Sabbath School for Adults: Making Friends for God: The Joy of Sharing in God’s Mission: Lesson 10: An Exciting Way to Get Involved

 

Sunday August 30

Small Groups—God’s Idea First

Read Genesis 1:1, 2, 26; Hebrews 1:1, 2; and Ephesians 3:8, 9. How do these verses reveal the unity of the Godhead?

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit participated in Creation together. They each had different tasks but worked together in an indivisible union. The Father was the Master Designer, the Great Architect. He carried out His plans through Jesus, as the active agent in Creation in unison with the power of the Holy Spirit. Such a powerful supernatural act is way beyond our comprehension. What we can clearly comprehend is not only the reality of the created world and the cosmos but also that God Himself made it all (see Rom. 1:18–20).

Small groups were God’s idea first. Though one has to be careful when using analogies in regard to many of the mysterious aspects of God, let’s use one loosely and say that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit composed the first “small group” in salvation history. They participated together in the creation of the human race and then in its redemption after the Fall.

Compare John 10:17, 18 with Romans 8:11 and 1 Corinthians 15:15. How does the resurrection of Christ demonstrate the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the plan of salvation?

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in a “small group” with the express purpose of redeeming the human race. “The plan of salvation had its place in the counsels of the Infinite from all eternity.” —Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 186. There is nothing more important to God than saving as many people as possible (1 Tim. 2:4, 2 Pet. 3:9). Small groups may have multiple purposes that we will study in this week’s lesson, but their overriding purpose is to focus on winning lost people to Jesus. That is, by working in small groups we can help not ourselves alone but others, as well. That is, the ultimate goal of our small groups should be soul winning.

Dwell on the mystery of the unity of our God. It’s hard to grasp, isn’t it? Yet, we can still believe in, and trust, what we don’t fully understand, right? Why is this such an important principle for Christians to follow when it comes to faith?