school

Bible Study Guides – The Work of the Missionary School

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Educating the Last Generation

August 30 – September 5, 2020

Key Text

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go” (Psalm 32:8).

Study Help: Messages to Young People, 176–180; Patriarchs and Prophets, 592–602.

Introduction

“With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world!” Education, 271.

Sunday

THE GREAT NEED

  • What is the divinely appointed method of winning mankind to return to loyalty to God’s government? John 12:32.

Note: “While self is kept out of sight Jesus Christ must be ever lifted up and exalted.” The Voice in Speech and Song, 322.

“Lift Him up, the Christ of Calvary; lift Him up, that the world may behold Him. Talk of His goodness, sing of His love, and give Him the grateful thanks of your hearts.” The Upward Look, 37.

  • How is this work to be accomplished? Proverbs 23:12; Matthew 28:19.

Note: “We must educate, educate, to prepare a people who will understand the message, and then give the message to the world.” The Review and Herald, February 6, 1908.

“Now, as never before, we need to understand the true science of education. If we fail to understand this, we shall never have a place in the kingdom of God.” Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, 53.

“As long as time shall last, we shall have need of schools.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 417.

Monday

PHYSICAL TRAINING

  • How does the call of Elisha highlight physical training as a preparation for spiritual work? 1 Kings 19:19.

 Note: “Practical work encourages close observation and independent thought. Rightly performed, it tends to develop that practical wisdom which we call common sense. It develops ability to plan and execute, strengthens courage and perseverance, and calls for the exercise of tact and skill.” Education, 220.

“In God’s plan for Israel every family had a home on the land with sufficient ground for tilling. Thus were provided both the means and the incentive for a useful, industrious, and self-supporting life. And no devising of men has ever improved upon that plan.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 275.

“Provision should have been made in past generations for education upon a larger scale. In connection with the schools should have been agricultural and manufacturing establishments. There should also have been teachers of household labor. And a portion of the time each day should have been devoted to labor, that the physical and mental powers might be equally exercised. If schools had been established upon the plan we have mentioned, there would not now be so many unbalanced minds.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 153.

“Working the soil is one of the best kinds of employment, calling the muscles into action and resting the mind. Study in agricultural lines should be the A, B, and C of the education given in our schools. This is the very first work that should be entered upon. Our schools should not depend upon imported produce, for grain and vegetables, and the fruits so essential to health. Our youth need an education in felling trees and tilling the soil as well as in literary lines. Different teachers should be appointed to oversee a number of students in their work and should work with them. …

“Daily, systematic labor should constitute a part of the education of youth even at this late period. Much can now be gained in this way. In following this plan the students will realize elasticity of spirit and vigor of thought, and in a given time can accomplish more mental labor than they could by study alone.” Ibid., vol. 6, 179, 180.

“Some do not appreciate the value of agricultural work. These should not plan for our schools, for they will hold everything from advancing in right lines.” Ibid., 178.

Tuesday

MENTAL DEVELOPMENT

  • How does the study of the Bible affect a person’s mind? Hebrews 4:12; 1 Peter 1:23.

Note: “The mind will enlarge, if it is employed in tracing out the relation of the subjects of the Bible, comparing scripture with scripture, and spiritual things with spiritual. Go below the surface; the richest treasures of thought are waiting for the skillful and diligent student.” Messages to Young People, 262.

“A familiar acquaintance with the Scriptures sharpens the discerning powers, and fortifies the soul against the attacks of Satan.” Ibid., 397.

“Let the mind grasp the stupendous truths of revelation, and it will never be content to employ its powers upon frivolous themes; it will turn with disgust from the trashy literature and idle amusements that are demoralizing the youth of today. Those who have communed with the poets and sages of the Bible, and whose souls have been stirred by the glorious deeds of the heroes of faith, will come from the rich fields of thought far more pure in heart and elevated in mind than if they had been occupied in studying the most celebrated secular authors, or in contemplating and glorifying the exploits of the Pharaohs and Herods and Caesars of the world.” Ibid., 255, 256.

