♪ theme music ♪
(Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School,
an in-depth, interactive study
of the Word of God.
We are in the middle
of an amazing series of studies
on Oneness in Christ,
our topic today: The Most Convincing Proof.
What is the most convincing proof
that we are experiencing oneness in Christ?
What does that look like?
I'm particularly excited today
because one of our team, Tricia Lee,
is going to be teaching,
and it's going to be a great study.
And one thing that is an inspiration
to all of our team
is that tens of thousands
of you are downloading
that one-page interactive outline
across 150 countries that we know of, and are teaching
in-depth, interactive Bible studies
in your own area. Amen?
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) That's just awesome to us.
In fact we love to hear from you,
and here are just a few emails we've received.
You can write to us
at sshope@hopetv.org.
Here's Boba, B-O-B-A, Boba
in Madagascar, writing from Madagascar,
"I used to listen to your program,
but now I have an opportunity
to watch your video.
Thanks for the wonderful programs you share.
It's helpful for me
to understand the Bible
and also English language,
since I am a Sabbath School teacher
for an English class.
May God continue to bless your team. Amen."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) And we would say,
may God continue to bless you, Boba,
there in Madagascar.
We're glad that you're part
of our of our Hope Sabbath School family.
Here's a note from Ouida in Florida,
Ouida, O-U-I-D-A, "WEE-dah".
"Dear brothers and sisters,
Hope Sabbath School team,
I regularly attend the Gainesville church here in Florida
though I'm not a member.
Almost every week I watch
Hope Sabbath School,
and I'm always blessed."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "I think that the studies
speak directly to me.
Thanks for fleshing out
with such joy, love and sincerity.
You've helped our Hope Sabbath School community
get ready for that day
when our Lord will welcome us home."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) We just studied about that, didn't we?
"Looking forward to hearing those words,
'Well done, good and faithful servant.
Enter into the joy of your Lord.'
We're family; continued blessings. Amen."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Thanks for writing to us
from sunny Florida, Ouida.
We're glad that you are part
of our Hope Sabbath School family.
Here is a note from a donor in Tennessee,
"I'm learning so much
by watching your daily program.
Hope you enjoy breakfast with me."
Well, we're not able to eat with you,
but we're glad that you're watching
Hope Sabbath School every day.
And, Jason, right here, front row,
"I especially like Jason when he sings."
Jason, we sing with enthusiasm, right?
And the donor included a gift
that can help Hope Sabbath School
to be impacting the world, so, thanks.
We're a donor-based ministry.
We appreciate each one of you
and your prayerful support.
Here's a fascinating email from Pintoko,
an Indonesian, former Muslim.
"I'm a Sabbath School teacher from Bandung, Indonesia.
Formerly a Muslim, I became
a Seventh-day Adventist Christian in 2001."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) I've been following Hope Sabbath School
for quite some time,
and I feel so blessed."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "It strengthened
my faith in Jesus,
and I am convinced that this
is God's Last-Day message.
Your program is inspirational.
Through Hope Sabbath School,
I can obtain spiritual lessons and ideas
that I can share with my class.
At this stage, I cannot envisage
meeting you in person,
but I hope that I will
get to know you personally
when the Lord Jesus comes,..."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "...which may not be that far away
because He's coming soon."
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) "May God bless you
and the Hope Sabbath School team."
Well, Pintoko, all the way from Indonesia,
we are so glad to hear from you,
and we're glad you're part
of God's Last-Day movement, preparing people
for the soon coming of Jesus.
One last short note, from Michigan
in the United States of America.
Jason on the front row,
are you a Michigander?
(Jason) I am a Michigander.
(Derek) All right, would you wave to Judy, please.
All right. "My sister and I watch Hope Sabbath School.
We are so blessed,
and we love the Scripture songs.
We appreciate your passion for truth
and the way you share it.
God bless you all."
Well, Judy, we need your help
and your sister's help right now,
because we are not the Vienna Boys' Choir
or the Vienna Girls' Choir,
if there was such a thing.
People say, "How do you have
the courage to sing
on a global television program?"
And the answer is it's not about us.
It's about the Word of God, right?
And the Scripture song we're going to sing
is our theme song for this series
on Oneness in Christ.
You know, we're saved by grace,
Ephesians 2 tells us, not by works,
lest anyone should boast.
But then in Ephesians,
chapter 4, verses 1 to 3,
and those are the words for our theme song,
the Apostle Paul says, "I beseech you
to walk worthy of the calling
with which you were called."
And that's, Tricia Lee,
what we'll be studying about today,
is what does that look like?
It's The Most Convincing Proof.
So, let's sing our theme song together.
