Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Privilege of Prayer,” pp. 93–104, in Steps to Christ.
“The natural eye can never behold the comeliness and beauty of Christ. The inward illumination of the Holy Spirit, revealing to the soul its true hopeless, helpless condition without the mercy and pardon of the Sin-bearer—the all-sufficiency of Christ—can alone enable man to discern His infinite mercy, His immeasurable love, benevolence, and glory.”—Ellen G. White, The Upward Look, p. 155.
“Portions of Scripture, even whole chapters, may be committed to memory, to be repeated when Satan comes in with his temptations. . . . When Satan would lead the mind to dwell upon earthly and sensual things, he is most effectually resisted with, ‘It is written.’ ”—Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, April 8, 1884.
Discussion Questions:
How does the reality of free will and free choice play into all our decisions regarding faith and obedience? Though many areas of our life are out of our control, with regard to the crucial things, the things that pertain to eternal life, we do have free choice. What are you doing with the free will that God has given you? What kind of spiritual choices are you making?
Think about the role that the Sabbath can and should play in terms of giving us quiet time with God. How does keeping the Sabbath protect you from being so caught up in working and doing things that you don’t spend the time with God that you need to spend? How can you learn to make the Sabbath more of the spiritual blessing that it was meant to be?
What has been your experience in spending time with God alone in prayer and study? How does this spiritual practice impact your faith? How should it impact your faith? In class, if you feel comfortable, talk about your own personal times of reading and praying and what you have gained from them. How might others benefit from what you have learned?
What are some of your favorite texts that you have memorized? What is it about them that you like so much? How has memorizing them been a blessing to you?
Inside Story
Escape From a Plane Crash
By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission
Pius Kabadi Tshiombe, a 53-year-old lay evangelist, boarded the An-2 single-engine biplane for a flight to visit a church that he planted in a remote region of the Democratic Republic of Congo. But the Soviet-built plane operated by Kinshasa-based Air Kasai developed engine trouble shortly after taking off from Kamako for the 90-mile (150-kilometer) flight to Tshikapa, located near the border with Angola. As the pilot looked for a place to land, the plane lost altitude, and smoke filled the cabin. Tshiombe saw the pilot emerge from the cockpit. “Follow the pilot,” a voice seemed to say.
Tshiombe sprang to his feet. The pilot opened an exit and jumped out. Tshiombe also jumped. Moments later, the An-2 slammed into the bush and burst into flames. The crash occurred about two miles (three kilometers) from the Kamako airport on July 27, 2018. Only Tshiombe and the pilot survived; the other five passengers died. “He survived with only his cell phone,” said Tshiombe’s wife, Nicole, who received confirmation about her husband’s condition via WhatsApp photographs sent by a friend after the crash. “He had a head and leg wound but no broken bones.”
Among the photos was one of Tshiombe, dazed and wearing a blood-soaked shirt, with a cell phone in his hand. Nicole was unable to speak with her husband for three days, but his first words by phone were filled with praise to God. “I will never leave this God,” he told her. “He is wonderful.”
Tshiombe had wanted to visit a small church plant of 15 people that he opened after evangelistic meetings in Kabungyu. But he ended up on the An-2 on a Friday after learning that his desired flight left on Saturday.
“They told him that he would have to travel on the Sabbath,” his wife said.
“He said, ‘I can’t because I worship on Sabbath.’ But they said, ‘The flight only goes on Saturday.’ He said, ‘I’ll find another way to reach my destination.’ ”
Tshiombe, pictured second from left, called his wife from the airport to announce his change in plans. He hoped to find a new way to connect to Kabungyu. Nicole has many questions about what happened. She doesn’t understand why only Tshiombe and the pilot survived. She doesn’t know whether Tshiombe’s decision to keep the Sabbath played a role in the story. But she believes that he was delivered as promised in Psalm 91:14, where the Lord says, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him” (NKJV).
“Be faithful to God because He can protect us at all times,” she said.
Part of a 2019 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering helped expand the Adventist clinic in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this Sabbath, which will help spread the gospel in the Trans-European Division.
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