This document provides an overview of how God's plan from the beginning has been to bless all nations and peoples through Abraham and his descendants. It discusses: 1) How God revealed His purpose to bless all nations through key events and people in the Old Testament like the Tower of Babel, Abraham's call, and the prophets. 2) How Abraham and Israel were meant to be a blessing to the gentiles but often became self-absorbed instead of reaching out. 3) How Jesus and the New Testament church fulfilled God's plan to bless all nations through the gospel.

1. A Vision For The World Lesson 1

2. The Purpose of This Study Becoming a World Christian

3. What do you think the difference is between a typical Christian and a World Christian? Typical Christian World Christian

4. “A Christian who has discovered the truth of God's unfulfilled global purpose to reach all peoples. They are those who realize that as Christians they are responsible to act, pray, think and believe according to their knowledge of this truth.” A World Christian Is

5. What Makes A World Christian? Exposed to the 3 aspects of God’s desire to reach all peoples God’s Word God’s World God’s Work They have learned to take action!

6. God’s Word Exposing The Purpose of God

7. How Do You See Your Bible? Refrigerator Bible Medicine Chest Bible Crystal Ball Bible

8. The Plot of the Bible… Can the Bible be broken down into one unfolding story? Introduction Plot Conclusion Beginning in Genesis & Ending in Revelation – the golden thread Learn to see Missions as a fundamental theme in scripture and not just a peripheral issue.

9. God’s Purpose Revealed Through The Old Testament

10. The Beginning Creation of Man In God’s Image The Cultural Mandate – Gen. 1:26-28 “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.” The Fall of Man The Flood The Cultural Mandate given again to Noah

11. The Tower of Babel God’s Strategy Revealed God scattered through changing languages Why did God scatter? Forced mankind to “fill the earth” Divided people into nations to prepare for Abraham and the Israelites God created the concept of nations as His perfect way of fulfilling the Great Commission through Israel in the future

12. Acts 17:26-27 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not very far from each one of us.

13. Abraham’s Call to Bless When God called and made covenant with Abraham, He had the whole world in view Through Abraham God would accomplish the Great Commission God’s saving purposes are summed up in the Abrahamic Covenant – to fill the earth with His glory

14. Genesis 12:1-3 NKJV 1 Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

15. The Individual Blessing Financial prosperity Spiritual prosperity Land

16. The National Blessing Great nation Fruitfulness As numerous as the stars/sand (Genesis 22:17) Natural & Spiritual posterity Blessings are Generational & Exponential Godly parents create Godly offspring Each generation should become better equipped to do greater things

17. The International Call God made Abraham’s name great A name & nation that would be associated with God’s blessing God’s blessing of Israel would be a witness to the nations Through Abraham all the families of the earth would be blessed (gentiles) Israel in the Old Testament Jesus & Church in New Testament

18. How Are We Blessed? Galatians3:6-9 Acts 3:25 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

19. Families of The Earth The word “families” is equivalent to people groups Every distinct people group on the face of the earth is to be reached with the blessing From Abraham until the time of Christ we see examples of God’s blessing being dispensed to the Gentiles through Israel

20. Blessing The Gentiles Joseph Captivity in Egypt – Fruitfulness, plagues The Law of God Treatment of the alien, conversion Wisdom of the Ten Commandments - Deut. 4:5-6 Rahab the harlot - Joshua 2:9-10 Ruth the Moabitess Wisdom of Solomon - 1 Kings 4:34 Queen of Sheba Temple – Court of The Gentiles Naaman the Syrian – Leprosy cured by Elisha – 2 Kings 5:1-15 The prophets – Isaiah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, Jonah, Daniel

21. Blessing The Gentiles Isaiah 49:6 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him… ‘ It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ Isaiah 11:10

22. 1 God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah 2 That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy! For You shall judge the people righteously, And govern the nations on earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You. 6 Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us, And all the ends of the earth shall fear Him. Psalm 67 See Also: Psalm 47, 57, 117

23. Israel’s Response Israel’s overall response to the call Self-preoccupied Obsessed with the blessing Ingrown Lost sight of the global vision Ignored the prophets God judged Israel – Persecution & Exile Forced them to be a blessing

24. Why did God bless Abraham? How and why does He bless us today? What is the danger in being blessed? What are some examples of God blessing the gentile nations through Abraham and his descendants? What was most surprising to you in this lesson? Many say “there is a biblical basis for missions”, but in reality, missions is the basis of the Bible. How is this true? Discussion Questions

25. Activity:Blessed To Be A Blessing

26. Next Week… Missions in the New Testament Christ – the greatest missionary The fulfillment of God’s plan