Jesus Desired Their Good Memory Text: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Matthew 23:37 Christ s Method: Christ s method alone will give true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men as one who desired their good. He showed His sympathy for them, ministered to their needs, and won their confidence. Then He bade them, Follow Me. The Ministry of Healing, p. 143.3 Jonah in Nineveh SUNDAY: August 7 Key Passage(s): Jonah 3:1-4:2 1. What did God ask Jonah to do and how many times did he have to ask him to do it? Jonah 3:1-3 2. What did God ask him to say and how did Nineveh respond? Jonah 3:4-9 1
NOTES: 3. How did God respond to the Ninevites and Jonah s repentance and what lessons can we learn from it about desiring others good? Jonah 3:10-4:2 4. (Discussion) God has given to His last day people a two fold message of reproof for a spiritual city (Revelation 14:8-12). What lessons can we draw from the attitude and experience of Jonah to help us to reach those in Babylon?
The Anyway Principle MONDAY: August 8 Key Passage(s): Matthew 7:12 Notes: 1. The golden rule comes from what ancient Hebrew roots? Matthew 7:12 2. How does Jesus restate the golden rule later in the gospels? Matthew 22:39 3. Besides common courtesy towards one another, what lesson of deeper significance was God revealing to us concerning our fellow man? But there is a yet deeper significance to the golden rule. Everyone who has been made a steward of the manifold grace of God is called upon to impart to souls in ignorance and darkness, even as, were he in their place, he would desire them to impart to him. Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 135.3 4. How did Paul express this deeper aspect of the golden rule? Romans 1:14 5. (Discussion) How does the golden rule relate to the new covenant? Genesis 12:1-3 3
Love Never Fails TUESDAY: August 9 Key Passage(s): 1Corinthians 13 1. What heavenly grace of character, given by the Holy Spirit, is unstoppable for eternity? 1Corinthians 13:8 2. Why is the gift of charity or love more enduring then prophecy and tongues? 1Corinthians 13:1,2,8-10 Charity never faileth; that is, charity, the heavenly grace of love, will endure forever; it is the crowning glory of man s future, immortal condition; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; that is, the time will come when prophecies will be no longer needed, and the gift of prophecy, as one of the helps in the church, will no longer be exercised; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; that is, the gift of tongues will no longer be of service; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away; that is, knowledge, not in the abstract, but as one of the special gifts of the Spirit, will be rendered unnecessary by the perfect knowledge with which we shall be endowed in the eternal world. Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 26.1, Uriah Smith 3. What public displays of loyalty are counted as profitless without the divine grace of charity or love? 1Corinthians 13:3 4. How does the inward grace of charity or love manifest itself? 1Corinthians 13:5-7
5. Where do we turn to understand this gift and apply it our ministries? John 15:13 6. (Discussion) what lessons does Jesus teach us, from His earthly life, that proves love never fails? NOTES: 5
The Second (Third) Touch WEDNESDAY: August 10 Key Passage(s): Mark 8:22-25 1. What was the condition and the desire of those that brought the man to Jesus? Mark 8:22 2. When did Jesus touch the man the first time? What was Jesus teaching Him when doing so? Mark 8:23a 3. After leading the blind man out of town, how does Jesus touch him a second time and what is the result? Mark 8:23b,24 4. What was God s will for the blind man? Mark 8:25 5. (Discussion) What is the lesson Christ wants us to learn through this acted parable? NOTES:
The Other-centered Church THURSDAY: August 11 Key Passage(s): Philippians 2:3-5 NOTES: 1. What was Paul s desire for the Philippians? Philippians 2:2 2. How do workers for Christ become of one accord? Acts 1:14a 3. What does Paul warn can sever unity and his solution to it. Philippians 2:3 4. Where should the Christian be looking for or thinking about? Philippians 2:4 5. Where should the sum of the above ideas be and where do they come from? Philippians 2:5 6. (Discussion) What part of our message should be brought with equal force and power as the commandments of God? The soul-saving message, the third angel s message, is the message to be given to the world. The commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are both important, immensely important, and must be given with equal force and power. The first part of the message has been dwelt upon mostly, the last part casually. The faith of Jesus is not comprehended. We must talk it, we must live it, we must pray it, and educate the people to bring this part of the message into their home life. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). {3SM 184:1} 7