  • Through the influence of the Word, what is the New Covenant experience? Hebrews 8:10; Psalm 37:30, 31.

Note: “In the reverent contemplation of the truths presented in His word the mind of the student is brought into communion with the infinite mind. Such a study will not only refine and ennoble the character, but it cannot fail to expand and invigorate the mental powers.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 596–599.

“The precious faith inspired of God imparts strength and nobility of character. As His goodness, His mercy, and His love are dwelt upon, clearer and still clearer will be the perception of truth; higher, holier, the desire for purity of heart and clearness of thought. The soul dwelling in the pure atmosphere of holy thought is transformed by intercourse with God through the study of His word. Truth is so large, so far-reaching, so deep, so broad, that self is lost sight of. The heart is softened and subdued into humility, kindness, and love.” The Ministry of Healing, 465, 466.

Wednesday

SPIRITUAL STRENGTH

  • How will Bible study and instruction lead to a deeper spiritual experience in our missionary students? 1 Peter 1:23; Ephesians 5:26.

Note: “In giving us the privilege of studying His word, the Lord has set before us a rich banquet. Many are the benefits derived from feasting on His word, which is represented by Him as His flesh and blood, His spirit and life. By partaking of this word our spiritual strength is increased; we grow in grace and in a knowledge of the truth. Habits of self-control are formed and strengthened. The infirmities of childhood—fretfulness, willfulness, selfishness, hasty words, passionate acts—disappear, and in their place are developed the graces of Christian manhood and womanhood.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 207.

“As man uses his talents, however small, with faithfulness, the Holy Spirit takes the things of God, and presents them anew to the mind. Through His Spirit God makes His word a vivifying power. It is quick and powerful, exerting a strong influence upon minds, not because of the learning or intelligence of the human agent, but because divine power is working with the human power. And it is to the divine power that all praise is to be given.” Testimonies, vol. 8, 55.

  • What is the goal of true missionary education? 2 Peter 3:18.

Note: “The highest class of education is that which will give such knowledge and discipline as will lead to the best development of character, and will fit the soul for that life which measures with the life of God. Eternity is not to be lost out of our reckoning. The highest education is that which will teach our children and youth the science of Christianity, which will give them an experimental knowledge of God’s ways, and will impart to them the lessons that Christ gave to His disciples, of the paternal character of God.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 45, 46.

“The education and training of the youth is an important and solemn work. The great object to be secured should be the proper development of character, that the individual may be fitted rightly to discharge the duties of the present life and to enter at last upon the future, immortal life. Eternity will reveal the manner in which the work has been performed.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 418.

Thursday

THE ALL-ROUND MISSIONARY

  • What did Christ’s work on earth involve? Matthew 4:23. How should we train our missionaries today to do a similar work? Why?

Note: “Let us remember that one most important agency is our medical missionary work. Never are we to lose sight of the great object for which our sanitariums are established—the advancement of God’s closing work in the earth.

“Loma Linda is to be not only a sanitarium, but an educational center. With the possession of this place comes the weighty responsibility of making the work of the institution educational in character. A school is to be established here for the training of gospel medical missionary evangelists.” Counsels on Health, 233.

“The school at Madison not only educates in a knowledge of the Scriptures, but it gives a practical training that fits the student to go forth as a self-supporting missionary to the field to which he is called. In his student days he is taught how to build, simply and substantially, how to cultivate the land and care for the injured. This training for medical-missionary work is one of the grandest objects for which any school can be established. …

“The time is soon coming when God’s people, because of persecution, will be scattered in many countries. Those who have received an all-round education will have the advantage where they are. The Lord reveals divine wisdom in thus leading His people to the training of all their faculties and capabilities for the work of disseminating truth.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 5, 280.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    Why is the special work of preparing missionaries more important now than ever before?

