TEACHING PLAN
Missions & Cooperative Program and Stewardship
| Focal Passage: Matthew 28:18-20, NIV |
Application Aim: To commit to being on intentional mission for God.
The act of conducting missions through the local church is not separated from stewardship. Part of using the gifts, abilities, and talents God has given us is in the area of missions action.
The Great Commission commands us to go into all the world. It would be impossible for each person to go to all nations and complete the tasks set forth in the Great Commission. That is why the Cooperative Program is important. It allows us to be good stewards of the Great Commission by providing funds to send someone else.
BACKGROUND
Jesus Christ had risen from the grave. He spent 10 days on earth before He ascended into heaven. It was on one of those days that He gave what we call The Great Commission. These verses in Matthew are the marching orders for the church – corporate and individual.
If you consider Mark 12:30-31 (The Great Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…Love your neighbor as yourself.) in relation to the Great Commission, you might discover a process for demonstrating your love for God and your neighbor. The Great Commandment is what we are to do. The Great Commission is how we are to do it.
| 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, | Following His resurrection, Jesus meets with the disciples on a mountain in Galilee. During this time of worship and fellowship, Christ summarizes His work on earth and the future for the apostles.
As the ultimate Victor and Son of God, Jesus has complete authority in heaven and on earth (Col. 1:18). Because of who He is and what He has done, Jesus deserves our worship and praise. When we worship the Lord, we celebrate Him and His involvement in our life. Therefore – Jesus’ authority calls His stewards into action. Go – The Greek word here literally means as you are going. Jesus assumes that His followers, in their daily life, would be actively involved in bringing more persons into an intimate relationship with the Father. Make disciples – In their daily life, Jesus commissions His followers to cause more persons to follow Him. How are they to do this? They are to use every means possible (1 Cor. 9:22) to enable others to change by responding to the message of Jesus and beginning a new life with God. This is evangelism. Baptizing – Baptism is a symbol of a new life. In Southern Baptist Churches, baptism is usually seen as the final step in beginning church membership. For someone to become a well-adjusted member of the congregation, they must be assimilated (brought into the family). Assimilation is developing relationships and meeting needs - fellowship and ministry. The Father expects His children to tell others about the Son, help them connect with Christ and His family, and care for them. |
| 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." | Teaching them – Jesus indicates that the responsibility of the disciple does not end when a person accepts Christ and has joined His family. The task is now a lifelong journey of helping that believer grow and mature into a multiplying member of God’s kingdom (discipleship). It is the responsibility of the more mature disciple to act as a coach of less mature disciples. Just as coaches on sports teams develop customized training regimens for each team member, coaches in God’s kingdom must individualize their “teaching” based on where each learner is.
What are the coaches to teach? Obedience to God and His principles for life. I am with you – Jesus makes an affirming promise. He will be alongside His brothers and sisters until their life is over or He returns. Jesus is able to make this promise because of His authority. Regardless of the difficulty, God’s children can always trust that He will be by their side. |
| God owns the grace by which you have been saved. If you have truly been born again, He owns you as your Lord. As a steward, you have a responsibility to properly manage that grace and salvation. You have a responsibility to share that grace and salvation with others within your sphere of influence. | |
| What are you doing to help others change into a new creation through Christ’s salvation? | |
| Stewardship of God’s grace does not end with someone’s salvation. What are you doing as a coach for new or immature believers? | |
| God expects you to impact all the world (none die verse). You can do so by getting involved in mission work – locally or globally. There are almost unlimited opportunities for volunteers to participate in short-term projects. There are also great opportunities to pursue vocational mission work. | |
| Even if you cannot personally go somewhere else, you can still impact the world through prayer and giving. If you manage your time wisely, you should have ample time to spend with God. Remember the mission efforts and unreached groups when you do. Also, if you manage your finances wisely, you should be able to financially support missions directly and indirectly (through the Cooperative Program). | |
