Closer To Heaven
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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.
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/mission-spotlight-for-august-30/
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 30th of August 2025
Image © Pacific Press
Memory Text:
“So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the Lord has said we will do’ ” (Exodus 24:3, NKJV).
As their God, Creator, and Redeemer, the Lord desired to be with His people and to dwell in their midst. He created us to be in close fellowship with Him. Yet, if meaningful relationships with other people can be built only with time and effort, the same is true with our vertical relationship with God. It can be an uplifting and growth-filled experience, but only if we spend time with Him. In practical terms, this means studying His Word (God speaking to us), praying (opening our hearts to God), and witnessing to others about Christ’s death, resurrection, and return (engaging in God’s mission). As God blesses us, we will be a channel of blessings to others.
The focus should be on God, not on ourselves (Hebrews 12:1-2). By our connecting with Him, God can empower us to follow His teachings, which means obedience to His Word. No wonder the end-time generation of Christ’s followers are described as people “who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, NKJV).
It’s simple, really: we love God, and, out of that love, we obey Him.
(2)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-10-the-covenant-and-the-blueprint/
When we read about slavery in the Bible, we think of it as something from ancient history, or even from more recent history. Many people are unaware that slavery is a current event in our world.
In fact, it is estimated that there are more slaves in the world today than at any time in earth’s history. The Walk Free Foundation states that, “Modern slavery includes forced labor, forced or servile marriage, debt bondage, forced commercial sexual exploitation, human trafficking, slavery-like practices, and the sale and exploitation of children.” With this definition as the basis of its research, Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index in 2021 estimated that there were about 49.6 million slaves around the world. (“Slavery in the 21st century,” Wikipedia. Accessed August 28, 2025.)
This number has certainly increased since 2021, possibly eclipsing the 50 million mark. It is estimated that there are currently over 1.1 million enslaved individuals in the United States, the “land of the free.” Slavery is more than a historical event; it is a current issue.
This is a sad commentary on the state of humanity in this so-called enlightened age. It seems that “the more things change, the more they remain the same,” regarding mankind’s fallen spiritual condition. Satan plans to enslave every person created in the image of God in one manner or another, whether through physical slavery of individuals or people or slavery to sin. Speaking of the latter, Paul wrote in Romans 6:16: “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?”
What can we do about it? Regarding spiritual slavery, the only way to freedom is found in submission to Christ. Jesus came to set the captives free. We don’t have to remain slaves to sin and the devil. Cry out to Jesus for deliverance.
Regarding modern-day physical slavery, we need to be informed and become voices of opposition against human exploitation in its many forms. We must be aware of people around us who may be being held against their will or being abducted into a life of enslavement.
Do you know the now-universal hand signal for help by someone being held or secreted away against their will? The hand signal for help in human trafficking involves raising your hand with the palm facing outward, tucking your thumb in, and folding your fingers down over the thumb. Ideally, the signal is flashed three times by uncovering the thumb and covering it again. This gesture can alert others that you, or someone else, is in danger and needs assistance. This signal is often relayed behind the victim’s back. We need to teach this to everyone we know.
If you see someone using this hand signal, you must act quickly. I have seen public service commercials showing a person seeing this hand signal, immediately calling 911 or emergency services while filming the event and alerting the abductor that they are being filmed and reported to emergency personnel, such as the Police. In such an instance, time is of the essence, with only seconds to act. We indeed are our brother’s keeper. This type of intervention has saved many potential victims of nefarious individuals. An interesting true story about how a simple hand signal saved a teenager is “One Small Gesture, One Giant Act Against Human Trafficking,” Mitzi Purdue, Psychology Today, November 23, 2021.
We must pray for both the perpetrators and their victims, but we must do more than pray. We can support organizations dedicated to rescuing victims of human exploitation.
A good friend and Christian brother recently shared how his son, an Evangelical Pastor, had gone on a mission trip to Pakistan to not only preach the Gospel, but also to liberate individuals from human slavery by redeeming them through paying off the debt that they owed. In a particular village, the owner of the local brick factory was the wealthiest person because he used slave labor. People would come to him for emergency financial assistance to cover the cost of a life-saving surgery or some other urgent need. He would then make them indentured servants (slaves) working in his brick factory, unable to leave until they had worked off their debt. Of course, the rate of pay was ridiculously low, which for many caused them to work many years to pay off a relatively small amount. This Pastor and his church were able to redeem several families for sums as low $67 USD. Not only that, but they also purchased sewing machines and bicycles for them, enabling them to earn an income.
We must put “shoe leather” to the Gospel if we ever hope to reach the world with the Good News of Christ’s salvation. It’s not enough to just pray for or teach them the facts. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
The story is told of a man who was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking up starfish and throwing them into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “Excuse me, but what are you doing?”
The boy replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The sun is rising and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
The man laughed and said, “But there are too many starfish on this beach. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the ocean. Then, turning to the man, he said, “I made a difference to that one. “
We might not be able to save everyone caught in the grip of slavery, but for every one saved, it makes all the difference in the world. Be the agent of change that you want to see in the world. Christianity is not a spectator sport. What would you want done for you if you somehow found yourself abducted or enslaved? We must “love our neighbor as ourselves,” (Matthew 22:39)and “do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” (Matthew 7:12)This is our mandate from our Master. So, help us, God!
(4)Inside Story for Friday 29th of August 2025
By Andrew McChesney
Carl Casey, a helicopter pilot and science teacher in Alaska, had a stroke at the age of 51. He couldn’t understand why. Long before becoming a Seventh-day Adventist, he had stopped eating unclean meat after seeing that the Bible spoke against it and reading scientific evidence that backed it up.
The stroke shattered Carl’s life in Fairbanks. He couldn’t walk or work.
Then he read in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV). He had read the verse many times, but now it took on a new meaning. He saw it didn’t say “all things are good for those who love God” but rather “all things work together for good to those who love God.”
Carl stopped asking why. Instead, he asked God to use his stroke to win souls in Alaska. He wanted to be able to echo Joseph and say, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).
Carl began to look for opportunities to witness in Alaska, which is a challenging mission field with a difficult history; long, cold winters; and limited roads and other infrastructure across a vast territory. Only about 3,000 Adventists live among the population of 733,000. Carl quickly realized that his wheelchair put him in a unique position. It was hard for people not to notice him. With their attention, he spoke glowingly about his love for God.
People responded with surprise. “You’re in a wheelchair, and you care about God?” they asked.
“You betcha!” Carl replied. Then he extolled God’s great love. He shared Romans 3:23, which says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and John 3:16, which says all who believe in Jesus have eternal life. He encouraged people to read the Bible daily and grow close to God, believing that once a relationship was formed, everything else would fall into place, including doctrines like the Sabbath and teachings such as the Levitical diet.
Carl readily admits that a healthy diet didn’t prevent his stroke. “My stroke was not from eating unhealthily but just the result of living in a sinful world,” he said. “I’m lucky to be alive. Most people die after a stroke like this.” He still recommends and follows the Levitical diet as the path to a longer, healthier life.
Nearly a decade after his stroke, he can say that lives have been changed because of the stroke.
“I will see people in heaven because I had this stroke,” Carl said. “People will be there who wouldn’t have been there otherwise. So, all things work together for good to those who love God.”
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-09-inside-story-all-things-working-together/
Was the primary purpose of the statutes and judgments to ensure that there would be order in the community? Join the Hit the Mark Sabbath School panel as we discuss that question and more as we study Lesson 10 – Living the Law. It’s the fastest hour of the week!
(0)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/living-the-law-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/
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