Mad Man Goes to Church

FRIDAY

April 3

Further Study:

Read Ellen G. White, "God's Love for Man," pp. 9-16, in Steps to Christ. Also read "Calvary," pp. 741-757, and "It Is Finished," pp. 758-768, in The Desire of Ages, which deal with the final moments of Christ's earthly life. The book The Four Loves, by C. S. Lewis, is an inspiring essay on the various kinds of human and divine love.

Discussion Questions:

One cannot escape the "why" question: If God is love, why is there so much suffering? It is not only the scale of suffering that causes people to question God's love but also the fact that so much appears to affect innocent people, and so much appears utterly senseless. How do we, as Seventh-day Adventist Christians, deal with this reality? How does our understanding of the great controversy help us understand this difficult topic? How can one love an abusing parent, a serial killer, or a totally selfish person? How did Jesus love those who were totally unlovable? How can one continue loving if there is no response to that love? Again, how did Jesus continue to love those who would never love Him back? Who are the outcasts, the despised, and the reviled in your own society? What kind of outreach and ministry does your church have for those people? What would it take to get yourself and your church involved in such a work? In a real sense, true love demands a death to self, a willingness to put self aside for the good of others. What choices do we have to make in order to experience that death ourselves? Besides the Cross, what are other ways that we can see God's love for humanity?

Summary:

God is love. This characteristic is the basis for everything God is and does. This loving God is already revealed in the Old Testament, but His love is seen in its ultimate form in the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, for our salvation. This divine love finds a response in the love of the Christian. If we profess to be disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, our life will be marked by unconditional love toward our Maker and unselfish love for others.

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		I N S I D E Story
		Mad Man Goes to Church by CHARLOTTE ISHKANIAN Mekonin lived in a farming village in Ethiopia. Many people in this village didn't like Adventists, and some even wanted to destroy the local Adventist church. One day people noticed that Mekonin was behaving erratically. He became angry easily and even tried to kill his wife. Fortunately, she and their children fled to her parents' home. As Mekonin's behavior became more demonic, the neighbors feared for their own safety. They chained him to a pillar in his home and stayed a safe distance away. Then someone mentioned that when the Adventists pray for people, they're healed. The next Sabbath morning several strong men bound Mekonin in chains and led him to the Adventist church. The men sat down on a bench near the back surrounding Mekonin, ready to subdue him if he became aggressive. The visitors sat quietly through Sabbath School and church. Then the pastor, deacons, and church elders gathered around Mekonin and prayed for him. "Why don't you throw water on him?" one of the neighbors asked. The pas-tor explained that the power to heal Mekonin was in Christ, not in the water. The pastor asked the men to bring Mekonin back the next day for prayer. On Sunday the neighbors returned to the Adventist church with Mekonin, but this time he came without the chains. About 60 people came to pray for Mekonin or to watch what happened. The following Sabbath, Mekonin visited the Adventist church again. He walked with some Adventist members and was not bound by chains. Mekonin took part in the worship service. The pastor knew of another Adventist church nearer to Mekonin's home and asked the local elders to go to Mekonin's home and pray with him. Other Adventist groups learned about Mekonin's condition and joined in praying for him. Within two weeks Mekonin was healed of the demons who had possessed him. Mekonin's wife learned that her husband had been healed; she and her children returned home. Mekonin and his wife joined the Adventist church, along with neighbors who had once wanted to destroy the church but had seen God heal Mekonin in answer to the believers' prayers. Today six Adventist churches stand in the area near Mekonin's home, testimonies of God's goodness and power to save. Your mission offerings help spread the gospel in farming villages and large cities around the world so that people chained by darkness can be freed by Jesus, the Light of the World. CHARLOTTE ISHKANIAN is editor of Mission.
		Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org