At Crieff Baptist Church.

The speaker will be Ivy Blair from Causeway Prospects Scotland.  She will present a talk entitled ‘A Christian ministry with people with learning disabilities’.

(from Good Word Online):

Leading Question: How does one grow the fruit of the Spirit?

1. First things first: Matt. 6:31-34. Jesus is clear: If we seek the kingdom of God first, all the other good gifts will be added as well. What are the visible signs (if any) that would reveal whether someone is seeking the Lord with all their heart?
2. Important things first: Romans 14:17. Religion is more than meat and drink, argues Paul. But he was clear that what we do with the food and drink is very important indeed, especially as it impacts other people with convictions differing from ours. Why are we so easily tempted to put lesser things (like food and drink) in greater prominence than Jesus’ two great commands?
3. Loving the world in the right way: John 3:16; 1 John 2:15; James 4:4. Jesus and the apostles agree that there is a right kind of love for the world and the wrong kind. God so loved the world that he gave his son. Can we love it in the same way?
4. How do we grow the fruit? Here is a standard set of suggestions with key texts for each. How can each of these help us become what God wants of us?
   1. Study of the Word: 2 Timothy 3:16. Does it make a difference how we study? Will some find one method more helpful than others?
   2. Prayer: Mark 1:35. Jesus didn’t say much about prayer. But his example was impressive. In particular, he would get up a long time before day break, go to an isolated place and pray. What do you imagine him doing and saying during the dark, early morning hours?
   3. Thinking good thoughts: Rom. 12:2; Phil. 4:8. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, says Paul. And he wasn’t shy about saying what we should put into our minds: The true, the honorable, the just, the pure, the pleasing, the commendable. Can meditating on those traits help make them a reality in our lives?
   4. Witness: Mark 5:18-20. When Jesus sent the healed demoniac home, he told him to share the good word with others. The man did just that – with great success. What would happen if, like the demoniac, we could share what the Lord has done for us?

(from Good Word Online):

Leading Question: How certain can we be that we have the truth?

• Jesus is the way to truth; he is truth: John 14:6. How does the truth in Jesus relate to all the rest of truth which believers and non-believers seek? How does the claim to “have” the truth relate to the “truth” of Isaiah 55:8-9: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

• Are we looking for correct information or effective motivation? Should there be a mix of both? The dominant model among devout conservatives is to look for “truth,” rather than a way of motivating people to explore the truth. This Ellen White quotation is sobering:

The greatest deception of the human mind in Christ’s day was that a mere assent to the truth constitutes righteousness. In all human experience a theoretical knowledge of the truth has been proved to be insufficient for the saving of the soul. It does not bring forth the fruits of righteousness. A jealous regard for what is termed theological truth often accompanies a hatred of genuine truth as made manifest in life. The darkest chapters of history are burdened with the record of crimes committed by bigoted religionists. The Pharisees claimed to be children of Abraham, and boasted of their possession of the oracles of God; yet these advantages did not preserve them from selfishness, malignity, greed for gain, and the basest hypocrisy. They thought themselves the greatest religionists of the world, but their so-called orthodoxy led them to crucify the Lord of glory. – DA 309

• Wholehearted searching: Jer. 29:13. Is it possible to know whether we are searching for truth with the whole heart? What would be the clue that points to the truth? It would seem that wholehearted searching would work best for those who are already part of God’s remnant community.

• Truth as something dynamic and growing: 2 Peter 3:18. In Adventism, “present truth” has been a solid part of the community’s experience, referring to fresh perspectives that may not have been seen until the “present.” But not everyone is enthusiastic about the idea. Here is the crucial quote from Ellen White:

Peter exhorts his brethren to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” [2 Pet. 3:18]. Whenever 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. But as real spiritual life declines, it has ever been the tendency to cease to advance in the knowledge of the truth. Men rest satisfied with the light already received from God’s word and discourage any further investigation of the Scriptures. They become conservative and seek to avoid discussion.

