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Genesis 12:1-4 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to
the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you
all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with
him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Jeremiah 29:1-14 These are the words of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the
remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had
taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah, and the queen mother, the court
officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the artisans, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter
was sent by the hand of Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah sent
to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. It said: 4 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the
exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and
eat what they produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your
daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the
welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will
find your welfare. 8 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who
are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are
prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the LORD. 10 For thus says the LORD: Only when
Babylon's seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to
this place. 11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to
give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you
search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14 I will let you find me, says the LORD, and I
will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the
LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Luke 9:1-10 Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure
diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 He said to them, "Take nothing for
your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money--not even an extra tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay
there, and leave from there. 5 Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off
your feet as a testimony against them." 6 They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and
curing diseases everywhere. 7 Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed,
because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by
others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. 9 Herod said, "John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I
hear such things?" And he tried to see him. 10 On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. He took
them with him and withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida.
Luke 10:1-20 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town
and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you
out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.
5 Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!' 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your
peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking
whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you
enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them,
`The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go
out into its streets and say, 11 `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you.
Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom
than for that town. 13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you had
been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But at the
judgment it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to
heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades. 16 "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you
rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." 17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord,
in your name even the demons submit to us!" 18 He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of
lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the
enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice
that your names are written in heaven."
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And
remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Acts 1:6-8 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the
kingdom to Israel?" 7 He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own
authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Acts 16:1-34 Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a
Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra
and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the
Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they went from town to town,
they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in
Jerusalem. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers daily. 6 They went through
the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they
had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so,
passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia
pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 When he had seen the vision, we
immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to
them. 11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and
from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in
this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a
place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. 14 A certain woman named
Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The
Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. 15 When she and her household were baptized, she
urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed
upon us. 16 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and
brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out,
"These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." 18 She kept doing this for
many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to
come out of her." And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of making money
was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When they
had brought them before the magistrates, they said, "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are
advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." 22 The crowd joined in attacking
them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After
they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely.
24 Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26
Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all
the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors
wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28
But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." 29 The jailer called for lights, and
rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and said, "Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?" 31 They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your
household." 32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the
night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. 34 He
brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had
become a believer in God.
1 Corinthians 9:19-27 For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might
win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one
under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside
the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I
might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all
things to all people, that I might by all means save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share
in its blessings. 24 Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in
such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable
wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; 27 but I
punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.
2 Timothy 2:1-9 You then, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; 2 and what you have heard from
me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. 3 Share in suffering
like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier's
aim is to please the enlisting officer. 5 And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing
according to the rules. 6 It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops. 7 Think
over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things. 8 Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the
dead, a descendant of David--that is my gospel, 9 for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained
like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained.
2 Timothy 4:1-5 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view
of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is
favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is
coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for
themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to
myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the
good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who
have longed for his appearing.
Jonah 1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying, 2 "Go at once to Nineveh, that great city,
and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me." 3 But Jonah set out to flee to Tarshish from the
presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid his fare and went on
board, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. 4 But the LORD hurled a great wind upon
the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were
afraid, and each cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them.
Jonah, meanwhile, had gone down into the hold of the ship and had lain down, and was fast asleep. 6 The captain
came and said to him, "What are you doing sound asleep? Get up, call on your god! Perhaps the god will spare us a
thought so that we do not perish." 7 The sailors said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, so that we may know on
whose account this calamity has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to
him, "Tell us why this calamity has come upon us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is
your country? And of what people are you?" 9 "I am a Hebrew," he replied. "I worship the LORD, the God of
heaven, who made the sea and the dry land." 10 Then the men were even more afraid, and said to him, "What is this
that you have done!" For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD, because he had told
them so. 11 Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?" For the sea was
growing more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will
quiet down for you; for I know it is because of me that this great storm has come upon you." 13 Nevertheless the
men rowed hard to bring the ship back to land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against
them. 14 Then they cried out to the LORD, "Please, O LORD, we pray, do not let us perish on account of this man's
life. Do not make us guilty of innocent blood; for you, O LORD, have done as it pleased you." 15 So they picked
Jonah up and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the LORD even
more, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. 17 But the LORD provided a large fish to swallow up
Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 3-4 The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city,
and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." 3 So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the
LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. 4 Jonah began to go into the city,
going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 5 And the people of
Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news
reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in
ashes. 7 Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being
or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. 8 Human beings
and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways
and from the violence that is in their hands. 9 Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from
his fierce anger, so that we do not perish." 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways,
God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
4:1But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. 2 He prayed to the LORD and said, "O LORD! Is not
this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew
that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from
punishing. 3 And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live." 4 And the
LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?" 5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and
made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city. 6 The
LORD God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his
discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a
worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun
beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, "It is better for me to die
than to live." 9 But God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?" And he said, "Yes, angry
enough to die." 10 Then the LORD said, "You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which
you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not be concerned about
Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know
their right hand from their left, and also many animals?"
