Further Study: Read Ellen G. White, “Pentecost,” pp. 35-46 in The Acts of the Apostles.
“The special gifts of the Spirit are not the only talents represented in the parable. It includes all gifts and endowments, whether original or acquired, natural or spiritual. All are to be employed in Christ’s service. In becoming His disciples, we surrender ourselves to Him with all that we are and have. These gifts He returns to us purified and ennobled, to be used for His glory in blessing our fellow men.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 328.
“The man who makes the working of miracles the test of his faith will find that Satan can, through a species of deceptions, perform wonders that will appear to be genuine miracles.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 2, p. 52.
“Some of these persons have exercises which they call gifts and say that the Lord has placed them in the church. They have an unmeaning gibberish which they call the unknown tongue, which is unknown not only by man but by the Lord and all heaven. Such gifts are manufactured by men and women, aided by the great deceiver. Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church. Some have been deceived here.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 412.
Discussion Questions: 
As a class, go over your answers to Sunday’s study. What kind of gifts are manifested in your local church? How can you take better advantage of what you have? Most important, how are these gifts being used?
Pentecostal Christians believe that speaking in tongues is the evidence that a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. According to Scripture, what is the true evidence of a Spirit-filled life? See Gal. 5:22, 23.
What are some of the supernatural manifestations common in your culture and your part of the world? What seems to be the fruit of these manifestations? What are ways that you, as a church, can not only protect other church members from being deceived but also help others outside the church be aware of the potential dangers inherent in these manifestations?
Discuss what Ellen G. White says in the first quote listed above. What does she mean about the gifts being “purified and ennobled”? What is she talking about? Can people have gifts that are used for wrong purposes? Explain.
| I N S I D E Story | ||
| Not Afraid by ARASH* I am a refugee living in a Middle Eastern country. I was imprisoned when I refused to work on a project involving chemical warfare. There I met someone who helped me escape and flee the country. I applied to the United Nations for refugee status and hid in the city while the paperwork was processed. There I met a Christian couple who really impressed me. Although I had grown up in a religious country, I did not practice religion. But I could see the difference their God made in their lives. I accepted their invitation to worship with them in their house church though I did not intend to become a Christian. I did not understand a lot of what the man said, but his life and behavior made me want to know about God. I began to read the Bible they gave me. When the government learned that I was a refugee and knew military secrets about my homeland, they pressed me to talk. I refused. They threatened me, beat me, and put a gun to my head; but still I refused to talk. My Christian friends prayed for my safety, and one day the interrogator told me to leave the city if I wanted to live. He actually helped me leave the city. I made my way to the capital city. When I arrived, I missed my Christian friends. I started worshiping in a Protestant church, but I noticed that they did not have the same love in their lives. I remembered how my friends who had introduced me to Jesus lived like Jesus. I kept searching. Then one day I met a Christian woman and saw God's love in her life. She invited me to worship with a small group, and I accepted. I watched the people and realized that these Christians lived what they preached, as my friends had. The pastor asked me to translate The Desire of Ages, and the book changed my life. I realized that the Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament. Reading just the New Testament is like reading only the last half of a book and trying to understand it. I realized that I had found the true church that followed God's Word. The church members are not perfect, but they seek to follow God's Word. I want to be like Jesus, to serve people, teach people, and help people, no matter who or where they are. I will go where God leads me, even back to my homeland. I am not afraid. Please pray for me; pray for the people in my homeland and the people in my adopted country. They need to meet Jesus, for they are His children; they just don't know it yet.
*Arash (not his real name) awaits God's marching orders from his adopted home in the Middle East. | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Awareness. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org |
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