Friday: Further Thought – Authentic Christian Ministry
Daily Lesson for Friday 4th of September 2026
Further Thought:
Read Ellen G. White, “The Message Heeded,” Pages 323–334, in The Acts of the Apostles.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
Last week, we read the above cited passage in The Acts of the Apostles. It is worth rereading it. This time, dwell a little bit more on the parts referring to Paul’s severe letter, his feelings upon writing it, and his joy upon receiving the good news about the sincere repentance of the addressees. Then, reflect on what this tells us about the authenticity of Paul’s ministry and what lessons we can apply to our work for Christ.
“We are to reveal to the universe, to the world fallen and to worlds unfallen, that there is forgiveness with God, that through the love of God we may be reconciled to God. Man repents, becomes contrite in heart, believes in Christ as his atoning sacrifice, and realizes that God is reconciled to him.”—Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies On Education, p. 223.
“As a church, we have received great light. This light the Lord has entrusted to us for the benefit and blessing of the world. To us has been given the ministry of reconciliation. With power from on high we are to beseech men to be reconciled to God.”—White, Letter 32, 1903.
Once reconciled to God, people must seek holiness. Commenting on 2 Corinthians 7:1, Ellen G. White hints at what Paul meant by “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1, NKJV). She says Paul sought to help the new converts “to become self-reliant, growing Christians, strong in faith, ardent in zeal, and wholehearted in their consecration to God and to the work of advancing His kingdom.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 201.
Discussion Questions
|
Often, when we participate in forum discussions such as this one, we hide ourselves behind a wall of words. We reveal very little about ourselves. Most of us are fairly good at generating something that sounds Christian in general and appeals to an Adventist audience. I often read the words others have written in this forum and wonder what sort of person wrote it. Is the writer a struggling Christian/Adventist, a confident well-read theologian, a student, a lawyer? Does the writer enjoy good health? What country do they live in? But a lot of this information is hidden behind Adventist answers shored up with a few quotes from either Scripture or Ellen White. And I am pretty sure that some of you are using AI generators/grammar-checkers and so on to get the sequence and syntax right. I don’t know whether you have a twinkle in your eye, get upset when your sleep is interrupted, enjoy country and western music, own a gun, or love cats.
Read Paul’s letters. He reveals so much about himself. He talks about his journey, his education as a Pharisee, his fervour in persecuting Christians, his epiphany on the road to Damascus, his sojourn in the wilderness, his spiritual journey and his struggles. Paul was not a guru hiding behind well chosen words. He comes across as a passionate Christian who loves his converts. He makes himself vulnerable so that people can identify with him, and ultimately with Jesus.
Remember the conflict Paul had with Barnabas, over John Mark. They parted company over it. Yet years later, the rift is healed and Paul specifically asks for John Mark to be sent to him in prison.
He is strong enough to face Peter and tell him he is behaving badly when he eats separately from the Gentiles. His idea of love included accountability for actions. That must have been a hard call for Paul.
Paul is supportive of women. If that is a surprise, read what he has to say about Phoebe (Rom 16, 1-2), Priscilla, who he always mentions before her husband (1 Cor 16:19), Junia who with (possibly her husband) Andronicus, he calls outstanding apostles (Rom 16,7), and Euodias and Syntyche who he pleads to get along together, reminding them they are both outstanding leaders (Phil 4:2,3)
The Bible, and Paul’s epistles are not theological textbooks. They are case studies in relationships, both divine and human It is a reminder that our theology is not carefully written dogma crafted in unambiguous language but rather the story of (sometimes messy) interactions of people with God and one another.
If there is one takeaway from this week’s study it is that we need to know one another better because our relationships are ultimately more important than our words.
Thank you Brother Maurice (you might have meant the first paragraph rhetorically but I felt the need to share).
I live in Johannesburg South Africa, don’t own a gun, love gospel music, love dogs, a Seventh-Day Adventist, who was born in the church but left for many years, but I thank Jesus Christ that He didn’t leave me in my worldly squalor; 1 Cor 9-11 “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God”.
May we keep praying for each other, no matter what trials and temptations we may be going through and be thankful for The Living God who will never fail us.
1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Ps. 71 years old, still endeavouring to study the Word and realising daily that I don’t know much, but will press on with faith that comes from our Heavenly Father.
Thank you for sharing, Lorraine. It was more of an invitation than a rhetorical question and I am glad you have answered. Sharing is an important part of our spiritual experience. you have set a great example.
Maurice
Thank you Maurice for your trend of thought. I grew up in the care of my mother, a single parent ; now deceased. I never got married and I have no children.
To a significant degree I cherish “the sound of silence”. It appears as a child she had no one with whom she could have left me. I remember her saying to me when she left for work; “your breakfast is on the table; your lunch is on the table ; do not leave this house!”
