Our Sabbath School program has always been linked to the support of the Seventh-day Adventist Mission program. This video provides a little insight into this important work.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-december-20/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mission-spotlight-for-december-20

Daily Lesson for Friday 12th of December 2025

Further Thought: Read Ellen G.White, “The Division of Canaan,” Pages 517–520, in Patriarchs and Prophets.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

“While it is important on the one hand that laxness in dealing with sin be avoided, it is equally important on the other to shun harsh judgment and groundless suspicion. . . .

“The wisdom displayed by the Reubenites and their companions is worthy of imitation. While honestly seeking to promote the cause of true religion, they were misjudged and severely censured; yet they manifested no resentment. They listened with courtesy and patience to the charges of their brethren before attempting to make their defense, and then fully explained their motives and showed their innocence. Thus the difficulty which had threatened such serious consequences was amicably settled.

“Even under false accusation those who are in the right can afford to be calm and considerate. God is acquainted with all that is misunderstood and misinterpreted by men, and we can safely leave our case in His hands. He will as surely vindicate the cause of those who put their trust in Him as He searched out the guilt of Achan. Those who are actuated by the spirit of Christ will possess that charity which suffers long and is kind.

“It is the will of God that union and brotherly love should exist among His people. The prayer of Christ just before His crucifixion was that His disciples might be one as He is one with the Father, that the world might believe that God had sent Him. This most touching and wonderful prayer reaches down the ages, even to our day; for His words were, ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word.’ John 17:20. While we are not to sacrifice one principle of truth, it should be our constant aim to reach this state of unity.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, Pages 519, 520.

Discussion Questions

<–Thursday

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25d-11-further-thought-living-in-the-land/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25d-11-further-thought-living-in-the-land

Inside Story for Friday 12th of December 2025

Kim Sun is associate director of the 1000 Missionary Movement, whose headquarters in Silang, Philippines, were constructed with the help of a 1996 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering. Read more next week.

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Image © Pacific Press

Kim Sun was excited to be sent to a remote area of the Philippines to serve as a missionary for 10 months with the 1000 Missionary Movement. But he wondered how he would spend those 10 months. He remembered that he had argued with his parents about the Bible for five years and gotten nowhere. Now he only had 10 months.

As he prayed, he thought, “If I bring the Bible first, maybe people will reject it like my parents. Maybe I first need to show them the character of Jesus.”

Sun decided not to tell anyone that he was a missionary. He wouldn’t tell anyone about biblical doctrines. He would just make friends for three months.

Upon arriving at the rural town where he would live, Sun visited each of its 20 to 30 houses to offer to help his new neighbors.

“Do you need help with anything? ” he asked the woman at the first house. “I want to serve you. Please let me know how I may be of help.”

She happily accepted Sun’s kind offer.

News of the helpful new neighbor spread from house to house in the neighborhood. Soon a line of people came by who needed or wanted help. The first woman whose house he visited kindly fed him lunch and supper as he helped 17 people in the neighborhood that first day.

As Sun walked home, he felt tired. But he thought, “I’m a missionary!”

Sun soon had a long list of names of people to visit who wanted his help. From Monday to Friday, he visited two homes in the morning and two in the afternoon.

He also found other ways to be a friend to the townspeople. He grew corn and gave it away. When people asked how much they owed, he replied, “Nothing! The corn came from God. God has paid for you.” Once, he saw a boy with a sore on his leg, and he treated the sore with ointment. When the sore healed completely a few days later, the parents came to him and asked, “How can we ever thank you?”

Sun served the townspeople without identifying himself as a missionary for three months. It wasn’t a secret; nobody asked him. He prayed about the next three months.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25d-11-inside-story-mission-gods-helping-hand/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25d-11-inside-story-mission-gods-helping-hand

Daily Lesson for Thursday 11th of December 2025

The story of Joshua 22:1-34 has several principles of communication that can apply to everyday human relationships in the family, church, and community.

1. When things go wrong, or seem to go wrong, the best thing to do is to communicate instead of suppressing our observations until they explode. It is good for God’s people not to remain indifferent when problems seem to arise. Of course, had the Transjordanian tribes communicated their intent of building an altar, the whole issue could have been avoided.

