Guided and Transformed My father, a Japanese immigrant to Brazil, was a Buddhist. My mother, who was of Japanese descent, was raised a Roman Catholic. Our home was an interesting mixture of Catholicism with Buddhism. When I was 14, my father died of tuberculosis. He longed to be healed, and perhaps that was why he … Continue reading –>
God could not for a moment stay His hand, or man would faint and die. And man also has a work to perform on this [the Sabbath] day. The necessities of life must be attended to, the sick must be cared for, the wants of the needy must be supplied. He will not be held … Continue reading –>
Of the three synoptic Gospels, only Luke records these two Sabbath healings of Jesus (Luke 13:10-16, Luke 14:1-5). The first caused the ruler of the synagogue to be indignant with Jesus; the second put the Pharisees to silence. In either case, the enemies of Jesus were using their misinterpretation of the law to accuse Jesus of … Continue reading –>
Luke 6:1-11 provides two accounts of Jesus dealing with the Pharisees over the Sabbath. Read the first story in Luke 6:1-5. How did Jesus face the accusation that He and His disciples did not care for the Law and the Sabbath? While walking through a field, the disciples plucked the heads of grain, rubbed them … Continue reading –>
Rejection at Nazareth sent Jesus back to Capernaum, where He had already ministered before (Matt. 4:13). This important city became the base for Jesus’ Galilean ministry. In this city was a synagogue, possibly built by a Roman officer (Luke 7:5), and Jesus, as per His custom, went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. On … Continue reading –>
When He had opened the book (Luke 4:17, NKJV). The Sabbath was not only for going to church in order to worship but also to hear God’s Word. A life without His Word is not far from the trap of sin: Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against … Continue reading –>
As His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day (Luke 4:16, NKJV). This is a good Adventist text. Most of us use it in evangelistic meetings or in Bible studies in order to emphasize the point that it was the practice of Jesus to keep the Sabbath. Synagogues played a crucial … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Mark 1:21, Mark 6:2; Luke 4:17-19, Luke 4:31-37; 2 Cor. 5:17; Luke 6:1-11; Luke 13:10-16. Memory Text: The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27-28, NKJV). Although Luke wrote his Gospel primarily for the … Continue reading –>
I’ve Been Waiting For A While Since the 1990s, we have been allowed some religious freedom and now have a few church buildings in China. One Adventist church is located near a large factory of an import/export business. The business owner is a friend of an Adventist church member, and the two women often talk … Continue reading –>
Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ’s burdens. We cannot follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give … Continue reading –>
