BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:
KNOW the cost of discipleship: FEEL able to recall a time when we relied on God's power; and LOOK for opportunities to serve others.
FOCAL VERSES: 1 PETER 4:1-11
KEEP IN MIND "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 PETER 4:10).
AT-A-GLANCE
1. Jesus' Example (1 Peter 4:1-2)
2. Jesus' Teachings: Put Off the Old, Put On the New (vv. 3-6)
3. Jesus' Teachings: Be Sober, Watchful, and Prayerful (vv. 7-9)
4. Jesus' Teachings: Gifts of Honor (vv. 10-11)
IN FOCUS
Misson in other countries don't seem as popular as they were at one time. Perhaps it's because there are people from so many other places living within our communities. It may be a result of the busy lifestyle many have taken on. Or the decline could be a result of fear brought on by terror and unrest worldwide.
All of these issues concerned Monigue. However, since she was a young girl, the desire to share the Gospel in another land burned within her. She longed to be a part of the Great Commission. How could she serve the Lord in a distant place?
Monique had been faithful to her church, volunteering to serve at any opportunity. It was this eagerness that caught the attention of a visiting missionary from a country Monique had always wanted to visit. When the invitation to serve on a short-term mission trip came, she gladly accepted. Overwhelming joy filled her heart as she prepared to minister to the needs of others in a foreign nation.
The clarion call of Acts 1:8 is relevant today: "But ye shall receive power, after the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
BACKGROUND
"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1,4). Men from every nation on earth were in Jerusalem that day and were amazed when they heard these itinerant men speaking in their own languages. This same Peter stood and preached a 3,000 souls-saving message, and many were added to the Church that day.
We should move ahead to a point many years later in Peter's life. He is filled with the Holy Ghost and has become a leader in the Church Council at Jerusalem, learning many of things God would have the Church to accept. He was visited on a rooftop and commanded to minister to a Gentile centurion (Acts 10), along with many other vital actions in the early church. Peter points his readers to Jesus, our supreme example of how to be a servant to all humankind.
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES
1. Example in your own words what it means to put on the mind of Christ (1 Peter 4:1)
2. What suggestions does Peter give for overcoming habits of the flesh to walk in the newness of life (vv. 7-11)?
LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY
1. Today is Pentecost Sunday, the time when Apostolic churches celebrate the coming of the Holy Ghost. What about this day adds extra urgency to this passage?
2. Consider Monique's desire (In Focus story). Use the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World website (www.pawinc.org) to research the P.A.W. Mission program. What opportunities might you have to support missions?
MAKE IT HAPPEN
The American culture is one of "me first," self-reliance, and downright selfishness. Contrast how, as servants of God, we can be a counter-cultural force in the world. Knowing this will not be an easy road to walk, identify ways we can minister to each other to encourage steadfastness in accomplishing the goal of impacting the world around us.
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