HomeSSLessons2012d Growing in Christ2012d Teaching Helps08: The Church: In Service to Humanity – Thought Starters    

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08: The Church: In Service to Humanity – Thought Starters — 6 Comments

  1. Governance is the act of governing. It relates to decisions that define expectations, grant power, or verify performance. It consists of either a separate process or part of management or leadership processes. These processes and systems are typically administered by a government. When discussing governance in particular institutions, the quality of governance within the institutions is often compared to a standard of good governance.
    In the case of a business or of a non-profit organisation, governance relates to consistent management, cohesive policies, guidance, processes and decision-rights for a given area of responsibility. For example, managing at a corporate level might involve evolving policies on privacy, on internal investment, and on the use of data.
    To distinguish the term governance from government: "governance" is what a "government" does. It might be a geo-political government (nation-state), a corporate government (business entity), a socio-political government (tribe, family etc.), or any number of different kinds of government, but governance is the physical exercise of management power and policy, while government is the instrument (usually collective) that does it.
    What is authority? Is it the inevitable power of the natural laws which manifest themselves in the necessary linking and succession of phenomena in the physical and social worlds? Indeed, against these laws revolt is not only forbidden - it is even impossible. We may misunderstand them or not know them at all, but we cannot disobey them; because they constitute the basis and the fundamental conditions of our existence; they envelop us, penetrate us, regulate all our movements. thoughts and acts; even when we believe that we disobey them, we only show their omnipotence.

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  2. I am greatly benefiting from your well thought out layout and summary. This rally makes my contribution in my Sabbath school class beneficial to others. May the Good Lord bless you abundantly.

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  3. There are many problems in the church BECAUSE satan is in attendance every week. His goal is to turn members and guests away from the church. And he is very successful much of the time. True, the congregation, not the physical temple, makes up the church. But If we look to those members, who may or may not be filled with the Holy Spirit, instead of looking to Christ, we may easily be swayed to the tempters side. I've seen in my 58 yrs in the Adventist church, many people who have left the church because of looking to sinful members rather than to Christ.

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    • True, Satan is present. And even if he weren't, we sinners could still mess things up.
      On the other hand, the good angels and the Holy Spirit are also present, and are much more powerful. Thank God for His messengers who are working to draw each one of us. I'm praying that He will help us to experience His grace more deeply this Sabbath than ever before. I know He will answer because He loves us more deeply than we can understand.

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    • Why is it that the people who left looked to sinful members (Rom 3:23) when they should have been looking to Christ (John 12:32)? Is our "governance" promoting "sinful members" rather than Christ?

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  4. Isn't it ironic that while God's people find excuses for not bothering to attend church, Satan makes church-going a study of special interest? Apparently he loves to work within the church not just to discourage members, but also to turn members into soldiers in his army. As you point out, our only salvation is in Christ.

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