Tag / William Earnhardt

by In Light Of The Cross

How far Will God go to Keep His Promises?

There is a saying, “kids who are loved at home come to school to learn. Kids who are not loved at home come to school to be loved.” Is it any different in Sabbath School? Is it also true that God’s children (ages 0-125) who know they are loved come to Sabbath school to learn, and those who don’t yet know they are loved, come to Sabbath School to be loved?

I can still remember sitting at my desk in my 4th-grade classroom at Tulsa Adventist Academy, listening to my teachers, Miss Fisher and Mrs. Krueger, lecturing us about something. I don’t really remember exactly what it was about, but we must have been struggling with our grades, because all I remember is, both teachers told us, “If you only learn one thing this year learn this. We love you!” Now we were loved at home. We were loved at church and school, but as educated as my teachers were, they knew the most important thing is not money or a degree. It’s love. Without that nothing else matters, and when you know you are loved, nothing can stop you!

For the love of Christ controls and compels us, because we have concluded this, that One died for all, therefore all died (2 Corinthians 5:14 Amplified Bible)

So while humanity tries harder, and reads self-help books and tries 12-step recovery programs, Paul says it is by looking at the cross and knowing we are loved that we get all our power to succeed. I remember John the Baptist telling everyone to “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John 1:29. He didn’t tell them to try harder next time. He told them to look at the Lamb. Let His love soak into you.

As legalistic humans we are always wanting to promise to try harder next time. But the answer is not promising to try harder. The answer is letting yourself be loved.

In Jeremiah God mentions how Israel had not kept the promises they had made, so He was going to make a better promise. His promise would be better because He is the the One making the promise instead of them. He is the perfect Promise-maker while we are lousy promise-makers!

“But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33 NLT)

So God promises to do for us what we could never even promise to do for ourselves, much less even try harder to make happen. God is the One promising, and He is the One who is accountable to make it so. Please notice something very important though. Its in Jeremiah 31:3 NLT, several verses before He promises to write His law on our hearts.

I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

Just like my teachers realized all the book knowledge in the world doesn’t mean a thing without love, God feels the same way. Knowing all the laws and having them memorized in your mind and knowing them all by heart doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t know how much God loves you!

Friends, there is no reason for you to promise God you are going to try harder and do better next time. He has already promised you! We don’t need to promise God what He has already promised us! What? I don’t have any work to do myself? Well yes, and I will let Jesus tell you Himself, exactly what your work is.

Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” John 6:29 NLT

Our work is to believe God’s promise that He loves us with an everlasting love, and He will place the principles of His love (also known as His law) in our hearts!

This is why John never told us to try harder! Just look at the Lamb and let His love soak into your heart till your heart is saturated with His love, which is also His law. You don’t need to promise God anything. Your work is to believe the promises God has made to you!

In 2017, I don’t need too many self-help books. I don’t need to try harder. I just need to look at the Lamb in 2017 and fall in love with Jesus! His love will change me in ways I could never change myself. After all, all the self help books and promises of better performance don’t mean a thing without love!

So just how good is God at keeping His promises to love and save us? For brevity, let me share one example. You can read about it in Joshua 9-10.

The Gibeonites used deceit to trick Israel into letting them in on the covenant God had made with them. Even though Israel was not supposed to make a covenant with anyone living as close as the Gibeonites, they did. Later when the Gibeonites were under attack, they called upon Israel to save them, and even though the Gibeonites had used deceit to secure this covenant, God was so relentless in keeping His promise of love, that He caused the sun to stand still until the Gibeonites were all rescued! God fought for Israel as Israel fought for the mischievous Gibeonites. Let that soak in. The Gibeonites were in no way worthy of any of God’s blessings, but God was still so loving and faithful to His promise that He made the sun stand still until they were all rescued! Talk about a love that moves heaven and earth! And this powerful love was given to the most undeserving people! So, scientifically speaking, the greatest power in the universe is not gravity or the suctioning power of the black hole. God’s love overruled all those powers and made the solar system stand still. Imagine what this love can do in your heart!

God’s powerful promises and love are also for you and me. In Hebrews 13:5 God promises to never leave us or forsake us, but the Amplified Bible is the only English version that even begins to grasp what God is actually promising.

for He has said, “I will never under any circumstances desert you nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless, nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you- assuredly not!” Hebrews 13:5 Amp version.

If we know we are loved we can come to Sabbath School to learn, and we can learn while we are loved, but we can’t learn without love.