My circumstances crafted an unusual human being with major points of strength and major points of weakness. Of course I have changed over the years; but not totally.
I wish that we ( who share frequently on the blog) could all meet together physically one day. You might be a bit suprised that I don’t have much to say. Just look at you and listen.
This journey of life in Christ is beyond fascinating. We will all most likely die before Christ returns. How very much we need each other as Christians and particularly as Seventh Day Adventists. Oh the loneliness of Seventh Day Adventism ! Yes, amazingly, though I enjoy “the sound of silence” ; I have an appetite for “the sound of the voices and written words” of my brothers and sisters in Jesus.
It would be so nice if we could call each other on the phone during the week and chit-chat and pray together a bit. It would be so nice if our brothers and sisters in Jesus could be your friends.
Deep Bro. Maurice. I realize that many times when you comment you share personal experiences and when you ask questions of others based on their posts you are trying to get a personal practical answer of their experiences. Thanks.
Thank you for your insightful comments Maurice. When I teach the sabbath school class at my church in Columbus Ohio, USA, I often make the point that church (ecclesia) is about people. It is the reason by Jesus formed the church. It is for fellowship, so that we work to strengthen each other spiritually.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we, the ss.net group, plan a long weekend get-together. How nice it would be if we all meet in person and put faces to our comments.
The Aussies might be able to. For me, I’m on the other side of the world. But perhaps we can have a get together in Heaven.
When I first started communicating in Sabbath School Net in the late 1990s I was still travelling to the USofA to present papers at computer science conferences. Typically, I would tell folk on Sabbath School Net where I was going, I would make the travel arrangements so that we would have a weekend included in the travel. I met some wonderful SSNET friends face-to-face that way. Regretfully, some of them have passed away since then, but I still keep in contact with the living ones. There are some whom I have never met but who have contacted me in other ways and we have also developed firm friendships over the years. I think my travel days are over now, particularly for long-haul flights, but if you come to Australia and come within a stone’s throw of Avondale let me know, and at the very least we can say “Hello!”
I have relatives in Australia but in Perth, so if I end up in Australia, I will still be on the wrong side!
Yes, Perth is a long way from Sydney. I should know; I have driven it 4 times; twice when there were 360 miles of gravel roads in the Nullarbor!
Christina, many of us are in the US and other countries. We had a pastor who always prayed at the end of his sermons that we would all meet “at that great international camporee when Jesus returns”. I look forward to meeting all my Sabbath School Net family, Hope Sabbath School family, and all our brothers and sisters who I may never meet on this earth.
Yes, I know there are some Americans. It does seem like we have a lot of Australians, though. I am Canadian. I don’t know if I will have opportunity to meet any of you on this earth, but hope to one day soon on the new one.
I am a woman who has seen over 60 years on this earth, transplanted several times, now residing in northeast Texas,USA.(Think swamps,snakes, alligators, etc) I have survived vehicle accidents, animal bites, near drownings,traumatic surgeries, growing up with four brothers, a life history that was never boring, and also etc.
Through it all, I have learned not to take anything in life for granted.
God has blessed us with so much to help us through our journey, we only need to be aware of it to realize the gifts.
Nature provides us with beauty, sounds, scents and more, even a mere pebble can fascinate.
Having been unable to walk, I appreciate each step as a blessing, even though they are painful.
I also appreciate personal stories about other people’s lives that illustrate lessons.
Like you said, it helps us to relate on a personal level as to what is being conveyed.
Thank you for all those anecdotes you have shared from your life.
Brother Maurice, I also enjoy getting to know our Sabbath School Net family better through comments. I have never met you, but I feel I know you through the personal stories and the beautiful bird videos you share.
I grew up in a Baptist home knowing nothing about Seventh Day Adventism. I had always accepted what I was taught as truth. When I married my husband, he introduced me to the Adventist church and I began studying the Bible with the intent to understand the truth. When I discovered the Sabbath truth, I decided to be baptized as an Adventist. I am the first in my family, and it was difficult at first. My mom especially felt I was rejecting everything she taught me. I explained that I wasn’t rejecting everything, but that I had a more accurate understanding. I pray for my family to one day understand the full Bible truth and not just what they’ve always been taught.
I enjoy spending time gardening, hiking, and taking photos in nature. I am very creative and knit, crochet, and sew small items to give away, like small hearts with Bible verses or affirming quotes that I give away when someone seems to need a hug or a kindness. I teach children’s and adult Sabbath School occasionally in our very small church, and work with Pathfinders and Adventurers. I work in a grocery store, which often gives me brief opportunities to share my faith with others.
I look forward to getting to know all the Sabbath School Net family one day at Jesus’ return. I believe we will recognize each other by our hearts.