The fact that there is no controversy or agitation among God’s people should not be regarded as conclusive evidence that they are holding fast to sound doctrine. There is reason to fear that they may not be clearly discriminating between truth and error. When no new questions are started by investigation of the Scriptures, when no difference of opinion arises which will set men to searching the Bible for themselves to make sure that they have the truth, there will be many now, as in ancient times, who will hold to tradition and worship they know not what. – Testimonies 5:706-707 (1889); also in GW 297-98 and CWE 38-39.

• Twenty-year turnaround? Ellen White, along many other pioneer Adventists, used the phrase “present truth” to refer to cutting-edge teachings and experiences. Here is the key quote:

From MS 8a 1888, address to ministers on October 21, 1888, with apparent reference to a telegram from the “absent and ailing” president who urged the delegates to “stand by the landmarks.” – M. E. Olson, Thirteen Crisis Years (1981) 282. The message “Go forward” is still to be heard and respected. The varying circumstances taking place in our world call for labor which will meet these peculiar developments. The Lord has need of men who are spiritually sharp and clear-sighted, men worked by the Holy Spirit, who are certainly receiving manna fresh from heaven. Upon the minds of such, God’s Word flashes light, revealing to them more than ever before the safe path. The Holy Spirit works upon mind and heart. The time has come when through God’s messengers the scroll is being unrolled to the world. Instructors in our schools should never be bound about by being told that they are to teach only what has been taught hitherto. Away with these restrictions. There is a God to give the message His people shall speak. Let not any minister feel under bonds or be gauged by men’s measurement. The Gospel must be fulfilled in accordance with the messages God sends. That which God gives His servants to speak today would not perhaps have been present truth twenty years ago, but it is God’s message for this time.

How do we make room for Landmark people and Present Truth people in the same worshipping community? What do you think would be most helpful in touching young lives for God?

(from Good Word Online):

Leading Question: Is obedience to the law ever a means of gaining favor with God?

1. Gratitude is the key word: Deut. 4:5-8. If defined in terms of its purpose, God’s law was intended as a guide to good and righteous living. For some reason, however, not everyone is able to focus on law as “good news,” even though Deut. 4 makes it clear that it was intended to be just that. As Moses put it: “What other great nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?” (NRSV). If we can see God’s gracious intent, then law can indeed be “gospel” (good news). But some experience God’s law much more as an instrument of condemnation, a standard that they can’t imagine reaching. For them, forensic justification is a great blessing, enabling them to say with fervour, “There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).
2. Grace before law: Rom. 5:6-11. Three times, in three different ways, Paul emphasizes that God’s grace came to us before we ever responded to him: “while we were still weak,” “while we were still sinners,” “while we were enemies.” In short, God takes the initiative. Just as he delivered Israel from Egypt and through the Red Sea, and then took them to Sinai to hear the law, so we can experience God’s saving grace before we hear his words of counsel as to how we are to live.
3. The law only keeps us out of mischief; it cannot save. Regardless of how one experiences God’s law, it was never intended to be a means of earning salvation, even though in our human weakness we are forever being tempted to think that good behaviour will earn us points with God. In short, the bold truth should be trumpeted for all to hear: We are saved by God’s grace. The law just keeps us out of mischief. Put another way, obedience should always be an act of gratitude in response to God’s saving grace. In what way can we legitimately seek for righteousness, without slipping into the thinking that we are somehow earning God’s favour?
4. God’s judgements, a protection: Psalm 19:11. The psalmist declares that the “judgements” of the Lord are more to be desired than gold or honey. Why? Because they have served to warn him and have brought him a great reward. How can we make it clearer that “righteousness” is God’s way to a good life?
5. Hungering after righteousness: Matt. 5:6. Jesus pronounces a blessing on those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Where does one look to find that kind of hunger in an increasingly secular world?

(from Good Word Online):

Leading Question: To what extent does self-control simply flow from a changed heart, or does it involve blood, sweat and tears as we grapple with temptations, passions and people who irritate us?