♪ music ♪
(Derek) It's going to be an exciting study today,
The Most Convincing Proof,
and, Tricia Lee, why don't you lead us in prayer?
(Tricia Lee) Let's bow our heads as we pray.
Dear heavenly Father, we are so thankful
that You are transforming lives.
And we're so grateful that we can study
how we can be a convincing proof
that You are real.
Please be with us as we study
about unity through You.
In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Tricia Lee) We're continuing
a wonderful study on unity,
and we're going to talk about, today,
how the example of Christ transforming us,
and the unity we can have amongst each other
is a convincing proof,
not just that Jesus is real,
but that what we are experiencing is real.
We're not following
cunningly crafted fables,
but when lives are changed,
and we can see a real difference
that brings us together,
that's convincing.
(Derek, Team) Amen.
(Tricia Lee) Let's start out in John, chapter 11,
John, chapter 11, verses 51 and 52.
I'll ask Laurel to read that for us,
and we're going to read two verses
and then talk about how Christ came, not just to save us,
but also to unite us.
So, Laurel, please read that Scripture for us.
(Laurel) All right, I'll be reading
from the New American Standard Bible:
(Tricia Lee) Amen. Gathering together into one who...?
(Team) The children of God.
(Tricia Lee) Who are scattered abroad.
All right, so, let's turn over
to Ephesians, Ephesians, chapter 1,
verses 7 through 10,
and, again, we're going to look and read
some of what Christ's mission was in bringing us together.
I'm going to ask Jamie
if she would read for us
Ephesians, chapter 1, verses 7 through 10.
(Jamie) The New American Standard Bible reads:
(Tricia Lee) And the New King James Version, verse 10 says,
"Gather together in one."
So, let's talk about this.
How is it possible that Christ
can unite all things, all people,
different languages, different nations?
How does that happen,
that we're unified through Christ?
Jason, up top?
(Jason) Definitely through a prayer,
if I could read in John
the seventeenth chapter.
(Tricia Lee) Okay, let's turn there. Which verses?
(Jason) It's going to be 22 and 23.
(Tricia Lee) Let's turn to John 17.
(Jason) This is Jesus praying for all believers.
(Tricia Lee) Okay, sure.
(Jason) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
and the Bible says:
(Tricia Lee) All right, so how does that unite us all? Nicole?
(Nicole) If we have a same goal,
if we have a same end point,
then we are united in that mission.
And so I think Christ gives us
the end goal of His salvation
and what He does for us and transforms us,
and that makes us be able to focus
on that similar and same goal.
(Tricia Lee) Pastor.
(Derek) I would say it's an absolute miracle,
an absolute miracle.
And what Jason read from John 17,
it alluded to the fact that it's possible
because they are one in "Me."
So it's not like us off here
trying to all get along.
As we all unite
with that constant relationship with Christ,
it brings us all together.
(Tricia Lee) Jason, down below.
(Jason) Adding to what Derek said,
one that we all have in common
is that we've all been saved by Christ.
Now, whether we accept that or not, appreciate that, that's different,
but Christ died for all of us.
So, that's one thing we can all have in common.
(Tricia Lee) Absolutely. The playing field is leveled, so to speak.
It doesn't matter what language you speak
or where you're from,
we all need a Savior.
When we come to Christ,
He brings us all together.
He brings us all together as children of the Father,
and we become brothers and sisters
united in the family of God. Gladys?
(Gladys) I was going to say, love.
The love of Christ is what connects us,
because when we all love the same Person,
that brings us together.
I remember my grandmother,
she was like the matriarch of the family.
So, cousins will come for Christmas,
and we didn't know them.
But just because they love our grandmother,
we felt connected.
So, I think that in church it's the same thing.
When we all love Christ,
it doesn't matter where we come from,
we feel connected because of that love.
(Tricia Lee) Amen. Jason, up top.
(Jason) And that prayer was answered, actually,
in that book of Acts, the second chapter,
when the Holy Spirit came upon the church
when they were of one accord and in one place,
that the Spirit of Christ dwelt in them
so that they could go forth in unity.
(Tricia Lee) Amen. Kenneth.
(Kenneth) In addition, we all realize
that we are individuals.
We have some differences,
but in addition to that,
we all have different kinds of sin.
But the same God is able to save us,
irrespective of where we are.
So, if God is able to save us,
then irrespective of our differences,
He's still able to bring us together.
(Tricia Lee) One thing that excited me
when reading the verses in Ephesians,
was in verse 10 as Jamie read
about uniting or gathering all things
in Heaven and on Earth,
it's funny because when I was reading this,
I thought about, you know, we talk about things or people
that are different from us as being alien or foreign,
but if you think about what's happening in Heaven or in the universe,
we're actually the aliens.