If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2 NLT

—and the greatest of these is love.1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

Love Gives Purpose

For the love of Christ compels us…. 2 Corinthians 5:14 NKJV

People talk about how hard life is because they got married and had childen so early, or did not even get married at all and had children young. Or Life is hard becuase they did not get to finish school and get thier degree. The list goes on for reasons people say their life is hard. Here is the thing though, even if you don’t marry young, even if you get your degree, life is hard. And no, I am not saying its okay to have children without getting married first. What I am saying is, no matter what route we take in life, life is hard. Some trials and tribulations we bring on ourselves, while other trials and tribulations have nothing to do with our choices. At the end of the day, either way, life is hard. The question is, what helps us carry on through the storms of life til we get to sunnier days? The answer is love.

I have always been amazed at the trials and tribulations some people survive. I have read about people who survived concentration camps in world war 2. I have read about people who were lost at sea or in a jungle for days but still survied. I have read about people who endured and survived after an abusive relationship. What I have found is the people who surived did so because they knew they were loved. This love gave them the purpose to survive. Many times we think we are in the pursuit of happines when in reality we are in the pursuit of purpose. Fact is, we can survive uhappaniness as long as we know there is a purpose. It is love that gives us purpose. Many say they survived the concentration camps because they knew someone else was depending on them for hope and meaning. People have found ways to survive lost in the elements of nature, knowing someone was longing for them and searching for them. People have survived abusive relationships so they could love and protect someone more vulnerable than themselves.

On the other hand those who gave up, did not give up because life became too hard or difficult. Again, life is hard and difficult for us all, even for those who survive. Many have given up because they did not realize how loved they were. The crux of the great controversy between Christ and Satan is love. God is love, and the biggest lie in the universe has nothing to do with which day is sacred or what happens when you die. Satan’s biggest and most dangerous lie is that you are not loved. Everything hinges on this one Truth and that is that you are loved. Satan wants nothing more than to cast a huge cloud over you, so you can’t see God’s love shining on you or feel its warmth. If he can do that then it really doesn’t matter which day is sacred or what happens when you die. If Satan can make you feel unloved then all other Bible facts are meaningless. Life has no purpose without love. Think about it, God is kove. Without love God has no purpose. If Satan can convince you that God does not love you then He has just asassinated God in your mind. By convincing you God does not love you, Satan has just accomplished his purpose of removing God from the universe. Friend, it is very important not just to you but to the whole fabric of the universe that you understand that huge cloud hanging over you making you feel unloved is nothing more than a big fat lie! Love is not only the foundation to your personal wellbeing it is the foundation of the universe.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 NKJV

If there is no love then there is nothing to have faith in or hope for. If there is no love then there is no purpose not only for you but for the entire universe. This is why babies born prematuely need to be held. Love gives purpose to survive without the baby even being counsiously aware of the fact. This is why my fourth grade teacher had to tell my class if we forgot everything else we learned that year she wanted us to remember she loved us. She knew that love was the motivation for learning. Without love knowledge has no purupose. In 1977 Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a world series game for the New York Yankees. Later he said he never felt loved in New York till he hit those three home runs. I think its rather sad he felt like you have to hit three home runs in a world series game in order to feel loved.If that is so, then a lot of us are unloved! I also find it interesting that after several championship rings and millions of dollars, he was still talking about whether people loved him or not. This just reminds me there is no purpose in the universe without love.

Well I have good news for Reggie Jackson, my fourth grade class, every baby born prematurely and for ever person in the world. You are loved!

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:31-39 NKJV

When trials and tribulations cast a dark cloud over you, making you feel isolated and unloved, remember that dark could is nothing more than a big fat lie! You are loved. You are beyond loved. God sacrifed all He had for you. There is nothing God spared in this entire universe to make you know you are loved. Not only does this love give you purpose it gives God His true identty back. Without love not only is your life all out of whack, the entire universe is out of whack. Do you see why God’s love is so crucial to the great controversy between Christ and Satan? God is love, and God exists to shower His love on His creation. By making you feel unloved not only is Satan robbibng you of purpose, He is robbing God of His purpose! I want to make this clear. By making you feel unloved Satan is not assasinating you, He is assasinating God’s character and purpose for exisitng.

