A Genuine Sacrifice? Part 4

By Andrew McChesney

About a year passed. Almira prayed and read the Bible every night to keep the evil spirit at bay. She attended church every Sabbath, enduring painful criticism and even threats from parents, relatives, and neighbors. But the rest of her life remained unchanged. She went to school on weekdays and often partied with friends at clubs on nights and weekends.

Image © Pacific Press

At 18, Almira reached a crossroads in her Christian faith. She came across a question that she could not answer. She couldn’t understand why the Bible called Jesus’ death a sacrifice. To her, Jesus’ death didn’t seem like a sacrifice. While He was cruelly persecuted and crucified, He surely knew that he would be resurrected, so how was His death a sacrifice? In contrast, Almira faced persecution every Sabbath, and she felt like she had sacrificed her relationship with her parents, relatives, and friends for Jesus. She had no idea how her story would end. She seemed to have made a greater sacrifice.

Stumped, she prayed for an answer. “Jesus,” she said, “I have read that I need to openly tell You about my worries and You will answer. Here’s what I propose: I will read about Your life in the gospels and The Desire of Ages every day. Please reveal to me what Your death on the cross means and why Your sacrifice was so great.”

Almira didn’t really want to read the Bible or Ellen White’s The Desire of Ages, but she forced herself to read both every day. At first, she fought boredom as she read. She didn’t have a close relationship with Jesus. Even though she worshiped on Sabbath, she lived her own life during the week.

Almira kept reading and finally found an answer. She read in The Desire of Ages, “Satan with his fierce temptations wrung the heart of Jesus. The Saviour could not see through the portals of the tomb. Hope did not present to Him His coming forth from the grave a conqueror, or tell Him of the Father’s acceptance of the sacrifice. He feared that sin was so offensive to God that Their separation was to be eternal” (753).

This was the answer to her prayer. Jesus also had been afraid that He would die forever, but He had been ready to take the risk for her. It struck her that He had not known the end, just as she did not know how her story would end. But He had risked His eternal life to save her.

Amazed by such infinite love, she poured out her heart in prayer. “Jesus, even if no one else on earth follows You, I will follow You,” she said.

She decided to give her life to Jesus in baptism.

Read more about Almira next week. Thank you for your mission offerings that help spread the gospel in Russia and around the world.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

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Further Thought:  Two notes help to expand our study of Ephesians 4:7-10:

1. Translating Ephesians 4:9. Some translations indicate that the descent occurs before the ascent (e.g., NKJV, “He also first descended”; KJV, RSV, ESV, NASB). Other translations follow the Greek text more closely, leaving the issue of the timing of the ascent and descent open (e.g., NIV, “What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?” ASV, HCSB, LEB, NLT), which allows for the view, expressed in Tuesday’s study, that the narrative order of Psalm 68:18 should be followed, with Christ’s exaltation to heaven (the “ascent”) occurring first, followed by His “descent” in the Spirit.

Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com

2. Leading captivity captive. In quoting Psalm 68:18 from the Greek Old Testament, called the Septuagint (an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament), Paul uses a phrase in Ephesians 4:8 that reads literally, “he took captive captivity” (reflected in some translations, e.g., KJV, NKJV, NRSV), but which is widely affirmed to mean, “he took as prisoners a group of captives” (reflected in the ESV, NASB, NIV, etc.). Seventh-day Adventists have often understood the phrase to refer to Christ’s act of taking back with Him to heaven, at His ascension, those raised in a special resurrection at the time of His own resurrection (Matthew 27:51-53). These constitute a “wave sheaf,” firstfruits of the redeemed, that He presents to the Father on His return to the courts of heaven (see The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1022; The Desire of Ages, p. 834, compare The Desire of Ages, Pages 785, 786). Alternatively, in line with Colossians 2:15, the passage could be taken, as a picture of Christ’s conquest over His foes — Satan and his evil angels — who are portrayed as defeated captives.

Discussion Questions:

<–Thursday

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/friday-further-thought-unified-body-of-christ/

p>Join It Is Written Sabbath School host Eric Flickinger and this quarter’s author, Dr John McVay, as they provide additional insights into this week’s Sabbath School lesson
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRhUePc-dsk&w=560&h=315]

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/7-the-unified-body-of-christ-it-is-written-discussions-with-the-author/

You can view an in-depth discussion of The unified Body of Christ in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PneUKvEsG8M&w=560&h=315]

With thanks to

Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.

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What danger threatens the Christlike maturity of the church? Ephesians 4:14.

Paul perceives an environment not unlike our own in which various ideas, such as “every wind of doctrine” and “deceitful schemes” (ESV), are thrust upon believers. He uses three sets of images to describe the dangers of wayward theology: (1) the immaturity of childhood, “so that we may no longer be children” (ESV); (2) danger on the high seas, “tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (ESV); (3) being swindled by clever people who, like gamblers, practice sleight of hand.

Image © Jeff Preston at Goodsalt.com

Paul uses figuratively the Greek word kubeia (“dice playing”) to mean “cunning” (ESV) or “trickery” (NKJV).

Paul believes divisiveness to be an important mark of error: That which nourishes and grows the body and helps it hold together is good while that which depletes and divides it is evil. By turning from the divisive teaching and to that of tested and trusted teachers (Ephesians 4:11), they will advance toward true Christian maturity and play effective roles in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13; compare Ephesians 4:15-16).

In what ways does a healthy church function like a healthy body? Ephesians 4:15-16.

In Ephesians 4:1-16, Paul advocates for the unity of the church and recruits the addressees to foster it actively. While unity is a theological certainty (Ephesians 4:4-6), it does require our hard work (Ephesians 4:3). One way we foster unity is by being active “parts” of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:7-16). Each of us is a part of the body and should contribute to its health and growth (Ephesians 4:7, Ephesians 4:16). We all should also benefit from the work of apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers (Ephesians 4:11). These, like ligaments, tendons, and “every joint” (Ephesians 4:16, ESV), have a unifying function, helping us grow up together into Christ, who is the head of the body (Ephesians 4:13, Ephesians 4:15).

<–Wednesday Friday–>

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