Further Study:
One of the greatest gifts God has given to human beings is the gift of sexuality. It’s also been one of the most abused, one that Satan uses over and over, and with great success, to ensnare and ruin those who love God and want to serve Him. How can we help each other in this area? What choices can we make regarding dress, language, decorum, what we watch in the media, and behavior in general that can remove stumbling blocks and temptation in regard to a sin that has led to so much suffering among us? 
Think of the devastation that this sin caused in the camp. Think of the suffering of the people as a whole. What should this tell us about how, as a church community, we have a responsibility to deal with sin among us? 
The Israelites didn’t fall into this sin overnight. It was a step-by-step process. What about us as a church today? Are we letting down our guard regarding things that could, ever so slightly, allow us to become hardened to what will lead us into Satan’s traps? What role does the issue of standards play in this important area? How can standards help protect us against this slow and steady move toward apostasy and ruin? Or can they at all? Or, if they can help us, how should they be applied?
| I N S I D E Story | ||
| Trouble in the Village by BARNABAS SIRCAR I am a teenager living in the extreme southern part of Bangladesh. Six years ago an Adventist pastor came to our village. He visited every home, sharing God's love with those who would listen. Because many of the children in the village attended a Protestant school outside the village, some people were willing to hear about Jesus. Two years later 20 people were ready for baptism. Among them were my parents, my elder sister, and I. But not everyone in the village was happy that we had become Adventists. The Protestant church leaders accused the Adventists of steal-ing their members. They united with the non-Christians to force the pastor to leave the area and make us return to our former religion. We faced many problems at that time. But even when we were forbidden to use the village well and had to dig our own well, we clung to our newfound faith. The villagers then went to the police and accused us Adventists of destroying their idols, which lay broken into pieces under the tree where they had once stood. The land on which this tree stood belonged to my family, and we were targeted by the accusations. We couldn't prove that we were innocent, so we turned to God. We fasted and prayed that God would intercede for us. If we lost the case, we could be fined a large sum of money or be thrown into prison. The police listened to both sides of the case. After we presented our side, we continued to pray that God would reveal the real troublemakers. Suddenly chaos broke out among the non-Christians in the crowd. People hurled accusations at one another. "You broke the idol and blamed the Adventists!" one shouted. "No, you broke the idol!" another yelled. Eventually the truth came out that the non-Christians had broken their own idol and blamed the Adventists. Finally peace came to the village. The Protestant church leaders in the village still try to drive us out of the village, but we pray that God will soften their hearts so they can hear the message of hope and peace in Jesus. Your mission offerings help send lay evangelists into villages such as ours, to teach the people and lead them to Jesus. Then they help to build simple chapels in which to worship. Thank you.
BARNABAS SIRCAR (left) attends an Adventist school in Bangladesh. | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org |
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