SBS | 4th Quarter of 2023 | CPAD Adults | Theme: To the Ends of the Earth – Preaching the Gospel to all Peoples until the Return of Christ | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 4 – Cross-cultural Missions in the New Testament Slides created by Celso Napoleon

1. October 22, 2023
Lesson 4
Cross-Cultural Missions in the New Testament

2. GOLDEN TEXT
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

3. PRACTICAL TRUTH
God's missionary nature can be seen in making
his only Son a missionary, and the Church the
successor of this sublime task.

4. DAILY READING
Monday - John 20:21; 3.16 - The Father sent the Son on a great mission
Tuesday - 1 Cor 15.28 - God's plan has a universal dimension and
encompasses all spheres of life
Wednesday - Mt 28.19 - The clarity of the Great Commission in the
New Testament
Thursday - Is 61.1,2 - The missionary work of the Lord Jesus Christ
Friday - John 8.32,36 - True freedom is in knowing the Lord Jesus
Saturday - Eph 2.14 - The "wall of separation" between Jews and
Gentiles was torn down through Jesus Christ

5. BIBLE READING IN CLASS
Isaiah 61.1-2; Luke 4.17-20
Isaiah 61
1 - The Spirit of the Lord Jehovah is upon me, because the
Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the meek; he
has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
freedom for the captives and the opening of the prison for
those who are imprisoned;
2 - to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day
of vengeance of our God; to comfort all those who are sad;

6. Luke 4
17 - And the book of the prophet Isaiah was given to him; and,
when he opened the book, he found the place where it was written:
18-The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me
to preach the gospel to the poor, he has sent me to heal the
brokenhearted,
19 - proclaiming liberty to the captives, giving sight to the blind,
setting the oppressed free, proclaiming the acceptable year of the
Lord.
20-And, closing the book and giving it back to the minister, he sat
down; and the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on
him.

7. INTRODUCTION
In the New Testament, the Lord Jesus was the first missionary
sent by the Father (John 20:21). Because he was sent by God, He
brought with him a rescue plan for humanity that involves all of
his followers. Our Lord said to his first disciples: “Follow me,
and I will make you fishers of men” (Mt 4:19). Therefore, we
can say that the New Testament is a work of a missionary nature
from beginning to end, where the Gospels, the book of Acts, the
Letters and the Apocalypse are instruments of true missionary
work.
Keyword: New Testament

8. Christ calling Peter and Andrew, by Harry Anderson, (ANDERSON, 2008)

9. I – THE MISSIONARY GOD REVEALED IN
THE NEW TESTAMENT
1. The Bible shows a missionary God. The Holy Bible, from
Genesis to Revelation, is an eminently missionary book because its
inspiration emanates from a missionary God, the one who sends:
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21; John
3:16). In the Old Testament, Israel was the instrument used by
Him to achieve the divine objective, but Israel did not achieve it.
However, from the New Testament onwards, God began to use
the Church to fulfill this purpose, showing his great and sublime
love to the world.

10. 2. A missionary perspective on the New Testament.
The teaching of the New Testament is completely
missionary. Because the people of Israel failed in their
missionary purpose, God organized a new people, the
Church of Christ, so that it could carry out God's
universal purpose in redeeming human beings. This is why
Our Lord, the Only Begotten Son of God, was sent into
the world, thus becoming the missionary par excellence
(John 3:16). Not by chance, the Scottish missionary, David
Livingnstone, said: “God had only one son and made
him a missionary”.

11. 3. The Church in the light of this revelation. In
light of this biblical revelation, that of a missionary
God in the pages of the New Testament, the Church
of Christ has an unfinished task: to announce the
Gospel to every creature (Mt 28.19). This task began
with God, who sent his Son with the same mission,
which passed on to the New Testament Church and,
currently, continues as the primary mission of the
church today.

12. SYNOPSIS I
The entire Bible, and more specifically the New
Testament, reveals a missionary God.

13. II – MISSIONS IN THE GOSPELS AND IN
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
1. In the Gospels. According to the Gospels, Jesus is
the one sent by God to save and make his people a
missionary agency. His ministry was marked entirely by
missionary actions, demonstrating much love and
compassion while announcing the message of salvation
to all people (Is 61.1,2).

14. This missionary nature can also be seen in the
formation of the Gospels as they were produced
under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, so that
people could know the Lord Jesus (John 8:32,36). It is
no coincidence that each of the Gospels concludes
with the mandate of the Great Commission (Mt
28:18-20; Mk 16:15-18; Lk 24:44-48; Jn 20:21-23). This
is their missionary nature.

15. 2. In the Acts of the Apostles: the missionaries Philip and
Peter. In the Christian church, the first Christians and leaders
had the mission to spread salvation to all people at all times.
In this sense, Philip was the first transcultural missionary of
the Primitive Church, sent to the road to Gaza, an ancient
region of the Philistines, where he encountered a eunuch, a
high official of the queen of the Ethiopians. After
announcing the Gospel to him, he baptized him in water
(Acts 8:26-39). Another important episode was when the
apostle Peter recognized that, for God, all human beings are
targets of divine love, making it clear that his message is
addressed to all people, regardless of their nationality (Acts
10.34,35; 11.17,18) .

