efforts alone are nothing but worthlessness; but cooperation with “All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with God, sin will become hateful to us.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of 87 Further Study: “Let noman present the idea that man has little or nothing to do in the great work of overcoming; for God does noth-ing for man without his cooperation. Neither say that after you have done all you can on your part, Jesus will help you. Christ has said, ‘Without Me ye can do nothing’ (John 15:5). From first to last man is to be a laborer together with God. Unless the Holy Spirit works upon the human heart, at every step we shall stumble and fall. Man’s 1 Christ means a victory. . . . Never leave the impression on the mind that there is little or nothing to do on the part of man; but rather teach man to cooperate with God, that he may be successful in overcom-ing.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 381. 2 Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with 3 Ages, p. 668. Discussion Questions: l1 Growth comes in the Christian life as we claim God’s prom-ises by faith, believing that He will do just what He says. What are the promises made to us here? 1 John 1:7–9, Phil. 4:13, James 1:5–8, Rom. 8:31–39. How can you learn to believe them for yourself? More important, what choices can you make that will help these promises to become more real in your life? l2 Dwell more on this idea of working out your own salvation with “fear and trembling.” In class, talk about what that means, especially in terms of salvation by faith alone. What should we fear; what should cause us to tremble? l3 When was the last time, like Peter, that you made a promise to God that you, however sincere at the time you made it, utterly failed to follow through on it? What did you learn from that mis-take? What principles can we find in the Bible that will enable us to have the victories that we are promised? i n s i d eStory Samba Jean’s Dilemma Samba Jean loved going into the forest near his mountain home in cen-tral Madagascar to collect herbs for his magic. Although his family calls themselves Christians, his father sees no problem mixing Christian beliefs with witchcraft. He uses sticks and bones to determine who has cursed someone, and he uses magic and traditional herbs to break curses, bring good luck, and heal his clients. When Samba Jean was 14, a friend invited him to attend evangelistic meetings. Samba Jean listened intently as the preacher read from God’s Word. He heard things that were so different from what his father and his priest had taught him. Who is right? he wondered. As he learned more, he became convinced that the Seventh-day Adventist pastor who read from the Bible was teaching the truth. He realized that his father’s powers were from the devil. Samba Jean spent many restless nights trying to decide what he must do with the new truths he was discovering. What will the devil do to me if I refuse to help my father? he wondered. Samba Jean’s father tried to force the boy to take part in his witchcraft ceremonies, but Samba Jean refused. The boy wanted to commit his life completely to God in order to be free of the devil’s power. But his parents insisted that he attend their church. Samba Jean asked the pastor to baptize him but allow him to continue attending his parents’ church to keep the peace. But the pastor explained that baptism means giving up all other religions and accepting only God’s truth. As Samba Jean continued attending Bible studies, he realized that he must leave his family’s faith and join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. When he told his parents, his father refused to speak to him. Other family members called him a traitor. Samba Jean took his stand for God and is trying to share his faith with his family. But his father insists that his witchcraft has all the power he needs. To keep the Sabbath holy, Samba Jean stays at the church all day on Sabbath so he won’t be told to work. He tells those who visit his father that he no longer believes in witchcraft, that God is more powerful than his father’s witchcraft. Some of his father’s clients are studying the Bible with him now. “I pray that soon my parents will give up their false beliefs and surren-der to God,” Samba Jean says. Our mission offerings help us to reach people such as Samba Jean around the world. Thank you for giving so that others can meet the Savior. samBajean lives in the hills near Antananarivo, Madagascar. Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Web site: AdventistMission September 6 friday
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 07:08:33 +0000
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