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 –>
The intermingled stories of salvation and the great controversy call us to acknowledge a truth about life that is foundational for our understanding of our world and ourselves, and that is: we and our world are fallen, broken, and sinful. Our world is not what it was created to be, and though we still bear … Continue reading –>
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world … ” (NIV)—and the original Greek word is kosmos, meaning “the world as a created, organized entity”. – The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 929. This verse is about salvation for humanity, but the plan of salvation has implications for the whole of creation too. Read Romans … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Rom. 8:20-23; John 3:16-17; Matt. 9:36; Eph. 2:8-10; 1 John 3:16-17; Rev. 14:6-7. Memory Text: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared … Continue reading –>
Three weeks ago I was writing about how our community service centers provide practical ways for us to worship God, and serve the community. Currently, I have a group Bible study with several of our friends in the Homosassa Florida community, while they wait to get their food at the Homosassa Seventh-day Adventist Church’s food … Continue reading –>
Finnish Father’s Forgiveness By Sakari Vehkavuori Finland was mired in a bloody civil war in 1918. The Reds, mainly comprised of the working class, were locked in conflict with the Whites, mostly from the middle and upper classes. My great-grandfather Viktor Ståhlberg pleaded with his son, my great-uncle Väinö Ståhlberg, not to join the White … Continue reading –>
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “Dorcas—Her Ministry and Its Influence”, pages 66, 67, in Welfare Ministry; “A Liberal Church”, pages 335-345, in The Acts of the Apostles; “This Is Pure Religion”, pages 35-41, in Welfare Ministry. “The Saviour has given His precious life in order to establish a church capable of caring for sorrowful, tempted souls. A company of … Continue reading –>
Christian tradition suggests that James, the brother or stepbrother of Jesus, became a leader of the early church in Jerusalem and was the James who acted as chairman for the Jerusalem council (see Acts chapter 15, as well as Galatians chapters 1 and 2). If so, it is likely that he was the author of … Continue reading –>
Paul’s letter to the Romans is best known for its in-depth explanations of the great doctrine of salvation by faith through of the death of Christ. But after 11 chapters of such teaching, there is a change of emphasis. Paul offers a practical guide to living and loving well, based on the grace and love … Continue reading –>
After his conversion, the apostle Paul took up the mission to bring the gospel to the Gentile world. The success God gave him raised significant questions about the relationship between the Jewish roots of the emerging Christian faith and the new Gentile followers of Jesus. A council of Jewish and Gentile Christian leaders met in … Continue reading –>
Sabbath afternoon’s introduction has Matthew 28:18-20 giving us Hymn 378, “Go, Preach My Gospel” – the Great Commission, known as our Mission Statement. We may then request “Baptize Us Anew”, Hymn 258. Hymn 346, “Lord, Who Dost Give to Thy Church” encourages our Pastors, and also those who are like Dorcas, “helping the needy their … Continue reading –>
1, A new kind of community. Seven people selected from the early Christian church were assigned the responsibility for organizing members to meet the physical needs of the neediest members of the congregation. These would include housing, feeding, clothing, childcare, and many other responsibilities that some families would have difficulty meeting. Thousands of years later … Continue reading –>
