As Christ made His way through Jerusalem, Capernaum, and other cities of His time, the sick, disabled, and poor crowded around Him, the Healer. His heart went out to suffering humanity. In the city, there is more of everything-more people, more buildings, more traffic, and more problems. This presents a real challenge for churches. Those … Continue reading –>
Cities bring together many different cultures, ethnic groups, languages, and religions. Traditionally, each group had its “quarter,” or defined territory. Increasingly, all kinds of people live next door to one another throughout metropolitan regions. This multicultural reality creates risk and complexity, but it also provides great opportunity for the gospel. There is greater tolerance for … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Acts 18:1-28; Exod. 2:23-25; Matt. 13:3-9, Matt. 13:18-23; John 15:12-13; 2 Pet. 3:9. Memory Text: “ ‘Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper’ ” (Jeremiah 29:7, NIV). … Continue reading –>
Read Psalm 77:20, Hosea 11:4, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21. Read Ellen G. White, “Teaching and Healing,” pages 139-146, and “Help in Daily Living,” pages 469, 470, in The Ministry of Healing; “ ‘This Man Receiveth Sinners,’ ” pages 185-197, and “ ‘Go Into the Highways and Hedges,’ ” pges 219-237, in Christ’s Object Lessons. There was … Continue reading –>
Key Thought: We are asked to look for and find opportunities to lead people to follow Jesus as their Savior. Lesson for September 10, 2016 1. Have a volunteer read Luke 19:5-10. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is. b. Why did Zacchaeus need … Continue reading –>
They know His voice I. [Lesson 11 for September 10] You’ve probably seen it dozens of times–a dog turns into a bundle of wiggles running to its owner the moment it recognizes him or her. Do we Christians have the same instinct that draws us to our Owner and Protector, God? Why was the early Christian … Continue reading –>
Read Revelation 3:20, Matthew 7:7-8, and John 1:12. In what ways are these three passages related, and what are they saying to us about what it means to seek and to find the Lord? These texts together show that people must ask and seek and be open to receive Jesus. At the same time, Revelation … Continue reading –>
You can view an in-depth discussion of “Jesus Bade Them, ‘Follow Me’” in the Hope Sabbath School class led by Pastor Derek Morris. (Adobe Flash Player version.) A Youtube version of this week’s lesson at Hope Sabbath School is below. You can download the video, the MP3 audio, and the lesson outline from the HopeTV … Continue reading –>
Jesus and His disciples healed people and then turned their minds to eternal issues. (See Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 20.) Evangelist Mark Finley reminds us that not to introduce God to people is spiritual malpractice. Jesus’ method of evangelism was to touch people at their points of greatest need. This is … Continue reading –>
We ought to set our course by the stars, not the lights of every passing ship. -Omar N Bradley Jesus does not call us to follow other Christians. He calls us to follow Him. I was seven years old, lying awake in the middle of the night, thinking about how Jesus died for me. I … Continue reading –>
Sometimes a church will have community service outreach programs in areas of health, family, personal finance, conflict management, et cetera, and might ask: What is the bridge to bring them to the “Follow Me” stage? We rather should ask, Who is the bridge? Answer: You are! “The strongest argument in favor of the gospel is … Continue reading –>
Read Luke 19:10, Mark 1:17, Luke 9:2, and Revelation 14:6-7. What is one key point that all these texts have in common? That is, what are they telling us to do? For years a Seventh-day Adventist congregation prayed, “Lord, please draw the people in our community to our church and to You”-as if our church … Continue reading –>
