Back
LESSON 9 - OUTREACH GIFTS
Copr. 1997, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. All Scripture references
are to the NIV unless otherwise noted. Suggested answers are
found within parentheses. These lessons are taught from a
computer screen, therefore upper case is used throughout for
visual clarity. The lesson assumes the teacher uses a
blackboard. This lesson can be found at:www.cameronlaw.com.
INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK WE TURN OUR ATTENTION TO WHAT IS CALLED THE
"OUTREACH GIFTS!" IN CASE THIS SOUNDS VAGUELY LIKE AN AT&T AD, AND
YOU ARE UNCERTAIN WHAT THIS LESSON IS ABOUT, WE ARE DISCUSSING
SOUL-WINNING. SO LET'S DO IT!
I. EVANGELISM: HOW IMPORTANT?
A. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT WORK OF
THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH? (EVANGELISM WILL PROBABLY BE HIGH
ON THIS LIST.)
B. LET'S EXPLORE THIS A MINUTE:
1. WHAT WAS CHRIST'S LAST COMMAND TO HIS DISCIPLES? (LUKE
24:46-51 SUGGESTS BEING A WITNESS TO THE GOSPEL; ACTS
1:8-9 SUGGESTS THE SAME; MARK 16:14 SAME; SEE ALSO MATT.
28:18-20.)
2. WHAT DID CHRIST SUGGEST MUST BE DONE BY THE CHURCH
BEFORE HE RETURNS? (MATT.24:14. THE GOSPEL MUST BE
PREACHED TO THE WHOLE WORLD.)
C. NOW THAT WE HAVE LOOKED AT THESE TEXTS, WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST
IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH?
(EVANGELISM: SOUL-WINNING.)
II. THE GIFT OF EVANGELISM: IS IT FOR EVERYONE?
A. YOU RECALL MY CONCERN THAT THE LESSON DOES NOT DRAW A VERY
CLEAR LINE BETWEEN SPIRITUAL GIFTS (THAT ARE POSSESSED BY ONLY
CERTAIN "PARTS" OF THE BODY) AND BASELINE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER
(THAT IS TO BE POSSESSED BY ALL MEMBERS OF THE BODY).
1. GIVEN THE IMPORTANCE OF EVANGELISM, AND THE GOSPEL
COMMISSION, HOW DOES EVANGELISM GET CALLED A "SPIRITUAL
GIFT?"
2. DOESN'T BASELINE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER REQUIRE SHARING
THE GOSPEL?
3. TURN TO EPHESIANS 4:11-13. READ.
a. DOESN'T THIS CLEARLY SAYS THAT "SOME" ARE GIVEN
TO BE "EVANGELISTS."
b. HOW DO YOU SQUARE THIS WITH THE GOSPEL
COMMISSION? (TWO SUGGESTED ANSWERS: 1. JESUS "GAVE"
TO HIS DISCIPLES TO BE EVANGELISTS IN THE GOSPEL
COMMISSION. THIS WAS A CRITICAL GIFT FOR THEM
CONSIDERING THE INFANCY OF THE CHURCH. THE CHURCH
"BODY" NEEDED TO BE CREATED 2.THE FOCUS IN
EPHESIANS 4 IS ORGANIZING A "MACHINE" (THE CHURCH)
WHICH WORKS TOGETHER SMOOTHLY TO "BUILD UP" THE
BODY OF BELIEVERS TO KNOW JESUS. THUS, THE
"MACHINE" IS EVANGELIZING, BUT EACH PART OF THE
MACHINE MAY NOT BE AN EVANGELIST. EXAMPLE: WHEN MAN
FIRST STARTING TRAVELLING, HE WALKED. EACH MAN
PROVIDED BOTH THE PROPULSION AND THE STEERING. A
MORE EFFICIENT MEANS OF TRAVEL IS FLYING. NOW, ONLY
ONE (OR TWO) HANDLE THE THROTTLE. THE REST
NAVIGATE, CLEAN, SERVE, REPAIR, ETC. EVERYONE IS IN
THE TRAVEL BUSINESS, BUT NOT EVERYONE IS HOLDING
THE THROTTLE.)
B. IF YOU AGREE THAT EVANGELISM IS A SPIRITUAL GIFT AND NOT
BASELINE CHRISTIAN ACTIVITY, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHO HAS THE GIFT?
SPECIFICALLY, HOW DO YOU KNOW WHETHER YOU HAVE THE GIFT?