We're actually the ones who were
kind of, you know, sin-contaminated
and on our own on this planet
trying to figure things out.
But to realize that Christ,
He's not just bringing us together here,
He's going to bring us back to oneness
in the entire heavenly universe,
and that we will get to truly understand
what that unity looks like.
It's not just about loving each other.
We have been separated
from what it's really supposed to be like,
and so, it's interesting.
In any case, let's move on.
Can anyone share an example
of when oneness in Christ
helped you to overcome an obstacle?
Oneness in Christ helping us
to overcome obstacles. Travis?
(Travis) I remember attending a school evangelism,
there were 40-some students there,
and we were there for the same purpose.
We wanted to share the Gospel
and learn how to share the Gospel.
And I remember going through the first four or five weeks
there was contention
between - we were learning to live together,
and there were little arguments.
And at the end of almost four months,
when we went out into the streets,
the highways and byways,
and led people to Jesus,
we were leading everybody to the same thing.
And at the end, you couldn't have divided the group.
You just couldn't have divided them;
we were united because we were there for the same purpose.
(Tricia Lee) Praise God.
So the obstacle was, the differences
threatened the mission that you had,
but Christ bringing you together
brought you on the same page; praise God.
So, God wants to transform us,
and we hear a term that is used
called the ministry of reconciliation.
It's a long word, reconciliation.
Does anyone know what that means? Reconciliation?
(Gladys) To bring together?
(Tricia Lee) To bring together, exactly, to become one.
And usually it's used in context
or in a situation where there has been
a relationship that's been broken.
You're usually not just talking
about putting two things together
that were already separated.
We're talking about a division,
possibly a harsh division
or an angry division that's taken place.
But the reconciliation, also you can think of healing,
healing and bringing together.
So, let's look at how God
wants to transform us
through the ministry of reconciliation.
I'm going to ask Laurel
if you'd read for us
in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5,
verses 17 through 21.
(Laurel) I'll be reading
from the New American Standard Bible:
(Team) Amen.
(Tricia Lee) We're going to talk a little bit about what it means
to be an ambassador for God,
but before that happens,
we're being reconciled back to God.
Why is that necessary?
How have we become separated from Him?
(Team) Sin.
(Tricia Lee) Sin, exactly.
Thinking about being a new creation,
what was it like in Eden?
(Team) Perfection.
(Tricia Lee) What was the relationship like?
Face-to-face, just as I can see Jason
and Laurel and Samuel, you can see me.
I can't see God physically right now.
We understand if that were to happen,
I'd probably be - yes, I'd be destroyed by His glory.
But that's what He's trying
to reconcile us back to.
Eventually, we know, we'll be united
with Him in the Kingdom,
but there is a ministry
of spiritual reconciliation that comes
when our sins are cleansed from us,
we're in communion and fellowship with Him.
But then He says that He gives us
the ministry of reconciliation
and calls us ambassadors.
Charity, what does that mean,
that we've been given this ministry?
How are we ambassadors?
(Charity) We're representing Him.
It's part of our responsibility
in response to His love and His grace
for dying for us.
There are those who don't understand
and don't know that God
wants to reconcile with us
because of the sin problem.
So, we are the witnesses to go out
and share that with them.
(Tricia Lee) Jason, up top.
(Jason) It's such a privilege
to be able to be in that ministry
that God has given us through Christ.
So, that's how we experience
that joy that Christ has
and God the Father,
and we're just reaching out to people
with that love that He has for them.
(Tricia Lee) Gladys mentioned the love
that unites us in Christ.
When we're reconciled back to God
and we are experiencing the love of that relationship,
of course, it's going to flow out to others.
Of course, we will represent Him in other places.
And, of course, our being reconciled back to God,
it has to impact the way we treat other people.
You can't keep it to yourself.
Let's keep looking at some verses
in Ephesians, chapter 2,
and let's look and see
how being reconciled back to God
naturally affects our relationships with other people.
I'm going to ask Joshua
if he'd read those verses for us,
Ephesians 2, verses 13 through 16.
(Joshua) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version; the Bible says:
(Tricia Lee) So, that word enmity can mean hostility.
That's another meaning for that word.
We're thinking about how Christ gives us peace,
how being reconciled to God
can impact the transformed lives that we have.
But what is the context of this enmity,
the wall of separation?
Do we know the historical reference
that's being made here?
What's this wall of separation?
Was it a physical wall, a real wall, or can it be both?
What is it, Pastor?
(Derek) It was both.
