Further Study:
"It is the duty of Christians to convince the world that the religion of Christ disrobes the soul of the garments of heaviness and mourning and clothes it with joy and gladness. Those who receive Christ as a sin-pardoning Saviour are clothed with His garments of light. He takes away their sin and imparts to them His righteousness. Their joy is full."Who have better right than Christians to sing songs of rejoicing? Have they not the expectation of being members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King? Is not the gospel good tidings of great joy? When the promises of God are freely and fully accepted, heaven's brightness is brought into the life."—Ellen G. White, A Call to Medical Evangelism and Health Esducation, p. 26, emphasis supplied.
Discussion Questions:
Go through the Bible and focus on the lives of a few well-known characters. How much joy do you think they experienced? How about Noah or Abraham or Joseph? What about Daniel or David or Jeremiah? Or Paul or John the Baptist? What can we learn from their experiences, both the good and the bad, about what Christian joy is really about? 
| I N S I D E Story | ||
Searching for Truth by TUNJI ADEEKO I grew up in a region of Nigeria that included several religions—idol worshipers and animists, Muslims and Christians. I wondered which faith contained the truth. I observed and took part in several religious ceremonies, but still I wondered. One day some friends and I passed an Adventist church. Someone in our group made fun of Seventh-day Adventists saying they worshiped on Saturday. Everyone else laughed, but I wondered. Do some Christians really worship on Saturday? I couldn't get to the church to learn about the Sabbath, so I read the Bible looking for answers. I searched for the word Saturday, but I couldn't find it. I understood Sabbath to mean Sunday, so I didn't find a satisfactory answer there either. Then I found a tract about the Sabbath and read that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. As I studied the Bible texts, 1 became convinced that the Sabbath was God's creation, and Sunday was man's tradition. It made perfect sense. I began to sense that God was someone I could relate to, someone who created me and wanted a relationship with me. As I continued studying I understood how God so wanted a relationship with us that He stepped into human history and shared what He wanted humans to know about Him. I found the Bible text that tells us to obey the commandments and have the faith of Jesus. I realized that Jews accepted the commandments but do not accept Jesus. Most Christians accept Jesus but don't keep all the commandments. I just knew God had a church that had the faith of Jesus and kept all the Ten Commandments. I realized that to worship God in spirit and in truth I had to keep the Sabbath. I remembered the Adventist church I had seen on the road that day and found an Adventist church near where I was studying. I began attending worship services there. When I went home for vacation I visited the Adventist church I had seen months earlier. My sister was upset when she learned that I was attending the Adventist church, but I knew that I had to find my salvation in Christ, not through any other person. I would sneak away to church as often as I could. I praise God for showing me the truth. He used a simple church building, my sister's ridicule, a Bible, and a tract to lead me to Him. Your mission offerings help provide the materials that lead people such as me to the Savior. Thank you. TUNJI ADEEKO lives in western Nigeria. | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Awareness. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org |
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