By Sonja DeWitt | 24 August 2019 | Mike Huckabee thinks he has a solution for the mass shooting problem. “’I would posit that the lack of thought and prayers is probably the single biggest factor in what is behind them,” Huckabee wrote. He also said that mass shootings will never stop until “kids are […] Source: https://atoday.org/what-does-your-god-think-of-guns/
Monday: Dorcas’s Ministry and Witness
As the church began to spread—as Jesus predicted—“in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NIV), new believers took up the faith and ministry of Jesus. Among these was Dorcas—also known as Tabitha—in the city of Joppa. She obviously took seriously Jesus’ particular instruction that when clothing the naked, she was doing it for Jesus Himself (see Matt. 25:38, Matt. 25:40).
Read the description of Dorcas and her ministry in Acts 9:36. How might your life and ministry be described in a similar format to this verse? How would you like to be described?
Dorcas
It seems that Dorcas’s ministry was such that the description of her as a “disciple” (see Acts 9:36) and her faithfulness, energy, and focus on others were recognized even beyond her hometown.
Peter was visiting the nearby town of Lydda, and the people of Joppa asked him to come in response to Dorcas’s untimely death (see Acts 9:37-41). On his arrival in Joppa, Peter was met by many of the people Dorcas had helped through her work for the poor. They showed him the clothes that she had made and undoubtedly told him many stories of how she had helped them and others.
That Peter then prayed for Dorcas and God returned her to life is, of course, no guarantee that life will always work out well for those who devote their lives to serving others. After all, Dorcas had already suffered illness and death, and Stephen, one of those first deacons appointed to minister to the widows in the church, had also become the first martyr (see Acts 7:54-60). A life of service is not a smooth path; at times it could even be the rougher road.
However, in this story God used the recognition of His love and power in both Dorcas’s life and death to make a strong impact on the people of Joppa: “This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord” (Acts 9:42, NIV).
| If you were to pass away, would your contribution be mourned and missed like the ministry of Dorcas was remembered and mourned? How can we leave a better legacy of service? What practical skills do you have—like Dorcas’s skills with making garments—that you might use in service to others? |
Amen!
(0)
(0) Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/YZpjY4Z6wQI/
Psalm 66:1-2
Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~s/dailybible/main/?i=http://dailybiblepromise.com/verse/2019/08/25
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dailybible/main/~3/VfsuGIVp9SM/25
Modesty—from a Woman’s Perspective
by Lindsey Abston Painter | 24 August 2019 | A few months back AT editor Loren Seibold wrote a piece about modesty—about how it’s a man’s responsibility if he chooses to sin, and he should take responsibility for his own temptations, not blame women’s appearance. It was an excellent piece and made me want to […] Source: https://atoday.org/modesty-from-a-womans-perspective/
Sunday: A New Kind of Community
After Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the group of believers grew rapidly and created the early church, a new kind of community among the followers of Jesus, and initially led by His original disciples. However, this new community was not just something that they made up among themselves; rather, it was built on the teachings and ministry of Jesus and drew on the long history of the Hebrew Scriptures and their prophets.
Read Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32-37. What do you identify as the key elements in these descriptions of the early church community?
Image © Lifeway Collection Goodsalt.com
While it seems the Israelites had failed to ever fully live out the blueprint for a just and generous society, the early church community took seriously the instruction that “there need be no poor people among you” (Deut. 15:4, NIV). One of the practical expressions of their faith was sharing their material resources—even selling land and contributing the funds raised (see Acts 4:34-5:2)—to meet the needs of their fellow believers, as well as to be a blessing to those outside the fledgling community, particularly through the ministry of healing (see Acts 3:1-11, Acts 5:12-16).
Yet, this community was not a utopian society by any stretch of the imagination. As the number of believers increased, tensions grew about the administration of these resources, particularly in relation to the daily distribution of food to widows (see Acts 6:1). The disciples, who were the natural leaders of the group, wanted to focus on preaching the gospel. In order to deal with the situation at hand, they needed to do some re-organizing.
Thus, seven people were appointed to focus on the practical matters of the church community. This was perhaps the first recognition of the different ministries and abilities to be exercised in the church; at the same time, it demonstrated the importance of practical ministry for the church’s life and witness. “The same principles of piety and justice that were to guide the rulers among God’s people in the time of Moses and of David, were also to be followed by those given the oversight of the newly organized church of God in the gospel dispensation”. – Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 95.
| Try to envision what it must have been like in that early community. How can we reflect those same principles today? |
Amen!(0)
(0) Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SabbathSchoolNet/~3/4PJuU3tsqgM/