Genesis 12:1-4
v Go from your country = culture; kindred = security; and your father's house = identity. Concentric circles of
leaving.
v Leave behind security, culture, friends
Country
& family, identity, land=wealth
Kindred
v
Father's house
Go to a place I'll show you- and I'll give
you all this and much more: blessed to be
a blessing.
v Families will be affected by our obedience
v Community scope of concern.
v Long term view- The blessing of Abraham will extend past those he knows or personally deals with.
v Mark 10:29-31 revise of this promise-
a broadening of it-open to any with faith.
Jeremiah 29:1-14
v God scattered you- for a purpose. Give yourself to the welfare of the city to which you've been sent. Don't be
separate- invest, plant, settle- you will prosper as they do. Grow spiritually, don't just hope to survive.
v A message for those being sent out- plan for long-term commitment to the people to which you are being sent
which doesn't necessarily mean that you'll stop being an apostle Paul w/ Timothy etc.
v Grow spiritually- don't just hope and survive.
v They were sent by God, not their choice but His. It's God's plan- not a tragedy.
v Pastoral advice to exiles- become apostles for your own sake
v Now your concern is for these foreigners- before you wouldn't have been concerned for them.
v Unwitting apostleship? Blessed to be a blessing? or just to be tested?
v Temptation is to say "God is back in Jerusalem" or "CA" or Boston or URI, etc. But God is here- have hope.
v Going to univ.- like the exile- we can fear that God was really at home, but not here.
v Intercession is connected to apostleship- PRAY FOR THE UNIVERSITY!
v Tension between incarnation and promise of re-gathering- make your home there - return to me.
v Leave your country-- I will make you a great nation
Leave your kindred-- I will make your name great
Leave your family-- I will make you secure
v How to instill apostleship:
v help people to think of themselves as missionaries to the campus.
v take mission trips- build missionary mindset.
v talk as if you aren't settled, but are on a journey.
v Need a future orientation
v you won't necessarily be the one to enjoy the fruit of your difficult choices. (future generations).
v choice to bless those you don't yet know.
v need fundamental FAITH FEAR of God more than a fear of people.
v How students can be exiles, not apostles:
v "I'm here to be a student"
v focus on home church- "that's where God is at work"
v thinking "I'll just try to survive".
v no investment in particular people in local context
v How staff are exiles:
v trying to maintain professional status, focus on "day job"
v leave heart with peer friends, not students
v waiting for marriage
v giving up on students
v How fellowships can be exiles:
v self-conscious colony
v no focus on contributing to the campus/ wider community
v unwilling to serve the university on its own terms
v not webbing relationally into the non Christian community
v just survive/maintain market share- not looking to expand into areas of campus unreached.
Luke 9:1-10 Luke 10:1-20
v Radical dependence on God- by seeing him provide through the people they are sent out to.
v "Ask the Lord of the Harvest"... Pray for apostles.
v Partnership vs. coverage
v Depth vs. breadth
v Jesus expands on his earlier training- willing to repeat himself not fearing redundancy with the 12.
v No compromise on the message- don't spend energy making it attractive.
v Identification with Jesus- his purpose is ours, response to us is as to him.
v you: me:: me: Father
v Don't rejoice in the power you've received, or in your great ministry feats, but rejoice in what God has done for
you: Saved you!
v Build deep relationships
v Receive hospitality first, then give. Like LAMP (Language Acquisition Made Practical)-- go into a culture
dependent, in need of language skills, as a learner. Not as the resourced one.
v Jesus is letting the disciples know that more is happening than ever the disciples see. Spiritual warfare.
v They are to do what they can to help people hear and embrace the Gospel:
v the medium needs to be made accessible but that is different than making the message palatable.
v we study the culture:
v to identify idolatries
v to identify points of contact, means of making message accessible (also Acts 16:13)
v Training value of summer missions, BUI, FLEP, short term experience: reliance on God for everything., being
sent to a new place, being defined by your mission, having only one pursuit, WARTIME MENTALITY, sent
ahead strategically, follow-up afterwards.
Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:6-8
v Community vs. mission- a false dichotomy- w/o mission you don't have Jesus focused community. Our
students need a stronger push outward.
v Go=Gen. 12:1
v All nations=Gen.12:3
v God's presence is key.
v "Obeying everything I have commanded you": including the command to go and make disciples. The command
is Multiplicative- including apostolic vision and momentum. The result: not simply
converts, not simply
disciples, but
apostles.
v Jesus doesn't promise power to Shepherds but to apostles.
Acts 16:1-34
v Timothy was bi-cultural, like Paul- strategic.
v Circumcising Timothy, being all things to all people (1 Cor. 9:22)
v Near the river: Jews would gather here because no synagogue existed there. (By convention Jews would gather
for prayer near a river bank, if there were too few jews to have a synagogue in a town.)
v Like Jer. 29- Paul's apostleship to the prison guard is not his choice, but God's. He has been sent there, but
Paul knows God is there in the prison, and his ministry is there. So he is not motivated to escape. Paul is
thinking about jailer, not himself.
v Paul: jailer:: Exiles: Babylonians
v Apostles received from those who responded to their word: hospitality, care.
v Paul gets a vision
v makes strategic decision re: place of prayer
v power encounter
v compassion for jailer
v What are the places of prayer on our campuses? culturally near non-Xns. Needy and seeking people: Philos,
Religion classes; people experiencing failure (Jailer);
1 Corinthians 9:19-27 & 2 Timothy 2:1-9 & 2 Timothy 4:1-5
v How do we "become all things to all people" w/o accomodation? Reduce barriers to entry as much as possible.
v Vs.19 "slave"- as in Philippi- in jail also Mark 10:42-45
v Do whatever you can to save people, but compete according to the rules. The ends don't justify the means.
v Single purpose and vision
v image of athlete: runs to win; self-control; discipline, hard work; compete by rules; finish the race; win a prize
v 2 Tim 2:2: Pass on the Gospel msg. in such a way as it will be
Incarnation
multiplied.
v "everyday affairs" = "civilian pursuits": being a soldier requires
focus, discipline
v Vs.4 Paul enlisted Timothy (Acts 16:3)
v People who try to break the rules are trying to avoid suffering.
accommodation
alienation
v 2 Tim 4:3: Address current issues of cultural idolatry: don't just
go with the flow.
Summary of Apostolic Ministry Principles
v Our goal is incarnation: apostolic ministry that engages the context without either totally accommodating to it
or being totally alien from it. But this is an unstable equilibrium--it is easy to fall to one side of the slope or the
other. It is easy for students, for staff, and even for fellowships to leave incarnation behind for the easier path of
either accomodation or alienation.
v Willingness to leave behind security, identity, cultural comfort in order to be a blessing to many (Genesis
12:1-4), including those you have never met and may never meet.
v Focus on the journey, not on the destination. (vs. tendency to settle down).
v You are never too old for apostleship (Gen 12:4).
v Long-term concern: the need to be prepared to see only a glimpse of the ultimate result of your choice and
sacrifice (Jer 29:5-12).
v Move from an exile mentality to an apostle mentality. Pray for and work for the good of the people to which
you are sent, for your own welfare's sake. (Jer 29:7)
v The apostolic vision is multiplicative. We aren't simply interested in converts, or even in disciples, but in
apostles, who also obey the command to "go". (Matt 28:19-20)
v Jesus promises power to his apostles (Acts 1:8, Luke 9:1, 10:19).
v Apostleship requires radical dependence on God (Genesis, Luke)
v Receive hospitality, be served: then serve. Look for ways to be able to depend on God through the people you
are ministering to.
v Build deep relationships, with partners, with those to whom you are sent. (Luke)
v Look for strategic opportunities: places of worship, culturally near non-Christians, power encounters (Acts 16).
Strategy and plans but also be flexible and responsive (Paul in jail).
v Use our freedom to advance the gospel wherever we are, however we can (1 Cor 9), whenever (2 Tim 4:2).
v Entrust the gospel to people in such a way that it will be multiplied (2 Tim 2:2).
v Don't waste pasion on "everyday affairs" (2 Tim 2:4). Be single-minded.
v Address current issues of cultural idolatry. Don't simply go with the flow (2 Tim 4:3).
v Compete according to the rules: be prepared to suffer (1 Cor 9, 2 Tim).