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The Ambassador Group

Biblical Missionaries

0. Biblical Missionaries: The Great Commission

01. Biblical Missionaries: The Missionary Nature of God

02. Biblical Missionaries: Abraham- the First Missionary

03. Biblical Missionaries: The Unlikely Missionary

04. Biblical Missionaries: The Jonah Saga

05. Biblical Missionaries: Exiles as Missionaries

06. Biblical Missionaries:  Mordecai and Esther

07.Biblical Missionaries: Jesus- The Master of Missions

08.Biblical Missionaries: Cross-Cultural Missions

09. Biblical Missionaries: Peter and the Gentiles

10. Biblical Missionaries: Philip as Missionary

11. Biblical Missionaries: Paul- Background and Call

12. Biblical Missionaries: Paul- Mission and Message

13. Biblical Missionaries: Must the Whole World Hear?

Welcome to another in-depth exploration of biblical missionaries written by Borge Shentz.

Edited for audio and produced by the Ambassador Group.

And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not 1 of them was cleansed, only Naaman the Syrian.

Luke chapter 4 verse 27, New International Version.

The books of Kings, covering the history of the kingdoms of Israel from about 970 to 560 BC, record exciting and dramatic events and far-reaching political upheavals touching God's people.

Woven in these accounts are the stories of Elijah and Elisha, daring prophets of God whose adventures have gripped the imaginations of children and adults in every age.

Also interesting are the similarities between the ministry of Elisha and the ministry of Jesus.

In the ministries of both, dead persons were raised, lepers cleansed, and hungry people fed from small amounts of food.

This exploration deals with 1 of these miracles, the healing of Naaman, a wealthy, powerful, and very proud idolater who, in his great need, came to experience the power of the living God, and first did so through the witness of a very unlikely missionary.

Among the many spiritual truths that can be found in this account, we can get a model for cross-cultural witnessing in the midst of international tension and rivalry.

We can see, too, in this story a model for how the plan of salvation works.

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram.

He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram.

He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

2 Kings 5 1 New International Version This verse contains no fewer than 4 descriptions or titles that put Naaman in the top echelon of Syrian or Aramean society.

He exerted major influence on the King of Aram, was held in high esteem, and was the king's right-hand man in religious as well as military matters.

All Naaman's power, honor, and bravery paled in light of the most feared disease in those days, leprosy.

And that is exactly what this poor man had, the major but, that cast a dark shadow over all else he had achieved.

This ailment, however, brought him into contact with God's prophet, and through that contact, he became a believer in the true and living God.

Let's listen to 3 New Testament stories involving Jesus.

Despite the obvious fact that Jesus did miraculous healings in these situations, what is the common denominator in these accounts?

What is it that brought all these people to Jesus?

Mark chapter 1 verses 40 to 45, And the leper came to him begging him on his knees and saying to him, If you are willing you were able to make me clean.

And being moved with pity and sympathy, Jesus reached out his hand and touched him and said to him, I am willing, be made clean.

And at once the leprosy completely left him and he was made clean by being healed and Jesus charged him sternly sharply and threateningly and with earnest admonition and acting with deep feeling thrust him forth and sent him away at once, and said to him, See that you tell nothing of this to anyone, but be gone, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your purification what Moses commanded as a proof and evidence and witness to the people that you are really healed.

But he went out and began to talk so freely about it and blaze abroad the news, spreading it everywhere, that Jesus could no longer openly go into a town, but was outside in lonely desert places.

But the people kept on coming to him from all sides and every quarter Luke chapter 8 verses 41 to 56 and there came a man named Jairus who had for a long time been a director of the synagogue and falling at the feet of Jesus he begged him to come to his house for he had an only daughter about 12 years of age and she was dying.

As Jesus went, the people pressed together around him, almost suffocating him.

And a woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for 12 years and had spent all her living upon physicians and could not be healed by anyone, came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment and immediately her flow of blood ceased.

And Jesus said, Who is it who touched me?

When all were denying it, Peter and those who were with him said, Master, the multitude surround you and press you on every side." But Jesus said, Someone did touch me, for I perceived that healing power has gone forth from me.

And when The woman saw that she had not escaped notice.

She came up trembling and falling down before him.

She declared in the presence of all the people for what reason she had touched him and now she had been instantly cured.

And he said to her, daughter, your faith, your confidence and trust in me has made you well.

Go enter into peace, untroubled, undisturbed well-being.

While he was still speaking, a man from the house of the director of the synagogue came and said to Jairus, your daughter is dead.

Do not weary and trouble the teacher any further.

