Spiritual Siblings

This week's lesson starts out with the statement, "as Seventh-day Adventists, we often refer to one another as 'brother and sister.' " How true, how true. Unfortunately, it seems that the phrase has been so overused, that it holds little meaning. After all, how many persons who address you as brother or sister do you consider related to you? When those surrounding Christ made the comment that his mother and brethren were outside waiting to speak with Him, Christ responded, "who is My mother, or My brethren? ...Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is My brother, and My sister, and My mother." Mark 3:33. I wonder if as Seventh-day Adventist Christians, we actually see others as our spiritual siblings?

Yes it’s true, siblings quarrel, they fight, and sometimes they even kill one another. Just look at the example of Cain and Able. Their sibling rivalry led to the death of one of the brothers, and yet they remained siblings. It’s as if not even negative feelings or harmful actions to each other, can change the familial relationship. Oh sure, the nature of relating may change, but the relationship itself remains, whether we like it or not. Sad to say, many of us like it not. It seems to be our human nature to want to have control over who'll be in our lives, and how emotionally close they'll get to us. We like having (and exercising) the power of choice. Since we can't exercise it over who we are biologically related to, we exercise it over our spiritual siblings.

Truthfully, our biological family members are all diverse from one another. We have differing physical traits, likes and dislikes. We have different home training, and so evidence characteristics from being well read, to poorly read, from being well mannered to, well let's just say, lacking in manners. Yet, we all remain family. Why do we see our spiritual family any differently? We tolerate, or if we have matured spiritually in the fruit of the Spirit, we are patient with our family members, why do we not extend the same grace to our spiritual brothers and sisters? Do they deserve any less?

Does not the scripture say by their fruit you'll know them? Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't Christ say in John 15:36, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another?" Just what kind of love is He talking about here? Is it familial love, erotic love, love between friends, or the love of parents for their children? Is He saying that if we have these types of love, others will know we belong to Him? Don't people who are not Christians possess these types of love? So what do we more than they? In John 15: 35, Jesus describes the type of love He refers to. He requests us in the loving tones of One who will die in our place, suffering our ignominious death, "That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." Tall order? Not with the Spirit's help. In John chapter 14, Jesus says that He'll pray to the Father for another Comforter for us, "that He may abide with you, as the Spirit of Truth," and "dwell with and in you." "He is the Holy Spirit, sent in My name, He'll teach you all things, and bring all things to your memory." John 14:16, 17, 26.

Nowhere in the scripture does it say that by our unity (whether uniformity or true unity) others will know us as His true disciples. So where did we get this idea? It is, according to John 17, by One-ness "in Christ," and through Christ, that we though diverse in background, experiences, and the like, have unity. The scripture says that Christ died to break down the middle wall that separated us from God, and from one another through our customs, politics, traditions, and yes, even prejudices. He actually succeeded don't you think? So then why do we behave as if He hadn't? Why do we go on with our petty squabbles, and attitudes and feel justified with them?
Christ has said that it is He who justifies, and "the just shall live by faith ... the faith of Jesus, and by faith ye stand, and whatever is not of faith is sin, and faith comes by the hearing of the Word of God.” If we say, "I cannot treat my spiritual siblings in the loving and close way I treat my biological family.” If I say, “there is, after all, the distinction of blood you know,” then I make Christ and His Words a lie-- for He says just the opposite.

Besides living unconditional, undeserved, self-sacrificing love, we the members of a unified church will, both collectively and individually, hear His voice, search for and find other sheep, be sanctified through the Word which is true, and the Holy Spirit will dwell in and guide us. Furthermore, we will treasure the Holy Spirit and the Prince of peace, and with lowliness of mind, be joyful, grow up to maturity in Christ, be always in prayer, and thus will be in one accord. Sounds like a lot? It is, but in Christ-- "...all things are possible to him who believes." Will you choose to believe? Let's not be like the 80% of the church who are indifferent or cause trouble. Instead, by His power, let's choose to see others as our spiritual siblings.

Maria Greaves-Barnes

The Special Insights web page resides at:
http://www.1888message.org/sabbathschool/

Who Me?... Forgive Him--Her---Them?

Who Me?... Forgive Him--Her---Them?

