A Place to Call Home

FRIDAY

April 10

Further Study:

”Peter exhorts his brethren to ‘grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.’ 2 Peter 3:18. When the people of God are growing in grace, they will be constantly obtaining a clearer understanding of His word. They will discern new light and beauty in its sacred truths. This has been true in the history of the church in all ages, and thus it will continue to the end. . . . “By faith we may look to the hereafter and grasp the pledge of God for a growth of intellect, the human faculties uniting with the divine, and every power of the soul being brought into direct contact with the Source of light. We may rejoice that all which has perplexed us in the providences of God will then be made plain.”—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, pp. 112, 113.

Discussion Questions:

Hebrews 11 provides a gallery of heroes of faith. Notice, though, how flawed in character and actions just about every one of them were. What encouragement can you draw from their mistakes and sins when you yourself are tempted to give up faith because of your own sins and flaws? Many of us have at some time or another gone through a crisis of faith and have come out of this experience renewed. If this has happened to you, how did you survive the crisis? What can you do when it appears that members of your family or local church members are in the midst of a similar struggle? What did you learn from your own experience that could help them? What are the challenges to your faith? Are they of an intellectual nature, for instance, in the area of science versus religion? Or are they related to the environment in which you live and work, or where you find your recreation? Or possibly in the area of relationships? Why is it important to meet these challenges head-on? You don’t need faith to believe in what you can prove; you need faith to believe in what you can’t prove. Why is it important to realize that regardless of all the evidence we have for our beliefs, there will be things we just don’t understand?

Summary:

Faith is experience. It has to do with certainty. And with trust. The Scriptures play a role in the awakening, the strengthening, and the sustenance of faith. But faith isn’t just belief; it is a principle that guides how we live our lives before God and others.

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		I N S I D E Story
		A Place to Call Home by ZHANA SEDYSHEVA I live in Vladivostok, the large seaport on the eastern coast of Russia. My young daughter was seriously ill, and I began to despair that she would recover. I prayed to the great God above, and He healed her! I wanted to thank Him for this miracle by worshiping in a church, but I didn't know which church I should pray in. My friend suggested that I worship at the Adventist church in another part of the city. I was impressed by the simplicity of the worship service I found there, and I left feeling calm and at peace. I continued worshiping there and eventually joined the Adventist Church. The congregation was growing, and eventually the rented room where we met could not hold everyone who wanted to worship there. We prayed for another place to worship, and I hoped it would be closer to where I lived. We rented a restaurant where we could hold our worship services. The restaurant was quiet, but a tourist club next door was so noisy that it disrupted our worship. We prayed for a more suitable place to worship, a place large enough to hold all of us, a place away from the noise of other businesses. I worked in a kindergarten and asked the manager whether we could rent the large kindergarten hall for our worship. We were permitted to use the hall on Sabbaths. It was light and roomy-and quiet! But before long someone wrote an anonymous letter filled with angry criticism that the kindergarten would allow a religious group to meet in the building on Sabbaths. I felt sick that our worship could cause problems for this school, which had a fine reputation in the city. I tried to put the matter into God's hands, but again and again we were attacked. I was so troubled that I became physically sick. The church members prayed for me and for the kindergarten, and God answered. I recovered my health, and the criticisms against the kindergarten were dismissed when the parents of children in the kindergarten defended us. Now the city of Vladivostok has given permission for our mother church to build a new church and evangelistic center. Although we see no human means to build this church, we know that God will provide for us. I am on fire with a renewed desire to share His message with my colleagues and friends. Your Sabbath School mission offerings help us spread God's message in difficult-to-reach areas such as Russia. Thank you for your prayers and your support. ZHANA SEDYSHEVA is a Sabbath School superintendent in Vladivostok, Russia.
		Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org