Two Boys, Two Prayers: Part 1

By Andrew McChesney

Father was excited when he saw a new sign reading “Adventist Maranatha School” on a street in Conakry, capital of the West African country of Guinea. He wanted his two sons to go to a Christian school, and this might be their chance. He never dreamed that the school would change his life.

Image © Pacific Press

Father entered the fenced compound of the newly opened school and found a teacher. “Is this a Christian school?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “This is a Seventh-day Adventist school.”

Father said his sons were studying elsewhere, and he promised to transfer them to this school. “I want them to have a Christian education,” he said.

Soon the two boys, 11-year-old Junior and 8-year-old Emile (pictured), were studying at the Adventist school. Among their subjects was the Bible, and the boys memorized verses that Father, to his surprise, had never heard. He was even more surprised when the boys declared that the teachers worshiped in church on Saturdays. The boys asked if they could go to a Saturday program in a church located on the same compound as the school. Father thought it was an extracurricular program and agreed.

The boys went to church every Sabbath for two years. Sometimes, schoolteachers visited Father and invited him to come to church. “Would you like to come to our church on Sabbath?” they asked.

Father always refused. “No, I have to work on Saturday,” he said. “I’m busy.”

One Sabbath, the church pastor, Matthew, told the church members, “Today, we will visit the father of Junior and Emile.”

A group of 15 church members, accompanied by a delighted Junior and Emile, arrived at the house. “Can we pray together?” the pastor asked Father.

When Father agreed, the pastor asked if he had any requests. He did. Months earlier, Father, who led a nongovernmental organization, had applied to a Guinean government ministry for a grant, and he was still waiting for a response. The pastor prayed about the grant.

Three days later, on Tuesday, the ministry responded. The grant was approved. Father immediately went to the school and told the teachers about the remarkable answer to prayer. He thanked God for the grant. But the answer to prayer did not convince him to go to church on Sabbath.

Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering three years ago that helped the Adventist Maranatha School expand in Conakry, Guinea, in the West-Central Africa Division (WAD). Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will again help spread the gospel in WAD. Read the story’s conclusion next week.

Amen!(0)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/inside-story-two-boys-two-prayers-part-1/

Daily Lesson for Friday 6th of October 2023

“The plan for our redemption was not an afterthought, a plan formulated after the fall of Adam. It was a revelation of ‘the mystery which hath been kept in silence through times eternal.’ Romans 16:25, R. V. . . . It was an unfolding of the principles that from eternal ages have been the foundation of God’s throne. From the beginning, God and Christ knew of the apostasy of Satan, and of the fall of man through the deceptive power of the apostate. God did not ordain that sin should exist, but He foresaw its existence, and made provision to meet the terrible emergency.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

So great was His love for the world, that He covenanted to give His only-begotten Son, ‘that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 22.

“Christ did not tell His disciples that their work would be easy. . . . But they would not be left to fight alone. He assured them that He would be with them; and that if they would go forth in faith, they should move under the shield of Omnipotence. . . . So long as they obeyed His word, and worked in connection with Him, they could not fail. Go to all nations, He bade them. Go to the farthest part of the habitable globe and be assured that My presence will be with you even there. Labor in faith and confidence; for the time will never come when I will forsake you. I will be with you always, helping you to perform your duty, guiding, comforting, sanctifying, sustaining you, giving you success in speaking words that shall draw the attention of others to heaven.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 29.

Discussion Questions

1. Think about what it means that God’s first words to fallen humanity were not “What have you done?” Or “Why have you disobeyed Me?” Instead the first words were, “Where are you?” What comfort should this truth give us regarding God’s intention for us and our loved ones?
    
2. Think about what it means that God Himself, in the person of Jesus, came to this world in order to save us. Christ on the cross was the ultimate manifestation of God as a God of mission. What does this tell us about His character?
    
3. The mission belongs to God. Therefore, He will equip and empower people for the task. In light of this reality, when you look at the challenges of worldwide evangelization, how can you deal with feelings and attitudes of inadequacy or fear?
    

Amen!(0)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-01-further-thought/

Key Thought: The foundation of any mission must be centered on a relationship with the Creator. Before we understand the mission of God, it is essential to better understand the God of mission.
October 7, 2023

1. Have a volunteer read Genesis 3:9-15.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What were God’s first words to Adam after he and Eve fell, and why is that statement theologically significant today?
3. Personal Application: God asks, Where are you? In you experience, what does it mean to you, and how have you answered Him? Share your thoughts..
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “I don’t think God is looking for me. I don’t think God looks for anyone. I believe that people who look for God might find Him in their own way..” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read John 1:14-18.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What can we learn from Christ’s incarnation about God’s mission to us?
3. Personal Application: What does God’s love for us mean in that He would come to us in our own humanity? How can we respond to this love in terms of mission to others? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “We have so many challenges in reaching the world with evangelism. We don’t have the ability or resources to reach everyone, ands many people don’t come or listen. I feel like we are inadequate to meet the task.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Matthew 28:18-20.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is the promise we can find in the great commission?
3. Personal Application: How does Christ’s promise bring assurance for us as we get involved with Christ’s mission? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “I have tried to share Jesus with others, but I haven’t seen or felt Jesus’ promise to be with me always as I have engaged in mission.” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read John 14:1-3.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. In what ways is this passage connected with the end-time message found in Scripture
3. Personal Application: Learn the name of someone in your life and begin praying for him or her each day. 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).

Amen!(2)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/1-gods-mission-to-us-1-teaching-plan/

Daily Lesson for Thursday 5th of October 2023

During His earthly ministry, one of Christ’s most precious promises, the blessed hope, reflects once again the Creator’s desire to be with us for eternity. Jesus affirmed, “ ‘I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am’ ” (John 14:3, NIV; emphasis added).

Image © Review and Herald Publishing Assn, Goodsalt.com

According to the apostle John, the promise will finally become reality. “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3, NKJV).

“The work of redemption will be complete. In the place where sin abounded, God’s grace much more abounds. The earth itself, the very field that Satan claims as his, is to be not only ransomed but exalted. . . . Here, where the Son of God tabernacled in humanity; where the King of glory lived and suffered and died,—here, when He shall make all things new, the tabernacle of God shall be with men. . . . And through endless ages as the redeemed walk in the light of the Lord, they will praise Him for His unspeakable Gift,—Immanuel, ‘God with us.’ ”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 26.

Here we find the most beautiful picture of Redemption. The God of mission will finally fulfill His desire to be with His children eternally. What a tremendous privilege to be part of this reality!

Weekly Challenges. Throughout this quarter you will be invited to engage intentionally in God’s mission. This will be an opportunity to see and experience the God of mission at work in your life. Take advantage of this moment for personal reflection and be ready to share what you have learned with your class on a weekly basis. Additionally, the Challenge Up will encourage you to increase your involvement in God’s mission.

Amen!(1)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-01-the-god-who-will-come-back-for-us/

Join It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this week’s featured guest, Dr. Kleber Gonçalves, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson, “God’s Mission to Us, Part 1.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIwdw1xo2CE?si=ScReKpthnI7LzrFX&w=560&h=315]/p>

Amen!(0)

The post 1: God’s Mission to Us: Part 1 – In is Written: Discussions with the Author appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/1-gods-mission-to-us-part-1-in-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/