| The Cooperative Program is Southern Baptists’ plan for managing our resources for God’s work on a global scale. As you give your tithes and gifts back to God, your church uses some of that money for church and local ministries. The rest of the money is given to the Cooperative Program. A portion of this money stays in Louisiana for Great Commission work. The balance of the money is given to the SBC Executive Committee for disbursement throughout the world for Great Commission work. | |
| As a steward, are you managing your life, time, and abilities to intentionally become involved in God’s Great Commission work throughout the world? | |
| Write you own personal mission statement. | |
TEACHING PLAN
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| Step 1 | (5 min.) | |
| Remind learners about last week’s Bible study. Ask them to share how they made better use of their time, what they learned from God, and where they might consider serving. | ||
| Say, We have been studying about this idea called Total Stewardship. We have looked at what a “steward” is and how a steward is to live in relationship with God, the world, time management, and use of abilities. Today we will discover a steward’s responsibility to the world. | ||
| Ask members to follow along in their Bibles as you read Mark 12:30-31. Explain that the Great Commandment tell us we are to love God completely and to love our neighbors the same as we love our selves. According to Jesus, our neighbor is anyone in need. (Call attention to the handout.) | ||
| Say, Our Bible study today gives us some steps to take to demonstrate our love for God and others. | ||
| Step 2 | (5 min.) | |
| Read Matthew 28:18-20. Explain the context within which Jesus shared the Great Commission. | ||
| Say, Jesus expected His followers to impact the world positively for Him. To be a total steward, we are to be obedient to Christ’s teachings, including the Great Commandment and Great Commission. | ||
| Step 3 | (18 min.) | |
| Prepare a brief lecture on the passage. As you lecture, call attention to the 5 Functions of the Church. Ask members to match the words as you talk. (all authority = worship, make disciples = evangelism, baptize them = fellowship & ministry, teaching them = discipleship) | ||
| Say, God owns the grace by which you have been saved. If you have truly been born again, He owns you as your Lord. As a steward, you have a responsibility to properly manage that grace and salvation. You have a responsibility to share that grace and salvation with others within your sphere of influence. | ||
| Step 4 | (7 min.) | |
| Work through God’s Grace on the handout. Pray, encouraging persons who may not know Christ to repeat your prayer silently. | ||
| Lord, I know I am a sinner and I must change my life. I want to experience your love and forgiveness. I want to live for you. Please forgive me and save me. Thank you for making me a new person. Amen | ||
| Following the prayer, ask if anyone prayed to receive Christ. Celebrate any decisions | ||
| Step 5 | (10 min.) | |
| Share about the Cooperative Program and mission opportunities. You might consider using the handout provided by the Louisiana Baptist Convention which shares a breakdown of how Cooperative Program funds are distributed. | ||
| Call attention to What Can I Do? on the handout. Give learners an opportunity complete this. | ||
| Step 6 | (10 min.) | |
| Say, Being a steward is about properly managing what I have responsibility for. I am responsible for my time, my talent, my relationship with others, and my relationship with God. The Lord created me to be on personal mission for Him. | ||
| Share with learners your personal mission statement. | ||
| Give learners about five minutes to work on a personal mission statement. Allow an opportunity for a few to share their thoughts. | ||
| Pray, Lord, thank you for making us for you. Help me and my friends to demonstrate total stewardship of our lives as we live on mission for you. Amen. | ||
| TOTAL STEWARDSHIP | ||
| Building Stewards within the Church | ||
Lesson #4: Missions & Cooperative Program and Stewardship
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| Focal Passage: Matthew 28:18-20, NIV |
| Knowledge Aim: To learn how I can personally fulfill the Great Commission. | |
| Application Aim: To commit to being on intentional mission for God. |
The act of conducting missions through the local church is not separated from stewardship. Part of using the gifts, abilities, and talents God has given us is in the area of missions action.
The Great Commission commands us to go into all the world. It would be impossible for each person to go to all nations and complete the tasks set forth in the Great Commission. That is why the Cooperative Program is important. It allows us to be good stewards of the Great Commission by providing funds to send someone else.
