The Sidetracked Shuttle

FRIDAY April 25

Further Study:

According to historian Huston Smith, Jesus' teachings "may be the most repeated in history. 'Love your neighbor as yourself. What you would like people to do to you, do to them. Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.' Most of the time, though, he told stories: of buried treasure, of sowers who went out to sow, of pearl merchants, of a good Samaritan. People who heard these stories were moved to exclaim, 'This man speaks with authority. Never spoke man thus!' . . . The most impressive thing about the teachings of Jesus is not that he taught them but that he appears to have lived them. From the accounts that we have, his entire life was one of humility, self-giving, and love that sought not its own. The supreme evidence of his humility is that it is impossible to discover precisely what Jesus thought of himself. He wasn't concerned with that. He was concerned with what people thought of God. . . . We have seen that he ignored the barriers that mores erected between people. He loved children. He hated injustice, and perhaps hated hypocrisy even more because it hid people from themselves."—The Illustrated World's Religions, pp. 212, 213.

Discussion Questions:

Many issues that have concerned us in recent times Jesus never touched (drug abuse, health reform, homosexuality, slavery, cloning, abortion, etc.). What conclusions should we draw from these omissions? What conclusions should we not draw?

What role might Jesus' teaching on forgiveness play in issues of international conflict today? How can Christians bring that teaching to bear upon the resolution of issues in their homes, churches, and communities? When is forgiveness not the answer to the particular problems faced by nations and individuals, or is it always the answer?

Notwithstanding its universal appeal, the Sermon on the Mount often is ignored when we confront the real problems of life. Why do you think this is so? And how is it in your own life? In what ways could you consciously try to apply these principles in your own walk with the Lord?

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		I N S I D E Story
		The Sidetracked Shuttle by Homer Trecartin Pastor Dave Weigley boarded the airport shuttle and sat down, eager to relax a little before his meetings. He thought of the evangelistic meetings he had held in this Florida city a year earlier and wondered how the new members were doing. And what about the people who had come to the meetings but did not make a decision to follow Jesus? His thoughts were interrupted by a woman's voice. "Please, just drop me off on your way to the hotel." Grudgingly the driver agreed to take the woman to her home. The shuttle bus wound through traffic and stopped in front of a familiar-looking block of apartments. Pastor Weigley jumped up to help the woman with her bag. "Do you live here?" he asked. "Yes," the woman said. Excited, Pastor Weigley asked if a certain woman still lived there. The woman eyed him and slowly answered, "Yes, she still lives there." The shuttle door closed, and Pastor Weigley sat down. This has to be more than coincidence, he thought. What does God want me to do? The woman he asked about had attended the meetings he had held, but in spite of many visits and prayers, she had not given her heart to Christ. Now God had led him back to her apartment complex. Weigley promised God that he would visit the woman before leaving town. A few days later Weigley returned to the apartment where the woman lived. As he climbed the stairs he thought, How do I greet someone whose name I don't remember? He knocked on the door, but heard nothing from inside. As he turned to leave, the door opened and the woman exclaimed, "Well, Pastor Weigley. Please come in." He entered and found the woman had company-a friend and another pastor who Weigley recognized. The women were as surprised as he was. Pastor Weigley told the others about his experience on the shuttle bus. The other pastor explained that he had come to apologize for an incident that had happened years earlier. The two pastors prayed and invited the women to give their hearts to Jesus. With tears in her eyes, the woman who had attended the meetings knelt and surrendered to Christ. This woman has since been baptized, in part because two pastors had followed the Holy Spirit's leading and found a wanderer ready to come home. Our mission offerings support outreach-both organized evangelism and personal witness. Thank you for sharing God's love through your offerings. DAVE WEIGLEY is president of the Columbia Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Maryland, U.S.A. Homer Trecartin is planning director for the Office of Adventist Mission at the General Conference.
		Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Web site: www.adventistmission.org