Thankfully love conquers all. Because of love we have the purpose to survive anything Satan throws our way. Because of love babies born prematurely not only can surive, but grow up to do such amazing things you would never guess they were once premature babies. Becuase of love my 4th grade class not only surived 4th grade but are barrelling into 2025 with all kinds of accomplishments and contributions that make those huge speed bumps in 4th grade look like little pebbles in the road, too small to even notice or remember. To be honest with you, I don’t even remember what we were struggling with that day our teacher had to lecture us. I can still see the look on her face and remeber there was a serious issue at the time, but for the life of me all I can remeber now is that we were loved. Whatever it was we survived, because here it is 2025 and we are not in 4th grade anymore. It’s amazing what you can survive and go on to accomplish when you know you are loved.

Remember the biggest fattest lie in the great controversy is that you are not loved. It doesn’t matter if you know what day is sacred or any other doctrine. With that one lie that you are not loved the entire frabric of the universe is thrown off kilter. There is no greater truth that needs to be preached right now than the truth that God is love. Without this one truth no other truths have purpose. Don’t let your fear of rejection keep you from showing love. Don’t let the fear of your love being unreturned keep you from showing love. Don’t let the fear of your love being unnapreciated keep you from sharing love. Keep sharing love until God has won the great controversy. God is love.

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

Follow Me

Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.” This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.” Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.” John 21:18-22 NKJV

Jesus’ gentle reminder to Peter is a reminder for us as well. How often do we as humans, get distracted by what is going on with other humans, when we are supposed to be following Jesus? In John 5:1-15, a man is distracted by the pool, and those getting in before him, and wondering why no one would help him. Finally he takes his eyes off the pool and those around him. He casts his eyes on Jesus and finds healing. In Matthew 11:1-11 John the Baptist begins to doubt when his faith could not see beyond the prison walls. John may have wondered, “Am I going to be left here to die? Why doesn’t God senfd a chariot of fire to come pick me up like He did for Elijah? Surely I deserve to be lifted up above the crowd in the same fashion as Elijah? Why wouldn’t God do for me the same as He did for Elijah? “Granted, I don’t know if John the Baptist ever thought that or not, but it sure seems he could have. If so, he would have just been human like the rest of us, including Peter, who was wanting to compare his fate to the fate of the other disciple.  Thus Jesus’ simple yet profound reminder to Peter and the rest of us, “What is that to you? You follow me.” 

When I was young, you never even heard the term “turnover rate” used for pastors. If someone was a pastor you knew they would be a pastor for life. Now there is such a thing as a turnover rate  for pastors. With respect for the office diminishing, (Some of which is deserved but that is another lesson for another time.) increased conflict arises between congregations and pastors.  Overwhelming stress, lack of support and feelings of isolation, like I am sure John the Baptist felt, have many pastors leaving for greener pastures.  Now I have no doubt God may lead some pastors into another realm of service, but in most cases could it be the pastor is looking at greener pastures instead of looking to Jesus? Could it be the pastor is looking at the conflicts in the church instead of looking to Jesus? Could it be the pastor is comparing the respect given to pastors years ago with the respect he is given today? Could it be the pastor simply needs to do what the man  in John 5 did and take his eyes off the pool and everyone around him, and place them on Jesus?  Jesus, who was spit upon, beaten and crucified, does not tell us to compare ourselves to other pastors. He tells us to follow Him. Where did Jesus go? He went to the cross. Again I do not know what John the Baptist was thinking while confined by those prison walls, but I sure hope he was not comparing his ministry to Elijah and that chariot of fire that came and took him away. I hope he was looking to Jesus, as John did in a real sense follow Christ to the cross. 

I know I am not telling you anything new, but today you may just need to be reminded, when you were baptized you did not give your heart to man, you gave it to Jesus. If people are letting you down in your ministry, rest assured people were never meant to be your solution. Has the church let you down? No worries, the church was never promised to be there for you. Psalm 46:1 tells us God is our ever present help in times of trouble.  Don’t feel betrayed if the conference did not come through for you on a benefit you thought you were entitled to. The conference did not call you into ministry, God did, and the only benefit He promised you was a cross. You work for God and not for man. See Ephesians 6:7. When you were baptized Jesus did not promise you a chariot of fire. He did not promise you special honor and privilages, He did not promise everyone would love you. On the contrary He told you all would hate you for His sake. See Matthew 24:9. When Jesus asked you to follow Him the only thing He promised you was a cross. 

