Sabbath School for Adults: Lesson 3: Jesus and the Apostles’ View of the Bible

  Friday  April 17

Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “As a Child,” pp. 68-74, and “The Temptation,” pp. 114-123, in The Desire of Ages.

“Men consider themselves wiser than the word of God, wiser even than God; and instead of planting their feet on the immovable foundation, and bringing everything to the test of God’s word, they test that word by their own ideas of science and nature, and if it seems not to agree with their scientific ideas, it is discarded as unworthy of credence.” —Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, March 27, 1884, p. 1.

“Those who become best acquainted with the wisdom and purpose of God as revealed in His word, become men and women of mental strength; and they may become efficient workers with the great Educator, Jesus Christ. .  .  . Christ has given His people the words of truth, and all are called to act a part in making them known to the world. .  .  . There is no sanctification aside from the truth, the word. Then how essential that it should be understood by every one!”—Ellen G. White, Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 432.

Discussion Questions:

•  If Jesus, the Gospel writers, and Paul treated the Old Testament Scriptures as the Word of God, what should this tell us about why many of the modern views of Scripture today are wrong and why we should not fall for these arguments, no matter who teaches them?

•  Just to give people an idea of where many modern biblical scholars have gone with their skepticism, here are a few things that many modern scholars deny. They reject a literal six-day Creation, accepting billions of years of evolution instead. They reject a sinless Adam in an unfallen world. They reject a universal worldwide flood. Some reject the literal existence of Abraham. Some reject the story of the Exodus. Some reject the miracles of Jesus, including even His bodily resurrection. Some reject the idea of predictive prophecy, in which prophets tell the future, sometimes centuries or even millennia in advance. What should these conclusions tell us about what happens when people start doubting the authority and authenticity of Scripture? Also, what are ways to try to help such people come to a clear understanding of truth?

•  In response to the question at the end of Tuesday’s study, how do we understand how all Scripture can be inspired, even the parts that are not necessarily applicable to us today?

Inside Story

Potluck Wins Hearts 

By Andrew Mcchesney, Adventist Mission

On Sabbaths, vacationers flocked to the Seventh-day Adventist church in Russia’s popular Black Sea resort city of Gelendzhek.

The visitors from Siberia, the Ural Mountains, and other far-flung Russian regions reminded the pastor, Andrey Prokopev, of something special he had learned while studying at Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies in the Philippines. When visitors came to the campus church, Prokopev and other students took turns providing them with a Sabbath fellowship meal afterward.

Prokopev proposed a similar Sabbath fellowship meal for guests at the Russian church. He suggested that the church’s six Sabbath School classes, each with six to seven members, could take turns providing the food.

After the next Sabbath sermon, 20 vacationers in the congregation gladly accepted an invitation to stay for lunch in the church’s kitchen. After the visitors were filled and happy, Prokopev asked them to introduce themselves and share how they became Adventists.

The resulting personal testimonies were powerful, and the church members enjoyed hearing them. Prokopev wanted more people to hear the stories, and he began to invite non-Adventist neighbors to church to worship and eat.

One Sabbath, an Adventist vacationer told a remarkable story about her grandfather, a cook who prepared food for soldiers traveling by train to the Western Front during World War II. The cook was much respected for his hard work and alcohol-free lifestyle, but he was an Adventist who refused to work on Sabbath. His superiors could not give him Saturdays off, but they didn’t want to lose him. Finally, the commander summoned him.

My friend, I will fire you on Friday,” he said. “Then I will hire you on Sunday.“

The arrangement worked well. For the rest of the war, the cook was fired every Friday and rehired every Sunday.

"When the vacationer finished telling the story about her grandfather, a non-Adventist visitor at the table spoke up.

“I want to be an Adventist,” she said.To Prokopev’s joy, he later baptized the woman. In all, four people, all attracted to Jesus through personal testimonies, have been baptized in the two years since the fellowship meals began.

ProkoPev, 43, said fellowship meals with personal testimonies have been a huge blessing for his church and helped Sabbath School class members grew closer as they work together to care for guests.“Personal testimonies are very important,” he said. “They show God, His mercy, and His desire to be our God.”