Adventist Adventurer Awards/Missionaries

Missionaries
Multi-Level

What is the Great Commission found in the Bible?

Read Matthew 28:19-20.

19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Discuss what Jesus taught us about knowing “who is my neighbor”.

Read Luke 10:27-37.

Luke 10:27-37.

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

What is a missionary? A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. See Matthew 10:5-15 and Acts 13:1-13.

What were the first missionaries in the New Testament called by Jesus?

A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by God. Jesus called the first missionaries in the New Testament were called disciples.

Who were the first foreign Christian missionaries

a. Matthew 10:5-15.

5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. 9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

b. Acts 13:-1-13.

1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. On Cyprus 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos. There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus, 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, 10 “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind for a time, not even able to see the light of the sun.” Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord. In Pisidian Antioch 13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.

Learn about and identify on a map the three missionary journeys that Paul traveled on.

Highlight different events from his journeys. Have the children trace in three colors the journeys of Paul.

Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Paul’s first missionary journey is found in Acts 13 and 14. Paul and Barnabas set sail with John as their helper from about 46 to 48 A.D. and their first stop was Cyprus. Acts 13 records that they made it to Salamis in Cyprus, and proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish Synagogues.

As they traveled through the whole island they came to Paphos where they ran into a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus who was an attendant to the proconsul. Paul and Barnabas were actually summoned by the proconsul because he wanted to hear more about Jesus.

But when they arrived, the false prophet sought to turn the proconsul away from the truth, but the Holy Spirit came upon Paul who then rebuked the man and caused him to be blind. It was because of this that the proconsul saw the power of God and converted.

After they left Cyprus, they made their way to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem. They went from there to Pisidian Antioch.

In Pisidian Antioch, they went to the synagogue and began preaching; many received them and what they taught and urged them to continue on, even following them in order to learn more. But they were removed from the city after the jealousy of the Jews rose up and they stirred up the God-fearing women and leading men of the city and persecution broke out against Paul and Barnabas.

They then traveled to Iconium and taught in the Jewish Synagogue where a great number of Jews and Gentiles converted to the faith. But again, other Jews stirred up trouble for the two missionaries. They left sometime after arriving because a plot against their lives arose.

Next was Lystra and Derbe where the Galatian church was planted. While they were there they got mistaken for gods. After Paul healed a crippled man, the city erupted, claiming that Barnabas was Zeus and Paul was Hermes. This greatly distressed both of them, so they went out into the masses to set the record straight and tell them the Gospel message, but as they were doing this, the crowds were won over by Jews trying to cause trouble for Paul and Barnabas. As a result, Paul was stoned, almost to death. The very next day he and Barnabas went to Derbe.

Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. And they stayed there with the believers for a long time. Acts 14:27-28

After a time of preaching in Derbe, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Attalia, then they returned to the church in Antioch where they first set sail from and spent some time there before heading out a second time.

During his missionary journeys, Paul wrote multiple letters that became known as the epistles. And during Paul’s first missionary journey he wrote a letter to the church in Galatia which was his first epistle and is known as the book of Galatians in the Bible.

He wrote to encourage the Galatians and bring truth to them because they were being choked out by a false understanding of the Gospel that taught that you needed Christ plus the Law to be saved.

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey

While Paul was in Antioch, men were coming and preaching that the Gentiles must be circumcised so he with other church leaders were appointed to go to Jerusalem to address this issue. After this was settled, Paul proposed a second missionary journey to Barnabas, to go visit and strengthen the believers and churches they had planted during the first missionary journey.

This, however, did not go as planned.

Barnabas and Paul had a very sharp disagreement about whether or not to bring John, who had deserted them during the first journey, and in the end, they went their own separate ways––Barnabas bringing John along, and Paul, Silas.

Paul’s second missionary journey lasted from 49 to 52 A.D. and is recorded in Acts chapters 16-18. Paul and Silas first came to Derbe and Lystra where they met Timothy, who they decided to bring with them on their journey. They traveled through the region of Phrygia and Galatia and eventually on to Troas where Paul had a vision in the night calling him and his companions to travel to Damascus and preach the Gospel there. He intentionally avoided Asia as the Holy Spirit would not allow him to go there and preach.

That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there. Acts 16:9-10

During their time in Damascus, Paul once again faced much opposition but in spite of this, they planted the churches in Philippi and Thessalonica. Once they reached Macedonia, they met a woman named Lydia in Philippi who converted to the faith. During their stay with her in Philippi, they went out and were followed by a young girl who was demon-possessed.

