I must admit, while I hated Covid and everything about it, there were some things I rather enjoyed about the temporary shutdown.

I enjoyed giving Bible studies at home on the phone in my pajamas. I enjoyed Sabbath mornings, relaxing with my Bible and having a nice big breakfast before meeting everyone on Zoom for church. I enjoyed the fact that while we did church on Zoom, old friends from around the world could join us. I even got to speak at my old church in Texas on Zoom, and a retired pastor in Texas who used to be at one of my current churches in Florida, got to be our guest speaker on Zoom.

I even learned I knew how to cook. However, when the restaurants opened back up, I seemed to have forgotten I knew how to cook. I enjoyed all the miles I saved on my car, working from home. Being an introvert, (My friends find this hard to believe but yes, I am an introvert.) I enjoyed having more time to read and write and just think and ponder life. I actually would not mind another shutdown every now and then, just without the Covid!

Image © Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com

But as introverted as I may be, I missed people! A single friend who lives alone like I do, mentioned to me on the phone how long it had been since she had been hugged. She said at least people stuck at home with their families can touch and hug each other. For her, though, there was no human touch. For me neither. Human touch is important. As a matter of fact, I believe that is why Satan has so masterfully made inappropriate touching such a problem today. Now people are scared to touch someone even appropriately, and by this Satan has a double win. Bad people are touching others inappropriately and good people aren’t even touching others appropriately, for fear their motives will be misconstrued. But appropriate touch is still so vitally important. Take the story of Jesus healing the leper for example.

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. Mark 1:40-42 NKJV

We all know in the Bible leprosy can be symbolic of sin. I love the fact that while some of our prayers may seem to have a delay in being answered not so the prayer to be made clean. As soon as the request was made for being cleansed, the leper was immediately cleansed. This tells me that when I ask for forgiveness and the moral cleansing referred to in 1 John 1:9 that there is no delay. I am immediately forgiven and cleansed.

But back to my point about how important appropriate touch is. Mark tells us Jesus touched the leper. Why? After all, He healed him with the words, “be cleansed,” so why did Jesus have to touch him? Because, while Jesus cleansed the leprosy with His words, He healed the loneliness with His hand. This man had been an outcast from society and even his own home. He needed more than just physical healing. He needed emotional healing. He needed to be healed from loneliness. Words can heal leprosy, but human touch cures loneliness.

When it comes to sharing the Gospel, many people want to drop a piece of literature on someone’s doorstep and run away before the person opens the door, so they don’t have to talk to them. But the Gospel heals us completely. The Gospel not only gives us amazing facts, but it also gives us amazing relationships. The Gospel takes away our sins, but it also takes away our loneliness. This means mingling with people instead of just throwing Bible facts at them and running away. And get this, while some people complain some Bible study groups and even Sabbath school classes have to much food and refreshments instead of just studying the Bible, the complete Gospel provides both spiritual food and physical food. The complete Gospel fills the mind, the heart and the stomach! The complete Gospel makes us complete spiritually, physically and emotionally. This is why many Bible study growth groups have refreshments after the deep Bible study. This gives the teacher the opportunity to teach and fellowship with the group so he/she can get to bond with everyone.

A while back a friend from Florida moved to another state for a couple of years and then moved back to Florida. When she came back, I asked how she liked where she just moved from. She said, “Everyone was friendly, but nobody wanted to be your friend.” I thought wow, that could describe some of our churches. Everyone smiles at you but as soon as church is over, they all want to run home to be alone. I have often said, you can’t tell how friendly a church is on Sabbath. You can tell how friendly a church is during the week. Smiles and greetings on Sabbath mean absolutely nothing if we ignore each other during the week. That is why its only during the week that you can tell how friendly a church or Sabbath school class is. Our Sabbath Schools classes and Bible study groups are designed to do way more than present a Gospel that just saves you from sin. If that were the case we could all just study our Bible alone and have church by ourselves at home. Our Sabbath School classes and Bible study groups are to present a Gospel that saves the sinner from sin and loneliness. 

In the story of Jesus healing the leper, we see that the Gospel cleanses us and makes us whole, spiritually, physically and emotionally.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/how-the-complete-gospel-brought-complete-healing-to-the-leper/

Key Thought: Mark describes a Sabbath with Jesus and the calling of four disciples. The emphasis is on the action, particularly the healing of people.
July 13, 2024

1. Have a volunteer read Mark 1:16-20.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. Who were the men Jesus called as disciples and what was their response?
3. Personal Application: Have you been called to give up anything to follow Jesus? Or don’t you think He has asked you to give up anything? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of you relatives states, “Why would Jesus call these men to follow Him immediately, and why would they leave everything and follow Jesus right then?” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Mark 1:21-34.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What experience happened in the synagogue and what spiritual truths can we take from this account?
3. Personal Application: In witnessing to others, why is it not wise to present all that we believe regarding present truth all at once? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How did Jesus help Peter’s family, and what spiritual lesson can we draw from this event?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Mark 1:35-39, Luke 6:12