• Two stories: Joseph and Samson (Gen. 39:7-20; Judges 13-16). Can we identify the factors that enabled Joseph to resist temptation while Samson capitulated?
• People-centered issues: (Gal. 5:13-26). In Galatians 6:8, Paul contrasts flesh and spirit: “If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow in the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. From the context, what is the clue that flesh (self-indulgence, NRSV) is not simply focused on sexual passions? Note: The immediate contrast in 5:13 is between flesh, and being slaves to one another. In other words, to succumb to the flesh is to embark on a course of thinking or action which hurts my brother or sister. Paul immediately follows with a quotation of Jesus’ second command: “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” A second clue that “flesh” is not just involved with sexual sins, is the list of the works of the flesh. One can analyze them as follows:
  • Sexual passions: fornication, impurity, licentiousness
  • Wild living with potential sexual overtones: drunkenness, carousing
  • Religious issues: idolatry, sorcery
  • Interpersonal Combativeness: enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy

Clearly the dominant issue is simply relations with people. How does one learn to love people more? Can we make efforts in that direction? Is it simply a gift of God?

• A controlled burn: 1 Cor. 7:9. In counseling those who are haunted with sexual challenges while they are on the verge of marriage, Paul simply says: “But if they are not practicing self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to be aflame with passion” (1 Cor. 7:9, NRSV). In the context of diet, Ellen White counsels something similar for those who are struggling to get on board with the health-reform diet. Her counsel is very practical, but could almost be seen as libertarian. The parallel with Paul’s counsel is in the last sentence:

B has been very deficient. While in her best condition of health, his wife was not provided with a plenty of wholesome food and with proper clothing. Then, when she needed extra clothing and extra food, and that of a simple yet nutritious quality, it was not allowed her. Her system craved material to convert into blood, but he would not provide it. A moderate amount of milk and sugar, a little salt, white bread raised with yeast for a change, graham flour prepared in a variety of ways by other hands than her own, plain cake with raisins, rice pudding with raisins, prunes, and figs, occasionally, and many other dishes I might mention, would have answered the demand of appetite. If he could not obtain some of these things, a little domestic wine would have done her no injury; it would have been better for her to have it than to do without it. In some cases, even a small amount of the least hurtful meat would do less injury than to suffer strong cravings for it. – Testimonies 2:383-84 (1870)

To what extent and in what circumstances is it preferable to moderate one’s cravings instead of simply denying them entirely?

• Beating up the body: 1 Cor. 9:24-27. Paul uses strong language to indicate that he faced some real struggles in self-control. The alternative was being a “castaway.” Is that likely to the case with most people? Or do some people simply have an easier time of it? This quotation is suggestive:

People who are born even-tempered, placid and untroubled – secure from violent passions or temptations to evil – those who have never needed to struggle all night with the Angel to emerge lame but victorious at dawn, never become great saints. – Eva le Gallienne (1899-1991), The Mystic in the Theatre: Eleanor Duse (1965)

• God to the rescue: Phil. 2:12-13; Rom. 8:1. In Philippians, Paul neatly combines the human and the divine: “Work out your own salvation – for it is God who is at work in you.” Both are at work, but how they relate to each other is not explained. In Romans 8:1, Paul simply indicates that he can find peace in Christ’s righteousness, leaving the battles of Romans 7 behind. But will those battles continue – albeit without condemnation? Or is the battle an indication that we are subject to condemnation?

(from Good Word Online):

Leading Question: When Paul asked the Corinthian believers if he should come to them with a stick or with love in a spirit of gentleness (1 Cor. 4:21), how did he expect to find the right answer?

The word translated “meekness” or “gentleness” in the fruit of the spirit list is a tantalizing one. Here are some biblical passage where the word or one of its near relatives is used:

Numbers 12:3: “Now the man Moses was very humble [devout] more so than anyone else on the face of the earth” (NRSV).