2    Explain the role of manual labor in education.

3    Why does the study of the Bible afford the best mental development?

4    What will be the result when students feast on the Word of God on a regular basis?

5     What skills help to make a well-rounded missionary?

© 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – The Church and Its Youth

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August 23 – 29, 2020

Key Text

“It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth” (Lamentations 3:27).

Study Help: Messages to Young People, 173–175.

Introduction

“The Lord calls for young men and women to enter His service. The youth are receptive, fresh, ardent, hopeful. When once they have tasted the spirit of self-sacrifice, they will not be satisfied unless they are learning constantly of the great Teacher.” Our High Calling, 306.

Sunday

OUR FIRST DUTY

  • Whom did Jesus commend as examples of humble faith? Matthew 18:1–6.
  • What did Jesus ask of one of His most ardent disciples? John 21:15–17.

Note: “The first work that Christ entrusted to Peter on restoring him to the ministry was to feed the lambs. This was a work in which Peter had little experience. It would require great care and tenderness, much patience and perseverance. It called him to minister to those who were young in the faith, to teach the ignorant, to open the Scriptures to them, and to educate them for usefulness in Christ’s service.” The Desire of Ages, 812.

“Although Peter had denied his Lord, the love which Jesus bore him never faltered. Just such love should the undershepherd feel for the sheep and lambs committed to his care. Remembering his own weakness and failure, Peter was to deal with his flock as tenderly as Christ had dealt with him.” Ibid., 815.

  • What searching question will parents, educators, and church leaders of today face? Jeremiah 13:20.

Monday

THE HIGHEST WORK

  • What is the highest missionary work that can be done? Mark 10:13, 14, 16.

Note: “Very much has been lost to the cause of truth by a lack of attention to the spiritual needs of the young. Ministers of the gospel should form a happy acquaintance with the youth of their congregations. …

“Why should not labor for the youth in our borders be regarded as missionary work of the highest kind? It requires the most delicate tact, the most watchful consideration, the most earnest prayer for heavenly wisdom. The youth are the objects of Satan’s special attacks; but kindness, courtesy, and the sympathy which flows from a heart filled with love to Jesus, will gain their confidence, and save them from many a snare of the enemy.” Gospel Workers, 207.

“The work that lies next to our church members is to become interested in our youth; for they need kindness, patience, tenderness, line upon line, precept upon precept. Oh, where are the fathers and mothers in Israel? There ought to be a large number who would be stewards of the grace of Christ, who would feel not merely a casual but a special interest in the young. There ought to be those whose hearts are touched by the pitiable situation in which our youth are placed, and who realize that Satan is working by every conceivable device to draw them into his net.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 41, 42.

“Nothing is of greater importance than the education of our children and young people. The church should arouse and manifest a deep interest in this work; for now as never before, Satan and his host are determined to enlist the youth under the black banner that leads to ruin and death.” Ibid., 165.

  • How did Jesus show the value of children? Matthew 18:2–4.

Note: “Calling a little child to Him, Jesus set him in the midst of them; then tenderly folding the little one in His arms He said, ‘Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 18:3). The simplicity, the self-forgetfulness, and the confiding love of a little child are the attributes that Heaven values. These are the characteristics of real greatness.” The Desire of Ages, 437.

Tuesday

HOW TO FEED LAMBS

  • What should children be taught? Psalm 34:11. How should this be done?

Note: “Special talent should be given to the education of the little ones. Many can put the crib high and give food to the sheep, but it is a more difficult matter to put the crib low and feed the lambs.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 205.

“Let me say here that those who have never had children of their own are not usually the best qualified to manage wisely the varied minds of children and youth. They are apt to make one law, from which there can be no appeal. Teachers must remember that they themselves were once children. They should adapt their teaching to the minds of the children, placing themselves in sympathy with them.” Ibid., vol. 5, 653, 654.

  • What spiritual experience should teachers have, and how should they then instruct the children? Deuteronomy 11:18–21.

Note: “When Jesus admonished His disciples not to despise the little ones, He addressed all disciples in all ages. His own love and care for children is a precious example for His followers. If teachers in the Sabbath school felt the love which they should feel for these lambs of the flock, many more would be won to the fold of Christ. At every suitable opportunity, let the story of Jesus’ love be repeated to the children. In every sermon let a little corner be left for their benefit. The servant of Christ may have lasting friends in these little ones, and his words may be to them as apples of gold in pictures of silver.” Counsels on Sabbath School Work, 76.

“The management and instruction of children is the noblest missionary work that any man or woman can undertake. By the proper use of objects the lessons should be made very plain, that their minds may be led from nature up to nature’s God. We must have in our schools those who possess the tact and skill to carry forward this line of work, thus sowing seeds of truth.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 205.

  • What will be the results of faithfulness in educating? Proverbs 22:6; Joel 1:3.

Wednesday

MAKING CHRISTIAN EDUCATION A PRIORITY

  • What was the work of Christ? How is this also the work of the church? Isaiah 40:11.

Note: “The youth need more than a casual notice, more than an occasional word of encouragement. They need painstaking, prayerful, careful labor. He only whose heart is filled with love and sympathy will be able to reach those youth who are apparently careless and indifferent. Not all can be helped in the same way. God deals with each according to his temperament and character, and we must cooperate with Him. Often those whom we pass by with indifference, because we judge them from outward appearance, have in them the best material for workers, and will repay all the efforts bestowed on them. There must be more study given to the problem of how to deal with the youth, more earnest prayer for the wisdom that is needing in dealing with minds.” Gospel Workers, 208.

  • What should guide education for the youth? Proverbs 9:10.

Note: “It is high time for Sabbath-keepers to separate their children from worldly associations and place them under the very best teachers, who will make the Bible the foundation of all study.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 109.

“Employ a Christian teacher, who, as a consecrated missionary, shall educate the children in such a way as to lead them to become missionaries.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 174.

“Many families who, for the purpose of educating their children, move to places where our large schools are established, would do better service for the Master by remaining where they are. They should encourage the church of which they are members to establish a church school where the children within their borders could receive an all-round, practical Christian education. It would be vastly better for their children, for themselves, and for the cause of God if they would remain in the smaller churches, where their help is needed, instead of going to the larger churches, where, because they are not needed, there is a constant temptation to fall into spiritual inactivity.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 198.

“The Lord would use the church school as an aid to the parents in educating and preparing their children for this time before us. Then let the church take hold of the school work in earnest and make it what the Lord desires it to be.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 167.

Thursday

YOUTH IN SERVICE

  • What goal must our church schools have for each of our youth? Isaiah 54:13; 3 John 3, 4.

 Note: “Our church schools are ordained by God to prepare the children for this great work. Here children are to be instructed in the special truths for this time and in practical missionary work. … By them God’s message will be made known and His saving health to all nations. Then let the church carry a burden for the lambs of the flock. Let the children be educated and trained to do service for God, for they are the Lord’s heritage.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 203.

  • Why should we involve them in service early? Ecclesiastes 12:1; Lamentations 3:27.

Note: “We need young men and women, who, having high intellectual culture, are fitted to do the best work for the Lord. We have done something toward reaching this standard, but still we are far behind that which the Lord has designed. As a church, as individuals, if we would stand clear in the judgment we must make more liberal efforts for the training of our young people, that they may be better fitted for the various branches of the great work committed to our hands. …

“Some would be content with the thorough education of a few of the most promising of our youth; but they all need an education that they may be fitted for usefulness in this life, qualified for places of responsibility in both private and public life.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 206, 207.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    What does it mean to feed the lambs of the flock?

2    Why is the most important missionary work often overlooked?

3    How can we improve in the care of our children and youth?

4    What role does the church school have in the church’s work of education?

5    What opportunities can I help provide for training youth in my local church?

© 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – The Great Educator

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July 26 – August 1, 2020

Key Text

“And they were astonished at His doctrine: for He taught them as One that had authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22).

Study Help: Education, 73–83.

Introduction

“He [Jesus] was a Teacher, such an educator as the world never saw or heard before. He spake as one having authority, and yet He invites the confidence of all.” Selected Messages, Book 3, 138.

