Closer To Heaven
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The Mission program of the Seventh-day Adventist Church is an opportunity for us to understand the needs of others and share in supporting them. Please click on the image below to watch the Mission Spotlight presentation for this week:
(0)The post Mission Spotlight for December 23 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-december-23/
Daily Lesson for Saturday 23rd of December 2023
Read for This Week’s Study
Revelation 1:1-7, 1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 14:6-12, Luke 11:23, 1 Timothy 2:4, Revelation 21:1-4.
Memory Text:
“Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God . . . ?” (2 Peter 3:11-12, NKJV).
The book of Revelation fills the mind with scenes of the end. The epicenter of the book deals with the cosmic conflict between Christ and Satan. Satan has lost his legal hold over the earth, and now he pursues those who remain loyal to God. The book climaxes with Jesus’ return to deliver His children, both the living righteous and those faithful ones who have died since the fall of Adam and Eve. The book shows us, too, the destruction of Satan and the wicked by fire, and Jesus’ establishment of His eternal kingdom on the earth made new.
Students of Revelation enthusiastically explore and seek to identify the predicted signs and events that mark church history from the first century ad to our day in the end of time. They are right to do so, too.
However, in this quarter’s final lesson, we will see that Revelation is a missionary book focused on a missionary God who is calling us to be a missionary church. Our calling to proclaim “present truth” to the world will exist right up until everyone has made the choice for or against God.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 30.
(2)The post Sabbath: The End of God’s Mission appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-13-the-end-of-gods-mission/
Monday’s section in this week’s lesson asks the question, “What circumstances might you think of where it could be prudent not to be overt about our faith? Or should we never do that? And if not, why not?” This question reminded me about the story about the unclean spirits and why Jesus told them to be quiet when they revealed Him as the Son of God.
And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God. And he straitly charged them that they should not make him known. Mark 3:11-12
Many people, even in our own ranks, accuse Seventh-day Adventists of being dishonest, when we cover up our church sign when holding evangelistic meetings. Often we drape a makeshift sign over the name “Seventh-day Adventist” with the speaker’s name, or the theme of the meetings. Maybe we start the meetings in a neutral meeting hall and announce later, after a few meetings, that we are Seventh-day Adventists. Why be so secretive? I have heard people say, “I am not ashamed to be an Adventist, so why do I need to hide it?”
Well Jesus was not ashamed to be the Son of God, but He still told the demons to be quiet when they announced it to the world. You see, for four thousand years, Satan had been telling humanity all kinds of lies about God and His character. Satan had even worked through un-Godlike priests and teachers to make God look stern, unforgiving and tyrant like. Jesus came with humanity draped over His divinity, to give people a chance to get to know Him first, before He revealed Himself to humanity as the Son of God. Thanks to Satan, there was too much prejudice against Him to just come right and say He was God, from the very beginning. People would have never given Him a chance with all their preconceived ideas about God. With humanity draped over His divinity, like a makeshift sign draped over a church sign, Jesus let the people find out how warm, caring and compassionate He was, and then once He had their confidence, He could let them know He was God.
Satan also told many lies about God’s remnant church. Many think we are a cult, or legalistic, so while being careful not to lie, some evangelists like to reveal that they are Adventists, after being given time to show that the Adventist church is a Bible-based, Christian, compassionate church. It has nothing to do with being ashamed or deceptive. It is the same principle Jesus used when telling the demons not to tell who He was.
Of course as we spend more effort reaching out to unchurched people, we find less prejudice. After all, it was mostly “religious” people who were prejudiced against Jesus. It is often other denominations that are prejudice against Adventists, but not so much the unchurched community. I understand the principles of evangelists, who do not like to announce upfront that they are Adventists. However, if asked directly what denomination I represent, I do not stutter or stammer. I say confidently that I am a Seventh-day Adventist. I then assure them that we are Christian Bible-based believers. I tell them, we believe Jesus is our only hope of salvation and our only example, therefore we go to church on the Bible Sabbath just like Jesus. Just like the woman at the well was receptive, when Jesus revealed Himself to her, I find many unchurched people receptive when I reveal our Bible based and Jesus centered beliefs.