(Tricia Lee) It was both.
(Derek) There was actually the wall of separation there in the temple.
The Jews said, "The Gentiles
cannot go beyond this;
if they do, they'll be put to death."
And the Gospel message
takes that wall down.
But it was also in the way
people treated each other.
There was like a wall, and I think,
not only between Jews and Gentiles,
but in a lot of places people build walls that separate them.
And I think the message of reconciliation
is that all of those walls can be taken down.
(Tricia Lee) Praise God.
It's interesting, and the Pastor is correct,
here you have a setting, an environment,
where people are coming
to be reconciled to God,
and yet they are setting up dividers amongst themselves.
That doesn't seem like a convincing proof.
It doesn't, because as we
become closer to Christ,
there should be no separation in between us.
But we realize that there were real issues culturally,
even some of the beliefs and doctrines that people had,
that made them believe that it was okay
to have those barriers.
But we know the Gospel of Christ is not so,
that God wants to save us all equally and all the same.
But how is it possible?
How is it possible, because these are people who were taught
that separation was okay,
and they were taught that even in church,
even in the temple,
they thought they would be defiled.
And so, taking down that middle wall,
allowing, at that time, the Jews
and the Gentiles to worship together
or to seek God together,
it wasn't a small thing.
And even today, if we think
about the things that separate us, it's hard to do.
It's hard to do on our own.
How is it possible?
Let's look at the Word.
I'm going to ask Samuel to read for us
Galatians, chapter 2, verse 20.
How is it possible to take down
some of these walls?
They didn't come up overnight.
Most walls, they are deeply rooted
in our beliefs, in our cultures, in our experiences.
Read for us how this is possible, Samuel.
(Samuel) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version,
Galatians, chapter 2, verse 20:
(Tricia Lee) We can't do it on our own.
it has to be Christ living in us, loving other people,
tearing down those walls.
Look at the life of Christ.
How many walls did He tear down in His ministry?
(Team) A lot.
(Tricia Lee) Can we think of any examples?
(Gladys) The women, women were
not considered part of the society.
They could not be in company of men,
and Jesus Himself, He surrounded Himself with women.
(Tricia Lee) Yes. Kenneth.
(Kenneth) There's separation between the Jews
and also the Samaritans.
Jesus demonstrated it by sharing the Gospel with them.
(Tricia Lee) Yes, Jason, up top.
(Jason) Jesus also gathered Himself around sinners,
turning that stigma that they once had
that they were no good,
that they were in far reach of God's grace.
(Tricia Lee) Jamie.
(Jamie) He also broke down class barriers, too.
Like, He didn't care
if you were rich or poor.
In some ways, He gathered more around the poor.
(Tricia Lee) He also broke down knowledge barriers.
At the time there were sects
and groups of people who believed
that the Bible could only be studied
or understood by certain classes or certain people,
and He wanted all folks to understand.
He preached to the common people.
And so we have the great example
that when Christ was here,
He did not let those barriers stop Him
from treating everyone with love.
And Christ in us can help us
to see through the things
that our parents have taught us
or that our culture is teaching us
or see past the things
that have been entrenched
even in our churches. Pastor.
(Derek) Just what came to my mind,
is Jesus said, "They hated Me,
and they'll hate you, too,"
because Jesus experienced fierce opposition
when He challenged some of those walls
that had been built.
And I'm sensing that we may, too,
and we need wisdom.
We need that living connection with Jesus
so that we don't go foolishly.
And yet, there are some walls
that need to come down.
(Tricia Lee) Gladys.
(Gladys) I was just thinking
that a lot of people don't understand
that when Jesus called His Disciples, they were fishermen,
and in that culture,
the young men, by the age of 12,
they had to know a lot from the Scripture
to be chosen to be disciples.
So, if they didn't pass the test, they were sent back
to their family's business.
So, these fishermen, they were
basically "rejects" of the high-end, knowledgeable few.
And Jesus just broke all the barriers
by showing that even these simple men
could understand the Gospel
and just connected with people
at a different level that others couldn't.
(Tricia Lee) Praise God. I think if we all think
of our own individual life,
and our own individual experiences,
certainly we would be those on the outside.
I'm a Gentile; most of us here are Gentiles,
so, praise God that He has taken down
that wall of separation.
We're talking about transformed lives,
reconciliation, being reconciled to God,
and through that, being able
to be united with others.
What are some examples
of transformed lives in the Bible
that we can testify of?
In the early Christian church
in the New Testament,
are there some examples
that stand out to you
of Christ changing someone's life
and bringing that reconciliation? Jason, down below.
(Jason) I think of the disciple John.
