Further Study: "Many are the ways in which God is seeking to make Himself known to us and bring us into communion with Him. Nature speaks to our senses without ceasing. The open heart will be impressed with the love and glory of God as revealed through the works of His hands. The listening ear can hear and understand the communications of God through the things of nature. The green fields, the lofty trees, the buds and flowers, the passing cloud, the falling rain, the babbling brook, the glories of the heavens, speak to our hearts, and invite us to become acquainted with Him who made them all."—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 85. Read this entire chapter in Steps to Christ, entitled "A Knowledge of God" (pp. 85-91).
Discussion Questions: 
To what extent does nature help us to find God? Does nature teach us anything about the God of the Bible, or does it merely impress us that there must be Something or Someone out there?
In class, talk about the importance of following one's conscience. Then talk about the dangers that are involved. What are ways we can help others know if and when they can trust the prompting of their conscience?
What role does culture and upbringing have on the shaping of your conscience? In what ways has your culture influenced your concepts of right and wrong? How can you learn to transcend culture when you need to, that is, when your culture teaches something that is against the clear teaching of the Word of God?
If the gift of prophecy is a spiritual gift to God's church, should we expect it to play a prominent role in our day and age? May we expect God to raise up other prophets similar to the way He called Ellen G. White more than a century ago? Discuss.
What are ways that we can study the Bible in order to come away knowing God better? What are ways to study the Bible and come away not knowing God any more than when we first started reading?
Summary:
| God wants to communicate with us. He does so through nature and by speaking through our conscience. Throughout the ages He has used prophets, and He had made the prophetic gift available even for His church today. The Bible, God's Written Word, remains the divine Guidebook for our pilgrimage. Its focus is on what God has done for us, most sublimely in entering this world in the Person of His Son, to which all Scriptures testify. |
| I N S I D E Story | ||
| God's Stubborn Warrior by SUSAN CASTILLO David Ramos is a man of humble origins. Born in Cuba, he finished the sixth grade before he was taken from school at age 16 to join the Cuban army. When his commander learned that David was a Seventh-day Adventist, he did everything he could to force David to give up his faith. He was mistreated and punished, denied visits from his family, and kept in solitary confinement. He was subjected to hard labor and was denied proper food. At one time he was denied food for six days while he was forced to work hard at night and in the cold. After each punishment, the guards would offer him a better education, a good job, and passes to go home if only he renounced his belief in God. But David refused to give up his faith. And his refusal infuriated his supe-riors, who dealt him more serious punishment and worse treatment. For three years David was persecuted and imprisoned for his faith, but he refused to renounce his Savior. After leaving the military, David returned home and continued serving God. He was active in his church, giving Bible studies, preaching, and bringing others to Jesus. He rode his bicycle from town to town to visit people and share God's love with them. One day as he rode along a highway, he was struck by a bus and seriously injured. He endured several surgeries and spent months recovering from his injuries. But instead of feeling bitter, David thanked God for saving his life. Then an opportunity opened for David to bring his family to America. Their first home was in a refugee-style camp in Florida, where Cuban refugees were housed until they could be processed for immigration. While living in the camp, David continued his work for God and led many fellow refugees to the Savior. He often took his aging mother with him in her wheelchair when he went to study the Bible with someone or to preach. Eventually David and his family settled in Oklahoma, where he contin-ued his mission to share God's love with his new neighbors. God has blessed his efforts, and David has been instrumental in establishing a Spanish church in Oklahoma City. David still suffers from the effects of the persecution he received while in the military and the bicycle accident. But he continues working tirelessly to lead others to Christ. He is a stubborn warrior in the army of God. Your mission offerings help make it possible for thousands to hear the gospel and choose to follow the Savior.
SUSAN CASTILLO is an X-ray technologist and medical assistant. She and her pastor husband live in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org |
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