Advertising Misprint Brings Two to Church

FRIDAY December 5

Further Study:

“Man has not been made a sin-bearer, and he will never know the horror of the curse of sin which the Saviour bore. No sorrow can bear any comparison with the sorrow of Him upon whom the wrath of God fell with overwhelming force. Human nature can endure but a limited amount of test and trial. The finite can only endure the finite measure, and human nature succumbs; but the nature of Christ had a greater capacity for suffering; for the human existed in the divine nature, and created a capacity for suffering to endure that which resulted from the sins of a lost world. The agony which Christ endured, broadens, deepens, and gives a more extended conception of the character of sin, and the character of the retribution which God will bring upon those who continue in sin. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ to the repenting, believing sinner.”—Ellen G. White Comments, The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1103.

Discussion Questions:

Read carefully the Ellen G. White quote above. In essence she is saying that nothing any one of us, as finite creatures, has ever suffered could match the suffering of the Son of God on the cross. What does that tell us about what sin cost God? How does this idea, of Christ’s suffering being worse than anything we could face, help us understand how suffering could exist in a world created by a loving God? What comfort can you draw, if any, from knowing that God has suffered worse from sin than any of us ever had or ever could?

Dwell on Wednesday’s lesson, the idea of the temporal sundering of the Godhead. What can you take from that which can help you understand the depth of the atonement? How was that experience in the Godhead “the penalty” for our sin? Discuss your answer in class on Sabbath.

What does it mean to give of yourself unselfishly for others? What examples from everyday life can you find of this principle in operation? How can we, both as individuals and as a church, better manifest such unselfish giving?

Summary:

On the cross, Jesus experienced the fullness of the sinner’s eternal separation from God. God Himself was in Christ paying the penalty for sin, atoning for our sins.

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I N S I D E Story
Advertising Misprint Brings Two to Church
by PHIL WARD

A misprinted ad in an Australian newspaper had a surprising result. Pastor Laurie McMurtry advertised his "Focus on Prophecy" seminar in three local newspapers. But one newspaper mistakenly printed the starting date as Monday night rather than Tuesday.

When Pastor McMurtry realized the error, he wondered what to do. He had a lot of preparation to do for the seminars, and he could hardly afford to spend the evening at the church. But what if someone came to the church on Monday evening for the seminar?

The pastor felt convicted to go to the church on Monday night. He packed his projector, his computer, and the seminar materials and drove to the distant Adventist church where the meetings were to be held.

When he arrived, the parking lot was empty. He waited some time, and still no one came. Then, as he was about to leave, a car drove into the parking lot. The pastor greeted the couple and explained the situation to them. "The seminar is actually tomorrow night," he said.

"What a pity," the couple replied. "We can't come tomorrow night."

"Then come inside, and I'll hold the seminar just for you!" Pastor McMurtry said. He set up his equipment and presented the seminar topic to John and Pat Paynter. When the pastor gave the Paynters the printed material for the second week's seminar, they told him that they couldn't come on Tuesday nights. Pastor McMurtry offered to hold a seminar just for them on Wednesday mornings.

The Paynters, members of another church, were delighted with the strong emphasis on the Bible. They began attending the Adventist church two months later and are now actively involved.

"I'm sure that the Lord had a hand in that newspaper misprint," says Pastor McMurtry, who never told the newspaper about the mistake.

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JOHN and PAT PAYNTER (left) attend the Ballina Adventist Church in Australia. PHIL WARD is the author of The Bible as Poetry; he edits an evangelism newsletter for the Australian Union.Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission
Web site: www.adventistmission.org