16. 3. In the Acts of the Apostles: the missionaries Paul and
Barnabas. The apostle Paul, from persecutor of Christians,
became the apostle of the Gentiles (Acts 9.15,16; 3.8; 1 Tim
2.7; Titus 2.11). In Acts, we see that, through his ministry, the
first church extended to all peoples, cultures and nations known
at that time. In this context, we also have Barnabas who, after
being sent by the apostles to Antioch, to shepherd those who
converted through preaching to those dispersed from Jerusalem
due to persecution, was sent by the church in Antioch, together
with Paul, by the power of the Holy Ghost , to the mission
field. Thus, we can affirm that in Antioch was the first
missionary church of a gentile nature (Acts 13.1-4).

17. SYNOPSIS II
In the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles,
Missions occupy a relevant position.

18. III – THE MISSION ACCOMPLISHED IN
THE LETTERS AND IN THE APOCALYPSE
1. In the Pauline Letters. The apostle Paul wrote his epistles as a
missionary. His missionary objective was to instruct, in doctrinal
and practical matters, the churches he planted. For example, the
Letter to the Romans is a letter in which the universality of sin and
the process of salvation are taught; the Letter to the Ephesians
brings the unity of the church from the fall of “the wall of
separation” between Jews and Gentiles through Jesus Christ (Eph
2:14); The Letters to Timothy and Titus deal specifically with
qualifications for the calling of new leaders of planted churches,
such as directing the affairs of a local church.

19. 2. In the General Letters. The general epistles give a
strong testimony about Missions, for example: the
Letter to the Hebrews demonstrates the discontinuity
between the Old and New covenants, emphasizing the
new as “better” (Heb 7.19,22), which, once accepted,
God's mission will take us to the center of God's will,
to carry out his will as he pleases (Hb 13.20); The
Letter of James contains practical wisdom for living
the Gospel of Christ. And finally, Peter's Letters
assure our position as God's people and the hope of
the coming of the Lord Jesus.

20. 3. In the Apocalypse. In this book, the Lord Jesus
reveals to the apostle John the conclusion of the long
journey and the destiny of the entire human race. The
seven churches located in the province of Asia Minor
in chapters 2 and 3 should be seen as “missionary
churches.” In this sense, the apostle John reports that
God is interested in the salvation of all men (Rev
5.9,10; 7.9; 11.15).

21. SYNOPSIS III
In the Pauline and general Letters, as well as in the book
of Revelation, the missionary purpose of instruction and
consummation of everything is present.

22. CONCLUSION
The New Testament clearly shows the way in which God
planned the redemption of fallen humanity through the
sublime missionary task. For this purpose, He sent His only
Son who, with the price of blood, paid for the sin of men
of all tribes, languages, peoples and nations, constituting
them as his collaborators in the work of redemption of the
entire Creation, fallen and prisoner of Satan. Now, if
Missions is born from the heart of God, it must be in the
heart of those who love missionary work.

23. REVIEWING THE CONTENT
1. Why can we say that the Bible is an eminently missionary
book?
The Holy Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is an eminently
missionary book because its inspiration emanates from a
missionary God, the one who sends: “As the Father has sent
me, so I send you” (John 20:21; John 3:16).
2. What is the unfinished task of the Church of Christ?
Announce the Gospel to every creature (Mt 28.19).

24. 3. How can the missionary nature in the formation of the
Gospels be seen?
This missionary nature can also be seen in the formation of the
Gospels as they were produced under the inspiration of the Holy
Ghost so that people could know the Lord Jesus (John 8:32,36).
4. According to the lesson, who was the Church’s first cross-
cultural missionary?
Philip was the first cross-cultural missionary of the Early Church.
5. What was the apostle Paul's missionary objective with his
Letters?
His missionary objective was to instruct the churches he planted
in theological and practical matters.

25. REFERENCES
CPAD. Até os Confins da Terra: pregando o Evangelho a todos os povos
até a Volta de Cristo. Rio de Janeiro: Casa Publicadora das Assembleias
de Deus (CPAD), 2023. (Lições Bíblicas, Adultos CPAD).
ANDERSON, H. Calling of the Fishermen (Christ Calling Peter and Andrew).
Em: LEE, H.-G.; STOKER, D. (org.). Gospel Art Book. Hillerød,
Denmark: LDS Org, 2008. p. 130.
SOCIEDADE BÍBLICA DO BRASIL (org.). Bíblia De Estudo Plenitude
Revista E Atualizada. Barueri, SP: SBB, 2005.

26. SBS | 4th Quarter of 2023 | CPAD Adults | Theme: To the
Ends of the Earth – Preaching the Gospel to all Peoples until
the Return of Christ | Sunday Bible School | Lesson 4 –
Cross-cultural Missions in the New Testament
Slides created by Celso Napoleon

27. LESSONS:
1. The Great Commission: An Ethnocentric Approach
2. Transcultural Missions: To their Origin in the Nature of God
3. Cross-cultural Missions in the Old Testament
4. Cross-cultural Missions in the New Testament
5. A Pentecostal Perspective on Missions
6. Praying, Contributing and Doing Missions
7. The Church’s Responsibility towards Missionaries
8. Tentmaking Missionaries
9. The Church and Missionary Support
10. The 10/40 Window Challenge
11. Missions and the Persecuted Church
12. The Missions Model of the Church of Antioch
13. The Purpose of Missions
14. Missions and the Return of the Lord Jesus