Read Mark 9:33-37. What lesson did Jesus teach the disciples here, and what is the message here for anyone who claims to follow Jesus? See also Matt. 18:3-5. This debate among the disciples was no doubt related to their views of the future. They thought that Jesus was going to deliver Israel from the Romans, … Continue reading –>
Read Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25. How do we see the reality of the great controversy revealed in these texts? Though we don’t fully understand the degree in which Satan impacts the natural world, Scripture does reveal that his influence is there, such as seen in the story of Job (see Job 1:18-19). … Continue reading –>
When Jesus called the first disciples on the shores of Galilee, they had already witnessed His power over evil. They had seen Him challenge demons (Luke 4:34-36), heal the sick (Luke 4:38-41), rule over nature (Luke 5:4-6), reveal sin and then reassure Peter there was no need to fear (Luke 5:10). Some time later, after … Continue reading –>
When one considers the incredible issue at stake in the great controversy, it’s amazing that Jesus would use human beings to aid Him in ministry, especially those as flawed as the ones He chose. Of course, if we consider the state of fallen humanity, no one He chose would have been without moral defects, anyway. … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 5:6-8, Luke 5:11; Mark 3:14; Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Mark 9:33-37; Matt. 20:20-28. Memory Text: “And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’”(Luke 24:32, NKJV). From the earliest … Continue reading –>
Author Leon Wieseltier wrote about what he said was “one of the saddest stories in the world.” He told of an Englishman, named “S.B.,” who had been blind from birth. However, the good news was that, at 52 years old, S.B. had a corneal transplant that gave him sight. For the first time in his … Continue reading –>
Matthew ends his Gospel account with some of the most reassuring words Jesus spoke: “I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20). What should that mean to us, in practical terms, in our own lives, in our own struggles, failures, and disappointments, and even when we feel that God … Continue reading –>
Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount in the early days of His ministry. It was revolutionary. For starters, He told ordinary people that they were valued and blessed in the eyes of God (Matt. 5:3-12) and that they were salt (Matt. 5:13) and light (Matt. 5:14-16)-two highly prized commodities. He spoke of the importance … Continue reading –>
The issue of where we stand in the cosmic struggle that unfolds around us is made very personal in the parable of the man building a house on the rock. Read Matthew 7:21-27. What is so frightening about this parable? What comes to mind when you imagine this story? Where is the rock and where … Continue reading –>
The great controversy theme is implicit in Jesus’ parable of the sower. The listing of four types of responses to the gospel message indicates that there are more than just “good” and “bad” people in the world. Life is more complex than that, and so we need to be careful how we approach those who … Continue reading –>