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.Luke 9:23 NKJV

You may be reading this thinking, “But I am not a pastor” but you are! The New Testament teaches the priesthood of all believers, and you have been called to pastor in some realm, which could be an actual church, or classroom, workplace or neighborhood.  Wherever God is calling you to serve, please take your eyes off the “pool,” take your eyes off that other disciple who you think may have been given a better deal. Take your eyes off the people who are not cooperating and supporting you as you think you deserve. Place your eyes on Jesus, the Lamb who was freshly slain, and as He becons you with His nailed scarred hands, drown out all the noise from the crowd around you as He pleads, “Follow me.” 

Will you? 

by In Light Of The Cross

They Made her a Whore, Jesus Made her a Woman

Noticing that John 8:1-11 was not included in the current quarter’s study on Themes in the Gospel of John, I thought I would reshare an article I contributed in the past on the subject. 

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1 NKJV

He told her he loved her. Said she was beautiful. Promised her she would be special. Next thing she knew she was being dragged out of bed by the friends of him who had dragged her into bed, and he who had praised and flattered her just stood and watched her being dragged away.

Now she was kneeling half naked, humiliated before Jesus. Eyes closed, not wanting to see the stones that would soon be crushing her head, she waited in terror. It seemed like eternity. When would it be over?

Barely peeking through one eye she sees Jesus doing something in the sand. Not sure what. She hears footsteps as men walk away. What is going on? Then she hears a word she had not heard in years directed at her.

“Woman…”

Jesus didn’t call her a “slut,” or “whore.” He called her “woman.” He was addressing her with the same title of respect that He gave to his own mother, who spoke with angels and gave birth to the Son of God.

“….where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” John 8:10 NKJV

She opens her eyes and looks around. They are all gone! She makes no accusations against the men. We know little about the background of this woman. She may or may not have been a victim of sex trafficking. But we do know that, terrified as she was, she was ready to face the consequences without blaming anyone else for the choices she had made, and the role she had played, which now brought her half-naked and humiliated into the presence of Jesus. Yet incredibly, as guilty as she was, it was her accusers who slunk away. As she lay helpless at His feet, there was no one to condemn her! When we fall helplessly at the feet of Jesus, there is no condemnation for us either.

He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” (John 8:10 NKJV)

She said, “No one, Lord.” (John 8:11 NKJV)

What was next? A sermon? A lecture? Nowhere is it recorded, but I can imagine Jesus placing His coat over her near-naked body.

The Holy One Who would be hanging naked on a cross in front of the entire universe one day, takes off His robe and covers this woman, protecting her human dignity more than just covering her sexuality.

He doesn’t preach to her. He ministers to her.

Did you know you don’t have to be a preacher to be a minister? Ministering to sinners doesn’t always have to include a sermon. An-ill timed sermon can do more harm than good. Jesus could preach with the best of them, but He knew when to preach and when not to preach. He also knew when to minister.

He called her “woman.” He placed His coat over her near-naked body and gave her the sense of dignity she had been promised by the man who betrayed her trust. Then He did not preach to her with words, He ministered to her with words.

“Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:11 NKJV

His words were brief and clear, yet somehow we get them mixed up. Have we ever told someone “Go and sin no more, and then I will stop condemning you?” That’s not what Jesus said.

Jesus said clearly, “Neither do I condemn you.” Present tense.

“Go and sin no more.” Future tense.

Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” What Jesus did not say was, “If you go and sin no more then I won’t condemn you.” 

The world told her they would stop condemning her once she stopped sinning. Jesus promised not to condemn her, so she could stop sinning.

They called her a whore and a slut.
Jesus called her a woman.

A man promised her she would be special, and then humiliated and betrayed her.
Jesus gave her dignity back and made her special.

There was no condemnation for this woman at the feet of Jesus, and there is no condemnation for you, when you kneel at the feet of Jesus.

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1 NKJV

Jesus does not condemn us, so we too may walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh.

You may Study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

Fanatical and Extreme, or Just in Love With Jesus?

Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:32 NKJV

Was the Father being fanatical when He gave us His Son, or was He just in love with us? Is the Father being extreme when He gives us all things or is He just in love with us?

In John 12:1-8, a woman comes to Jesus with an extremely expensive bottle of perfume. She anoints Jesus with this costly perfume as an expression of her love and appreciation for the incredible sacrifice Jesus was making for her. She was a sinner, saved by the love of Jesus, and she simply wanted to give all she had for Jesus because Jesus was giving all He had for her. However, some of the disciples, including Judas, took exception to her gift. They called it a waste of money that could have been used to help the poor. John points out though that instead of helping the poor, Judas was using the poor fund to benefit himself. This leads me to a couple of conclusions.