Sunday

JESUS’ EARLY LIFE

  • How does the Bible describe Jesus’ early life? Luke 2:40, 52.

Note: “He who came from heaven to be our example and teacher spent thirty years as a member of the household at Nazareth. Concerning these years the Bible record is very brief. No mighty miracles attracted the attention of the multitude. No eager throngs followed His steps or listened to His words. Yet during all these years He was fulfilling His divine mission. He lived as one of us, sharing the home life, submitting to its discipline, performing its duties, bearing its burdens.” The Ministry of Healing, 349.

  • How is Jesus’ humble reputation as a carpenter an example to every young person? Matthew 13:54–56.

Note: “It is in His home life that He [Jesus] is the pattern for all children and youth. The Saviour condescended to poverty, that He might teach how closely we in a humble lot may walk with God. He lived to please, honor, and glorify His Father in the common things of life. His work began in consecrating the lowly trade of the craftsmen who toil for their daily bread.” The Desire of Ages, 74.

Monday

THE EDUCATION OF JESUS AND JOHN THE BAPTIST

  • What was meant in the question asked about Jesus’ education? John 7:15.

Note: “The question asked during the Saviour’s ministry, ‘How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?’ does not indicate that Jesus was unable to read, but merely that He had not received a rabbinical education (John 7:15). Since He gained knowledge as we may do, His intimate acquaintance with the Scriptures shows how diligently His early years were given to the study of God’s word.” The Desire of Ages, 70.

“His education was gained from Heaven-appointed sources, from useful work, from the study of the Scriptures, from nature, and from the experiences of life—God’s lesson books, full of instruction to all who bring to them the willing hand, the seeing eye, and the understanding heart.” The Ministry of Healing, 400.

  • Why did Jesus and John the Baptist not attend the schools of their day? Matthew 15:9.

Note: “Our Saviour did not encourage any to attend the rabbinical schools of His day for the reason that their minds would be corrupted with the continually repeated, ‘They say,’ or, ‘It has been said.’ Why, then, should we accept the unstable words of men as exalted wisdom, when a greater, a certain wisdom is at our command?” Testimonies, vol. 8, 310.

“No one was regarded as qualified to be a religious teacher unless he had studied in the rabbinical schools, and both Jesus and John the Baptist had been represented as ignorant because they had not received this training.” The Desire of Ages, 453.

“Christ came to demonstrate the value of the divine principles by revealing their power for the regeneration of humanity. He came to teach how these principles are to be developed and applied.

“With the people of that age the value of all things was determined by outward show. As religion had declined in power, it had increased in pomp. The educators of the time sought to command respect by display and ostentation. To all this the life of Jesus presented a marked contrast. His life demonstrated the worthlessness of those things that men regarded as life’s great essentials. Born amidst surroundings the rudest, sharing a peasant’s home, a peasant’s fare, a craftsman’s occupation, living a life of obscurity, identifying Himself with the world’s unknown toilers—amidst these conditions and surroundings—Jesus followed the divine plan of education. The schools of His time, with their magnifying of things small and their belittling of things great, He did not seek. His education was gained directly from the Heaven-appointed sources; from useful work, from the study of the Scriptures and of nature, and from the experiences of life—God’s lesson books, full of instruction to all who bring to them the willing hand, the seeing eye, and the understanding heart.” Education 77.

  • What example did John give in his preaching and lifestyle? Matthew 3:1–4.

Note: “It was his [John’s] choice to forgo the enjoyments and luxuries of life for the stern discipline of the wilderness. Here his surroundings were favorable to habits of simplicity and self-denial. Uninterrupted by the clamor of the world, he could here study the lessons of nature, of revelation, and of Providence.” The Desire of Ages, 101.

Tuesday

THE MASTER TEACHER

  • What was the effect on the people of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount? Matthew 7:28, 29.