2. Even if one is convinced about their judgment, do not jump to hasty conclusions. The West Jordan tribes were quick to believe the rumor that reached their ears and to draw the false conclusion that the East Jordan tribes already had apostatized.

3. Talk about the real or perceived problems before you act on your conclusions.

4. Be willing to make a sacrifice in order to achieve unity. The West Jordan tribes were willing to give up part of their allotment to accommodate the other tribes, if being on the other side of the Jordan was the cause of their assumed apostasy.

5. When accused, falsely or rightly, give a gentle answer that turns away wrath. To answer an accusation with a counter-accusation will never lead to peace. Try to understand before attempting to be understood.

6. Rejoice and bless God when peace is reestablished. It is wonderful to see that the main Israelite congregation experienced genuine joy when they learned about the true motivation of the two-and-a-half tribes. They were not so proud of their judgment that they could not admit they were wrong in making it.

Image © Erik Stenbakken at Goodsalt.com

Had the East Jordan tribes apostatized, the people of Israel would have applied the requirements of the covenant. Unity can never be an argument to water down truth or give up on biblical principles. However, church discipline should always be the last (and not the first) resort, after attempts at reconciliation and pastoral assistance based on God’s Word have failed. How different would our churches look if these simple principles were consistently applied!

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25d-11-conflict-resolution/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=25d-11-conflict-resolution

Introduction: One of my habits, which I believe is generally a good one, is that I am often thinking ahead. If I’m driving my car, I try to anticipate problems in the road ahead. If I’m walking in an area in which there might be danger, I consider what I will do if a problem arises. When I’m litigating a case, I always try to anticipate how the other side intends to argue. This habit has sometimes created problems, if only in my mind. If I come to the conclusion that someone wants to harm me, then I imagine what I will do in response. In 1 Timothy 6:4 the Bible discusses the person who creates problems based, among other things, on “evil suspicions.” That is exactly how my mind works sometimes; I imagine problems where likely none exist. Our study this week shows that I’m not the only one who has to be careful about evil surmising. Let’s leap into our study of the Bible and learn more!

I. The Division

A. Read Joshua 22:1-4. Do you recall what we studied about the two and a half tribes that wanted to settle on the east side of the Jordan River (the side opposite Jericho)? (They did not want to cross over the Jordan because the land on their side was great for cattle,  and they had cattle.)

1. When Joshua 22:3 refers to forsaking brothers and keeping the charge, to what does that refer? (Joshua 1:14-15 reviews the past agreement. The two and a half tribes can claim the land on the east side of the Jordan River as their land if they agree to cross the Jordan with the others and fight to conquer the land promised to all the tribes.)
2. Have the two and a half tribes kept their promise? (Yes! They have done as promised and are now crossing back over the Jordan to the land promised to them.)

B. Read Joshua 22:5-6. What final reminder does Joshua give the two and a half tribes before he blesses them and sends them on their way? (To love and obey God. To live a life that is consistent with obedience, and do it wholeheartedly.)

1. Is that the goal of your life? The goal you suggest for your children?

II. Alleged Treachery

A. Read Joshua 22:9-10. What would you conclude if you were present and saw this huge altar built by the two and a half tribes?

1. Could you sacrifice on such an altar? (Likely not. If it is huge, you could not reach the top except with a ladder.)
2. If an altar is not built to sacrifice to God, then is it intended to serve another god?
3. What would be the reason for building it, if not to sacrifice to the true God?

B. Read Joshua 22:11-12. Whoa! What has happened at lightning speed? (They are gathered for war! This huge altar was built on the west (Jericho) side of the river, according to the ESV and NIV translations.)

1. If this placement is true, for whom is it a message? (It would seem to be a message for the other tribes, not a stranger who has just passed through the land of the two and a half tribes.)

C. Look again at Joshua 22:12. Why are the rest of the tribes planning to go to war? (Because the two and a half tribes had built an altar.)