Judas called the woman out for being “wasteful” simply because he was not as giving and did not want to look bad. So how do you make yourself look perfectly balanced while still being selfish? You label the unselfish woman as being fanatical and accuse her of extremism. Do some do this today? Others make reforms in their diet or behavior that we are not willing to make, so to make ourselves look balanced we have to make the unselfish person look unbalanced and extreme or fanatical. By pushing them into the far-right category that moves us into the perfectly moderate and balanced category. However, this woman was not being legalistic, fanatical, extreme, or unbalanced. She was simply in love with Jesus. She was simply giving all she had because Jesus was giving her all He had. This should be the natural reaction of all who have experienced the love of Christ today. Just because someone is making changes that we are not willing to make does not mean that they are unbalanced or extreme fanatics. It could just mean that they love Jesus and want to show their appreciation for His love and sacrifice by making a few sacrifices themselves. That is what love does.

Going back to Judas acting like he was really interested in the poor while only serving himself, how many times have we said, “I wish I was rich so I could give to the poor?” What are we really saying? Could we really be saying, “I wish I was rich so I could give to the poor without having to sacrifice?” Jesus pointed out to Judas that poor have always been there and he can help them anytime he wants. Likewise, we can help the poor anytime we want if we are willing to sacrifice. Do we really wish we had more money to give to the poor or do we just wish we had more money so we could give to the poor without it being such a sacrifice? Keep in mind when the Father gave everything including His son, it was a sacrifice. Is there any other way that we can genuinely respond to such love without also making a real sacrifice?

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

A Divine Affirmation for an Ordinary guy

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” John 1:47 NKJV

We don’t hear much about Nathanael before or after this story. Nathanael does not go on to be a world renowned preacher. If he wrote anything it was never published in the Cannon. There is no record of him parting the waters, or calling fire down from heaven. By all accounts he was just an ordinary guy, but wow, what an awesome affirmation he received from God. Before Nathanael met Jesus, Jesus already knew him by name and publicly recognized his integrity. I am more than happy to just remain a common ordinary guy, so long as I can hear Jesus one day say about me what He said about Nathanel. Such an affirmation coming from God means way more to me than all the worldly accomplishments and fame this world can give. 

Nathanael is not the only “ordinary guy” that God knew by name and held in high esteem. In Exodus 31:1-6 God calls out Bezalel and Aholiab by name as the “construction workers” he wanted working on the temple. He even said they were filled with His Spirit, so God not only fills priests and pastors with His Spirit, He fills people in all walks of life.  In Nehemiah 3:1-32 Nehemiah calls out several construction workers by name, who made repairs in rebuilding Jerusalem. A few weeks ago, Florida, where I live was hit by two hurricanes. Linemen came from all over the country, and even some from Canada to help restore electricity to our communities. All our churches were praying for these linemen. In Revelation 1:20 we see how Jesus holds His ministers in His hands, but I realized that God also knew these linemen by name and held them in His hands as well. 

The world may have some kind of hierarchy, but we all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross and in the presence of God. God does not esteem us according to our fame or worldly status. We may be just ordinary folk to the world, but still be precious in the eyes and in the hands of God. I would gladly trade all the praise and esteem this world has to give just to hear Jesus say about me, “Behold, a man indeed, in whom is no deceit!”  By God’s grace, no matter what our positions or worldly titles may be, no matter how common or ordinary we may appear, we may all hear Jesus tell us, 

“Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Matthew 25:21 NKJV

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

Jesus; The Model Disciple, Part 2

Last week we were looking at how Jesus not only made and taught disciples, He was a disciple of the Father. Jesus gave us the perfect model for being a disciple. Last week we saw Jesus modeled being a disciple by reflecting the image of God, which we saw can only be done by community as God is community. 

No wonder why Satan wants to divide and isolate us! Satan knows love is community and the image of God is reflected only through community. It is also by community that we grow into the image of God. In isolation we grow selfish and self-focused. In community we get on each other’s nerves and drive each other crazy sometimes as part of the growth process. During this process it is tempting to want to run away sometimes and be alone, and that may actually be a momentary solution, but not for the long haul. It may be the brother or sister who is rubbing you the wrong way who is actually polishing your character for heaven.

Sometimes it is tempting to pray that the person annoying us would just go away, but consider this: Saul was a humble man when he became king, but later ego got in the way and destroyed him. When Saul became king no one gave him any trouble. Is that why he became proud and finally let his ego destroy him? I ask this, because when David is anointed king he has opposition from Saul, which kept David humble and may have ended up saving his soul. The person we think Satan sent as a curse may be the person God sent to keep us humble in order to save our soul for eternity. 

