From the earliest days of the church the promise of Christ’s return has, perhaps more than anything else, sustained the hearts of God’s faithful people, especially during trials. Whatever their frightful struggles, whatever their inconsolable sorrows and pain, they had the hope of Christ’s return and all the wonderful promises the Second Advent contains. Read 1 … Continue reading –>
Read Isaiah 11:1-10. What promise is given to Israel, and what does it say about the eternal dwelling place of the redeemed? The Bible begins with the story of the Creation of the earth (Genesis chapters 1, 2). It is a description of a beautiful and harmonious world entrusted to our first parents, Adam and Eve. A … Continue reading –>
John 14:1-3 is the best-known promise of Jesus’ second coming. What does this promise tell you about the kind of life the redeemed will live on the new earth? Early Christians considered Christ’s return the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13, NKJV). They expected all the prophecies and promises of Scripture to be fulfilled at the Second Advent, … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: John 14:1-3, Isa. 11:1-10, Rev. 21:1-5, 1 Thess. 4:13-18, Rev. 22:1-5, Isa. 35:4-10. Memory Text: “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13, NKJV). One of the greatest promises of the Bible is Jesus’ promise to come again. Without it, we have nothing, because our … Continue reading –>
By Daniel Gatan My wife has stopped attending the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but I have not given up hope. Here’s why. During repressive Communist times, a woman in my home country, Romania, learned about the Adventist Church and began to attend Sabbath services regularly. This infuriated her husband. “Where are you going at the same … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Ellen G. White, “Individual Responsibility and Christian Unity”, pages 485-505, in Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers; “Unity in Diversity”, pages 483-485, and “Church Discipline”, pages 498-503, in Gospel Workers. Read the articles “Church”, pages 707-710, and “Church Organization”, pages 712-714, in The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia. “Principles of good leadership apply in all forms of society, including the church. … Continue reading –>
As we have seen throughout this quarter (and which bears repeating), as a church we have been organized and unified for mission, for outreach. We are not just a social club for like-minded people to get together and affirm each other in what we believe (though that can be important, as well). We have been … Continue reading –>
One of the main issues of church organization is to deal with discipline. How discipline helps to preserve church unity is sometimes a touchy subject and easily may be misunderstood. But from a biblical perspective, church discipline centers on two important areas: preserving purity of doctrine and preserving purity of church life and practice. As … Continue reading –>
Read 2 Timothy 2:15 and Titus 1:9. According to Paul’s counsels to Timothy and Titus, what crucial tasks are the responsibility of a faithful church leader and elder? Notice how much emphasis Paul puts on keeping the doctrines and teachings pure. This is crucial for unity, especially because one could argue that, more than anything else, our teachings … Continue reading –>
During His ministry with His disciples, Jesus repeatedly experienced moments when He probably felt exasperated by the envy for power they seemed to have. The apostles appeared to be anxious to become powerful leaders of Jesus’ kingdom (Mark 9:33-34; Luke 9:46). Even as the disciples were eating the Last Supper together, these feelings of domination and supremacy … Continue reading –>