Of the many stories told of Abraham Lincoln, there is one that I've never
forgotten. Just as President Lincoln finished meeting with a particular gentleman,
his assistant approached and questioned him, saying, “You were talking with ... him??"
"I thought he was your enemy?” President Lincoln replied, “Yes, he was my enemy,
but now he is my friend.” “Mr. President,” replied the puzzled assistant, “if you don’t mind me commenting, you once told me you get rid of all your enemies--well, what happened?” Amused, the president responded, chuckling, “I did say that, and I've stayed true to what I said." " Since he is my friend, I no longer have him as an enemy.”

We all have been hurt by someone, some of us more than others. The real question is,
how do we deal with these persons? Do we make them our enemies, avoiding them
at every turn? Or are we like many, who brag about being Old Testament types:
“an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth?” Do we think that its our right to get revenge? Do we plot and plan for the perfect time, and then...? Indeed, when wronged, our first human reaction is to get even. Allowing our angry or hurt feelings to take over, we do foolish things we later regret. Some of us hold life long grudges, saying, "I remember...can you believe...I'm never going to forget--." These grudges become our identity and fueling our purpose for living. And before we know it we've become enemy centered people. Some of us wait for years before we're able to take revenge, and how we gloat in the fact! Maybe secretly, but we honestly
believe they had it coming, and we feel justified treating the person badly. We think its only fair to hurt them before they hurt us--- again. Our motto is “I forgive, but don’t forget.” Unfortunately, by holding on to our anger and sin we become like those people we've refused to forgive.
Let's take a look at 2 Timothy 3--

2 Tim. 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters,
proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2 Tim. 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2 Tim. 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers
of God;
2 Tim. 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from
such turn away.

Forgiveness has many definitions. Someone has defined it as throwing away a stone.
When you throw it in the water or in a field, you never find it again. So perhaps we
should throw away the issue, never to find it again. C. S. Lewis has tied forgiveness to “loving others as yourself.” Apparently, he believed this meant wishing for the offender, the good you wish for yourself. Still another definition of forgiveness is, to give away my right for justice and instead offer mercy. Although these individual definitions are good, I believe the concept of forgiveness encompasses all of the above and includes this, it is a principle. Like love, joy, patience, and the like, a principle is something which we choose to do (in Christ), and the feelings come after the decision is made.

In their desire to set parameters around forgiveness, many find it easier to look at
the behavior a Christian should evidence. Wanting to get it just right, they quote the Sermon on the Mount. And indeed Christ does give behavioral instructions in Matthew 5. However, before we look at the scripture, I'd like to say that as Christians, we've likely read this passage numerous times. We know what it says, its just difficult to do. In fact, many of us if we were honest, would admit, we just don't want to be forgiving. We want pity, we want revenge! Someone must pay (for our pain). Yet contrary to our natural inclinations, the scripture says:

Matt. 5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy
neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Matt. 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you,
do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you;
Matt. 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Matt. 5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not
even the publicans the same?
Matt. 5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others?
do not even the publicans so?
Matt. 5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven
is perfect.

Wow, this is a lot. In this passage, Christ not only contrasts Christian behavior with Non-Christian behavior, He expresses His desire for us to be loving and forgiving as He is. In the life and death of Christ, God Himself embodied these characteristics. In Romans 5:10, it says that even when we were enemies of God “… we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” After all the suffering Christ endured at the hands of those He came to save, He pronounced, “…Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Jesus could have said, “who Me, forgive them,” just as we do. Instead, He chose to forgive us.

Like everything else God desires from us, it is humanly impossible for us
to forgive others on our own. But, we like the disciples can say, “…Lord, increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). When we accept God’s forgiveness by faith, we are also given the power to forgive others. His indwelling Holy Spirit gives this gift of forgiveness to us, enabling us to throw away the harm others did to us. He fills us with Himself, so that the good given us, we pass along to them. Then, we treat the offender with mercy, as well as respect, and give away our right to get even. It is through the Holy Spirit's power that we choose to forgive even before we are asked. Will you, like the disciples, ask God to increase your faith?

The Special Insights web page resides at:
http://www.1888message.org/sabbathschool/

Being or Doing: That Is The Question

Commentary To The Sabbath School Quarterly Lesson

Matthew 12:41-44 related a story we’ve probably all heard. It says,

Matt. 12:41 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the
people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much.
Matt. 12:42 And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
Matt. 12:43 And He called unto Him His disciples, and saith unto them,
Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all
they which have cast into the treasury:
Matt. 12:44 For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
What a lesson for us about witnessing. The poor widow's humble witness still carries until this day the message of the Gospel. She loved God supremely, and her neighbor as Christ loved her, and that is why she gave all she had to the treasury. She gave quietly. Not one word was said. No announcement was given. No press conference held. In fact, had it not been for Christ pointing out her action, it would have been dismissed. She gave witness to those who heard the story then, and to those who hear it now.

