Further Study:
"Over the rent sepulcher of Joseph, Christ had proclaimed in triumph, 'I am the resurrection, and the life.' These words could be spoken only by the Deity. All created beings live by the will and power of God. They are dependent recipients of the life of God. From the highest seraph to the humblest animate being, all are replenished from the Source of life. Only He who is one with God could say, I have power to lay down My life, and I have power to take it again. In His divinity, Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death"—Ellen G. White, "The Lord Is Risen," p. 785, in The Desire of Ages."During His ministry, Jesus had raised the dead to life. He had raised the son of the widow of Nain, and the ruler's daughter and Lazarus. But these were not clothed with immortality. After they were raised, they were still subject to death. But those who came forth from the grave at Christ's resurrection were raised to everlasting life. They ascended with Him as trophies of His victory over death and the grave. These, said Christ, are no longer the captives of Satan; I have redeemed them. I have brought them from the grave as the first fruits of My power, to be with Me where I am, nevermore to see death or experience sorrow"—p. 786.
Discussion Questions:
Take another look at 1 Corinthians 15, the flagship theological defense of the Resurrection in the New Testament. Follow Paul's arguments in favor of this basic Christian teaching. Why do these texts make little sense if you believe that the righteous dead go immediately to heaven at death? How is our understanding of the state of the dead vindicated by these texts? What makes the promise of the Resurrection so crucial to us as Seventh-day Adventists with our view of the state of the dead? 
Think about this question, and then bring your answer to class: How differently would you live if you believed that at death everything ended forever?
Go over all the textual evidence you can find that helps affirm the resurrection of Jesus. Bring it to class and together review the evidence. How compelling is it? How can you put this material together in a way that could be used as a powerful witnessing tool?
| I N S I D E Story | ||
| Sanuay's Miracles: Part 1 Sanjay was a musician and played in a band in India. He was a Christian and did not join his fellow musicians when they went drinking or dancing. But something was missing from his life. Sanjay felt bad when his fellow musicians made fun of his Christian faith. One day he prayed that God would show His power to his friends so they would know that He was the only true God. That evening the band loaded their equipment into a small bus to drive across a mountain pass to their next appointment. They passed the summit and began their descent when the driver suddenly realized that he had no brakes. The bus veered off the road and rolled into the valley far below. No one was killed, but everyone was injured except Sanjay. Some of the musicians confessed that Sanjay's God had saved him from harm and began calling him "God's man." Sanjay met an Adventist pastor who urged him to surrender his life totally to God. Sanjay agreed, but even though he felt God wanted him to use his talents to bring people to Christ, still he hesitated to give up the band. Then something happened that changed the course of his life. One day he climbed an old coconut tree to pick fresh coconuts. He grasped a palm frond to balance himself while he reached for a coconut. However, the palm frond broke loose, throwing Sanjay off balance. He fell from the tall tree into a field of cut sugar cane. The stalks that remained in the field had been cut at an angle and were as sharp as needles. "Lord, save me!" Sanjay cried as he fell. His brother heard Sanjay's cry and watched in horror as his brother fell into the sharp stalks. He raced to his side, expecting to find his brother dead, but Sanjay was unhurt. He picked himself up and dusted himself off. Sanjay realized that God had saved his life a second time. "OK, Lord," he said, "I'm Yours. Give me something to do for You." He asked the Adventist pastor for work, and the pastor invited him to come and train to become a lay evangelist. Sanjay agreed. But how could he lead others to Christ? He had no experience with any work but music. (continued next week)
SANJAY GHATGE is a lay evangelist working in remote villages in Maharashtra, India. | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Web site: www.adventistmission.org |
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