The KJV has “meek.” But the Hebrew word could also mean “oppressed” or “downtrodden” and is often used in connection with “poor” or “afflicted.” It may be a simple description without any laudatory intent.

Matt. 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (NRSV).

The New Living Translation has “gentle and lowly.” The German Die gute Nachricht (= GNB/TEV) has “those who refuse to use force.”

1 Cor. 4:21: “Am I to come to you with a stick, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?”

Gentleness can involve correction and growth as is suggested by the follow verse:

Gal. 6:1: “If anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”

Based on classical Greek background, William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible gives three alternative meanings for the use of the word in Matthew’s list of beatitudes:

1. “Blessed is the one who is always angry at the right time, and never angry at the wrong time.
2. “Blessed is the one who has every instinct, every impulse, every passion under control. Blessed is the one who is entirely self-controlled.” Barclay notes that the New Testament understanding of God and humanity would suggest that the last word be “God-controlled” – blessed is the one who is entirely “God-controlled.”
3. “Blessed is the man who has the humility to know his own ignorance, his own weakness, and his own need.” – William Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1, Daily Study Bible, 2nd edition (Edinburgh: St. Andrew Press, 1958), 91-93.

• To what extent is the word “meekness” a positive one? Barclay’s alternatives are attempts to rejuvenate a word whose older meaning (meekness) has become problematic in our day and age. Is there anything salvageable about the word “meekness” so that it can with honour belong to the fruit of the Spirit?
• Jesus the example: Matthew 11:28-30. The New Living Translation uses the phrase “humble and gentle.” NRSV simply reverses the two: “gentle and humble in heart.” In what way is the example of Jesus one that is attractive for moderns, both men and women? Do we want Jesus’ kind of gentleness?
• A steady presence in the church: Eph. 4:1-3. “I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” It may be that the use of the work “meek” in the Sermon on the Mount has linked up subconsciously in our minds with Jesus’ command to go the second mile and turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:38-42), resulting in the stereotype of the spineless Christian. Is it possible to see the “second mile” and “other cheek” mandates as arising from strength, rather than from weakness and coercion?
• Practical stuff: How can we more effectively enrich our lives with “gentleness”? What methods can help nudge us toward our goal?

(from Good Word Online):

Leading Question: What is it that inspires us and enables us to be faithful to people, to God?

“Saving” faith is a gift of God. But the result of God’s gifts in our life is part of the fruit of the Spirit, faithfulness. These are the questions we need to address:

• Trusting on a reasonable probability: Rom. 8:24-25. Too often in our world, we tend to rely on external proofs from science, archaeology, or prophecy. But those are not like the bonds that we establish with trustworthy people and with God. In Romans 8:24-25 Paul notes that we are saved in hope, but hope that is seen is not hope. What enables us to hope, when the “hard” proof is missing? Some C. S. Lewis quotes nicely capture the crucial thoughts:

To love involves trusting the beloved beyond the evidence, even against much evidence. No man is our friend who believes in our good intentions only when they are proved. No man is our friend who will not be very slow to accept evidence against them. Such confidence, between one man and another, is in fact almost universally praised as a moral beauty, not blamed as a logical error. And the suspicious man is blamed for a meanness of character, not admired for the excellence of his logic. – C. S. Lewis, “On Obstinacy in Belief,” in The World’s Last Night and Other Essays, 26.