Note: “Jesus had nothing to do with the various subjects of dissension among the Jews. It was His work to present the truth. His words shed a flood of light upon the teachings of patriarchs and prophets, and the Scriptures came to men as a new revelation. Never before had His hearers perceived such a depth of meaning in the word of God.” The Desire of Ages, 253.

“Christ sought to remove that which obscured the truth. The veil that sin has cast over the face of nature, He came to draw aside, bringing to view the spiritual glory that all things were created to reflect.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 18, 19.

  • What effect did Jesus’ method of education have on the disciples? Acts 4:13.

Note: “For three years and a half the disciples were under the instruction of the greatest Teacher the world has ever known. By personal contact and association, Christ trained them for His service. Day by day they walked and talked with Him, hearing His words of cheer to the weary and heavy-laden, and seeing the manifestation of His power in behalf of the sick and the afflicted. Sometimes He taught them, sitting among them on the mountainside; sometimes beside the sea or walking by the way, He revealed the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Wherever hearts were open to receive the divine message, He unfolded the truths of the way of salvation. He did not command the disciples to do this or that, but said, ‘Follow Me.’ On His journeys through country and cities, He took them with Him, that they might see how He taught the people. … They saw Him in every phase of life.” The Acts of the Apostles, 17, 18.

“When He sent forth the Twelve and afterward the Seventy, to proclaim the kingdom of God, He was teaching them their duty to impart to others what He had made known to them. In all His work He was training them for individual labor, to be extended as their numbers increased, and eventually to reach to the uttermost parts of the earth.” Ibid., 32.

Wednesday

JESUS’ METHODS OF TEACHING

  • In what surroundings did Jesus teach His hearers? Matthew 5:1, 2. How did He make use of familiar things?

Note: “Jesus sought an avenue to every heart. By using a variety of illustrations, He not only presented truth in its different phases, but appealed to the different hearers. Their interest was aroused by figures drawn from the surroundings of their daily life. …

“Divine wisdom, infinite grace, were made plain by the things of God’s creation. Through nature and the experiences of life, men were taught of God.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 21, 22.

“As Jesus taught the people, He made His lessons interesting and held the attention of His hearers by frequent illustrations from the scenes of nature about them.” Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 38.

“When the Lord was training Israel to be the special representatives of Himself, He gave them homes among the hills and valleys. In their home life and their religious service they were brought in constant contact with nature and with the word of God. So Christ taught His disciples by the lake, on the mountainside, in the fields and groves, where they could look upon the things of nature by which He illustrated His teachings. And as they learned of Christ, they put their knowledge to use by co-operating with Him in His work.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 24.

  • What special teaching technique did Jesus often use? Matthew 13:34, 35.

Note: “In Christ’s parable teaching the same principle is seen as in His own mission to the world. That we might become acquainted with His divine character and life, Christ took our nature and dwelt among us. Divinity was revealed in humanity; the invisible glory in the visible human form. Men could learn of the unknown through the known; heavenly things were revealed through the earthly; God was made manifest in the likeness of men. So it was in Christ’s teaching: the unknown was illustrated by the known; divine truths by earthly things with which the people were most familiar. …

“Natural things were the medium for the spiritual; the things of nature and the life-experience of His hearers were connected with the truths of the written word.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 17.

Thursday

JESUS’ USE OF THE SCRIPTURES

  • How did Jesus choose to enlighten the two disciples on the road to Emmaus? Luke 24:25–27.

Note: “Beginning at Moses, the very Alpha of Bible history, Christ expounded in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Had He first made Himself known to them, their hearts would have been satisfied. In the fullness of their joy they would have hungered for nothing more. But it was necessary for them to understand the witness borne to Him by the types and prophecies of the Old Testament. Upon these their faith must be established. Christ performed no miracle to convince them, but it was His first work to explain the Scriptures. They had looked upon His death as the destruction of all their hopes. Now He showed from the prophets that this was the very strongest evidence for their faith.” The Desire of Ages, 796–799.

  • How did Jesus constantly direct attention back to the Scriptures? John 5:39; 17:17; Luke 16:31.

