Further Study and Chrislam

February 1

Further Study:

Read The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, pp. 607, 608, 656, 657, 669, 670, 785, 786, 940-942; Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 524-536. "The 'one thing' that Martha needed was a calm, devotional spirit, a deeper anxiety for knowledge concerning the future, immortal life, and the graces necessary for spiritual advancement. She needed less anxiety for the things which pass away, and more for those things which endure forever. Jesus would teach His children to seize every opportunity of gaining that knowledge which will make them wise unto salvation,"—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 525. "One of the characteristics of the Gospel of Luke is its frequent references to Christ's ministry for the womenfolk of Palestine and the ministry of some of them on His behalf. This was something new, for the role of Jewish women in public life had been a relatively minor one, although in isolated instances, prophets like Elisha had ministered to women and been ministered to by them."—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 769.

Discussion Questions:

Go back over the story of Mary being told about becoming Jesus' mother. Again, think about what amazing things she was told to believe, things she could not possibly understand. Think about many of the things we Christians are told to believe that we cannot possibly understand. And though we do not understand them, we still have faith and even reasons to believe them. Bring your thoughts to class and, as a class, talk about these things and why we can and should believe them, regardless of what we do not understand. How can we help others who are struggling to believe in things that, in the end, have to be taken on faith? At a time when, in most countries, the membership of the church seems to be predominantly female, why should the church not discourage female discipleship? Jesus was revolutionary, transforming, liberating, innovative, restorative, sensitive, and supportive. No one was ignored, marginalized, or ostracized in His presence. Contemporary disciples should emulate Him and model His example for all classes, cultures, genders, peoples, and nations. How can you help your local church be a place where all are welcomed and can find a role in service? I N S I D E Story Chrislam by DANIEL PEREZ Only a few of the teenagers attend the little mission school on our island in southern Philippines. Most are embarrassed because they can't read or write and don't want to be teased by their younger siblings who attend the mission school. So these teenage boys spend their time diving in the coral reefs and catching fish. They keep us supplied with fresh fish every day. We teachers wanted to reach these young men, but we were not sure how. Finally we decided to try to engage them through sports. We told the boys what we wanted to do, and they helped us clear an area to make a simple basketball court. We found a metal ring to use as the hoop and pooled our money to buy a basketball. Then we taught them to play. They enjoyed the game and soon played quite well. We formed teams to encourage them. We went swimming with them and invited them to eat at our cottage. Sometimes we worshiped with them in their Mosque. We became friends. During a group massage session we held for the boys, some of them opened their hearts to us. They talked about problems they faced, and we listened. Little by little we realized that they noticed we don't smoke, don't drink fermented coconut juice, and don't eat shellfish. Their religion forbids these things, but they do them anyway. One day they expressed their questions to us. "Teacher," one said. "You are different from most Christians we know. You don't smoke or drink alcohol or eat pork as most Christians do. Our elders tell us that smoking and drinking alcohol is bad because it destroys the Masjid [temple] of Allah. "We Muslims worship on Friday, and most Christians worship on Sunday. You Adventists are a bridge between Muslims and Christians, and you worship on Saturday. Thus, you live the life of true Islam. That is why we respect you as you live up to what a true child Of Allah should be. Thus, we will call you Chrislams, which means Christians who live as Islam." We were humbled as we realized that our actions had spoken so clearly what our mouths couldn't say to these sincere and open young sons of Islam. Pray for them as they search for the path to the living God. Pray for the student missionaries who teach these children of Allah to truly live for Him. Our mission offerings help support Mountain View College, which sends student missionaries throughout southern Philippines. DANIEL PEREZ is a pseudonym. Because of the sensitive nature of the work in his area, we have chosen to protect his identity. Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Awareness. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org