Hello, from a fellow bird lover in Colorado. It would be so easy to just spill my guts here, but I know I can’t. One thing this church sorely lacks is mental and emotional support for people who are struggling with trauma. Born and raised 72 year old Adventist here, but barely holding on. Maurice, just know that your practical, timely comments are a blessing here.
Thanks for this, Maurice. And I think Paul’s letters had power because of their obvious authenticity, which the Holy Spirit could use for His purposes.
In the same way, sharing our personal experiences on this blog is more meaningful than impersonal essays. I feel I know some people who contribute to this blog because they share a little bit of their lives now and then.
More and more the world seems to be wanting nothing to do with sorrow. Most people have immersed themselves in busyness, entertainment, music, therapy, and even medication as they seek to escape sorrow rather than understand its purpose. The maxim, “If it makes me sad, it must be bad!” seems to shape our perception of sorrow by default. Yet Paul teaches and demonstrates that sorrow is not always a bad thing; sometimes, it can be deeply beneficial and even spiritually necessary. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul says that he does not regret causing them sorrow, because although his letter grieved them for a time, that sorrow led them to repentance: “Yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended” (2 Corinthians 7:9). Their sorrow was not an end in itself; God used it as a pathway to transformation.
God desires His people to experience sorrow when they have sinned against Him. Paul explains that “godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death” (2 Corinthians 7:10). True repentance therefore involves more than simply acknowledging that we have done wrong; it includes genuine sorrow over having grieved God and dishonoured His holiness. Judas provides a sobering contrast. After betraying Christ, he “felt remorse,” returned the thirty pieces of silver, and confessed, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood” (Matthew 27:3–4). Judas recognized his sin, experienced deep remorse, and even attempted to reverse the consequences of his betrayal. Yet his sorrow did not lead him back to God in repentance and faith; instead, overwhelmed by despair, he ultimately took his own life. His experience illustrates Paul’s warning: worldly sorrow produces death, whereas godly sorrow produces repentance that leads to salvation.
Hi people.
Contribution for Sabbath commencement of onevoice 2027.
Life and love
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Fast this life of mine was dying…blind already and calm as death…
Snowflakes on her bosom lying… scarcely heaving with her breath…love came by and having known her in a dream of fabled lands… gently stooped and laid upon her mystic chrism of holy hands…drew his smile across her folded eye lids as the swallow dips…breathed as finely as the cold did through the locking of her lips. So when life looked upward being warmed and breathed on from above..what sight could she have for seeing evermore…but only love? reneanne Anderson.
Life Application – Lesson learnt.
One of the hardest things in Christian leadership is learning that causing sorrow does not always mean that we have done wrong. Sometimes, even when we speak in good faith and out of genuine love, the truth will hurt.
My natural response/reaction is to apologize immediately, withdraw, and leave the matter alone. But Paul’s experience challenges us to distinguish between unnecessary hurt caused by our manner and godly sorrow caused by necessary truth.
Paul did not celebrate the Corinthians’ pain, nor did he become defensive. He waited for the fruit of his correction. When Titus reported that their sorrow had produced repentance, Paul was comforted and exceedingly joyful.
This gives me an important personal lesson: when I exercise tough love, I should examine my heart and my manner, but I should not automatically abandon the truth simply because it has caused pain or discomfort.
I should ask myself:
-Was I motivated by love or by anger?
-Was what I said truthful and necessary?
-Did I speak with humility and respect?
-Am I willing to apologize for my manner if I was wrong, without apologizing for the truth itself?
-Can I give God time to work rather than immediately trying to undo what I said because someone was hurt?
Paul’s example shows that standing firm does not mean becoming hard-hearted. He remained deeply affectionate toward the Corinthians, “you are in our hearts”, while standing by the correction he had given them.
Perhaps the balance is this:
I must be humble enough to examine myself, loving enough to apologize when I am wrong, but courageous enough not to withdraw the truth merely because it has caused sorrow. Tough love is not about winning an argument; it is about loving someone enough to risk temporary sorrow for the possibility of lasting restoration.
And ultimately, like Paul, we should learn to leave the fruit of our words in God’s hands. Our responsibility is to speak the truth in love; God’s responsibility is to use that truth to bring repentance, healing and transformation.
I was intrigued by Maurice’s opening statement regarding the people behind these postings. I typically conjure up a mental picture of each person but I’m mindful that I may be way off base.
However, what the person has said in the posting does give at least a glimpse into who this person is.
At the risk of sounding like I’m trying hard to be ‘Adventistically spiritual’ I think the words in Scripture give me a small and sometimes larger view of the authors ( and translators)and ultimately of The Creator.