We're talking about Samaritans and all that,
and we see how at one point
he was so angry he wanted Jesus
to call down fire and burn up a place
that wouldn't receive Jesus.
And then later on, we see him
being such a great witness.
And then the story of Revelation,
his life was completely transformed in his character.
(Tricia Lee) Amen. Travis.
(Travis) I think of Peter,
in that he was the loud mouth of the bunch.
You know, he just kept
stumbling over himself over and over,
and God just used him in a powerful way
the Day of Pentecost.
And so, Jesus totally transformed his life.
(Tricia Lee) Praise God. Jason, up top.
(Jason) I know everyone gives credit to Paul,
going from Saul to Paul,
but Ananias - it took a lot for him
to be one who viewed Saul
as one persecuting the church,
to come and say, "My brother."
So that definitely took a lot of transformation.
(Tricia Lee) That's a great story; let's remind everyone of the story.
Ananias was a faithful believer, follower of Christ.
At the time, Paul was still Saul.
He had just received the vision from Christ.
He still had the scales on his eyes; he was in blindness and darkness.
But he was told to go meet a believer, Ananias,
and that he would pray for him,
or that the next instructions would come from there.
And so, the reputation was that Saul was a bad guy,
and he's been killing everyone.
So, that is a true example
of taking in the persecutor
because God has told you it's okay and it's safe.
A wonderful example of what's possible
when the wisdom of God lets us know
it's okay to take that wall down,
"He's not going to hurt you;
in fact, he'll proclaim the Gospel."
Let's look now
at some practical demonstrations
of oneness in Christ.
This has to impact our everyday life,
from the time we rise in the morning
until the time we lie back down at night
and everything that happens in between.
If we're transformed, it's transformed through and through.
So, let's go to Ephesians, chapter 4,
Ephesians, chapter 4, verse 25.
We're actually going to read
through the end of the chapter,
and we will conclude
in chapter 5, verse 2.
So, we'll read Ephesians 4:25 through 5, verse 2,
and I'll ask Joshua to read
those verses for us.
(Joshua) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version; the Bible says:
chapter 5:
(Tricia Lee) Amen. So, let's dig in,
because there is some great practical advice
on how to maintain the unity,
how to build unity.
Let's start at the top, Ephesians 4:25:
Put away lying and speak the truth to one another.
Nicole, how is that
a practical demonstration of oneness in Christ?
(Nicole) When I think about being truthful,
I think that we also need to ask the Lord
to help us to be truthful,
because it's easy to tell someone
something that's not truthful.
It's easy to also tell the truth in a way
that's not going to be received,
and so I think that it starts with that relationship
and then asking for the right words to say
so that you are speaking truth
in a way that brings someone closer to Christ.
(Tricia Lee) Praise God. Our words
can push people away and divide,
or they can bring folks closer.
Let's move down: Be angry and do not sin.
"How!? Something happened to me!"
Even that word, to be "angry,"
typically, I would imagine,
as long as your mind is functioning properly,
you don't become angry for no reason.
Something's happened, and it gets you upset.
So, "I'm angry right now."
How is it possible to be angry and not to sin?
Jason, down below.
(Jason) You can be angry, you can be upset at something,
and almost always, there's a legitimate reason.
You've often seen a wrong done.
You have a moral reason for being upset.
But what that anger causes you to do,
the anger should cause you
to react with mercy or kindness
or see that the reason why that person
may have done that wrong
is they may need something.
They may need something from Christ that you have.
Or you may not understand something fully.
And so, the idea is, when you're angry,
don't let that lead you to do the wrong thing.
Let that lead you to reach out
in mercy and compassion.
Have the mind of Christ, as we get later on here.
(Tricia Lee) Travis.
(Travis) I think the Psalmist
was the greatest example
of being angry and not sinning.
He would be angry; people would do things,
and enemies would want to kill him,
and all these things.
And rather than venting to somebody else,
he vented to God.
He didn't sin by saying,
"They're doing this; they're doing that."
He vented to God, and then he praised God
for taking that away.
(Tricia Lee) Jason, you're so right.
At the moment you feel yourself angry,
it's probably because there's a situation that's unfolding
that has a potential, if unchecked,
to lead to division,
but the steps and the response
that you take in that moment
either allows the division
and the breech to widen,
or it can be the opportunity to do what?
Give the ministry of reconciliation
and to not allow that thing
to go any further. Pastor.
(Derek) You know, when I was a little boy, I was told
if you get angry, count to ten.
I think it might be better to say, "Pray to ten."
Just counting may not help me at all, but pray to ten.
And I like what you said, Tricia Lee.
You know, pray, "God, how can the ministry
of reconciliation happen here?"
Because, you know, my natural instinct
is to want to strike out
or correct an injustice,
rather than saying, "God,
where is the opportunity, here, to show
Your immeasurable, unfailing love?"
And it may totally change my reaction.
(Tricia Lee) Praise God. So, we have advice from Pastor
to count to ten and pray to ten,
which basically means take some time to think about it.
Probably when you're angry,
that's not the time
to say something right away
or to do something right away.
Give yourself a chance to talk
to your heavenly Father,
and let Him bring some peace to your heart.
But we're also told, "Do not let the sun
go down on your wrath." Hmm.
So, I need time to deal with my anger, so that I can apply
the ministry of reconciliation,
but what does it mean,
"Don't let the sun go down"?
Jamie, does that mean, like, "I've got
to take care of this right now"?
What does that mean, "Don't let
the sun go down on your wrath"?
(Jamie) I think it means to forgive.
If we hold onto our anger
or resentment towards someone,
oftentimes that person
can ask forgiveness from God and move on,
but we continue to sin
because we hold onto this anger.
We judge the person, and God asks us not to judge,
because we'll be measured
by the same ruler we use.
But when we forgive,
we show the grace of God,
and we show His mercy.
And that's a way of loving someone
who has possibly hurt you.
(Tricia Lee) Praise God. "Don't let the sun
go down on your wrath,"
I think you're absolutely right because verse 31 tells us
to let all bitterness, wrath and clamor, let it go.
If you hold onto that anger all day,
you either become more angry, or you become bitter,
and maybe your love for that person starts to wane.
You're just like, "Forget about it;
I don't want to talk to this person;
I don't want to deal with this.
You go your way; I go my way; it is what it is."
That is not the ministry of reconciliation
because we know that we're told
that God pursues us.
While we were yet sinners, He died for us,
and we're told to be tenderhearted
and forgiving to one another.
And, truly, that's at the heart
of how we treat other people - forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness.
Let's move on; there's more counsel for us
in Colossians, more practical counsel
on being imitators of God.
How do we put it in action?
Let's go to Colossians, chapter 3.
I'm going to ask Billy to read for us.
Colossians, chapter 3, we're going
to read verses 1 through 17, Colossians 3:1-17.
(Billy) I'll be reading
from the King James Version,
Colossians 3, starting with verse 1:
Let me repeat that again:
Finally:
(Tricia Lee) Praise God. So, we started out hearing
that we should set our minds on things above,
not on things of the earth.
How does that help us to be united?
Well, first of all, let's back up.
Does that mean that I shouldn't
be concerned about what's happening on Earth
if I am always thinking
and setting my mind on Heaven as soon as I wake up,
so that it's noon, and I haven't left for work as yet
because I'm still thinking about Heaven
and how wonderful it will be?
Dinnertime comes, and I'm kind of hungry,
but it's okay because I'm imagining eating from the Tree of Life.
Is that what it means to set our minds on Heaven?
What does it mean to set our minds
on things in Heaven? Jamie.
(Jamie) It's our priority.
So, we can still function in daily life
and be a witness and keep our responsibilities,
but our priority, our focus,
is on Heaven and on Jesus Christ.
(Tricia Lee) Do you think if we
prioritize the things of God,
and we prioritize the mission of Heaven,
that the way we treat other people will be different?
(Derek) Tricia Lee, I think God has given us the ability
to think about more than one thing at the same time,
because you can be driving to work
and processing some things
that need to be done.
Now, if it needs full, undivided attention,
you may need to pull over, right, and sit stationary,
but we can be preparing a meal,
and we can be thinking about a visit
that will happen later.
God has given us that ability.
And I think there is a sense,
like the Psalmist says, "I have
set the Lord always before me."
And someone has said, "You can't
keep the Lord before you
and be unkind to a person at the same time."
So, back to what Jamie said.
It's not just a theoretical priority;
it's actually focusing on Christ,
keeping Him ever before us.
"When He's at my right hand," Scripture says,
"I shall not be moved."
So, it affects everything that we do.
(Tricia Lee) It affects everything we do. Samuel.
(Samuel) I think the Scriptures are trying to demonstrate
a culture that's the culture of Heaven,
a culture that is not self-centered but other-centered.
And I think that's how Christ
is also unifying us all together,
to have that culture of Heaven.
(Tricia Lee) If we have our minds set on the things
that are important to God,
set on the things that are important to Heaven,
we will realize that our brother and our sister
are of infinite value in the sight of God,
and we won't anything to get between us.
We won't let petty disputes or differences
cause us to treat each other
unkindly or unfairly. Gladys?
