19 October 2019 | Public statement of the executive committee of the North German Union Conference (Der Vorstand des Norddeutschen Verbandeson, or NDV) concerning a “warning” issued by the Executive Committee of the General Conference. The Executive Committee of the worldwide General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, in its autumn session on October 15, 2019, issued […] Source: https://atoday.org/german-unions-issue-joint-statement-on-gc-excom-warning/
Sunday: Opposition Begins
Read Ezra 4:1-5. Why do you think the Israelite remnant refused the help of other people in building the temple?
On the surface, the request seemed like a kind, neighborly thing to do, so why turn down the help? In one sense, the answer is found in the text itself. The “adversaries” came to offer them help. Adversaries? That alone gives a powerful hint as to why the Israelites reacted as they did.
Why were the people called “adversaries”? Second Kings 17:24-41 explains that these people were imported from other nations into Samaria and the surrounding region after the Northern Kingdom Israelites were deported. The king of Assyria sent them priests, who were to teach them how to worship the God of the land, that is, the God of Israel. However, the resulting religion incorporated the Canaanite gods as well. Therefore, the Israelite remnant was afraid that this religion would be brought into their temple worship. Hence, the best and smartest thing to do was what they did, which was to say, “No, thank you”.
We have to remember, too, just why all this was happening to begin with. It was their forefathers’ constant compromise with the pagan faiths around them that led to the destruction of the temple, as well as to their exile. Presumably, while in the very process of building the temple anew, the last thing that they would want to do would be to get too closely aligned with the people around them.
What else in these texts shows why this refusal was the right thing to do? (See Ezra 4:4-5).
Think about how easily they could have rationalized accepting this help. What does 2 Corinthians 6:14 have to say to us in this context? |
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/sfKIJKWJUW8/
Abortion Statement: 2019 General Conference Executive Committee
by Loren Seibold | 18 October 2019 | I am not an expert on the ethical questions surrounding abortion, or on the history of this issue in the church. What I’m reporting here is what I heard in Monday’s meeting of the General Conference (GC) Excom, followed up, and the final version of the statement […] Source: https://atoday.org/53804-2/
More on Young People Leaving the Church
18 October 2019 | Dear Readers: I’ve had a number of responses to a recent short piece on why young people are leaving the faith. Here are a few of them. Thank you all for your interest! (As usual, with correspondence to Aunt Sevvy, we don’t use respondents’ names.) Dear Aunt Sevvy: Ask any senior […] Source: https://atoday.org/more-on-young-people-leaving/
Feminism Is Good for the Church and the World
by Hannele Ottschofski | 18 October 2019 | I’ve often asked myself what made me what I am. As a Finn, I am totally atypical: a housewife and mother, wife of a pastor, I have not worked for most of my life, or engaged in volunteer activities. Actually, I have repeated my mother’s life pattern, […] Source: https://atoday.org/feminism-is-good-for-the-church-and-the-world/