When tempted to pray that those bothering us would just go away let’s keep in mind, 

Joseph did not try to get rid of his brothers. His brothers tried to get rid of Joseph.

David did not try to get rid of Saul. Saul tried to get rid of David.

Mordecai did not try to get rid of Haman. Haman tried to get rid of Mordecai.

Jesus did not try to get rid of the pharisees. The Pharisees tried to get rid of Jesus. 

In each case it is the unconverted person who is trying to get rid of the converted person, so keep that in mind whenever you are tempted to pray that God would get rid of someone. Discipleship is all about reflecting the character of God, and God is love and love is community. Love is also seeking to save the lost. 

for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10 NKJV

Jesus did not spend all his time with church people. He spend His time with some pretty rough sinners. He mentored them, ate with them and taught them to follow Him. I imagine if Jesus were here on earth today His cell phone contact list would be filled with names and numbers of unchurched people. Look at your cell phone contact list. How many unchurched people are on your list? This may give you an idea as to how well you are following the Model Disciple. How many unchurched people do you invite to your home? What is your attitude towards sinners in your church?

A while back I was teaching a new believers Sabbath School class, and a young man showed up who was obviously unchurched. In sharing with us his struggles he used a four letter word. Most all of my class were so tuned in to his feelings that they did not take special note of the four-letter word. One member later talked to me and encouraged me to let him know we don’t use that word here. Which do you find more concerning? A Sabbath school class with an unchurched man who accidentally lets one bad word slip, or a Sabbath school class where you never have to worry about hearing a foul word because that class would never dare allow an unchurched person to attend? 

My point is that discipling the way Jesus discipled may not always be pretty. Being pretty is not the goal. Seeking and saving the lost is the goal. There are a lot of difficult unchurched people who are seeking for Jesus. 

Often we regard as hopeless subjects the very ones whom Christ is drawing to Himself.-Ellen White, Christ Object Lessons, Page 72

There may be some apparently hopeless subjects in your community that the other churches in your area have spurned and turned away. Is your church ready to pray, “Jesus please send us all the hopeless outcasts the other churches in our community don’t want to deal with. Please send them to us Jesus and let our church love the people the other churches in our community refuse to love.” 

Jesus told His disciples, 

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV

 This means way more than reaching out to our Catholic and Protestant brothers and sisters  with the truth about the Sabbath. It means reaching out to a secular society cutting and drugging themselves. It means reaching out to them with the good news about the Savior. To follow our Model Disciple we must reach out to and disciple apparently hopeless people just like our Model Disciple, Jesus did. 

You may study this week’s Sabbath School Lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

Jesus; The Model Disciple, Part 1

As we near the end of studying the life of Christ in the book of Mark, we see how Jesus taught His disciples and told them to make disciples, but did it ever occur to us that Jesus was a disciple? Jesus was a disciple of His Father, and in Jesus’ public life and private life He modeled being a disciple. Peter and James and John were discipled by Jesus while He was here on earth. That is great, but since Jesus is not here on earth anymore, I learn more by how Jesus was a disciple of His Father, while He was here on earth, but His Father was up in heaven. After all, Jesus is up in heaven. So, I can’t follow the exact model of Peter, James and John, who were being discipled while Jesus was here on earth, but I can follow the model of Jesus as He was a disciple while His Father was in heaven. So let’s look at how Jesus modeled being a disciple.

Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? John 14:9 NKJV

As a Disciple of the Father, Jesus showed us the image of His Father. There is a reason the second commandment tells us not to make graven images. God does not want His character reflected through things. He created us in His image so that we can reflect His character. The whole purpose of God’s last day Seventh-day Adventist Church is to do way more than just be a remnant of the New Testament church. The plan of Salvation and the great controversy go back even further. It;s God’s plan that the Seventh-day Adventist Church will hep restore the image of God in mankind, from every tribe, nation, tongue and people to how it was before the fall. Just as Jesus showed us the Father, we are to show Jesus to the world.

