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| FRIDAY | April 9 |
| Read Ellen G. White, “Good Angels More Powerful Than Evil Angels,” p. 96, in Selected Messages, book 1. “Every soul has a heaven to win, and a hell to shun. And the angelic agencies are all ready to come to the help of the tried and tempted soul. He, the Son of the infinite God, endured the test and trial in our behalf. The cross of Calvary stands vividly before every soul. When the cases of all are judged, and they [the lost] are delivered to suffer for their contempt for God and their disregard of His honor in their disobedience, not one will have an excuse, not one will need to have perished. It was left to their own choice who should be their prince, Christ or Satan.”—Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, book 1, p. 96. “God does not compel men to give up their unbelief. Before them are light and darkness, truth and error. It is for them to decide which they will accept. The human mind is endowed with power to discriminate between right and wrong. God designs that men shall not decide from impulse, but from weight of evidence, carefully comparing scripture with scripture.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 458. |
 In class, discuss the whole question of “freedom.” What does freedom mean? Is someone who chooses to be a slave really free? How free are we, really? What are the limits of freedom? When can freedom be a bad thing?  Think about all the negative effects of alcohol. Think of the lives ruined through its use. When contrasted with the supposed “benefits,” why is it so smart never to get involved with it at all?  Some folk have been born into loving, Christian homes with parents who loved them, cared for them, and taught them about Jesus and His grace. Others have been born into homes where the parents abused them and neglected them, and even if they did talk about Jesus, they certainly didn’t reflect Christ in their lives. Their actions revealed them to be agents of Satan, not of Christ. What hope does the gospel hold out to these people? What promises can you point them to?  There’s no question, some folk have been born in horrible circumstances with consequences that, to one degree or another, will haunt them for the rest of their lives. At the same time, why must we be careful not to spend the rest of our lives blaming our parents, or our poor upbringing, for our problems? How can we learn to, through God’s grace, move beyond these things? |
| I N S I D E Story | ||
| Long-Distance Faith Silas Motea is a lay Bible worker who lives in Johannesburg, South Africa. He studied the Bible with a young couple who were baptized. Then Stella, the young wife, lost her job. For months she searched for work and sometimes wondered why God was allowing this trial. At last she found a new job in her field of expertise. She shared her faith with her new coworkers, and that's when she met Mpho, a woman who wanted to know more about the Bible. The two women began studying the Bible together. Mpho found the Bible studies so compelling that she stopped in the middle of one Bible study and called her mother long distance to share what she was learning. Mpho's mother, Siongile, was excited too and wanted to know more. But she lived 250 miles (400 kilometers) away. Stella didn't know anyone who lived near Siongile, so Mpho arranged to call her mother every day so she could join the Bible studies over the telephone. Stella, Mpho, and Siongile studied together, long distance, almost every day. Siongile was excited about what she was learning and wanted someone to visit her. Stella didn't know anyone who lived in Siongile's area, so she asked Motea and his wife, who lived much closer to Siongile, to visit. They were happy to go. When the couple arrived at Siongile's home, they found that the woman had invited several neighbors to join her for the Bible study. During the Bible study Motea learned that Siongile had been searching for God even before her daughter had called her. And when Siongile learned that her daughter was studying with Adventists, she asked an Adventist nurse to take her to church. Siongile was so excited about what she was learning that Motea and his wife spent the entire day studying the Bible with her. They stayed overnight and continued their Bible studies the following day. In two days the trio had completed an entire series of Bible studies, and Siongile sighed, "Why did I have to wait so long to find this message? If I had learned this while I was still young, I could have raised my children in this faith and shared the good news with my friends!" Siongile traveled 250 miles [400 kilometers] to tell her other children what she was learning. Both Siongile and Mpho have been baptized; and Siongile wants to become a literature evangelist so she can share her new faith with others. Our mission offerings help provide materials to reach those who are searching. | ||
| Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. email: info@adventistmission.org website: www.adventistmission.org |
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