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 –>
While studying church organization and unity, this week, It is worthwhile for all of us to think about the role of government and our individual responsibility – not just secular government but church government as well. Former United States President Richard Nixon defended himself in the Watergate scandal, by telling one of the world’s most celebrated … Continue reading –>
As we have seen already in an earlier lesson, in the New Testament the church is represented by the metaphor of body. The church is the body of Christ. This metaphor alludes to several aspects of the church and the relation between Christ and His people. As the body of Christ, the church depends on … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Eph. 5:23-27; Matt. 20:25-28; Titus 1:9; Matt. 16:19; Gal. 6:1-2; Matt. 28:18-20. Memory Text: “Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave” (Matthew 20:26-27, NKJV). As Seventh-day Adventists, we are Protestant Christians … Continue reading –>
By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission Construction company chief Vladimir Vladovskyy knew it would take a miracle to build a Seventh-day Adventist church in the northern Russian seaport of Arkhangelsk. He had no blueprint for the project. He had only a few summer months to build the church. And a senior city administrator, without giving a … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read the articles “Prayer”, pages 1044-1046, and “Worship”, pages 1290, 1291, in The Ellen G. White Encyclopedia. “‘The importance of the Sabbath as the memorial of creation is that it keeps ever present the true reason why worship is due to God’ – because He is the Creator, and we are His creatures. ‘The Sabbath … Continue reading –>
Whatever the challenges the early church faced, they were united in their common faith in Jesus and in the truth He had entrusted them to spread to the world. It’s what Peter even called “present truth” (2 Pet. 1:12). And thus, united in the truth, they expressed their unity in a number of ways. “And they continued … Continue reading –>
