FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19 Further Study: Ellen G. White, “ ‘Lazarus, Come Forth,’ ” pp. 524–536, and “ ‘The Lord Is Risen,’ ” pp. 779–787, in The Desire of Ages. “The voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints. He looks upon the graves of the righteous, then, raising His hands to heaven, He cries: ‘Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!’ Throughout the length and breadth of the earth the dead shall hear that voice, and they that hear shall live. . . . From the prison house of death they come, clothed with immortal glory, crying: ‘O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?’ 1 Corinthians 15:55. And the liv-ing righteous and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout of victory.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 644. Discussion Questions: 1We’ve all struggled with the reality of death, the seeming final-ity of it, and the seeming senselessness of it. If, as many believe, there is no God, no hope of eternal life, and no resurrection, then what does human life itself mean? What can it mean if, sooner or later, everyone who ever lived dies and every memory of them is forever gone? How does our understanding of the Resurrection answer this otherwise unsolvable dilemma? 2What are some of the dangers inherent in the idea of the immortality of the soul? Why is Satan eager to propagate this nonbiblical belief? What role will this concept play in the religious scenario at the time of the end? Think about all the potential deceptions out there from which those who understand death as a sleep until the resurrection are spared. Inside Story The Story Box Muka [moo-KAH] is the third wife of a Himba headman living in northern Namibia. While some Himba children have gone to school, few who remain in the settlements can read or write. They pass their history and culture to their children during story times around a fire in the evening. For more than fifteen years, Seventh-day Adventist missionaries have been working with the Himba, befriending them, teaching them about God, showing they care. They prayed for Muka when she was seriously ill, and God healed her. Muka’s husband respects the missionaries for what they are doing to help his family and his people. Muka enjoys the missionaries’ visits and eagerly takes part in their prayer times. She wishes she could attend worship services, but the near-est worship service is too far away to walk, and the family is too large to ride in a donkey cart. So Muka contents herself with praying when she has free moments.Recently the missionaries held a special camp meeting for the Himba people. Everyone was invited, and nearly everyone went. At the meet-ings the missionaries gave the headmen a special gift, a solar-powered MP3 player. They showed the men how to lay the MP3 player in the sun to charge the batteries and how to turn the player on so they can listen to God’s stories in their own language. Returning home, Muka’s husband gave the MP3 player to his first wife to listen to. When she finished listening to the stories, she passed it on to Muka so she and her children could hear God’s stories. She passed it on to the next wife, and so around the circle of families the stories of Jesus are being woven into the fabric of Himba life.“I understand God better now after hearing the stories the missionar-ies have given us on the little story box,” Muka says. “I want to learn more about God and know how to follow Him better.”The MP3 players have proven a break-through among the Himba, and a recent Thirteenth Sabbath Offering is providing hundreds more MP3 players and the funds to record more stories in the Himba’s language. Thank you for your offerings, which help people such as Muka and her family meet the Savior and learn to follow Him. Muka (left) lives in a rural settlement in northern Namibia with her extended family.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 09:55:32 +0000
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