Reunited in Christ

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FRIDAY

September 24

Further Study:  

Read Ellen G. White, “Unity and Love in the Church,” pp. 477, 478; “Love for the Erring,” pp. 604–606, in Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5; “Helping the Tempted,” p. 166, in The Ministry of Healing; p. 719, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6. “I was shown the danger of the people of God in looking to Brother and Sister White and thinking that they must come to them with their burdens and seek counsel of them. This ought not so to be. They are invited by their compassionate, loving Saviour to come unto Him, when weary and heavy-laden, and He will relieve them. . . . Many come to us with the inquiry: Shall I do this? Shall I engage in that enterprise? Or, in regard to dress, Shall I wear this or that article? I answer them: You profess to be disciples of Christ. Study your Bibles. Read carefully and prayerfully the life of our dear Saviour when He dwelt among men upon the earth. Imitate His life, and you will not be found straying from the narrow path. We utterly refuse to be conscience for you. If we tell you just what to do, you will look to us to guide you, instead of going directly to Jesus for yourselves.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, pp. 118, 119. “We are not to place the responsibility of our duty upon others, and wait for them to tell us what to do. We cannot depend for counsel upon humanity. The Lord will teach us our duty just as willingly as He will teach somebody else. . . . Those who decide to do nothing in any line that will displease God, will know, after presenting their case before Him, just what course to pursue.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 668. “There have ever been in the church those who are constantly inclined toward individual independence. They seem unable to realize that independence of spirit is liable to lead the human agent to have too much confidence in himself and to trust in his own judgment rather than to respect the counsel and highly esteem the judgment of his brethren.”—Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 163, 164.

Discussion Question:

Given some of the themes of this week, how do we as Christians find the right balance in: a) Being faithful to what we believe, yet not judging others who see things differently than we do? b) Being true to our own conscience and not seeking to be the conscience for others, while at the same time seeking to help those whom we believe are in error? When do we speak, and when do we keep silent? When are we culpable if we do keep silent? c) Being free in the Lord and yet at the same time realizing our responsibility to be a good example for those who might look up to us?

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		I N S I D E Story
		Reunited in Christ by KRISTINA MUELHAUSER Juma was just a boy when war separated Juma from his family. His mother had traveled to their grandparents' home with her children while their father remained in Juba, Sudan. During the war Juba was captured by the military, and Juma's family couldn't return home. Juma grew up not knowing his father. But finally peace has come to southern Sudan, and families are reuniting. Meanwhile the city is struggling to rebuild. It's a time of spiritual rebuilding as well. Recently Seventh-day Adventist pastors, evangelists, and Bible workers from Sudan, the Middle East Union, and the Trans-European Division held city-wide evangelistic meetings to share God's love with the people of Juba. The truck carrying the evangelists, pastors, and lay evangelists bounced along the dirt road toward Juba. Its wheels stirred up huge clouds of gray-brown dust that settled on everything and everyone nearby. The truck lumbered to a stop in a rubbish-filled open area near the city that would be the site of one of the evangelistic meetings. The evangelists would have to clear the rubbish before they could set up the tent to hold the meetings. Then they would visit the people and invite them to attend. And the people would come. They are thirsty—not just for physical water, but for the Water of Life the team had come to bring them. The teams braved heat, dust, and flies as they shared God's love with the people of Juba. When the meetings began and singing filled the air, the people came. They listened to health talks, heard children's stories, and learned of God's love. The devil tried to destroy the meetings. When high winds blew up just as the pastors began to speak, church members grabbed the tent poles to prevent the tent from blowing away. The wind died down, and rain poured from the sky, although it was the dry season. In another location the tent was almost empty when the meeting was scheduled to start. But the sudden rain sent people to the tent for shelter, and a full house heard the message that night. So far 45 have been baptized in Juba, including Juma's father. Many more are preparing to join the family of God in this region that has been cut off from the gospel and from the outside world. Please pray for the people of southern Sudan as they seek to reconnect with their families and learn to love their Savior. And praise God for the mission offerings that helped make the Juba evangelism possible. KRISTINA MUELHAUSER and her husband, Darrel, work as missionaries in the South Sudan Field.
		Produced by the General Conference Office of Mission Awareness. email:   info@adventistmission.org  website:  www.adventistmission.org