Missio Dei - Learn Your Role in God's Mission

LESSON 1: GOOD NEWS ABOUT GOD’S KINGDOM

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE: MARK 1:1-39

16:19

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LESSON OBJECTIVES

Students will discuss how Jesus spread the good news about God’s kingdom through his
teaching and by healing people.

Students will recognise that Jesus is calling them to believe the good news about God’s
kingdom.

SCRIPTURE BACKGROUND & CONTEXT

Mark’s Message:

Mark 1:1 introduces the overall message of the book. The entire content of the book is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The first half of the book (1:1 - 8:30)
ends with Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ (which means “Messiah”), coinciding with
“Jesus Christ” of Mark 1:1. Towards the end of the book, the Roman centurion confesses
Jesus as the Son of God, coinciding with “Son of God” of 1:1.

John the Baptist’s Ministry:

In Malachi chapters 3 and 4, God promises to send a messenger, Elijah, to prepare for the coming of the Lord. Isaiah 40:3 promises the same thing, that a messenger will be in the wilderness preparing for God’s arrival on earth. Mark quotes both prophets and shows that John the Baptist is this messenger who is preparing for the Lord in the wilderness of Judea. The Lord who is coming is Jesus.

The Kingdom of God:

When Jesus declares the kingdom of God is here, he is not simply saying that God is the king who rules over the universe. He is saying something even more profound: that all of God’s promises about the evil being defeated, the kingdom of David being restored, and the coming blessings for all the world are being fulfilled in him. The kingdom of God is best understood as the place where God rules over his people. It began with Jesus and will one day come in its fullness when Jesus returns.

INSTRUCTION

WELCOME & REVIEW

Welcome the students to class and tell them about yourself.

This being our first lesson, I shall just give you a few points about Mark, the writer of the Gospel. Mark is one of the four authors of the life of Jesus Christ. The others are Matthew, Luke, and John. Mark was not among the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.

Mark is believed to be the young man who fled naked when Jesus was arrested(Mark 14:51-52). He was a follower of Jesus Christ (Acts 12:12) and was mentored by Barnabas (Acts 16:39) who was also his cousin (Colossians 4:10). Itis believed that because of his close relationship with Peter the apostle, Mark was able to narrate the good news of God’s kingdom.

The first lesson is anchored in Mark 1:1-39.

INTRODUCTION

Can you think of a time when you received really good news?

Call for volunteers to share their good news for 2-3 minutes.

We love good news. Such news brings to us excitement, joy, relief, and hope.
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In this lesson, we shall focus on the “Good News about God’s Kingdom.” Before moving further, what does “good news of the kingdom of God” mean?
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(Students do not need to answer at this point.)

VIDEO CLIP

Welcome the students to class and tell them about yourself.

Let us watch the video clip entitled “Good News about God’s Kingdom.” Pay close attention to the announcement of God’s kingdom.

(After the video clip, release the students to sit together in their small groups for group discussion.)

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SMALL GROUPS

What happened during the baptism of Jesus and after his baptism?
(Allow students to respond. Answers: After the baptism, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove, and a voice proclaimed that he is God’s beloved Son. Then he was led by the Spirit to the desert where he was tempted for forty days by the devil.)
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What can we learn from the temptation of Jesus?
(Allow students to respond. Possible answers: Jesus was tempted and overcame sin, so I can also overcome sin with Jesus’ help. We don’t have to give in to sin; Jesus was tempted just like us.)
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How did Jesus spread the good news about God’s kingdom?
(Hint: look at Mark 1:39 for help.) Allow students to respond. Answers: Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom of God was near and called people to repent and believe in the good news. He spread the good news through his teaching and healing of others.)
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What then is this “kingdom of God” that Jesus was proclaiming?
(Allow students to respond. Answer: The kingdom of God is the place where God exercises complete rule over his people and his people, free from evil, flourish under the blessings of God’s rule.)

Repentance is how one enters the kingdom, but it is not the kingdom. The kingdom’s entrance into history is seen when Jesus makes people whole and drives out evil spirits.

