Closer To Heaven
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You can view an in-depth discussion of Receiving an Unshakeable Kingdom; in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. Click on the image to view:
With thanks to Hope Channel – Television that will change your life.
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/12-receiving-an-unshakeable-kingdom-hopess-video-discussion/
Noy was a wealthy woman who oversaw more than 100 workers at a family-owned coffee plantation in Laos. But then she fell ill with a mystery disease in her village.
Her physician couldn’t identify the illness.
Noy went to many medical doctors across southern Laos, but no one could help.
Her health grew worse and worse until she could not even walk and was confined to her bed. More than that, she nearly lost her mind. Many times, she could not remember people in her own family.
All her workers left because she did not pay their salaries. Villagers told her and her husband that she would not survive.
At this low point in Noy’s life, a visitor arrived from Laos’ capital, Vientiane. The visitor, like Noy, was not a Christian, but her son and daughter-in-law were Seventh-day Adventists. She told Noy about Jesus.
“Maybe Jesus can save your life,” she said.
With assistance from her husband, Noy found the telephone number of an Adventist pastor in the south and called him for help.
The pastor traveled to Noy’s village and prayed with her.
Noy was encouraged by the prayer, and she decided to move temporarily to Vientiane. She wanted to meet Adventist church members and get to know them.
When she arrived, she could not get off the bed, and she struggled to think clearly. Church members met and prayed with her regularly. Gradually, her health improved. She started to sit, stand, and walk.
Five months after falling ill, Noy returned to her home village in perfect health.
The villagers were surprised at what they saw. They had expected her to die, but she was alive and fully healed. Astonished, they asked her what happened.
“Jesus saved me from death,” Noy said.
Now many villagers are interested in knowing more about Jesus, the powerful physician who can heal all who ask Him.
Thank you for your Sabbath School mission offering that will help spread the gospel to the people of Laos and other countries of the Southern Asia-Pacific Division. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open an elementary school in Laos.
This mission story illustrates Mission Objective No. 2 of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s “I Will Go” strategic plan: “To strengthen and diversify Adventist outreach … among unreached and under-reached people groups, and to non-Christian religions.” Learn more at IWillGo2020[dot].org.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org
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“During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection the judgment of the wicked takes place. The apostle Paul points to this judgment as an event that follows the second advent. ‘Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.’ 1 Corinthians 4:5.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Daniel declares that when the Ancient of Days came, ‘judgment was given to the saints of the Most High.’ Daniel 7:22. At this time the righteous reign as kings and priests unto God. John in the Revelation says: ‘I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.’ ‘They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.’ Revelation 20:4, Revelation 20:6. It is at this time that, as foretold by Paul, ‘the saints shall judge the world.’ 1 Corinthians 6:2. In union with Christ they judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion which the wicked must suffer is meted out, according to their works; and it is recorded against their names in the book of death.
Satan also and evil angels are judged by Christ and His people. Says Paul: ‘Know ye not that we shall judge angels?’ Verse 3. And Jude declares that ‘the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.’ Jude 6.” — Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pages 660, 661.
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/friday-further-thought-receiving-unshakeable-kingdom/
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Hebrews 12:28 NKJV
For quite a while now, I have been studying the Sabbath school lesson every morning, over the phone with my father, who lives 1,200 miles away. I always look forward to this special time we can spend together. The other day, as we studied, I read the above passage. As I read, “a kingdom which cannot be shaken” my mind went to our dear brothers and sisters in the Ukraine. Their kingdom is being shaken. My father and I pray for them every morning now.
Meanwhile, with soaring gas prices and grocery stores having bare shelves, and various other inconveniences that United States citizens are not used to, we are sensing the vulnerability of our nation. Its always good to have a healthy sense of pride in your nation, but perhaps we in the United States have been a little too arrogant over the years? Maybe we think that, as United States Citizens, we are above suffering inconveniences that other countries suffer. If that is so, then that is not pride, that is arrogance.
Image © Review & Herald Publishing at Goodsalt.com
If as a United States citizen I think of myself as too good to suffer the same things that my brothers and sisters around the world suffer, then I divorce myself “from whom the whole family in heaven and earth” (See Ephesians 3:15.)
Several years ago I was on a mission trip to Peru. I and several others were holding reaping meetings after our Peruvian brothers and sisters had been having small group Bible studies in their homes. The Peruvians were honored to have U.S. citizens come to help them. They were surprised and pleased when I told them that they, along with us, were actually missionaries in Peru. Their citizenship, as well as mine, is in heaven. We are equals as we serve God together. At the end of our mission trip, our flight was delayed, and I ended up sleeping on the airport floor that night. I was perfectly comfortable on the floor that night, knowing that many of my Peruvian brothers and sisters, who were much more noble than I, also had no bed that night. After all, if they did not have a bed to sleep on that night, who was I to have a bed?