1. What did they think was wrong with that?

D. Let’s read on, Joshua 22:13–15. Let’s just stop here. Phinehas is leading the delegation of the tribes. Why is he leading? (Read Numbers 25:5-8. If you want someone serious about stopping idol worship, Phinehas is your man!)

E. Read Joshua 22:16-18 to continue following the confrontation. What is apparently wrong with building this altar? (The other tribes thought it was part of idol worship. They thought the two and a half tribes would be using it to offer sacrifices to another god.)

1. The people have a good sense of history; they refer to the “sin of Peor.” What is that? (That is the idol worship where Phinehas played a leading role in stopping it. This makes clear why the tribes chose Phinehas to confront the two and a half tribes.)

F. Read Numbers 25:1-3. The background for the “sin of Peor” is found in Numbers chapters 22-24. The Moabites were very concerned about the Israelites as they approached the Promised Land. So the Moabite King Balak asked the prophet Balaam to curse the Hebrews. That did not work. So Balak got advice from Balaam that instead of trying to beat the Hebrews militarily, they should try to lead them into sin. This resulted in the Moabite women seducing the Hebrew men into temple prostitution involving Baal. That worked for a while. A plague broke out. And Phinehas brought the episode to a violent end. With Phinehas leading, would this be a no-nonsense meeting?

G. Read Joshua 22:19-20. The people have a good memory. What is it they fear might happen to them if the two and a half tribes are involved in idol worship? (All the tribes would be punished.)

1. Do you think this concern is justified?

H. Look again at Joshua 22:18 where it says that “tomorrow [God] will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel.” Is it true today that sin affects the entire church? (Yes. Sin is contagious. Sin is demoralizing.)

1. In our church today we find some sloppy thinking. We start with the true premise that we are all sinners. From that, some conclude that because we all sin, we should welcome sinners who demand that the church accept their sin. What is the logical problem with this argument? (Promoting sin and teaching others to accept sin is far different than acknowledging our sinful state.)

III. The Conversation

A. Let’s read what the two and a half tribes said in response to these charges. Read Joshua 22:21–23. Do all the tribes agree on the nature of the sin of idol worship? (Yes. There is no theological dispute.)

B. Read Joshua 22:24-25. Does this seem to be a reasonable fear? That the descendants of the rest of the tribes might tell the children of the two and a half tribes that they were not allowed to worship the true God?

1. Let’s step back and discuss evil surmising. Were the main tribes engaged in evil surmising against the two and a half tribes when they saw the huge altar?
2. Were the two and a half tribes engaged in evil surmising when they thought their children would be prevented from worshiping the true God by the rest of the tribes? (I think the answer to both these questions is “Yes.” This problem arose because of evil surmising on both sides.)

C. Read Joshua 22:26-28.  We earlier discussed what could be the purpose of a huge altar on which sacrifices were not made. What purpose do the two and a half tribes have for building it? (It is a sign, a symbol, a witness that the two and a half tribes believe in sacrificing to the true God.)

D. Read Joshua 22:29. When people in the church accuse you of wrongdoing, or engage in evil surmising against you, how do you react?

1. How would you grade the reaction of the two and a half tribes? (It was exactly right. I can imagine some thinking, “The last thing Joshua warned us about was idol worship, and now the rest of the tribes are accusing us of the same thing.” It might make you oversensitive about the subject and cause a less than gentle response.)

E. Read Joshua 22:30-31 and Joshua 22:33-34. What results from this “almost war” situation? (It was a renewal of commitment to the true God. The huge altar, as intended, was a “Witness” that “the Lord is God.”)

F. What lessons do you see in getting along with one another in church? (1. Don’t assume the worst. 2. Discuss it. Do not pick up your weapons first. 3. When someone accuses you of something, be kind.)

G. Read Psalm 133:1. What can you do to promote this goal in your church?

H. Friend, if you want peace in your church, determine not to assume the worst about others. When problems arise, talk them out. Like me, work on avoiding evil surmising. Will you agree to this?

IV. Next week: God is Faithful!

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/11-living-in-the-land-joshua-22-teaching-outline/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=11-living-in-the-land-joshua-22-teaching-outline