So is it our actions which give witness, or is it our words? Is it possible to really give an accurate witness of what we've seen, heard and understood, without both? Our fast paced and driven world loves the doers. Yet, if you are an accurate witness, would you not be able (or enabled as we shall see) to relay your experience in such a manner that others too will see, hear and sense it? After all, what is the use of a witness without a judicial system to utilize the testimony given?

Christ calls on all His sheep to give witness, a testimony as it were, to His benevolence, and goodness, as well as to His character of Love-- to the Universe. As well we know, the Godhead is the "One" on trial. If you were in His cosmic shoes, would you not desire the truth to be told about you? Of course, the master strategist, and "accuser of the brethren" desires a false witness to corroborate his view of things, and so the battle ensues. In order
not to be deceived into testifying to a lie, the believer--the true witness-- needs power, for he is no match for the adversary. Hence Christ advises His disciples (and us) in Acts 1:8:
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Notice the phrase as it is written. It does not say that we are to do witnessing
activities, such as hand out tracts, knock on doors or ingather. Not that there is anything inherently wrong with these particular activities. Instead, notice how the scripture stipulates that it is with the Holy Spirit's power coming upon us that we shall be witnesses. Notice, in the following verses, that the disciples were to wait together, in prayer, for the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence, and power.

You know, there is a big difference between the concept of being -which is an inside job, and that of doing which merely implies taking action. Today there is such an emphasis on methods, techniques and numbers that we may have forgotten how Christ won people to Himself. According to Sister White as
quoted in our Sabbath School lesson recently, Christ mingled with men as One who desired their good. It was not His method to make them feel good, which is what is often interpreted from the quote, but instead desired that they might be with Him eternally (John 14:1-6, John 3:16).

When we try to witness to others with our activity, most of the time they will feel something is missing. Unless we demonstrate unconditional, self-denying love for them -not to be confused with acceptance of their ungodly attitudes and behavior- we shall be branded phony, insincere and hypocrititical. Haven't you ever met someone whom you sensed had an agenda, and whose motives
were ulterior? Didn't you just want to get away from that person as quickly as possible?

As much as we'd like to view Apostle Paul as the driven, go-getter disciple, outside of John the beloved, it is he who discusses in depth the love the follower of Christ will have through the indwelling Holy Spirit. He not only describes it, he implores us to allow the Spirit to give it to us by faith. It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that Paul was enabled to be all things to all people, and win them to Christ.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23:
1 Cor. 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
1 Cor. 9:20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
1 Cor. 9:21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ) that I might gain them that are without law.
1 Cor. 9:22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
1 Cor. 9:23 And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker
thereof with you.
He did not mean by this that he was an Oscar winning actor. Ellen White
says that he shaped His message to the person and the particular circumstance, just as Christ did. The Spirit enabled Paul to be aware of each person's needs, and prompted him with the content of the message (gospel) as well as when and how to deliver it. Sister White adds that we should be many-sided men (and women), not just having one approach for everyone we meet. Being filled with the Spirit does not mean negating the study of various
methods and techniques to win souls. On the contrary, it means being led by the Spirit as to our target audience as well as what sources and timing to use.

The Holy Spirit coming upon, and abiding in us bears fruit. Then we become witnesses of what we have seen and heard, rather than a group of individuals merely engaged in "doing" witnessing activity. While this does not guarantee conversion, the truth about the character of the Godhead as that of
unconditional love, mercy, justice and grace will have been told by those of us who love Him. The scripture says, " and they will know we are His disciples because we embody His love." The question now is, will you let the Spirit come upon you so you can become a witness?

--
Raul Diaz and Maria Greaves-Barnes

The Special Insights web page resides at:
http://www.1888message.org/sabbathschool/

Sheep In The Mall

Commenary To The Sabbath School Lesson

At first glance, the picture in this week’s lesson seems to depict a city or town. But, no, upon closer examination, the buildings all have steeples-church steeples. So what is depicted is not a city or town, but a grouping of religious structures or houses of worship. Something about the illustration was unsettling to me, and that’s when I noticed that there were no steeples of mosques or temples. Why, I wondered is that? Is the lesson trying to suggest that “Christ’s Other Sheep” are all Christians, and that they are to be found in other churches? Have you ever seen a sheep in a church?