Now when I get into my comfy bed at home I realize there is only one reason that God has granted me a bed for the night, so that I can get a good nights rest in order to share the Gospel the next day. God does not owe me a bed. I owe God for giving me a bed. I assure you God does not think more highly of me than He does the beggar sleeping on the street. I can assure you God thought more highly of John the Baptist while he was being beheaded in prison, than He thinks of me sleeping comfortably in my own bedroom. I remember, while in Peru, all the children especially seemed to be awe of us United States citizens. They would flock around us and talk to us regardless if we could understand each other or not. They just loved being around us. I also remember one girl, about 12 years old or so, who would stand at a distance and watch with what I perceived as disdain as the other kids made over us. She refused to join them as she kept her nose in the air. Over time I realized she was not so impressed with us United States Citizens. She did not think we were “all that.” I agreed with her! We weren’t “all that.”
Revelation 6:14 speaks of “every mountain and rock being moved out of place.” The entire world is being and will be shaken. The Ukraine is being shaken, but so is the United States. It is time for us to identify more with the sufferings of our brothers and sisters around the world – more than we identify with our respective nations. It is time for us to identify more with our heavenly citizenship than our earthly citizenship. It is time to realize we are all citizens of heaven and each of us are here only as missionaries. Any advantage we have is only to be used to strengthen our brothers and sisters around the world. We are not too good to suffer anything our brothers and sisters around the world suffer. Hebrews 11:36-37 mentions those who,
had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented— Hebrews 11:36-37 NKJV
How can I, as a missionary in the United States have any ambition any higher than that? Am I any more special than my brother and sister missionaries around the world? Do I deserve any special treatment, privileges or favors beyond what they endure? NO! NO! NO!
While we pray for our heavenly family in the Ukraine, we must also suffer with them and share with them. They are our brothers and sisters in that family which spans heaven and earth. Regardless if we are missionaries in the United States or The Ukraine, or wherever you are reading this, we must realize we are only here to share the Gospel. When our respective nations are being shaken we must realize, we are only missionaries here. We must make sure we are a part of that kingdom which cannot be shaken. The kingdom that Our High Priest has now made us citizens is the only kingdom that will never be shaken. Friend, wherever you are reading this from, I invite you to be a part of Christ’s kingdom, which will never be shaken. By faith you can endure the trials, hardships and persecutions missionaries before you have suffered. By faith we can give our lives for the sake of the Gospel, and be a part of that kingdom which will never be shaken.
Outpost Centers International networks and nurtures hundreds of Adventist supporting ministries around the world. I have trusted them with my personal mission offerings for years. I would like to invite you to join me in ministering to our brothers and sisters in the Ukraine. If the Spirit leads you, you can go to the OCI Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund page. Alternately, you can also give through ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency), which has partnered with Hope Channel International to deliver aid to the Ukraine. I encourage you to give as the Spirit leads. Derek Morris is president of Hope Channel International. (Note that you can give to support Hope Channel International staff at the Hope Channel International URL, and you can give to the support of the general population of the Ukraine through the ADRA URL.)
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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/my-citizenship-is-in-heaven-im-only-here-as-a-missionary/
Hebrews concludes this section by pointing out that the appropriate response to God for all the wonderful things He has done for us is to show gratitude by offering Him an appropriate type of worship.
In the old covenant system, the sacrifice of animals was the way people showed repentance and gratitude, but these sacrifices were to be but a token of the gratitude and repentance in the heart of the worshiper. Thus, God made clear in the Psalms and through the prophets that what really pleased Him was not the blood of animals but the gratitude, good deeds, and righteousness of the worshipers (Psalm 50:7-23, Isaiah 1:11-17).
Image © Steve Creitz at Goodsalt.com
Thus, Paul invites us to worship God in the heavenly sanctuary by offering sacrifices of praise, confession, thanksgiving, and good works, which is the true worship that delights Him. We offer these sacrifices on earth, but they are accepted as pleasing to God in heaven. This exhortation embraces all the calls that the author has made throughout the letter for the confession of Jesus’ name (Hebrews 3:1, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 10:23) and His exhortations that we continue to do good works (Hebrews 6:10-12; Hebrews 13:1-2, , Hebrews 13:16).
The invitation of Paul to the audience to “offer to God acceptable worship” (Hebrews 12:28, ESV) implies that believers are truly now a priestly nation that has been perfected and sanctified through the sacrifice of Jesus (Hebrews 10:10-14, Hebrews 10:19-23). This fulfills God’s original purpose for Israel, that they would be a priestly nation through which He would be able to announce the good news of salvation to the world (Exodus 19:4-6; 1 Peter 2:9-10; Revelation 1:6; Revelation 5:10).
Hebrews 13:1-6 describes in practical terms what it means to do good and share what we have. It means to show brotherly love, just as Jesus showed brotherly love to us (Hebrews 2:11-12). It means to be hospitable, to visit those who are in prison or have been mistreated (Hebrews 13:3), and to reject adultery and covetousness.
| Why is it important to consider good works and sharing what we have as part of our worship to God? At the same time, what are the very real ways that our spiritual sacrifices to God may be corrupted (Isaiah 1:11-17)? |
(0)The post Thursday: Let Us Be Grateful appeared first on Sabbath School Net.
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