13 Nov 2020

Sabbath School for Adults: Education: Lesson 7: Worship In Education


Friday
November 13

Further Thought: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Professors of religion are not willing to closely examine themselves to see whether they are in the faith, and it is a fearful fact that many are leaning on a false hope. Some lean upon an old experience they had years ago; but when brought down to this heart-searching time, when all should have a daily experience, they have nothing to relate. They seem to think a profession of the truth will save them. When those sins which God hates are subdued, Jesus will come in and sup with you and you with him. You will then draw divine strength from Jesus, and you will grow up in him, and be able with holy triumph to say, Blessed be God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. It would be more pleasing to the Lord if lukewarm professors of religion had never named his name.
They are a continual weight to those who would be faithful followers of Jesus. They are a stumbling-block to unbelievers, and evil angels exult over them, and taunt the angels of God with their crooked course. Such are a curse to the cause at home or abroad. They draw nigh to God with their lips, while their heart is far from him.”—Ellen G. White, Spiritual Gifts, vol. 2, p. 227.

Discussion Questions:

•  From Mark 7:1-13, we learned that the underlying condition of false worship is a heart problem. God does not regard worship with our lips if this worship is not springing forth from our hearts. Why is the gospel and the story of the death of Jesus in our behalf the most powerful way to open up hearts to truly love God?

•  Dwell more on the idea of worshiping God “in spirit and in truth.” Is it possible to do one and not the other, or does true worship demand both? If so, why?

•  Yes, our hearts need to be right in order to truly worship God, but what does that mean? Do you have to wait until you are totally connected to the Lord, with your life in perfect order, before you can worship? On the other hand, how can worship, true worship, help get your heart in the right place with God?

Inside Story

Praying for Work in France

By Andrew Mcchesney

Abdelkader Henni had no interest in Christianity, and he was surprised when a chaplain spoke to him about Jesus at a school where he participated in after-school activities with other young people in France.
“You come often,” the chaplain said. “Why don’t you become a Christian?”Abdelkader, who had lived most of his life in France after his parents immi-grated from Algeria, stopped going to the after-school activities. But he wasn’t sure what to do. He had finished high school and couldn’t find a job.
A short time later, he met a Seventh-day Adventist from Algeria. Abdelkader’s heart was touched as he listened to the Adventist’s story. He realized that an Algerian could become a Christian, and he began to read about Christianity. Around that time, he ran into an old high school friend. Crystal had been unhappy in high school, but now a joy surrounded her. Abdelkader wondered what had happened, and as if reading his thoughts, Crystal told him.
“I met Someone, and that Person totally transformed my life,” she said.“Who did you meet?” Abdelkader asked.“I met Jesus Christ,” she said.Abdelkader wondered whether Jesus could transform his life. He accom-panied Crystal to a church prayer meeting that evening. When someone asked whether he had any prayer requests, he said, “I need a job.”
The next morning, his phone rang.“You are Abdelkader?” an unfamiliar voice asked.“Yes,” he said.“Are you looking for a job?” she asked.Later that morning, the caller interviewed Abdelkader in her car as she drove him to his new job. He was astonished. He had applied for the job weeks earlier but only received it after praying. He believed Jesus could transform his life.
Back at home, he prayed, “I want to know which church to choose.”Three days later he heard a man speaking about the seventh-day Sabbath on the radio. The man read Isaiah 56:1, 2, which says in part, “Blessed is the man who . . . keeps from defiling the Sabbath” (NKJV). Abdelkader remembered the Adventist from Algeria and how Adventists went to church on the seventh-day Sabbath. He joined the Adventist Church. Today Abdelkader, whose name means “servant of the Almighty God,” is a 51-year-old Adventist pastor working with non-Christians in France.
“Every day I praise God for the work that He has given me to do,” he said.
Thank you for your Sabbath School mission offerings that help people in France and around the world learn about Jesus.

No comments: