HSS_2018_Q4_EP09

♪ 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 [e-mail].

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 [e-mail].

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 [e-mail],

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.

♪ theme music ♪