The story goes of a group of pastors in a Romanian prison years before it opened up to the Gospel. Of course they were talking about Jesus, and the guards got tire of it. Finally one guard said, “I will let you say one more sentence about your God, and then you not be allowed to speak of Him again.” One prisoner, knowing the guards would be watching him, came up with the best sentence he could. He told the guards, “Jesus is like me.” When I read this I could not believe a human would say such a thing. But the more I thought about it, I thought this is exactly what Christianity should be. We should not be calling ourselves Christians in vain. This is what the third commandment is all about. Disciples of Christ are to do more than believe in Christ. Notice Jesus never told His disciples to accept Him. He told them to pick up their cross and follow Him to death. As Jesus reflected the image of His Father, He modeled for us what we should be as disciples. We are to reflect the image of Jesus to the world.

All of the Gospels are excellent study material on how to be a disciple of Jesus, but Jesus gave some extra special instruction in the sermon on the mount on what being a disciple of Jesus is all about. In that sermon Jesus said,

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NKJV

Notice Jesus did not tell His disciples to merely make sure the world sees what they believe. Rather He told them to make sure the world sees their good works so their Father in heaven would be glorified. Romans 2:4 tells us it is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance. A church with a last day message to the world needs to make sure the world sees the goodness of God that will lead them to repentance and salvation.

But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” Matthew 4:4 NKJV

When tempted Jesus used no special powers. He modeled for us how a disciple of God handles temptation. Every time Jesus was tempted or tried He referred to the Scriptures. The same Scriptures that Jesus used are available to us. Jesus showed us how to be a disciple just like He was a disciple of the Father.

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. Matthew 14:23 NKJV

Before we can live like Jesus we need to pray like Jesus. Jesus modeled for us the balance we need between “the mountain and the multitude.” Jesus was the Model Disciple of the Father. Later in Matthew 14 Jesus walks on water, but so does Peter, until he takes his eyes off Jesus and looks at the waves. I wonder if Peter had continued praying like Jesus, if he would have been able to continue standing on the water like Jesus?

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” Matthew 26:37-38 NKJV

Jesus asks His three closest friends to disciple with Him. He had to disciple in community. He could not disciple in isolation. Why? Remember, as disciples we are to reflect the image of God. In Genesis 1:26-27 God said, “Let us make man in our image.” And He made us male and female. What relevance does this have to us? First, God is speaking not as an isolated Being but as a community consisting of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is not an isolated Creature. He is community. When God created us to be in His image, He created us to be community. God is community so it is impossible for us to reflect His character of Community while in isolation. Jesus needed His three closest friends because He could not be the Model Disciple by Himself. The importance of this truth is seen by the fact that when His three closes friends fell asleep on Him, and angel had to come down from heaven to disciple with Him. See Luke 22:43. It was simply impossible for Jesus to disciple in isolation, and it is impossible for you to disciple in isolation as well. As isolated individuals we cannot reflect the character of a communal God. We also cannot reflect the character of God with just one gender. God created males and females to be in His image, One gender alone cannot reflect the image of God.

This reminds of a popular passage in the Adventist world,

Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.-Ellen White, Christ Object Lessons, Page 69,

Christ is not merely wanting His character reproduced in His church so that they can earn heaven by perfection. There is a great controversy going on regarding the character of God. Satan hs misrepresented God’s character and so many people are rejecting Him. Christ wants to perfectly reproduce His character or image in the church so the church can give God proper representation in the great controversy. Jesus wants the church to reflect the image and goodness of God so the world will know God is love. One isolated person cannot reflect the character of God. God is love. Love is community, together as a community of believers we show God’s love and mercy by being patient and understanding of each other’s faults and weaknesses. We strengthen one another where the other one is weak. As a church community we reflect the image of God. This is why Jesus had to model discipleship within a community of other disciples.

Next week we will see How Jesus modeled being a disciple, by mentoring the unchurched.

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.

by In Light Of The Cross

So, is Jesus Still Coming Back?

After more than 175 years of preaching the Second Coming, one important question comes to mind for Seventh-day Adventists. Is Jesus still going to come again? Are we still planning on it? Is it still a part of who we are?

Growing up as a Seventh-day Adventist I heard people talk about how Jesus was surely coming in the next five years. We thought for sure that the oil crisis in the 70’s was the beginning of the end of the world. I remember looking at the form the Tulsa Roughnecks Soccer team sent me when I was a teen, asking me to renew my season tickets for the 1980 season. You may laugh at me, but I stared at that form in disbelief that I actually saw the year 1980 in print. There is no way the world will last that long I thought. Well that was over 40 years ago and we are in a new century. So what happened to the Second Coming? Is it still on?