1. SHOULD WE BE TRAINING EVERYONE TO BE EVANGELISTS TO
SEE WHICH WORK OUT? (THE TEACHER'S HELPS SAY STUDIES AT
FULLER AND ANDREWS FOUND THAT ONLY 10% OF THE LOCAL
CONGREGATION HAS THE GIFT OF EVANGELISM, AND THE PASTOR
MAY NOT BE PART OF THE 10%! SO WHOLESALE TRAINING DOES
NOT SEEM APPROPRIATE.)
2. IF EVANGELISM IS A "GIFT" FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHY
DOES MAN NEED TO TRAIN YOU?
3. DOESN'T "TRAINING" SOUND LIKE "SALVATION BY WORKS"
APPLIED TO SPIRITUAL GIFTS?
4. WHAT KIND OF MAN THINKS HE CAN INSTRUCT BETTER THAN
THE HOLY SPIRIT? (LOOK AT EPHESIANS 4:11-12 AGAIN. I
THINK THIS CLEARLY PAINTS A PICTURE OF THOSE WITH THE
VARIOUS GIFTS TRAINING OTHERS (v. 12 "PREPARE GOD'S
PEOPLE FOR WORKS OF SERVICE). THUS, THOSE WITH THE GIFT
REFINE THE USE OF THE GIFT IN OTHERS THROUGH TRAINING.)
III. EVANGELISM: WHAT, EXACTLY, IS IT?
A. WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF EVANGELISM AND
HOW WE GET THE GIFT. PERHAPS WE HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THE CENTRAL
QUESTION BECAUSE WE ALL ASSUME WE KNOW WHAT WE MEAN BY
EVANGELISM. IN GENERAL, IT MEANS SOUL-WINNING, RIGHT?
1. BUT IF YOU HAD THE GIFT OF EVANGELISM, WHAT, EXACTLY,
WOULD YOU BE DOING?
B. THE LESSON SUGGESTS, AND I HAVE CONFIRMED, THAT THE GREEK
WORD TRANSLATED EVANGELIST IS FOUND ONLY THREE TIMES IN THE
NEW TESTAMENT. LETS LOOK AT ONE OF THOSE THREE: 2 TIM. 4:1-5.
READ.
1. WHAT, EXACTLY, IS TIMOTHY CHARGED TO DO BY PAUL AS AN
EVANGELIST? (PREACH (BASED ON PREPARATION), CORRECT,
REBUKE, ENCOURAGE (WITH PATIENCE AND CAREFUL WORDS)).
C. "CORRECTING," "REBUKING" AND "ENCOURAGING" ARE ALL SOMEWHAT
TRICKY MATTERS (ESPECIALLY THE FIRST TWO). WE HAVE DISCUSSED
IN PAST LESSONS HOW YOU GO ABOUT THESE TASKS. IS IT POSSIBLE
THAT SOME PEOPLE SHOULD NOT EVEN BE IN THE BUSINESS OF
CORRECTING OR REBUKING BECAUSE THEY LACK THE GIFT?
1. WOULD OUR CHURCH BE A BETTER PLACE IF WE HAD
"DESIGNATED" (CONSISTENT WITH THE GIFT) CORRECTORS/
REBUKERS AND EVERYONE ELSE WAS INSTRUCTED TO KEEP A LID
ON IT?
D. IS THIS ALSO TRUE FOR PREACHING? SHOULD PEOPLE WHO DO NOT
HAVE THE GIFT BE BLOCKED FROM GETTING UP IN FRONT?
E. WHO DECIDES? DOESN'T THIS SOUND LIKE AN "IMPERIAL" WAY TO
RUN A CHURCH? THOSE IN CHARGE DECIDE WHO GETS BLOCKED FROM THE
PLATFORM AND WHO "GETS A LID" ON THEIR INTENDED CORRECTION.
(IF YOU LOOK AT ALL GIFTS AS BEING ESSENTIAL, THEN THIS
BECOMES A MATTER OF STEERING PEOPLE TO THE RIGHT "PART" OF THE
"BODY." 1 COR. 12:14-25)
F. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IT IS A "GIFT" TO DECIDE WHO HAS BEEN
GIVEN CERTAIN GIFTS?
1. TURN TO 1 COR 12:4-11. WEDNESDAY'S LESSON FOCUSSES ON
THE GIFT OF "DISCERNMENT" WHICH IS DRAWN FROM v.10.
