A Sunday School Lesson On Missions

Here is a Sunday school lesson or Bible study about missions.

The Great Commission

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Just before Jesus was to return to the Father in heaven, He gave the disciples an imperative command to “go” into all the world and to teach them what Jesus taught or commanded the disciples to do and that is to reach out to the lost and make disciples of all nations. This doesn’t mean all people will become disciples but just preach the gospel and allow God to give the increase (Acts 2:27). After they have believed, they are to be baptized or be identified with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

How many Christians do you know that share the gospel on a regular basis?

Was Jesus’ “Great Commission” only for those disciples or is it for us today?

How can you go “into all the world” since you’re not a missionary?

The Spirit’s Empowerment

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Jesus, just before His ascension, told the disciples that they will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes upon them and then they will be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and “to the end of the earth” indicating that the disciples are to spend the rest of their lives as being Jesus’ witnesses and to proclaim the gospel that Jesus brought and that was the message of repentance and faith or belief (Mark 1:15). The power is not their own power but it will be the power of God or the power of God’s Spirit that will enable them to be witnesses and to bring this message of hope to the ends of the earth, as far as they knew. Today, the gospel is reaching “to the end of the earth” through the Bible as the disciples gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

What type of power did the Holy Spirit give the disciples?

How can we go to our own “end of the earth” to spread the good news?

Do you sense God’s Spirit working in you? How do you know?

Competing Missions

Second Corinthians 11:12 “And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.”

What is Paul writing about that some would love to undermine the claim that they’re doing the same work as Paul and the others were doing? Paul explains the context of 2nd Corinthians 11:12 by asking, “if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough” (2nd Cor 11:4). Paul was pointing out that others were on mission too but not from God as “such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (2nd Cor 11:13-15). What Paul is saying is that these other “missionaries” are disguised as “super-apostles” (2nd Cor 11:5) but are actually Satan’s ministers and today there is no shortage of “other gospels” in the world that fail to preach the need for repentance, faith, preach about sin, confession, and the cross.

Why is “another gospel” so dangerous?

How does Satan cloak or hide the fact that these are not really ministers of God?

What is different about their gospel?

Persecution Helps the Mission

Acts 8:1 “And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

King Saul once “said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction” (1st Sam 15:20) but Saul disobeyed God by not destroying what he was commanded to destroy and so God rejected King Saul and chose David to be king and just like King Saul, Saul (in the New Testament) was on mission too but his mission was against the Chief Cornerstone, the Rock that cannot be moved, and had intentions to destroy what was known then as “the way” so Jesus finally struck him down on the Damascus Road and Saul was converted and later changed his name from Saul (which means destroyer) to Paul (which means “small” or perhaps “humble”). The man who was once the greatest enemy of the church became the church’s greatest missionary planting churches and preaching the gospel throughout the Roman Empire into Asia-Minor. Paul would’ve gone to Spain if God didn’t have other plans for him. He was “all in.”

How does persecution help spread the gospel?

Could Saul have ever been converted by someone witnessing to him or were they afraid too?

Why was the church “scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” but not the apostles?

Conclusion

I urge you in your study to look at all of the Bible verses and read them aloud in the class so that you can get the most out of this lesson on missions because we are to be Jesus’ witnesses in this and every age and the sad fact is that only about one in ten are actively sharing their faith and less than that have ever lead someone to saving faith in Christ. We are His witnesses but the question is, “Will we be?”

How many people have you shared the gospel with in your lifetime?

Do you know how to do it?

Have you been equipped by the church to share the gospel?

What has changed in your thinking about missions after this study?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.