A Daring Witness

By Rick McEdward

At the beginning of the semester, a university classmate asked Sandra if he could take a picture of her class notes with his cell phone. “I saw that you are writing in English,” he said. “I want to improve my English.”

Image © Pacific Press

Classes were not taught in English at the university in the Middle East. But English was Sandra’s native language, and she found it easier to take notes in English. “Here you are,” Sandra said, extending her notebook.

The next day, the classmate again asked for permission to take pictures. After the classmate asked to take pictures for several days in a row, Sandra decided to be more intentional with her notes. She resolved to write favorite Bible verses at the bottom of the pages of her notebook.

The next time the classmate asked to take a picture, however, Sandra felt a jolt of fear. She worried that he would notice the verses and stop asking to see her notes. She prayed that God would use the Bible verses for His glory.

The classmate did not seem to notice the Bible verses at first. But after a couple days he realized that the notes contained information that the teacher had not mentioned during the class lectures. He went to Sandra and pointed to a verse at the bottom of a page. “Is this a verse from the Bible?” he asked.

“Yes,” Sandra said, her mind racing as she wondered how to explain it.

The classmate paused. “Is this the way you motivate yourself?” he asked.

Sandra smiled with relief. “Exactly,” she said. “I write my favorite verses in my notebook. They are always really helpful and useful for my life.”

After that day, the classmate asked Sandra many questions about her religion and beliefs. As they studied together at the university, he also learned about the beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. At the end of the semester, he asked to make a copy of Sandra’s entire verse-filled notebook. He wanted to share the notes with his siblings.

Although Sandra has not studied with him again, the two have kept in touch, and he regularly asks for advice about life. Sandra is praying for him, his siblings, and the rest of his family. She thanks God for giving her the daring idea to write Bible verses at the bottom of the pages of her notebook.

This mission story illustrates the following components of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan: Mission Objective No. 1, “To revive the concept of worldwide mission and sacrifice for mission as a way of life”; and Mission Objective No. 2, “To strengthen and diversify Adventist outreach in large cities, across the 10/40 Window, among unreached and under-reached people groups, and to non-Christian religions.” Read more: https://iwillgo2020[dot]org. Sandra is a pseudonym.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-a-daring-witness/

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Dealing With False Science, Cults, Isms, and Secret Societies,” Pages 602-609, in Evangelism; and “Spiritism,” Pages 86-93, in Confrontation.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

There exists a foundation which claims that it is creating technology that will allow us to contact the deceased “via texts, phone calls, and video-conferencing.” Calling the dead PMPsalm (post material persons), its website claims that when humans die they simply pass on “into another phase of forever” but “retain their consciousness, identity, and core aspects of their previous physical form.” But, most importantly, the folks at the foundation claim to be developing, in three phases, technology that will allow communication between material and post material persons.

The first phase will “allow texting and typing with postmaterial family, friends, and experts in every field of expertise.” Phase two is supposed to “enable talking with your dear ones who are living in another part of forever.” And the third phase, it says, will open the way to “hearing and seeing those who are experiencing the field of all possibilities from a different observation point.”

Especially scary is how they test if the communicating dead are really who they claim to be. “For example,” the site says, “a bereaved parent might ask the following question of a son or a daughter who has changed worlds: ‘Did you have a dog named Snoopy when you were a child? Did we give you a pocketknife for your tenth birthday?’” How interesting in light of this warning: “Spiritual beings sometimes appear to persons in the form of their deceased friends, and relate incidents connected with their lives and perform acts which they performed while living.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 684.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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You can view an in-depth discussion of The New Testament Hope in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDaKDeEoHJE&w=560&h=315]

With thanks to

Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/11-end-time-deceptions-hopess-video-discussion/