2. IF THERE IS A DISPUTE OVER WHO HAS WHAT GIFTS, SHOULD
THOSE WHO HAVE THE GIFT OF "DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN
SPIRITS" DECIDE? (THE MAIN MEANING OF THIS SEEMS TO BE TO
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL SPIRITS (WHICH IS THE
TENOR OF THE TEXT). HOWEVER, I THINK A SECONDARY MEANING
COULD BE DISCERNING WHO HAS A GIFT. IF SOMEONE FALSELY
CLAIMS TO HAVE THE SPIRIT MANIFESTING ITSELF IN A GIFT,
SOMEONE WHO COULD DISCERN SPIRITS WOULD SEEM TO BE ABLE
TO TELL THIS. (PERHAPS THIS JUST REMOVES THE BATTLE TO
ANOTHER LEVEL: WHO HAS THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT?) IN THE
CHURCH BODY OPEN TO THE SPIRIT, THE GIFTS SHOULD BE
OBVIOUS AND UNDISPUTED.)
IV. TONGUES: HOLD ON TO YOUR HAT!
A. OUR LESSON (MONDAY) CALLS TONGUES AN "OUTREACH GIFT," WHICH
WOULD MAKE IT PART OF SOUL-WINNING. DO YOU AGREE?
B. HOW DID WE SEE THE GIFT OF TONGUES USED IN THE NEW
TESTAMENT? (TWO PROMINENT EXAMPLES ARE: PENTECOST-ACTS 2:4-6;
AND THE CORINTHIAN EXPERIENCE-1 COR. 13 & 14. IN 1 COR. 14:22
PAUL CALLS TONGUES A SIGN FOR UNBELIEVERS.)
C. WE HAVE DISCUSSED THE GIFT OF TONGUES EARLIER THIS QUARTER,
AND I'M NOT GOING TO ASK YOU WHETHER THIS GIFT REFERS TO HUMAN
LANGUAGE OR A LANGUAGE THAT IS NOT NORMALLY "INTELLIGIBLE" (1
COR. 14:19) TO MAN, A LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY ANGELS (1 COR. 13:1)
AND UNDERSTOOD BY GOD (BUT NOT NORMALLY MAN). (1 COR. 14:2)
1. LET ME ASK YOU INSTEAD, WHERE DOES TONGUES RANK IN THE
HIERARCHY OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS? (LAST. 1 COR. 12:28-31)
2. IF IT IS LAST, HOW COMMON DOES THAT SUGGEST IT SHOULD
BE? (IF WE ARE TO DESIRE "GREATER GIFTS," THIS SUGGESTS
THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SHOULD POSSESS THE "LESSER" GIFTS.)
D. HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE SEEN THE GIFT OF TONGUES MANIFESTED IN
AN SDA CHURCH (HOWEVER YOU DEFINE TONGUES)? (I HAVE NOT. I
HAVE NEVER SPOKEN TO ANYONE WHO WAS AN EYEWITNESS. ANY STORIES
I HEAR ARE ABOUT FOREIGN COUNTRIES.)
1. THE KILLER QUESTION FOR US IS, WHY NOT? IF THIS GIFT
IS SUPPOSED TO BE SO COMMON, THEN WHY DO NOT WE SEE IT?
2. DO WE SIMPLY THINK WE HAVE THE "GREATER GIFTS" BECAUSE
THE LINE BETWEEN NATURAL TALENT AND A SPIRITUAL GIFT IS
HAZY FOR SOME OF THESE GREATER GIFTS? HOWEVER, THE GIFT
OF TONGUES IS PRETTY CLEARLY SEPARATE FROM ANY NATURAL
GIFT?
3. DOES THIS SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS
NOT ACTIVE IN YOUR SPECIFIC CHURCH? OR ANY AMERICAN SDA
CHURCH FOR THAT MATTER?
4. I SUGGEST A WHOLE LOT MORE THOUGHT AND PRAYER NEEDS TO
GO INTO THE QUESTION OF WHY WE DO NOT SEE THIS GIFT AT
ALL, IN ANY FORM, INSTEAD OF DEBATING THE EXACT NATURE OF
THIS GIFT.
V. NEXT WEEK: SIGN OR POWER GIFTS. STUDY! I WILL NOT BE TEACHING
THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. (AND WILL NOT HAVE AN INTERNET LESSON)