“I Want to Plant a Church” By Andrew Mcchesney, Adventist Mission Julio Ovalle was bursting with enthusiasm when he returned home from a Global Mission conference organized for church members across Mexico. He excitedly told his wife, Maria Diaz, about what he had learned at the event in January 2017. “Now I want to plant … Continue reading –>
Further Study: See also Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pages 376-378; also The Desire of Ages, pages 236-243. “Jesus stood before the people as a living expositor of the prophecies concerning Himself. Explaining the words He had read, He spoke of the Messiah as a reliever of the oppressed, a liberator of captives, a healer of … Continue reading –>
Isa: 61:2 Amidst all the good news, why does the Messiah, as depicted in Isaiah 61, proclaim God’s vengeance? When is this prophecy fulfilled? When in Nazareth, Jesus, the Messiah, read Isaiah 61 as far as “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor” (Isa: 61:2, NRSV; Luke 4:19, NRSV). Then He stopped and said, “Today this scripture … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 61:2 Who is speaking in Isaiah 61:1? The Spirit of God is on this anointed person, which means that he is a messiah or the Messiah. He is to “bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isa: 61:1, NRSV). Whom does that sound like? Compare Isaiah 42:1-7, … Continue reading –>
What is Isaiah 60.1-2 talking about? What principle do you see at work there that’s seen all through the Bible? What hope does it offer? In Isaiah 60.1-2, we are given a picture of God’s deliverance of His people, following the exile, expressed with the imagery of God’s creating light out of darkness and pointing forward … Continue reading –>
Isaiah 59:1-21 presents a startling picture of the problem of sin. Fortunately, the Bible also presents the hope of Redemption. To begin, the first question is, How many of us have sinned? The Bible is unequivocal: All of us have. Redemption, therefore, cannot be based on lack of sin; it must be based on forgiveness (Jer: … Continue reading –>
Isa: 59:1-21 In Isaiah 58:3 the people asked God: “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?” (NRSV). In contrast, Isaiah 59:1 implies another question, something like: “Why do we call for the Lord’s hand to save us, but He does not? Why do we cry to Him, but He does … Continue reading –>
Sabbath Afternoon Read for This Week’s Study: Isa: 59:1-21; Isa: 59:15-21; Isaiah 61.2; Isaiah 61.1-11. Memory Text: “The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3). “We must learn in the school of Christ. Nothing but His righteousness can entitle us to one of the blessings of the covenant of grace. … Continue reading –>
Unequally Yoked By Chang Zeng-Mei I didn’t want to marry my husband because I was raised a Seventh-day Adventist and he belonged to another Christian denomination in southern Taiwan. But our parents wanted us to get married, and we had to obey them. So, I told my future husband, Wu Ming-Huang, “We can get married, … Continue reading –>
Further Study: “No one can practice real benevolence without self-denial. Only by a life of simplicity, self-denial, and close economy, is it possible for us to accomplish the work appointed us as Christ’s representatives. Pride and worldly ambition must be put out of our hearts. In all our work, the principle of unselfishness revealed in … Continue reading –>