Read what Jesus says about the kingdom of God in Mark 1:15. In your own words, what does it look like to repent and believe the message of Jesus?
(Allow students to respond. Answer: Repentance means to turn away from sin. It isa complete change of direction from a life that is uncommitted to God to one of full submission. It includes asking for forgiveness and accepting Jesus as Lord over one’s life.)

The power to heal and cast out demons are characteristics of God’s kingdom. So, why is there still so much evil and sickness in the world? (Allow students to respond. Possible answers: The characteristics of the kingdom and the kingdom itself are not one and the same thing. The core truth is that the kingdom of God is both here and not yet. It will be fully manifested with all its power and majesty in the future.)

Thank you for all your responses. Let us join the other groups and conclude together.

APPLICATION

Do you believe the good news that Jesus is our Lord and Savior? If not yet, would you like me to pray with you so that you can be born again?
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Are you ill or hurting in some way? If so, would you like me to pray for your healing?
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For those who feel ready to be born again, you will repeat a prayer after me.

For those who are unwell, we shall pray together for healing.

REFLECTION

Jesus Christ proclaimed the good news about God’s kingdom. Are there some friends to whom you need to tell the good news?
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Throughout this week, think about the good news about God’s kingdom and write in your notebook how you can best live a life that shows you are part of his kingdom.

PRAYER

(Ask those ready to receive Jesus into their lives to repeat a prayer after you. Pray for the sick/unwell students after that and close the session.)

Tutorial

Lesson 2

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Introduction

Alexis: Hey everyone, it's Alexis. Last session, Eli talked about how Jesus gave his life to restore us to God. But he did more than that. Jesus established a kingdom that is still going today. And that's what I'm talking about, the Kingdom of Heaven in the Here and Now. After Jesus rose from the dead, he spent about 40 days with his followers. After that, he gathered his closest friends and said this to them before ascending back into heaven:

Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Jesus’ final words to his followers are what we know today as the “Great Commission”. With those words, the followers of Jesus knew exactly what to do, and they went straight to work. Just kidding. No, they didn't. They kinda just stood there looking up. Take a minute to put yourself in their shoes - What would you do? God shows up and does something amazing; now it's your turn. What is your first reaction? Are you excited? Scared? A little bit of both? Describe how you think you might feel.

Empowered by the Spirit for Kingdom Living

I think one question Jesus' followers asked was, "What are we supposed to do?" Which is fair. It might be a question you’re asking. Maybe you're wrestling with something God’s doing in you, and you can't quite figure out what to do next. You're in good company. Jesus' followers went back to the place where they had been staying, and they waited for days. Imagine how that felt. Waiting on God can be tricky. It’s hard to tell if you're waiting in faith or hiding in fear. I'm sure many followers have prayed for God to give them a sign. Well, they got one. Listen to this:

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:2-4)

The Holy Spirit came and filled the people in that room, and crowds from all over came running. And what happened next is really cool. The followers of Jesus emerged and began speaking to people from every nation in their heart language. In Acts 2, we read that about 3000 people joined God's kingdom that day!

So what does it look like to live in God's kingdom on Earth? Well, it means following the way of Jesus, our King. Think about that for a moment. Read Galatians 5:16-26. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? Can you relate to the tension between your flesh and the Spirit that this passage describes? How do you see the Holy Spirit working in your life to produce the fruits listed in verses 22-23? Write down your thoughts.

Being the Church

Living in this freedom to follow Jesus, we are able to be what Jesus called “His Church.” The Church is the embodiment of God’s kingdom on Earth. Imperfect, but becoming more like Jesus every day. The Church isn’t a building or institution - it’s millions of followers of Jesus who, through the power of the Holy Spirit, do two things: They love God, and they love others. That’s simple to say, difficult to do, trust me. But we’re not alone. The Holy Spirit is working through us to build God’s kingdom on Earth and make us more like Jesus every day. I trust in God’s big mission, and I hope you do too. See you next time.

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