The link between trust and friendship is elaborated further in this conversation between Lewis and Sheldon Vanauken as the latter was exploring the possibility of coming to faith:

I do not think there is a demonstrative proof (like Euclid) of Christianity. . . . As to why God doesn’t make it demonstrably clear; are we sure that He is even interested in the kind of Theism which would be a compelled logical assent to a conclusive argument? Are we interested in it in personal matters? I demand from my friend a trust in my good faith which is certain without demonstrative proof. It wouldn’t be confidence at all if he waited for rigorous proof. Hang it all, the very fairy tales embody the truth. Othello believed in Desdemona’s innocence when it was proved: but that was too late. Lear believed in Cordelia’s love when it was proved: but that was too late. “His praise is lost who stays till all commend.” The magnanimity, the generosity which will trust on a reasonable probability, is required of us. But supposing one believed and was wrong after all? Why, then you would have paid the universe a compliment it doesn’t deserve. Your error would even so be more interesting and important than the reality. And yet how could that be? How could an idiotic universe have produced creatures whose mere dreams are so much stronger, better, subtler than itself? – Letter from C. S. Lewis to Sheldon Vanauken, December 23, 1950, A Severe Mercy (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1977, 1987), 92.

• Results of Faithfulness: Hebrews 11. The exuberant psalms that celebrate God’s protecting care (e.g. 34, 91) should probably be seen more as testimonies rather than as iron-clad promises. Most of us can probably remember those moments when events turned out far better than we could possibly have dreamed. When that happens, the heart and soul soar to heights that leave sober realities far behind. Hebrews 11 lists a host of “faithful” ones along with the rewards for their faithfulness. One of the more striking examples involves threats from the sword. By faith, says Scripture, some “escaped the edge of the sword” (Heb. 11:34, NRSV); but a few lines further we read that by faith some “were killed by the sword” (Heb. 11:37, NRSV). Deliverance or destruction: take your pick. Divine intervention on our behalf is highly unpredictable. Acts 12 opens with a description of the death of James at the hands of Herod (Acts 12:2). But later in that same chapter, Peter is miraculously delivered from prison by the hand of an angel (Acts 12:6-11). What is even more puzzling is the fact that the “innocent” guards all lost their lives because of Peter’s deliverance. Amazingly, Acts 16:16-40 tells how Paul and Silas were thrown into prison, but chose to remain in the prison when the earthquake had actually provided for their escape. As a result, the jailer and his entire family accepted the Lord Jesus. What does faithfulness mean given such a wide spectrum of possibilities?

• Faithful to the end: Matt. 24:13. Matthew 24-25 reveal some of the complexities, perplexities and truths that are important for understanding the time of the end. The most important truth is this one: Always be ready, because no one knows when the end will come: Matt. 24:36, 44, 50; 25:13. Even the wise virgins were able to sleep well at night because they were ready. If one’s preparations are motivated by fear instead of by love, the results can be disastrous, as it was for the slave who began to act up because he thought the master would be delayed (24:48-50). In modern terms, C. S. Lewis lays out the sober reality:

We must never speak to simple, excitable people about “the day” without emphasizing again and again the utter impossibility of prediction. We must try to show them that the impossibility is an essential part of the doctrine. If you do not believe our Lord’s words, why do you believe in his return at all? And if you do believe them must you not put away from you, utterly and forever, any hope of dating that return? His teaching on the subject quite clearly consisted of three propositions. (1) That he will certainly return. (2) That we cannot possibly find out when. (3) And that therefore we must always be ready for him. – C. S. Lewis, “The World’s Last Night” in The World’s Last Night and Other Essays, 107.

(from Good Word Online):

Leading Question: How can God expect good things from people who are bad?

When we talk about “goodness” under the heading of “fruit of the Spirit,” several tantalizing paradoxes emerge. We can address these under several headings:

