Further Study:
| Read The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, pp. 322-326, 746-750; Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, pp. 312-314; 349-358; Education, pp. 79, 80; Mark 6:6-13. "In that brief verse [Matthew 5:1] there are three clues to the real significance of the Sermon on the Mount. (i) Jesus began to teach when he had sat down. When a Jewish Rabbi was teaching officially he sat to teach. . . . So, then, the very intimation that Jesus sat down to teach his disciples is the indication that this teaching is central and official. (ii) Matthew goes on to say that when he had opened His mouth, he taught them. . . . In Greek the phrase has a double significance. (a) In Greek it is used of a solemn, grave and dignified utterance. . . . (b) It is used of a person's utterance when he is really opening his heart and fully pouring out his mind. It is used of intimate teaching with no barriers between. . . . (iii) ... Now the point is that in the Greek of this sentence, which we are studying, the verb taught is not an aorist [tense], but an imperfect and therefore it describes repeated and habitual action, and the translation should be: 'This is what he used to teach them.' Matthew has said as plainly as Greek will say it that the Sermon on the Mount is not one sermon of Jesus, given at one particular time and on one particular occasion; it is the essence of all that Jesus continuously and habitually taught his disciples."—William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1975), vol. 1, pp. 86, 87. |
Discussion Questions:
What kind of discipleship program does your own local church have? What are its strong points? Its weak points? What practical steps can your church make to be stronger in the area of discipleship? 
When a person joins your local church, what can you do, personally, to help disciple that person along? What specific gifts might you have that can be of help? Also, what about your Sabbath School class itself? What role can and should it have in the discipling process? 
Discipling takes disciples, those who know what it means to follow Jesus, to learn from Jesus, to be an imitator of Jesus. What did you learn this week from the texts we looked at that, if applied in your life, could make you better prepared to disciple new members?
| I N S I D E Story | ||
| Hope Meets Hopeless: Part 1 by CHARLOTTE ISHKANIAN S. S. and Geetha Karikalan lived a comfortable life. They bought rice from fanners and sold it to retailers. Then the government cut out the middlemen in order to regulate the rice industry, and suddenly the Karikalans were out of work. The family was desperate and talked about committing suicide. One day two Adventist women noticed the sad-looking couple getting off the city bus and asked if something was wrong. One of the women, Sahira, offered to pray for the couple there beside the road. Although S. S. and Geetha were of another religion, they accepted the prayers of these devout women. Sahira prayed that God would help them find work and that they would also find peace and hope in their lives. After Sahira prayed, the couple admitted that they had thought about suicide, but because of her prayer, they felt peace. Sahira had to hurry to an appointment, but she asked permission to visit S. S. and Geetha. The couple gave her the address of Geetha's parents, where they were staying. Sahira invited the couple to visit their church that Sabbath and promised that they would find that Jesus could meet their needs. She gave them the address. The couple attended the church that week. Sahira welcomed them warmly and gave them a Bible. The next day she visited them. The couple agreed to Bible studies, and Sahira and the pastor studied with them for several weeks. The couple's 13-year-old son, Santosh, joined them for the studies. One day the pastor needed medicine for his asthma from Santosh's grandfather. Santosh and his grandfather walked to the pastor's apartment to deliver the medicine. While Grandfather talked with the pastor, Santosh went to the roof on the third floor of the apartment building to play cricket with the pastor's children. Continued next week
The Karikalan family (left). Charlotte Ishkanian is editor of Mission and "Inside Stories." | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Awareness. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org |
During the game Santosh stepped back and stretched to catch the ball. Suddenly he lost his balance and fell backward off the roof. "Lord, save me!" he cried as he tumbled toward some high voltage wires. 
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