These are rambling thoughts from a somewhat senior Black female ‘progressive Adventist’who has had the privilege of living and working or visiting all continents except Australia
Indeed Maurice! I love the the use of the word picture, “wall of words.” We humans are pretty good at hiding our inner person. We can hide behind pretty much anything that conceals the inner struggling self. We sometimes put up a false fascade to convince others and often ourselves that we have it all together, no pain, no struggles, anxieties, etcetera. We can come across as the perfectly polished Pharisee who appears from the outside to be living their best life, when reality tells a much different story.
The age of technolgy has given us digital screens to hide behind and a boldness and sometimes a “keyboard warrior” persona. What if we as “the church” would take off our masks and entered into genuine fellowship, sharing who we really are behind the digital curtain? I believe that community is forged in transparency.
I’ll be first to admit that I still struggle to connect with God as a heavenly Father, probably because my earthly father left home when I was nine years old. He had his own issues to work through. Later in life he shared his own brokenness with me and apologized for failing his family. The wound was healed but the scars remain to this day.
I’m not suggesting that we air out our dirty laundry in public but that we are authentic. The times that I best connected in ministry are the times that I shared my testimony of how God reached down into my shattered life and began picking up and reassembling the pieces. I’m still a work in process. Truth be told, we all are. Yet, the God of Heaven and earth desires to use us for His glory. He does it best when we are real and let his light shine out from the cracks in our fascade. Indeed, God has hidden this “treasure” in cracked jars of clay. I am so glad that God still uses “cracked pots.” This way He gets the glory. It’s not about us, yet He shares with us the joy of letting His light shine out through “the cracks” to lighten the path of some wayward fellow traveler.
This our prayer should be; “Lord, deliver me from the Pharisee in me!”
Hi people.
Erton Kohler is his name.. uplifting Jesus is his game…
With onevoice 2027..
He points the way to heaven..
……..!!!!!
……..?????
Reneanne Anderson
Hi Reneanne,
You are obviously passionate about onevoice 2027 and I don’t want to put a damper on your enthusiasm. But I don’t think promoting the General Conference president is really what we should be doing. He’s just a man. Hopefully he is pointing the way to Heaven, as hopefully we all are, but he’s not the most important person in the church and we shouldn’t treat him as such. Much better to emphasize Jesus and not people. You never know when one of the “stars” will let you down.
Hi people
Did our hearts ever burn within us?????????
Reneanne Anderson
“Did our hearts ever burn within us.” Absolutely, and continues to burn within us, if we choose to connect with our Christ on a daily basis. Isaiah 26:3. Hebrews 7:25. Now I assume you are talking about a John 3:5 experience of sitting down with Christ in a private conversation, much the way Nicodemus did approximately 2000 years ago. The warm spot within his heart was kindled into a fire as Christ answered his question of what must I do to be saved? Well he did not say that, but Christ read his mind of to what he really came to Him privately for. From what I believe, this man of high regard in the Jewish nation of the time of Christ, kept the fire burning but very well contained within a small fire pit in his heart until after Christ death for our sins and was resurrected to fulfill prophecy and allow to us to either be changed in the twinkling of an eye to immortality, or be resurrected to the same. Whichever I will be totally happy with.
I read half of the book entitled ‘Lord You Can Have Your Mansions, just save my children.’ Half way through the book the author said, “It is obvious that you have read this far, and I am sure you know by now, I am interested also in you as a parent reading this book.” I plan to read the second half someday, when my wife and I make it back from our traveling to the Pacific Northwest, which will soon be our settling down place with our children and grandchildren. Paul was interested in kindling a fire and keeping it burning within the Corinthians hearts.
This last week we mused over the treasure in a clay vessel metaphor, 2 Corinthians 4:7, especially if you read Brother Cameron’s Sabbath School teaching spark to get us to store treasures in clay vessels. I believe we have as it were fuel in a clay vessel to keep the fire burning within us daily as long as we have a daily relationship with The Father through Christ. 2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 4:13, the fuel for our fire of course is power from God. Have you ever unplugged the power from one of those electric powered fireplaces. What happens? God bless all. And Happy Sabbath.
Oh that I, Rosamund Gibbons, might – in self-denial – be sufficiantly committed to living as a righteous ambassador for Christ. (2Corinthians 5:21)
In 2Cor 4:8-10 (ESV) reads:
“8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies.”
I am encouraged this week, knowing that as a believer in Christ, I am able to live a holy and competent life, while surviving some of Earth’s unimaginable ills. “I can do all things …”, through powerful/personal call and commission in Christ Jesus. (2Cor. 3:5; Jer 1:5)
Paise the Lord!
While being connected to God, every sorrow leads to comfort in Him. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God! There is no coincidence in the life of those who decide to follow the Master!