In the mid ‘80s I joined a new Adventist church in the suburbs. I had just started dating a girl who went to that church; so I switched from the larger Adventist church where I was a member to her church. We had just started dating when she dumped me. I still stayed at this new church because I did not want people to think I changed churches just for her. Besides, this church seemed to be really on fire. The weekly prayer meetings were very spiritual, and everyone was praying for the power of the Holy Spirit to prepare them for the Second Coming. We had about as many people attending prayer meeting as attended our Sabbath worship services. We were sure Jesus was coming soon, and we were getting ready.

Then something sad happened. People stopped coming to prayer meeting. Some decided “Growing Pains” was just too funny of a show to miss for prayer meeting. People stopped coming to church altogether. This was not supposed to happen! Discouraged, I asked God why He did not come back when our church was at its spiritual peak, when we had it all together. He waited too long, and now look what happened!

I believe the Holy Spirit revealed to me why Jesus did not return when the church was on top of its game. Our church was on a spiritual roller coaster. Jesus is not coming back for a church on a spiritual roller coaster. He is not coming back for a people who walk with him off and on. A groom does not want to marry a bride whose love and devotion goes in cycles. Neither does Jesus.

Enoch walked with God many years before being translated. God will come back for a church who will consistently walk with Him year after year after year, and not on some roller coaster. The church is like a woman. For centuries God’s church has loved to flirt with Him, but it also loves to flirt with the world. God’s church likes to date Jesus, but it also likes to date other things too. Jesus is not returning for a date; He is returning for a wedding. When God’s church decides to stop dating and flirting with Jesus and decides to get married, He will return.

During this same time period our suburban church was also asking the Holy Spirit to get sin out of our lives so we could be ready for Jesus to come. We did not – or at least I did not – realize how legalistic that was. Jesus is not coming back for a legalistic group who get their act together so they can have some great reward like heaven. Jesus is coming back for a people who love Him because He first loved them. Today I ask the Holy Spirit to remove sin from my life, not because Jesus is coming back, but because my sin breaks God’s heart. I do not want to break His heart any more, regardless if He is coming back tomorrow or a hundred years from now.

Now that I am older I don’t hear people talking about Jesus coming back in the next five years. So is the whole thing off?

One of Satan’s best weapons are over-zealous religious fanatics. They tell people Jesus is coming back during a certain time table, and then when their “prophecy” fails, people doubt that Jesus is coming back at all. However this is all Satan’s plan. To get us to give up right before it happens. Concentration camp survivors say they survived because they never set a date for their rescue. Some wanted to be rescued by Christmas, and then when that came and went, they wanted to be rescued by Easter, and then when Easter came and went, they gave up hope. Others just knew that they would be rescued some day, and they survived.

As Seventh-day Adventists we must believe Jesus is returning, without setting dates. Some have gone to the other extreme now and don’t even preach the Second Coming at all. They preach social sermons which they find more practical in everyday living. While we must be practical, we must also realize that God formed our church over 150 years ago for a specific reason.

Are we embarrassed by our message? I am sure the disciples were embarrassed when Jesus was crucified, but there was no reason for them to be. Are we afraid people will not believe our message, so we just preach things we know the world will accept? If so, shame on us! We are doing our Savior and neighbor no justice by hiding our special message.

The Seventh-day Adventist church has a message that will do more than prepare people to live nice little lives in this world. We have a gospel that will prepare people for the world to come! We must let everyone know the Second Coming is still on!

There are twice as many prophecies about the Second Coming than there were about Jesus’ first advent. He came the first time, so we know beyond a shadow of a doubt He is coming the second time. Jesus warns against setting times for His return when He tells us, “ in the hour you think not, the Son of man cometh.” Satan has been using religious fanatics for years to get us all excited and then disappointed that He has not returned. Satan wants us to give up and think Jesus is not returning at all. There is great danger in what I was always hearing growing up – about Jesus coming in the next five years – because it does two things: It makes us give up hope when He does not return in those five years, and it also makes us think we have five years to prepare. One day we won’t have five years to prepare. We won’t have one year to prepare. In the hour we think not, He will come!

Don’t get ready, be ready! Be ready, not because He is coming back but because we love Him because He first loved us! The Adventist church – the church that believes the Bible prophecies about the Second Coming – has a reason to exist! If we just preach social day-by-day sermons that you can hear anywhere else, then we are not fulfilling our purpose for coming into existence over 150 years ago. A true Adventist more than believes Jesus is coming. We love His appearing! We have a message to give to world and the people of the world are hungry for our message. We need to tell them that Jesus is coming back. Jesus loves them and wants to be with them forever!

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.