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What lessons can we take from what Jesus did here?
3. Personal Application: If Jesus spent much time in prayer, how much time should we spend time in prayer? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “Why did Jesus need to pray to the Father if they are united as one? Couldn’t Jesus have done what He wished because He was God on earth?” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Mark 1:40-45.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What does this teach us about how Jesus related to the marginalized in society?
3. Personal Application: How can we be careful not to do things that could slow or hinder the spread of the gospel no matter how good are our intentions? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-a-day-in-the-ministry-of-jesus-teaching-plan/

It is wonderful to travel through John Mark’s life and see the beautiful story climax with 
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today – Hymn 166, therefore 
Go, Preach My Gospel – Hymn 378. These two hymns give us a purpose all during this quarter to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus. May you enjoy these hymns for your theme hymn from which to choose.

 Just as the Gospel of Mark recounts Jesus’ calling of four disciples, we find 
Jesus Calls Us – Hymn 285 today. May we all reply 
I Will Follow Thee – Hymn 623 (Sunday).

The disciple’s close relationship with Jesus made them (and us to come) state that 
Jesus Is All The World To Me – Hymn 185 (Monday).

There was More Sabbath Ministry for Jesus to do (Tuesday), with the result being “The Saviour was joyful in the joy He had awakened”: 
Hymn 390 – We Love Thy Sabbath, Lord.

Just as The Secret of Jesus’ Ministry was prayer, let us always request 
Heavenly Father Hear Our Prayer – Hymn 658.

May we be like the leper (Thursday) and ask God 
O For A Faith – Hymn 533 that will not shrink. Then we can step forward showing 
Faith Is The Victory – Hymn 608.

Please continue to search the scriptures this week to be blessed and to bless many others.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Daily Lesson for Monday 8th of July 2024

Most Christians have some unforgettable moments in their Christian walk—the decision to follow Jesus; the day of their baptism; a powerful sermon during which they deeply felt the presence of God. Some of these moments might not only be unforgettable but be life-changing, as well.

Image © Barry Wingard at Goodsalt.com

So it might have been for some people in Capernaum on the Sabbath described in Mark 1:1-45. “And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22, NKJV). As Jesus was teaching, a demon-possessed man, no doubt impacted by the power of Jesus’ teaching, shouted, “ ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God’ ” (Mark 1:24, ESV), and Jesus cast out the demon.

Think of the implications of these words from the demon.

First, the demon recognizes Jesus as “ ‘the Holy One of God.’ ” He acknowledges that Jesus is the holy emissary of God, in contrast to the unclean, unholy hosts of Satan. In a worship setting, one expects holy things and individuals, not unholy and unclean things. Thus, in this story there is a sharp contrast between the forces of good and the forces of evil. We can see here the reality of the great controversy. People might not yet know who Jesus is, but the demon certainly does and publicly acknowledges it, as well.

Next, the command to come out of the man is understandable, but why the command, “ ‘Be quiet’ ” (NKJV)? Beginning here in Mark, a remarkable motif appears: Jesus’ call for silence regarding who He is. Scholars call this the “Messianic Secret.”

Jesus’ call for silence makes good sense because of the political overtones of Messianic expectations in His time. It was risky to be a messiah. Yet, mixed with the calls for silence are the unmistakable revelations of who Jesus is. What will become clear over time is that Jesus’ identity cannot be hidden, and the truth of who He is becomes the center of the gospel message. People need not only to know who Jesus is but also to make a decision about how they will respond to His coming and what it means for them.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24c-02-an-unforgettable-worship-service/

Daily Lesson for Sunday 7th of July 2024

Mark 1:1-45 does not have many of Jesus’ words recorded. However, Mark 1:17 does have His words to two fishermen, Simon, who will later be called “Peter,” and his brother, Andrew. The two men are standing on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, casting a net.

Image © Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com

There is no mention of a boat or other fishing paraphernalia, which may suggest that the two men are not well off financially. In Mark 1:19-20, James and John are in a boat with their father and servants, which suggests that they were better off financially than Peter and Andrew. Luke indicates that Peter does have a boat and that, in fact, James and John were partners of Peter and Andrew (see Luke 5:1-11). But the Gospel of Mark may be presenting a contrast between the two sets of brothers, and in order to illustrate that difference, Jesus calls to discipleship both those who have less resources and those with more.

Jesus’ call to these men is simple, direct, and prophetic. He calls them to follow Him—that is, to become His disciples. He indicates that if they will respond to His call, He will take on the task of making them fishers of men.

The Gospel of John fills in the picture more fully (see John 1:29-42). It seems that the brothers were followers of John the Baptist and heard his proclamation that Jesus was “ ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ ” (John 1:29, ESV). They met Jesus and spent time with Him near the Jordan River. Consequently, their acceptance of Jesus’ call to ministry was not some lark or escapade. They had thought this through.

But why does Mark not fill in more details? Likely, it is to emphasize the power of Jesus. He calls, and willing fishermen answer, and their lives, and the world itself, are never the same.

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