Lesson 6 for August 6, 2016 Adapted from www.fustero.es
www.gmahktanjungpinang.org
CHRIST’S
METHOD
“Christ’s method alone will give true success in
reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as
one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy
for them, ministered to their needs, and won their
confidence. Then He bade them, ‘Follow Me.’” E.G.W.
(The Ministry of Healing, p. 143)
He mingled with people
as One who desired
their good
He sympathized with
people
He ministered to their
needs
He won
people’s
confidence
Then He bade
them,
“Follow Me”
This week we studied how Jesus mingled with the
people He wanted to save. Then we’ll see how to
follow His method and imitate Him.
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of
them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and
go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4)
Jesus was accused of mingling with sinners (Luke 15:2).
He then told three parables to explain how God loves us
and how He wants everyone to be saved.
The lost and found
sheep
Luke 15:3-7
The lost and found
coin
Luke 15:8-10
The lost and found
son
Luke 15:11-32
Jesus took every opportunity to lead the sinners to salvation, either He sought
them (like the Samaritan woman) or they came to Him (like Zacchaeus).
SEEKING THE LOST
“Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Matthew 9:11)
The Pharisees didn’t want to become
unclean by touching the sinners. On the
contrary, Jesus mingled with the people
by sharing His social life with them.
When they reproached Him, Jesus had
to explain a main pillar of the Jewish
faith to Israel’s leaders: “For I desire
mercy and not sacrifice, and the
knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings.” (Hosea 6:6).
Appearances and ceremonies cannot be
more important than how he treat
others.
In order to achieve that, we must be
humble and let the Holy Spirit lead
us to be merciful to those who fail.
EATING WITH SINNERS
E.G.W. (Christ’s Object Lessons, cp. 15, p. 191)
“I do not pray that You should take them
out of the world, but that You should keep
them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)
When the people of God mingled with the world in
the past, they ended up taking part in their sins
(Numbers 25:1-3).
On the other hand, are we doing any good if we hide
from other people so we are not contaminated by
their ways?
We are called to mingle with the world like salt.
How can we do that without losing our flavor?
We must know the limits we shouldn’t cross when
building relationships with non-believers.
The Holy Spirit will help us to
find common interests that will
guide us to relate to others
without renouncing our
principles.
MINGLING
WISELY
“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become
blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a
crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the
world.” (Philippians 2:13-15)
We live in a corrupted
world. We may be tempted
to stay in our own spiritual
comfort zone and become
“spiritual introverted.”
Nevertheless, we are called to be light that lead people to God. We’ll
never be light by shutting ourselves away.
We must trust God’s power that acts in us, and share His message with
this perverse generation.
WITHIN A PERVERSE GENERATION
“for it is God who works in you
both to will and to do for His good
pleasure. Do all things without
complaining and disputing, that
you may become blameless and
harmless, children of God without
fault in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation, among whom
you shine as lights in the world.”
(Philippians 2:13-15)
Which one of these churches is fulfilling our mission in a better way?
1. The Church In the community.
They serve the parishioners and don’t mingle with the community.
2. The Church TOWARDS the community.
They offer what they think the community needs. They might be wrong
about their needs.
3. The Church WITH the community.
They analyze the needs of the community and discuss how to fulfil those
needs with them.
WITHIN A PERVERSE GENERATION
E.G.W. (The Acts of the Apostles, cp. 16, p. 158)