journey the Holy Spirit told the church leaders to choose Paul & Barnabas to go. Later Paul was hindered by providence & then received a vision to go to Europe (Jon. 1:1; Acts 13:2; 16:6-10).
15. What did Jesus tell the disciples to wait for before going on mission? Jesus told his disciples that they would need the Holy Spirit before going on mission (Acts 1:8).
16. How many Christians does God call to be missionaries? Every Christian is called to be a missionary (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:15).