Daily Lesson for Monday 6th of November 2023

It is interesting that at first the disciples did not believe out of fear. Then, after seeing Jesus and being assured that He was indeed alive, they did not believe for joy (Luke 24:41). Have you ever felt that something was too good to be true? This was the experience of the disciples and the others in the upper room.

If Jesus had left them only with this experience, however, then when He departed, their faith might not have lasted. Over time the power of the experience could have faded; they would forget, or start, perhaps, even to question it. So, Jesus didn’t stop with showing them His scars and eating fish in front of them. Instead, He then took them into the Word and showed them the prophetic foundation for His work and ministry. That is, no matter how great the experience that they had with Him, Jesus still wanted their faith grounded in the Word of God.

“ ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me’ ” (Luke 24:44, NKJV).

Here, too, we find a powerful motivation for witness, for mission: the Word of God. Jesus knew that to solidify the disciples’ experience, they needed to understand why He had to die and what His resurrection signified. They needed their worldview to be shifted from a political and earthly kingdom to the great solution to sin and the victory of Christ over death. The gospel was so much more than achieving political sovereignty for Israel. It revealed Christ’s victory over Satan and guaranteed that one day all wickedness in the world would be destroyed, that the earth would be created anew, and that God would be among His people. He “opened their understanding” (Luke 24:45, NKJV) so they could comprehend these truths, which they were to share with the world.

Our experiences with Jesus cannot be sustained without the foundation of His Word, including the prophecies that point to the history and events leading up to, and including, the first and second advents of Christ. With these truths firmly understood, we can be ready and motivated for mission.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-06-a-prophetic-foundation/

Daily Lesson for Sunday 5th of November 2023

Early Sunday morning, after Jesus’ death, Luke says that a number of women went to the tomb. They had spices with them; so, it is likely they were going to tend to Jesus’ body now that the Sabbath was over. Expecting to find a still-sealed tomb, they were shocked to find the tomb empty. Unsure what to do, they were afraid when two men in shining clothing appeared. However, the men had a message for them. Reminding them of Jesus’ words, they told the women that Jesus had indeed risen, as He had said He would. Overjoyed with the news, they quickly returned to where the disciples and many of Jesus’ other followers were staying and told what they had seen and heard, because their excitement could not be contained. That is, they were sharing with others what they had learned of Christ.

Can you imagine how the women must have felt? They had just had an amazing experience, one that certainly filled them with awe, but the disciples called their experience “idle tales” and would not believe them. Thus, not sure whether to believe the women or not, Peter ran to the tomb to see for himself.

For Peter—and for many of us—there is a hesitancy to accept something simply because someone else said it. Though Peter listened to the women, he could not share in their experience until later. At first, all he experienced was an empty tomb, and that, Luke says, simply left him “marveling to himself” (Luke 24:12, NKJV). His experience at the tomb was not the same as that of the women.

Regardless of Peter’s response, as soon as these women heard the news about Jesus, they wanted to share it with others. What greater motivation for mission could there be than to let others know about what Jesus has done for them? What greater motive than to spread the good news of salvation in Jesus, the only hope any of us have?

Of course, we need a personal experience with God ourselves before we can share it with others. Our desire to share with others what we love so much must be a crucial part of our motivation for mission. In the end, we can’t share what we ourselves don’t have, can we?

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-06-to-share-the-good-news/

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:

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The post Mission Spotlight for November 04 appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-november-04/

Daily Lesson for Saturday 4th of November 2023

Read for This Week’s Study

Luke 24:1-12; Luke 24:36-49; Acts 1:12-26; Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:1-41; 1 Corinthians 11:1.

Memory Text:

“ ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me’ ” (Luke 24:44, NKJV).

Wrote Paul to the Philippians: “Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice” (Philippians 1:15-18, NKJV).

Powerful words! Whether in “pretense or in truth,” Christ is preached—and that is what mattered to Paul. Ideally, though, our motives for preaching Christ, for mission, for reaching others with the good news, should be out of love, and out of truth—and not from selfish ambition, envy, or strife.

What, then, are some of the motivations for preaching Christ, and what are some of the ways that we can prepare for doing this?

This week we will look at some events in the early church that can give us guidance on these crucial parts of mission.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 11.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/23d-06-motivation-and-preparation-for-mission/

Are you “wall flower” – someone who at social gatherings spends most of their time standing and watching, rather than participating?

Or are you a “lurker” – someone who visits Facebook or other social media and just reads what everybody is saying but don’t contribute to the discussion?

Some of us, for good or bad, are more comfortable standing on the side lines of whatever is going on than we are getting out into the middle of things and participating. I am one of those people. We are called “introverts.” We’re not necessarily shy. We just prefer to watch and listen to the stuff going on around us rather than taking an active role. I don’t believe being an introvert or an extrovert is, in itself, a good or bad thing. They’re just different ways in which we interact with the world around us.

