I’ve Been Waiting For A While Since the 1990s, we have been allowed some religious freedom and now have a few church buildings in China. One Adventist church is located near a large factory of an import/export business. The business owner is a friend of an Adventist church member, and the two women often talk … Continue reading –>
Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ’s burdens. We cannot follow Christ without wearing His yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after Him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give … Continue reading –>
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew … Continue reading –>
Socrates had Plato. Gamaliel had Saul. Leaders of various religions had their devout followers. The difference between discipleship in such cases and the discipleship of Jesus is that the former is based on the content of human philosophy, whereas the latter is rooted in the person and accomplishment of Jesus Himself. Thus, Christian discipleship rests … Continue reading –>
[Thought questions for The Call to Discipleship April 21, 2015] Calling. How is being a disciple like being a fisherman? Did Jesus choose the disciples and then call them? Has Jesus chosen you? How do you know? What do you think is the main requirement in becoming a disciple of Jesus today? Maybe you came into … Continue reading –>
Read Luke 10:1-24. What does this account, of the sending out of the 70, teach us about the work of soul winning amid the reality of the great controversy? During His ministry, more than 12 disciples followed Jesus. When Peter addressed the believers leading to the selection of a substitute for Judas, the group consisted … Continue reading –>
Key Thought : We cannot follow Christ without wearing the yoke, lifting the cross, and bearing it after Him. We are to step in Christ’s footprints. [Lesson plan for The Call to Discipleship April 20, 2015] 1. Have a volunteer read Luke 9:23. a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important … Continue reading –>
Read Luke 9:1-6 and Matthew 10:5-15. What spiritual truths can we learn from the verses about how Jesus called these men? Luke describes the commissioning of the apostles as a three-step process. First, Jesus called them together (Luke 9:1). The word call or calling is as vital to Christian mission as it is to Christian … Continue reading –>
Discipleship is not self-made. It is a result of responding to the call of Jesus. Luke mentions that Jesus has already called Peter, Andrew, John, and James (Luke 5:11, Matthew 4:18-22) and Levi Matthew, the tax collector (Luke 5:27-32). Now the writer places the selection of the Twelve in a strategic location in his narrative: immediately … Continue reading –>
Simon and Andrew had toiled all night. Seasoned fishermen, they knew the art of fishing, and they knew when to quit. Nightlong work yielded nothing. In the midst of their disappointment came an unsolicited command: Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch (Luke 5:4, NKJV). Simon’s response was one … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: Luke 5:1-11, Luke Luke 6:12-16, Luke Luke 9:1-6, Matt. 10:5-15, Luke 10:1-24, Luke 9:23-25, Matt. 16:24-28. Memory Text: Then He said to them all, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23, NKJV). Disciple means a follower, or … Continue reading –>
During the time of China’s cultural revolution, it was very dangerous to own a Bible. Someone we knew, however, was able to obtain one. Since it was such a rare and precious book, he wanted to share it with as many people as possible, so he carefully took the Bible apart and gave one or … Continue reading –>