I haven’t. But neither have I seen one in the Mall either. Of course we know that Christ is using sheep to illustrate human characteristics. He uses several texts to demonstrate our nature, and describe our typical behavior- that of wandering (and perhaps wondering too) away-- to us. Through the prophet Isaiah, God says: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Is. 53:6) So by nature, we tend to go our own way. We wander away from where we’re supposed to be, and we get lost. But Jesus says that the one defining characteristic of His sheep, ‘whom He knows,’ is that “ ‘they hear His voice, and they follow Him.’”

So its possible isn’t it, for Christ’s Sheep to be anywhere, in any sort of religious organization, as long as they hear His voice, and listen to Him with a willingness to do His bidding. If they do, they will be following Him wherever He goes, and not wandering away. Christ said, “I came to do the will of Him who sent Me.” How about us, do we hear His voice, do we listen to Him with a willing heart and mind, or are other pastures greener?

Christ is calling His human sheep out of Babylon—out of confusion, and unbiblical thinking. After all to be in a false church (synagogue or temple) and hold false doctrines, is to think false thoughts. Is it possible to have a false belief system, and yet be in the ‘right church’? Is it possible that we, individually, might be in Babylon?

A secular sociologist discussing World War II stated that it changed the face of America. He stated, “there was a brain drain in Europe, more Europeans migrated to the United Sates, women stayed in the workforce, more people had more jobs in government, and the Religion of America became consumption.” Imagine that? America’s religion could no longer be classified as Protestant, but as Consumption.

Apparently, the Religion of Consumption is composed of these elements:

- Hyper-consumption

- Shopping and Entertainment Centers with a magical element to attract or draw large numbers of people

- Buildings modeled after churches / synagogues/ cathedrals

According to the sociologist, more Americans are more likely to go to a mall on the weekend than to church. And thus Malls are the churches of Consumption. And so the question is, are there Sheep in the Malls? Have we inadvertently become Sheep in the Malls? Through John the beloved, Jesus states in John 9:31:

Now we know that God doesn’t hear sinners (those with iniquity hidden in their hearts- Ps. 66:18): but if any man be a worshipper of God, and does His will, him He hears.

Jesus also states in John 10:14,15: “I Am the good shepherd, and know My sheep, and Am known of mine. And other sheep have I not of this fold, them I must bring, and they shall hear My voice and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”

When the rich young ruler came to Jesus he asked what he should do to have eternal life. You probably remember the story. He approached Jesus calling Him, “Good Master.” Jesus answers him with the question “why do you call Me good—there is none good, save God.” Do we often find ourselves saying “so and so is a good person, he does…? The young ruler equated goodness with doing too. But here we see Christ equating goodness with God’s character of love.

Let’s look at the text together. In John 19:18-26-- Jesus says, “if you will enter into life, keep the commandments,” and then He recites them. The young man says, this I’ve done from my youth. Then Jesus says, “if you’ll be complete in Me, go and sell all you have, give to the poor, and you’ll have treasure in heaven. But, hearing this, the young man went away sorrowful.” How about us, do we become sorrowful hearing this message too? Do we find loving others too difficult to do? Are we relying on our own strength?

Jesus said in Matt. 13:22 …the deceitfulness of riches (and possessions), choke the word, (choke love out of the heart) and the follower of Christ becomes unfruitful / unloving. In Mark 10:22, Jesus states- those who trust in riches shall not enter into heaven. I’m sure that we’ve all said, then who can be saved? Jesus answers that in Mark 10:27… “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” In other words, being His sheep, hearing Him speak, following Him, loving as He loved is possible with Him.

Jesus’ Sheep, wherever they are right now, are listening to hear His voice. They are willing to be made willing to do His bidding. They may not have all the truth, but they are following Him, and He is leading them in the paths of Righteousness for His name’s sake. All the law hangs on two principles: love to God supremely and love to others as He has loved us—Matt. 22:40, John 13:34. In verse 35, Jesus says, … by this unconditional, self-denying love, all men shall know you are My disciples. Jesus’ Sheep hear His voice, and like Him, they depend on their Father for the power, and they lay down their lives in love. Are you in the Mall listening to Jesus?


Maria Greaves-Barnes

The Special Insights web page resides at:
http://www.1888message.org/sabbathschool/