Having said that, wall flowers or not, we are all called to actively spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, I don’t believe all of us need to rush right out and volunteer to do an evangelistic series at the nearest auditorium, but we are each responsible to share our personal experience with Jesus with the individuals we live and work with. Comfortable or not, we each have a job to do.

“For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’”

Romans 10:13-15

Whether we like it or not, we are each called to “preach the gospel of peace” and “bring tidings of good things.” How we carry out our calling is up to us. It doesn’t take any special training. We don’t need any degrees or diplomas. We just need to tell someone what Jesus has done for us.

Lots of us want to believe that, since the pastor has had specialized training, he’s the one responsible for all the evangelism that goes on in the church. We would like to believe that one-on-one witnessing and Bible study are for the elders, the deacons and the Bible workers to do. But that’s just not true.

The truth is, no matter how well those people do their jobs, we make up the point of personal contact. If we’re not doing our part, the mission is not complete.

“Our heavenly Father has been pleased to make men co-laborers with himself in the work of human redemption. Those who have been commissioned to preach the gospel are not the only ones whom he will use as his instruments. All whose minds have been illuminated by the Holy Spirit will in their turn be required to enlighten others. ‘None of us liveth to himself.’ Every individual has his station of duty in the accomplishment of God’s great plan. And every one who receives and obeys the light which God has given, will be a living witness for Christ and the truth.”

E.G. White, Review and Herald, February 9, 1886, p. 4

That doesn’t leave any room for doubt, does it? Every one of us has an assigned task to do. Do we need to be trained to do our task? It couldn’t hurt, but do we really need someone else to teach us how to tell what Jesus has done for us? Not really. Will we make mistakes? Probably. Should the fear of making a mistake stop us? No. Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would give us the words to say when we need them, right?

“But if you have an eye single to his glory, you need not take thought as to how you shall witness for his truth. “‘Take no thought how or what ye shall speak: … for it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.’ How can the Spirit of God communicate with you? It is the Holy Spirit that is to bring to your remembrance whatsoever Jesus has said unto you. Are you now hearing the words of Christ? Does the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom? … O if you were hidden in Christ, if you were on the Rock of Ages, when you are brought before kings and great men, it would be evident that Jesus was at your side, and you would know just what answer to give, for the Spirit would give you what you should utter. Praise God for this promise!”

Ellen G. White, Review and Herald, April 26, 1892, p. 9

Witnessing is not just the preacher’s job; it’s not just the deacons’ or the elders’ job. It’s our job, too.

Do you have any idea how many people are waiting to be introduced to Jesus?

“In Matthew 9:37, Jesus tells his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.’ The results of a 2007 survey illustrates this point well:

* 82 percent—the number of un-churched people who are receptive to attending church if invited and escorted by a friend

* 21 percent—the number of church-going Christians who invited someone to church in 2006”

Bill White, Outreach Pastor  Emmanuel Reformed Church, Paramount, California)

Isn’t that tragic? Notice it doesn’t say that they’re receptive to a flyer they get in the mail, or an advertisement they see on TV. They want to be invited and escorted by a friend!

Wow! Even we introverts can invite someone to come to church with us!

Many of us come to church every week and sit in the same spot. We listen to the sermon, wish our church friends a “Happy Sabbath,” and then we go home and don’t think about anything spiritual again until the next Sabbath. We do our best to keep a low profile. That way nobody will ask us to do anything extra. Who’s got time for that? We are wall flowers, lurkers, bystanders, and we’re okay with that.

The truth is, giving our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies into the care of Jesus is not the end but the beginning. From that moment on we have a God-given responsibility to glorify God through the lives we live and the words we say. We are the evidence that either God or Satan will use to prove the righteousness of God to angels, men, and beings from other worlds. (See 1 Cor. 4:9) What kind of evidence will my life be if I go through my life as a wallflower?

We’ve learned from experience that no matter how good the pastor is, if a person doesn’t feel welcome in a church family, he or she quits coming. No matter how many people a pastor baptizes, if the church members don’t immediately start building relationships with them, they won’t stay.

What does that mean to me as an introvert? It means that every time someone slips out of the backdoor of my church, I’m probably guilty of not sharing the joy I’ve found in Jesus with a baby Christian. I’m guilty of standing by and waiting for someone else to do my job. And, honestly, no one else can do my job. God has equipped me with a particular set of experiences that will speak specifically to the needs of some other person. If I don’t share my testimony with anyone, I am a guilty bystander.

Don’t be a guilty bystander. Share Jesus!

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