• Only God is “good” (Matt. 19.17//Mark 10:18//Luke 18:19). When Jesus told the rich young ruler that only God is good, he was making an important point. But how does that “truth” about God’s ultimate goodness affect us? Is that an encouraging or discouraging word?
• Good teacher, good man, not good enough. The same parallel passages that deal with God’s goodness also tell us a fair bit about human goodness. The man claimed to have kept all the commandments from his youth up. But Jesus still said there was more: Go sell all that you have and give to the poor. Zacchaeus only had to give half of his goods to the poor, and he volunteered this amount. Jesus was pleased (Luke 19:1-9). How did Zacchaeus get off so easily?
• No human being is good: Rom. 3:10-20. The biblical assessment of human nature is grim. Romans 3 is as pointed as any biblical passage. Given that assessment, what hope is there of becoming good, becoming like God, doing good?
• God commands sinners to do good: Matt. 5:14-16. Jesus’ words about letting our light shine assume that it is possible for us to do good works, though in the very next chapter he tells us to be sure not to do our good works in order to impress others (Matt. 6:1-4). How do we let our light shine before others so that they may see our good works and praise God, without running afoul of Jesus’ command not do our good works in order to be seen by others? When Jesus tells us not to do our good deeds before others, he is pointing to the same truth expressed by C. Lewis: “The moment good taste knows itself, some of its goodness is lost” – Surprised by Joy, 86.
• We must be good in order to do good: Matt. 12:34-37// Luke 6:43-45. Jesus is very blunt in noting that good cannot come from evil. If humans are evil, then how can we hope to do good? Interestingly enough, Ellen White’s statement on this issue (“You must be good before you can do good” – MB 128), falls under her comments on Matthew 7:1: “Judge not that you be not judged,” though she also cites Matthew 12 and Luke 6. Her comments are tantalizing:

When a crisis comes in the life of any soul, and you attempt to give counsel or admonition, your words will have only the weight of influence for good that your own example and spirit have gained for [127/128] you. You must be good before you can do good. You cannot exert an influence that will transform others until your own heart has been humbled and refined and made tender by the grace of Christ. When this change has been wrought in you, it will be as natural for you to live to bless others as it is for the rosebush to yield its fragrant bloom or the vine its purple clusters.

If Christ is in you “the hope of glory,” you will have no disposition to watch others, to expose their errors. Instead of seeking to accuse and condemn, it will be your object to help, to bless, and to save. In dealing with those who are in error, you will heed the injunction, Consider “thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Galatians 6:1. You will call to mind the many times you have erred and how hard it was to find the right way when you had once left it. You will not push your brother into greater darkness, but with a heart full of pity will tell him of his danger. – Mount of Blessings, 127-128

• That which is good (law) can have a bad effect: Romans 7:7-25. How can the Christian resolve the tension between our hostility to law even though we know that it is good? How can we experience the fruit of the Spirit in that connection, given our natural hostility to that which is good?

(from Good Word Online):

Leading Question: If we are kind to those who are doing what is wrong, isn’t there a danger that some will conclude that we agree with and even support that which we actually oppose?

Some time ago I was talking on the telephone with an unhappy former Adventist, one who had adopted a very evangelistic attitude toward his former brothers and sisters in Christ. In short, he was attempting to rescue Adventists from the delusions of Adventism. He had become so accustomed to Adventists railing at him for his evil apostasy, that when I adopted a more gentle approach he actually thought that I, too, was moving away from “mainstream” Adventism. I was startled and sobered. Was I being too kind?

• Kindness vs. Patience: Matt. 5:43-48. If patience means enduring evil more passively, then kindness means a more active outreach to those in need. But how broadly should we define the “needy”? In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said that God is even-handed with his gifts, letting the sun shine on good and evil alike, letting the rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous. Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Plain is even more blunt: “He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked” (Luke 6:36).

• Shunning? 1 Cor. 5. One of the surprising contrasts in Paul’s letter to the believers at Corinth is suggested by chapter 5 where he counsels the believers to separate themselves from the man who was living with his father’s wife. “Hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5, NRSV). He concludes the chapter with these vivid words: “Drive out the wicked person from among you” (1 Cor. 5:13, NRSV). Before that he pointedly advises the believers to separate themselves from all kinds of evil people: “I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother or sister who is sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber” (1 Cor. 5:11, NRSV). If we have to separate even from the greedy, most of us would be living by ourselves! How does this line up with 1 Corinthians 13:4, “Love is kind,” and with Jesus’ statements in the Gospels?