While Jesus told the demons not to announce to the whole world who He was, He used wisdom in deciding when and to whom to reveal Himself. I do not always know who is prejudiced and who is not, so I pray for God to give me wisdom and the right words to say to each individual.
(0)The post When Should we Reveal our Identity? appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/when-should-we-reveal-our-identity/
Inside Story for Friday 22nd of December 2023
By Andrew McChesney
Since childhood, Joseph Delamou had gone to church daily and, following his father’s example, knelt before images. But he had a vivid dream when he asked God if he was going to the right church. He sensed that God was calling him to leave his father’s church.
-year-old Joseph joined another church in Conakry, capital of the French-speaking country of Guinea in West Africa. He soon became its youth leader, and he organized numerous outreach programs.
Several years passed, and Joseph’s father grew increasingly displeased with his son for going to another church. “I want you to learn English,” he said. “You need to give up your church activities and focus on English.”
Joseph was reluctant to stop going to church. But to make Father happy, he quit the outreach programs and enrolled in English lessons at the age of 23.
The English teacher, Fortunate Kaloubilori, opened the first lesson with the words, “Let’s pray.” Joseph was astonished. He had thought that he was giving up God to learn English, but the teacher prayed at every lesson.
Three weeks into the lessons, the teacher asked Joseph for help. “I have many papers to grade,” Fortunate said. “Please, could you stay and help?”
After grading the papers, Fortunate invited Joseph to study the Bible with him. Joseph was pleased. He thought, God is following me everywhere!
But the Bible study left him confused. He had left his father’s church to join another church. But now he was hearing new Bible teachings that seemed to lead to Fortunate’s church, the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
“This is because of my father,” Joseph told himself, bitterly. “If he hadn’t sent me to these lessons, I wouldn’t have these problems.”
He continued Bible studies for two months and then went to his pastor for advice. He wanted to know which church was right. The pastor dismissed the Adventists as incorrect.
“Don’t listen to them,” he said.
Joseph asked for a meeting with the pastor and Fortunate to discuss the Bible. The pastor refused to come and sent representatives. When the representatives failed to support their views from the Bible, the pastor demanded a second meeting. But again, he sent representatives whose answers didn’t satisfy Joseph.
Joseph decided to pray and fast for three days about what to do. Then he had another dream.
Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering on December 30 will help spread the gospel in the West-Central Africa Division, which includes Guinea. Thank you for planning a generous offering. Read more about Joseph and Fortunate (pictured) next week.
(3)The post Inside Story: Dreaming Dreams ~ Part 2 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-12-inside-story-dreaming-dreams-part-2/
Daily Lesson for Friday 22nd of December 2023
“To every household and every school, to every parent, teacher, and child upon whom has shone the light of the gospel, comes at this crisis the question put to Esther the queen at that momentous crisis in Israel’s history, ‘Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’ Esther 4:14.”—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 263.
“Esther was a beautiful Jewish girl, cousin of Mordecai, who took her into his home after her parents died, and loved her as his own daughter. God used her to save the Jewish people in the land of Persia.” (Note: This second paragraph above is introductory material included about Esther in Daughters of God on page 45 and was not written by Ellen White. However, the two subsequent quotations below were written by her.)
“In ancient times the Lord worked in a wonderful way through consecrated women who united in His work with men whom He had chosen to stand as His representatives. He used women to gain great and decisive victories. More than once, in times of emergency, He brought them to the front and worked through them for the salvation of many lives. Through Esther the queen, the Lord accomplished a mighty deliverance for His people. At a time when it seemed that no power could save them, Esther and the women associated with her, by fasting and prayer and prompt action, met the issue, and brought salvation to their people. . . .
“A study of women’s work in connection with the cause of God in the Old Testament times will teach us lessons that will enable us to meet emergencies in the work today. We may not be brought into such a critical and prominent place as were the people of God in the time of Esther; but often converted women can act an important part in more humble positions. This many have been doing and are still ready to do.”—Ellen G. White, Daughters of God, pp. 45, 46.
Discussion Questions
(1)The post Friday: Further Thought – Esther and Mordecai appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-12-further-thought-esther-and-mordecai/
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