Sabbath: How Shall We Wait?
Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 24:35-25:46, 2 Peter 3:1-18, James 2:14-26, John 4:35-38, 1 Cor. 3:6-8, Rev. 21:1-4.
Memory Text: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality” (Romans 12:11-13, NIV).
People Waiting
For several years preceding the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Seventh-day Adventist churches in San Francisco and Oakland, California, were buzzing. Members were involved in visiting the sick and destitute. They found homes for orphans and work for the unemployed. They nursed the sick and taught the Bible from house to house. Members distributed Christian literature and gave classes on healthful living. The churches also conducted a school for the children in the basement of the Laguna Street meetinghouse. A workingmen’s home and medical mission were maintained. They had a health-food store along with a vegetarian café. The members had started ship mission work at the local port, and their ministers conducted meetings in large halls in the city from time to time.
Ellen G. White had called these churches the two “beehives” and was thrilled by their work (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald,July 5, 1906). What powerful examples of what we should and could be doing now as we await the Second Coming. Our Lord is coming back; that we know. The crucial issue for us is: What are we doing while we wait?
On that answer hangs the destiny of souls.
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 24.
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So awesome to hear this!-Mostly in Uganda people don't take serious of their lives.They don't practice Health Eating!
Mujuni, the text in Romans 14:1-3 may be influential.
Good works are great and we know God loves them but our souls salvation are not hinged on them. When Job put his faith in God not in his(Jobs) works he was delivered it was saved by faith and still is.
Thats right, good works will never determine our place in heaven. A lot of people honestly believe that it does. Praise God for the blood of Jesus and for His mercy.
It is not works that will make a difference however faith without works is dead. If you have faith you will do God's work.
The memory text is found in Romans 12:11-13. The subtitle in the KJV is, Marks of the True Christian, and begins with verse 9. "Let love be without dissimulation". Other versions say your love must be sincere or real. How difficult can that be? Is that a problem for some while striving to be a "true Christian"? The slogan,all show and no go comes to mind. Is Love Sincere, or make believe?
The bible says you cant say i love God while you hate a brother, so by this good example we learn that these people were filled with love and mercy in their hearts, we can also preach in the same way while we await our soon coming messiah.Amen
This is a great lesson to cover in our time. It is time to wake up from our spiritual sleep and show Christ to others through our deeds and actions.
We do have works Job did but he was delivered by faith read Romans 6-23 salvation is afree ? but washes of sin we earn.
Salvation is not just about a place in heaven. We need to understand that being saved now, comes with responsibility and "fruit". Too many of us only think of salvation as a celestial retirement plan, but that is selfishly misguided. If we are saved now, we have a work to do now, not to earn salvation but to live salvation. And if there was indeed no heaven, that should not make one iota of difference.
Now don't misunderstand me; I do believe in heaven and eternal life, not as a reward, for what I do now, but as a gift. But the grace of God compels me to live a saved life now. There is no condemnation for doing good works.
While we cannot earn salvation with our works, when we are saved by Jesus, we should feel the responsibility of leading others to Christ through caring for them physically, mentally, spiritually and socially. In fact that is the object of this quarter's study....showing us the example of Jesus which we should follow. After all it was through someone else's efforts that I was led to Christ. We are told to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness, what are these if not total surrender to Him in our beliefs and actions? How do I show that I am indeed Christ's if not by acting the way he did? I can never earn my way to heaven but by His grace I can minister to those in need as I was once ministered too (still being ministered too). And really, what better to do while we wait? May God enable me to reach out to those whom I may help thus giving them a glimpse of the Kingdom.
You are quite right Doris; our salvation doe not hinge on good works. We are saved by faith. But it is worth remembering that being saved is not just living in a state of mental assent. It is a journey of collaboration with God. Salvation starts now and bears fruit now. It has never been about doing nothing. Jesus has flicked the switch on and the light must now shine as a result.
Salvation is clearer if we remember that "to be saved" means "to be changed to be like Jesus". Loving, helping others will be automatic! see DA 668
All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, THAT WHEN OBEYING HIM WE SHALL BE BUT CARRYING OUT OUR OWN IMPULSES. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.
God help us that this powerful quarterly study does not leave me in the same place but move me to do my share for your kingdom and play my part in hastening your return
Please pray for me saints whenever you kneel remember me
what a powerful introduction to the week and I ask myself am I just waiting or am I doing something to help some soul to join me in hastening His return.I humbly ask you to pray for me as I try to help my family realize the serious times we living in.