• Kindness as the touchstone of one’s relationship with God: Matthew 25:31-46. In the parable of the sheep and goats, Jesus suggests that the real test of our religion lies in our willingness to show kindness to those in need. Why wouldn’t this be salvation by works? Ellen White’s comments on this passage are striking:

Christ on the Mount of Olives pictured to His disciples the scene of the great judgment day. And He represented its decision as turning upon one point. When the nations are gathered before Him, there will be but two classes, and their eternal destiny will be determined by what they have done or have neglected to do for Him in the person of the poor and suffering. – Desire of Ages, 637

Those whom Christ commends in the judgment may have known little of theology, but they have cherished His principles. Through the influence of the divine Spirit they have been a blessing to those about them. Even among the heathen are those who have cherished the spirit of kindness; before the words of life had fallen upon their ears, they have befriended the missionaries, even ministering to them at the peril of their own lives. Among the heathen are those who worship God ignorantly, those to whom the light is never brought by human instrumentality, yet they will not perish. Though ignorant of the written law of God, they have heard His voice speaking to them in nature, and have done the things that the law required. Their works are evidence that the Holy Spirit has touched their hearts, and they are recognized as the children of God. – Desire of Ages, 638

• Right doing as a sign of the new birth? 1 John 2:29. John declares that everyone who does what is right “has been born of him.” In short, he uses born-again language to refer to ethical behaviour, even though the person does not know Jesus.

Following on from the Church Officer’s Training Day here are some links that were discussed in the ‘Children’s Ministries’ groups.

• Children’s ministry section from the www.familyministry.co.uk web site
• more to come later (21/22 Feb…)

A time of concentrated prayer, held in the church every Wednesday evening.

Training day  for all those working with the children in our churches throughout Scotland.  Accreditation Training levels I & II will be offered as a one-day course to be held in the Glasgow SDA Church, 18/20 Turriff Street, Glasgow G5 9SB.

A light lunch will be provided.  Booking essential.  Contact Carole at the SM Office Tel: 01764 653257 or E-mail: office@sdascotland.com

To be held at  Crieff SDA church, Gwydyr Road, Crieff PH7 4BS.

This training day is open to all members in the Scottish Mission.  Members in new church officers are urged to attend, and those already familiar with their church office are also urged to attend, as new ideas and approaches will be discussed.  A light lunch will be provided – bring extra is you wish.

Training will be given In the following church offices:

• Children’s Ministries – presenter Mrs Jeniffer Oroko assisted by Muriel Logan and Karen Holford;

• Youth/Pathfinders – presenter Pastor Des Boldeau;

• Women’s Ministries – Presenter Mrs Judith Martin;

• Personal Ministries & Church Growth – guest presenter Pastor Eglan Brooks;

• Communication – guest presenter Pastor Victor Hulbert;

• Prayer Ministries – presenter Pastor Lorance Johnson;

• Health ministries – presenter Pastor David Hatch;

• Elders and Deacons – presenter Pastor Bernie Holford;

• Family ministries – presenter Pastor Clifford Herman;

• ADRA Agents- presenter Godwin Benjamin;

• Children’s Safety Representative – presenter Carole Peacock

The ABC will be visiting some of the Scottish churches during this coming week.   Their desire and mission is to make available to the members as many products as they can – tools that will enable each person to fulfil the gospel commission as given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28:19,20.

Schedule as follows:

Thursday 28th January 6-8 pm ~ Crieff SDA church, Gwydyr Road, Crieff PH7 4BS

Saturday 30th January 5-8pm ~ Edinburgh SDA church, 61, Boswall Highway, Edinburgh EH5 2PP

Sunday 31st January 10 am – 2 pm ~ Glasgow SDA church Turriff St., Glasgow G5 9SB

To avoid disappointment, order specific items in advance.  Phone ABC hotline 01476 539900

Regular weekly meeting, every Tuesday in the church hall – informal group with discussion of a Bible passage and time to pray together.  All welcome.  If you come a few minutes early, we serve a hot drink and biscuit.