Read Ecclesiastes 8:14. In what ways do you see the stark and powerful reality of what is written here? While suffering, oppression, and tragedy are hard enough to bear in their own right, the injury or insult is harder still if it appears to be meaningless or unnoticed. The possible meaninglessness of sorrow is heavier than … Continue reading –>
The Christian hope in the second coming of Jesus is not just about looking forward to a bright future. For the early Christians, the bodily resurrection of Jesus gave the promise of His return a solid reality. If He could come back from the dead—which they had witnessed for themselves—He would surely come back to … Continue reading –>
Religion has often been criticized for a tendency to draw believers away from life here and now toward some better afterlife. The criticism is that the focus on another realm becomes a form of sanctified escapism and renders the believer of less benefit to the world and to society. At times, believers have left themselves … Continue reading –>
Throughout the Bible’s story, there is a repeated call from God’s people—particularly those experiencing slavery, exile, oppression, poverty, or other injustice or tragedy—for God to intervene. The slaves in Egypt, the Israelites in Babylon, and many others called out to God to see and hear their suffering and to right these wrongs. And the Bible … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 18:1-8; Matthew 24:1-25:46; 1 Cor. 15:12-19; Eccles. 8:14; Eccles. 12:13-14; Rev. 21:1-5; Rev. 22:1-5. Memory Text: “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV). Jesus announced the kingdom of God as a present reality that … Continue reading –>
Half Loaf of Bread By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Maya approached Valentina with a loaf of white bread after the worship service. “Valya, please take this”, she said, holding out the loaf. Valentina, 40, looked at the bread hungrily. She hadn’t eaten a crumb in more than six months. It was impossible to find bread … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “God With Us”, pages 19-26, The Desire of Ages ; “Saved to Serve”, pages 95-107, in The Ministry of Healing. “God claims the whole earth as His vineyard. Though now in the hands of the usurper, it belongs to God. By redemption no less than by creation it is His. For the world Christ’s sacrifice … Continue reading –>
The transforming invitation and appeal of the gospel “to every nation, tribe, language and people” (Rev. 14:6, NIV) has continued throughout Christian history. However, Revelation describes a renewed proclamation of this message—the good news about Jesus and all that entails—at the end of time. Read Revelation 14:6-7. How is the common understanding of the gospel—most commonly summarized by John … Continue reading –>
By His ministry and His teaching, Jesus urged a radical inclusiveness. All who sought His attention with honest motives—whether women with bad reputations, tax collectors, lepers, Samaritans, Roman centurions, religious leaders, or children—He welcomed with genuine warmth and care. As the early church was to discover in transformative ways, this included the offer of the … Continue reading –>
Summarize Ephesians 2:8-10 in your own words. What do these verses tell us about the relationship between grace and good works? The Bible tells us that among other things, we were created to worship God and to serve others. Only in our imagination can we try to understand what these acts would be like in a … Continue reading –>