But Jesus, on hearing this, answered him, Do not be seized with alarm or struck with fear.

Simply believe in me as able to do this, and she shall be made well.

And when he came to the house he permitted no 1 to enter with him except Peter and John and James and the girl's father and mother.

And all were weeping for and bewailing her.

But he said, Do not weep, for she is not dead, but sleeping.

And they laughed him to scorn, knowing full well that she was dead.

And grasping her hand, he called, saying, Child, arise from the sleep of death.

And her spirit returned from death, and she arose immediately, and he directed that she should be given something to eat.

And her parents were amazed, but he charged them to tell no 1 what had occurred and mark 2 verses 1 through 12 and Jesus having returned to Capernaum after some days it was rumored about that he was in the house, probably Peter's.

And so many people gathered together there that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he was discussing the word.

Then they came, bringing a paralytic to him, who had been picked up and was being carried by 4 men.

And when they could not get him to a place in front of Jesus, because of the throng, they dug through the roof above him.

And when they had scooped out an opening, they let down the thickly padded quilt or mat upon which the paralyzed man lay.

And when Jesus saw their faith, their confidence in God through him, he said to the paralyzed man, son your sins are forgiven you and put away.

That is the penalty is remitted, the sense of guilt removed, and you are made upright and in right standing with God." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, holding a dialogue with themselves as they questioned in their hearts, Why does this man talk like this?

Who can forgive sins, remove guilt, remit the penalty, and bestow righteousness instead, except God alone?

And at once Jesus, becoming fully aware in his spirit that they thus debated within themselves, said to them, Why do you argue, debate, reason about all this in your hearts?

Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, your sins are forgiven and put away, or to say, rise, take up your sleeping pad or mat, and start walking about and keep on walking?

But That you may know positively and beyond a doubt that the Son of Man has right and authority and power on earth to forgive sins.

He said to the paralyzed man, I say to you, arise, pick up and carry your sleeping pad or mat and be going on home.

And he arose at once and picked up the sleeping pad or mat and went out before them all so that they were all amazed and recognized and praised and thanked God saying, we have never seen anything like this before.

Personal life disruptions, tragedies, and transitions can make people more open to spiritual truth and set them on a search for God, physical, psychological, political, or other disasters can open people up to the reality of the divine.

Personal loss, national catastrophes, and wars are major motivators that cause people to seek a power greater than themselves.

On 1 level, Naaman appeared to have it all.

On another, he was a broken man without much hope.

Having good things and bad things in your life?

Would you like to learn how to allow both to keep you connected to the Lord?

An Unlikely Witness An Unlikely Witness Listen to 2 Kings 5 verses 1-7.

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, accepted and acceptable, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria.

He was also a mighty man of valor, But he was a leper.

The Syrians had gone out in bands and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited on Naaman's wife.

She said to her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria, for he would heal him of his leprosy.

Naaman went in and told his king, Thus and thus said the maid from Israel.

And the king of Syria said, go now and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.

And he departed and took with him 10 talents of silver, 6000 shekels of gold, and 10 changes of raiment.

And he brought the letter to the king of Israel.

It said, When this letter comes to you, I will with it have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of leprosy." When the king of Israel read the letter, he rent his clothes and said, Am I God to kill and to make alive?

That this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy?

Just consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.

Why would the Syrians even have listened to what a captive slave girl had to say?

What might be the hidden implications of what transpired?

The Bible gives us no real details of how this young girl acted in the home, but it's clear that there was something about her that caught the family's attention.

On the word of a captive female child in his household, a wealthy and powerful military leader goes to his king, tells him what she said, and then gets permission from the king to go.

Even more so, he loads up on gifts to bring to the Prophet.

Obviously, more was going on than what is explicitly stated in the texts.

Nevertheless, God's agent to plant the knowledge of Him in the ruling circles of Syria was an unnamed little Hebrew slave girl, cruelly snatched from her home by a Syrian raiding party.

Instead of dwelling on the cruelty and meaninglessness of that act and of her life of servitude, she shared her unshaken faith in the life-changing power of God, who was working through Elisha in Samaria.

And in this way, just like Daniel and his companions in Babylon, she was able to turn her own adversity into a way to glorify God, and thus God turned her captivity into an opportunity to share her faith, according to Ellen G.

The conduct of the captive maid, The way that she bore herself in that heathen home is a strong witness to the power of early home training.

You can read that quotation on page 245 in Ellen G.

White's book entitled, Prophets and Kings.

Series

Biblical Missionaries

03. Biblical Missionaries: The Unlikely Missionary

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

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That Woman: Resurrecting the Three Angels

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Sound Doctrine