(Gladys) I think it goes back to reconciliation.
They say that hurting people hurt people,
so that's why I think when it says
that God wants to reconcile us with Himself,
once we're reconciled with Him
and that connection is established,
then we can extend the gift of reconciliation.
But if that connection is broken,
then we're going to be hurting,
and we're going to hurt people
with our words, with our actions.
The little, petty things
will become big things.
(Tricia Lee) So,we have that warning.
We have some guidance,
but what do we do when we have
some real differences and convictions and beliefs?
We know that there is no separation
between ethnicity or culture or education
or things like that,
but sometimes among believers,
there are just some things
that we just think and believe and hold differently.
Let's go to the book of Romans.
Let's go to Romans, chapter 14,
as we start to discuss this.
I'll ask Nicole to read for us
Romans, chapter 14, verses 1 through 6,
and let's see how we can deal
with some of the different contentions
that can come up amongst ourselves.
(Nicole) Romans 14:1-6
from the New International Version says:
(Tricia Lee) All right. Thank you.
Let's see if we can understand the issues
that were being discussed here,
and let's understand the context
and also make an application to ourselves today.
So, first we're talking
about believers eating all things
versus those who are eating only vegetables.
What is the problem here, Travis?
Or what's the difference of opinion here?
(Travis) I think this is given
in the context of the feast days
and the festival days.
You are eating certain things.
You're keeping certain feast days.
I think once Jesus had come,
that stuff had been taken away.
So, there are still people eating certain things;
there were still people keeping feast days,
and then there was this struggle between people.
(Tricia Lee) Later in the verses it does talk
about observing different days, and we understand
that there were different feasts
or holidays that were being observed.
Let's see if we can understand a bit more
about the vegetables conversation
if we skip over to 1 Corinthians,
because, remember, at this point,
we have individuals that are in the church
who are coming from very different belief systems
and different cultures.
And the way they prepared foods,
and the way they viewed
how you eat foods also was tied up at their worship.
And so, lets flip over to 1 Corinthians, chapter 8,
and I'll ask Travis, would you read
verses 4 through 13?
We're going to understand
a bit more about this,
people eating all things versus people eating only vegetables.
(Travis) I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
(Tricia Lee) Thank you. So, let's break this down in three sections.
Let's look at the issue; let's understand the issue.
Let's then look at the impact
of the issue on the brother,
and let's look at the response that Paul suggests
based on the issue and the impact.
So the issue, we understand,
is that, in the context of the time,
there are meats that are being prepared,
some of which have been offered to idols.
And there's one group of people
who knows idols are nothing,
so, "I can eat this meat.
I don't have my own farm,
and I'm not a butcher,
so, I'll take what I can get
from whoever's preparing it.
I pray over it, and I know it's not an issue."
You have someone else who's coming
probably from maybe a culture of idolatry,
and to them the act of eating
something offered to an idol
indicates participating in idol worship.
To them it's more than just eating the food.
It's actually, from where they come from,
it's a way of worshiping and idolatry.
So, that's the issue.
All right, the impact, the impact.
So, the scenario is this person
is eating food (who believes the idol means nothing),
is eating this food, but is being observed
by the individual who's coming
from this cultural context.
And the impact is that that person thinks,
"Oh, this person might be
participating in idol worship,"
or, "Maybe this is not such a bad thing."
So, there's a difference of understanding
that is causing one person to view it
as a bad, negative thing;
whereas, the other person
is just trying to have a meal,
just trying to have lunch, okay?
Simple scenario, but a real impact.
It's called "wounding the conscience" of the brother,
"wounding the conscience."
Now, in this scenario, it's interesting,
what is the response that Paul says?
He says, verse 13, "If food makes my brother stumble,
I will never again eat meat,
lest I make my brother stumble."
And he even compares that to wounding Christ,
by wounding your brother.
So, he says the issue isn't
about eating or not eating.
What he's saying is, what Jamie pointed out,
prioritizing the things of Heaven.
Instead of prioritizing the meal
that I'm going to eat right now,
I'm taking into consideration
that my brother might have a wounded conscience,
or my example might lead him or her
to have less faith in God
or even slip back into a lifestyle
that they were once freed from.
And in that case, he's willing
to humble himself and say, "You know what?
I'll pass on this for lunch.
Maybe next time," right?
And so the contentions that we
might find in church scenarios,
where people believe things differently,
it requires a lot of wisdom, but also humility.
We have to think about, not just the issue,
what is the impact that this has
on someone's conscience
and on their walk with God?
And if we see that that is going to harm them or wound Christ,
then humility has to take place,
and we have to walk in a way
that allows us to lift
that person up to God
until they understand more.