After some time of this girl shouting and causing trouble, Paul finally cast the demon out of her, which then caused the crowds to stir up against them and led to their imprisonment. In the night, however, an angel of the Lord came and set them free, and as a result, the jailer was saved.

They went on to travel through Thessalonica, Brea, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus, then to Jerusalem and finally back to Antioch for a short time. During his journeys, he went to the synagogues in every city and reasoned with the Jews.

All along the way, Paul understood the culture he was stepping into and thus entered in with a strategy, conscious of the culture’s traditions. In chapter 17, Paul begins reasoning with the Greek philosophers, speaking to them in the way that they were familiar with and would receive which led to the conversion of many Greek philosophers.

Paul made a stop in Corinth, then Ephesus, and then made his way back to Antioch. The Book of Acts tells us that he spent some time there before setting out for his third journey.

While he was traveling from country to country on his second missionary journey, Paul wrote 1st and 2nd Thessalonians. He wrote this letter to the church of Thessalonica because he had to leave them in the midst of persecution and was not there to walk through it with them. The first letter was to urge them on through the persecution, and the second letter was addressing fears of having already missed the second coming of Christ.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

After his visit to Antioch, Paul traveled again to the region of Galatia and Phrygia, with the intent of strengthening his brothers and sisters in Christ. His third missionary journey lasted from 53 to 57 A.D. and is found in Acts chapters 18:23-21:14.

Paul’s third missionary journey was a longer trip than the previous two, and he spent his time shoring up the churches he had planted on his first two journeys. Acts tells us that he spent a significant portion of his time in Ephesus, about 2-3 years. And while he was there he encountered some disciples who had not heard the full Gospel message or the Holy Spirit. So he told them of Christ’s death and resurrection and placed his hands on them and then they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesus went through a great revival during Paul’s time there, he performed many miracles, signs, and wonders, and the people were to Christ in great numbers.

When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. Acts 19:17-20

In response to this great revival, a riot broke out in the city against Paul because their way of life was being threatened by the Gospel. A silversmith who made shrines of Artemis was angered because of his loss of business, so he stirred up the city into a state of rage and confusion. It took several hours before the city clerk was able to quiet them down.

Paul then met with the disciples in Ephesus and encouraged them, said goodbye, and left for Macedonia, accompanied by Sopaterm Aristarchus, Secundus, Galius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus. They visited the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea before he made his way to Corinth after a short time there, Paul sought to go back to Syria but was stopped short when he discovered a plot against his life.

Paul then retraced his steps back through Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, stopping in Troas where he stayed for seven days. Led by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, and eager to be there for Pentecost, Paul bypassed Ephesus knowing that he would need to stay there longer than he had time, so he called for the Ephesian elders to come and meet him in Miletus.

This meeting was a difficult one for all the disciples and elders because Paul knew he was saying goodbye for the last time.

When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. Acts 20:36-38

None of Paul’s journeys were easy or without persecution, but his journey to Jerusalem was nothing but pain and difficulty. In about 55 A.D. Paul made his way to Jerusalem where he would be “bound hand and foot by the Jews and given over to the Gentiles (Acts 21:10).”After Paul had received a prophecy that he would be persecuted in Jerusalem, the people whom he was staying with at Caesarea pleaded with him not to go, but Paul refused to stay.

Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.” Acts 21:13-14

So on he went, and this concluded his third and final missionary journey.

While in Ephesus on his third trip, Paul wrote 1st and 2nd Corinthians in about 53-55 A.D. to the people of Corinth. In these two letters, he addressed some false doctrines that were being taught, as well as some specific concerns they had brought to Paul’s attention.

Listen to or watch a current mission story.

There are several Adventist mission organizations, search the internet for websites. Also, invite those who have gone on mission trips to give a presentation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBLDmhwe0aw

Talk about some ways you can be a missionary or how you can help with the mission work around the world.

You can be a missionary by helping your neighbor, telling them about Jesus, or telling your friends in school about Him, inviting your friends to Adventurers or Sabbath School. You can help by raising funds for foreign Mission Projects.

Participate in at least one missionary project.

a. Send a letter or card to a missionary or their children.

b. Make a prayer journal and pray for a missionary project.

c. Participate in a fundraiser that will sponsor a mission project.

d. Donate a toy or clothing to a mission project.