Closer To Heaven
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Join the Hit the Mark panel as they discuss Sabbath School Lesson 8 – Fulfilling Old Testament Prophecies.
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/fulfilling-old-testament-prophecies-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/
Curious about how friendships can transform lives? Meet Ivan from Ukraine, who at 13, had a best buddy praying for him for two years. Invited to an evangelistic series, he discovered the truth about the Sabbath in the Bible and decided to get baptized. Now at 22, he’s studying to be a Seventh-day Adventist pastor! Hit that like button and subscribe for more inspiring faith journeys! #FaithJourney #SeventhDayAdventist #YouthInFaith #awr #adventistworldradio Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWiR3Am8ORQ MB01RAGZSFNXLER #short Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4_wKjQptIA
20 November 2024 | It is not easy being the church. I am increasingly reminded of the humanity that accompanies our being a connected community of faith. I observe increasing worries over orthodoxy, anxiety around behaviors, reaction to secular culture, and exercise of power or control. No, it is not easy being church. Certainly an […] Source: https://atoday.org/atss-skip-bell-re-thinking-church-are-you-ready-for-change/
Curious about the impact of youth in evangelism? Meet Freddie, an 11-year-old from Romania who felt called by God to become a pastor! In this video, we explore how Freddie's passionate decision to be baptized has inspired his peers and highlights the truth that youth can be powerful evangelists. Hit that like button and subscribe for more uplifting stories! #YouthEvangelism #FaithInYouth #InspiringStories#awr #adventistworldradio Watch the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWiR3Am8ORQ MB012CTXHTQLI1G #short Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJDiZ4vIF0s
Daily Lesson for Thursday 21st of November 2024
In our study of John so far, we’ve seen that John shows how Jesus, indeed, is the promised Messiah, the great hope that the Jewish people had been longing for.
And yet, many of the religious leaders, the spiritual guides of the people, were His biggest enemies instead.
Why?
Image © Jeff Preston Goodsalt.com
Jesus says that they know neither Him nor the Father (John 8:19). They should have known both, but these men were self-deceived. They were so caught up in their own traditions and philosophies that even with Jesus right before them, doing all the things that He did and saying the things that He said—all powerful revelations of the Father—they still rejected Him.
Second, Jesus says to them, “ ‘You are from beneath’ ” (John 8:23, NKJV). In other words, however religious they might be, these were not spiritual, godly men. They had a “form of godliness” (2 Timothy 3:5), but that was all. They had outward piety but inward disbelief.
This was nothing new: “ ‘Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men’ ” (Isaiah 29:13, NKJV). This very concept is echoed by Jesus centuries later, when He said, “ ‘And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men’ ” (Mark 7:7, NKJV). Their human teachings, their human commandments, were “of this world” (John 8:23) and, as Jesus then said, “I am not of this world” (John 8:23). It was bad enough that these men had been deceiving themselves; the tragedy was made worse because they also led others astray, even though, interestingly enough, John wrote that as a result of the exchange depicted in these verses, “many believed in Him” (John 8:30, NKJV).
Thus, even despite bad leadership, many Jews were able to get beyond it and see, for themselves, who Jesus was.
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What lessons do you draw from Jesus’ exchange with the religious leaders? How can we be “from above” and not “from beneath”—and how can we know the difference? |
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