Until they understand more,
we're always deferring to someone else.
It doesn't mean that the issue is not important;
it just means that we are always
thinking about, "Am I hurting someone?
Am I giving a good example?
Am I understanding the context
that that person's coming from?"
(Derek) That's beautiful, Tricia Lee,
and it's motivated by love.
So, it's not like, "If I don't get this right,
God won't love me."
It's rather saying, because I have
that constant relationship with God,
I don't just exercise, "This is my right;
I'm free to do this,"
but I'm saying, "God,
let Your love flow through me
to care for this other person."
What came to my mind
is going into a restaurant
and buying 100-dollar lunch
when there are some children outside
who haven't had anything to eat.
And they know that I'm a follower of Jesus.
I mean, that's getting pretty practical,
and saying, "I can afford to buy that..."
I mean, I probably couldn't afford
to buy a 100-dollar lunch, but I could say,
"I could afford that,
but I'm not going to do that
because there are some children..."
Maybe I could take them
across to a less expensive place
and can share lunch with them.
I think it gets really practical.
(Tricia Lee) It does get practical, because you're not
going to hold onto the issue.
You either hold onto the issue and dig in your heels
and say, "I will not budge.
I will spend my 100 dollars.
I will eat this lunch
that has the idol meat."
Or in that moment you can prioritize
and understand that right now
might not be the time.
And because I understand
what Christ did for me,
I'm willing, in humility and love,
you're willing to take
a different course of action
that could help to build
somebody else up in Christ.
We've got to move on; we've got to move on.
We had some practical examples
of how to imitate Christ,
but the goal is the mission.
The goal is not just to sing together and study together.
We are empowered
to be those living living examples or living ambassadors.
And if we go to Acts,
I'll ask Billy to read for us
Acts, chapter 5, verse 42.
We know there's work to do.
There's a harvest that's plentiful.
We need more workers.
And so, we have to have unity in the mission.
So, Billy, would you read for us
Acts, chapter 5, verse 42?
(Billy) Okay, so, I'll be reading
from the King James Version:
(Tricia Lee) Praise God.
Let's go over, Samuel, to Acts,
chapter 8, verses 1 and 4.
(Samuel) Acts, chapter 8, verses 1 and 4,
and I'll be reading
from the New King James Version:
verse 4:
(Tricia Lee) Praise God. Here we
actually have an example of division,
real division that was geographic.
It was the result of persecution;
they had physically separated and scattered everywhere.
But they could preach the same message
because they were united in faith,
united in their mission.
They didn't let that incident stop them.
But even the ability to go, every day,
and preach the Word from house to house,
the only way you could preach every day
is if you're not distracted by silly things,
and If you're on the same page,
But any time we're divided,
and any time we let those silly things get in the way,
that's a day, an hour, a moment
when we're not proclaiming God,
and someone's not hearing
the message that we've been given to give.
And so, let's pray that we can have that transformation,
that we can be reconciled to God,
experience the ministry of reconciliation for others,
but be empowered to preach the Word
in every circumstance and situation,
because that's what unity
can empower us to do.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Tricia Lee, thank you so much.
That was a powerful study, wasn't it?
I'm so glad that you were part of our study today,
and we'd love to hear from you,
how you see what Christ has done for you
affecting the way that you
relate to other people.
You can write to us
at sshope@hopetv.org.
It really is a very practical study today.
I'm feeling inspired to think,
"Lord, in every situation,
what would it look like to reflect
Your immeasurable, unfailing love?"
What would that look like?
Not just, "This is my right," you know,
"This is my freedom,"
but, "How can I show Your love to other people?"
We'd love to hear from you
at sshope@hopetv.org,
perhaps a story of how that's
actually happened in your life.
It may have surprised you.
You said, "I didn't think I would do that,
but the Spirit of God guided me
to show the character of a God
who loves all of His children."
Let's pray that miracle
can continue in our hearts
as we continue in this day.
Let's pray together.
Father in Heaven,
we have been challenged today
with a very practical study.
The Most Convincing Proof
is not just theoretically that we are one,
but that we are transformed into oneness
because of the living connection with You.
And, Lord, that is our prayer,
not to earn Your favor
or to try to save ourselves,
but because we want to walk
worthy of the calling
with which we've been called.
May Your name be honored.
May many be drawn to You
as they see Your love flow through us.
We thank You, and we praise You,
in the name of Jesus'. Amen.
(Team) Amen.
(Derek) Thanks for joining us
for Hope Sabbath School.
It's a life-changing journey,
and it is a journey,
so go out and be a blessing
to those around you.
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