Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “The Gift of the Spirit,” pp. 47–56, in The Acts of the Apostles; “ ‘Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled,’ ” pp. 667–672, in The Desire of Ages.
The Holy Spirit cooperates with the Father and the Son in the redemptive process. In all of our witnessing activities, we are joining Him in His work of saving people. He convicts hearts. He opens doors of opportunity. Through His Word, He enlightens minds and reveals truth. He breaks the bonds of prejudice that enslave us, triumphs over cultural biases that obscure our vision of truth, and delivers us from the chains of evil habits that shackle us.
As we witness for Jesus, it is crucial to remember that we are cooperating with the Holy Spirit. He is there before us, preparing hearts to receive the message of the gospel. He is there with us, moving upon minds as we perform an act of random kindness, share our testimony, conduct a Bible study, give away a piece of truth-filled literature, or participate in an evangelistic outreach. He will continue working upon the heart of the individual long after we leave, doing whatever it takes to lead that person to a knowledge of salvation.
Discussion Questions:
Share with the members of your Sabbath School group a time when you sensed the Holy Spirit’s working powerfully though your witness.
Have you ever felt apprehensive or fearful about sharing your faith? How does a knowledge of the ministry of the Holy Spirit reduce that fear and give you assurance as you witness?
In this week’s lesson, we talked about the “activity” of the Holy Spirit in our witnessing. Discuss some different ways the Holy Spirit works with us in our witnessing endeavors. How does the Holy Spirit equip us to witness and work in the lives of others as we witness?
The lesson talked about the centrality of the Bible in witnessing. Why is the Bible such a crucial component of our faith and witness? How can we avoid the traps of those who, even while claiming to believe in the Bible, subtly diminish its authority and witness?
Inside Story
Four Dreams in a Row
By Andrew McChesney
The first dream occurred after Abraham Keita got up at 3:00 a.m. for customary prayers on his prayer mat in Bufa, a village in Guinea in West Africa.
“I am more than 40, and I don’t have a wife or children or work or money,” Abraham prayed. “Please help me. I want You to turn me into a prophet who can talk to other people through You.”
As he prayed, a wind began to blow. He felt weak and fell asleep on the mat. Suddenly, someone nudged him and said, “My son, go inside and sleep in your bed.”
Minutes later, he was sleeping in his bed, and he had a dream. In the dream, Someone with eyes that looked like fire approached him. Abraham thought he was about to be attacked. Terrified, Abraham asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Jesus Christ,” the Man said.
In the morning, Abraham wondered what would happen next.
The next night, he had another dream. He saw the Man again. This time, the two walked along the trail of a tall mountain.
On the third night, Abraham dreamed that he was looking for work, and Jesus was hiring workers. Abraham saw Jesus sitting at a table, taking people’s names and writing them down.
On the fourth night, Abraham saw Jesus chest-deep in the water of the Atlantic Ocean. Jesus looked at him, and he looked at Jesus.
Three years passed. Abraham moved to Guinea’s capital, Conakry, and was hired as a construction worker. Walking home from work, he met a Global Mission pioneer, Tranqulle Fassinadouno, on the road.
“How are you?” Tranqulle asked. “I’m a Christian. Would you like to visit my church?”
“How can I?” Abraham replied. “I belong to another religion. I don’t even understand what you are talking about.”
At home, however, he remembered his dreams about Jesus. He decided to go to the Global Mission pioneer’s church to see what it was about.
At the church, he was welcomed warmly, and he liked what he heard. He returned every Sabbath after that and gave his heart to Jesus.
Today, Abraham Keita, 48, is the watchman for the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Guinea and custodian for the adjacent school. Part of this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help expand an affiliated school in Conakry. “My dreams led me to Jesus,” Abraham said. “I am walking with Him now, just like in one of my dreams. I am on a journey with Jesus.”
No comments:
Post a Comment