Note: “Christ’s work as a teacher of truth was in marked contrast to that of the rabbis of His time. They dwelt upon traditions, upon human theories and speculations. Often that which man had taught and written about the word, they put in place of the word itself. Their teaching had no power to quicken the soul. The subject of Christ’s teaching and preaching was the word of God. He met questioners with a plain, ‘It is written.’ ‘What saith the Scriptures?’ ‘How readest thou?’ ” Christ’s Object Lessons, 38, 39.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    How did the world’s greatest Teacher spend His early life on earth?

2    Would Jesus or John the Baptist attend the schools of today? Explain.

3    How did Jesus’ teaching differ from the popular teachers of His day?

4    Describe some of Jesus’ methods of teaching and illustrating truth.

5    Why was it vital for Christ to establish the disciples’ faith in God’s Word?

© 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Bible Study Guides – Education in Ancient Israel

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July 19 – 25, 2020

Key Text

“He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye” (Deuteronomy 32:10).

Study Help: Education, 33–44.

Introduction

“The men who held fast God’s principles of life dwelt among the fields and hills. They were tillers of the soil and keepers of flocks and herds, and in this free, independent life, with its opportunities for labor and study and meditation, they learned of God and taught their children of His works and ways.

“This was the method of education that God desired to establish in Israel.” Education, 33, 34.

Sunday

THE PATRIARCHS

  • Describe Abraham’s example as a patriarch. Genesis 18:17–19; 12:6–8.

Note: “In early times the father was the ruler and priest of his own family, and he exercised authority over his children, even after they had families of their own. His descendants were taught to look up to him as their head, in both religious and secular matters. This patriarchal system of government Abraham endeavored to perpetuate, as it tended to preserve the knowledge of God. It was necessary to bind the members of the household together, in order to build up a barrier against the idolatry that had become so widespread and so deep-seated.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 141.

  • What lifestyle was pursued by the patriarchs? Hebrews 11:8–10; Genesis 25:27.

Monday

EDUCATION IN THE WILDERNESS

  • How did the Lord direct the education of Israel in the wilderness? 1 Corinthians 10:1–4; Isaiah 63:9.

Note: “The Lord Himself directed the education of Israel. His care was not restricted to their religious interests; whatever affected their mental or physical well-being was also the subject of divine providence, and came within the sphere of divine law.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 592.

“Even in providing their food, God sought their highest good. The manna with which He fed them in the wilderness was of a nature to promote physical, mental, and moral strength.” Education, 38.

“The Hebrew nation were educated during their journeying through the wilderness. They engaged in physical and mental labor. They used their muscles in various lines of work. The history of the wilderness life of God’s chosen people was chronicled for the benefit of the Israel of God till the close of time. … The Lord did not forsake His people in their wanderings through the wilderness, but many of them forsook the Lord. The education they had had in Egypt made them subject to temptation, to idolatry, and to licentiousness, and because they disregarded the commandments of the Lord, nearly all the adults who left Egypt were overthrown in the wilderness; but their children were permitted to enter Canaan.” The Review and Herald, December 17, 1895.

“Everything connected with the pitching of the camp was an object lesson to the children, schooling them in habits of precision and carefulness and order. The children that were old enough were required to learn how to pitch the tents in which they lived, and to observe perfect order in all that they did. … Constantly they were obtaining an education in regard to heavenly things. Constantly the parents were explaining to their children why the Israelites were traveling in the wilderness; why the law was given at Sinai; and what they expected to do and to be when they reached the Land of Promise.” Lift Him Up, 145.

“Israel needed just the experience that God gave to them, and there was no other power that could deal with them as Christ did through all that long journey in the wilderness. The education of Israel was not entrusted to any human agency; they were taught by One who was infinite in wisdom. They were daily learners of what God required His church on earth to be.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 18, 234.

Tuesday

GOD’S PLAN FOR ISRAEL

  • What was God’s purpose for Israel in the settlement of Canaan? Deuteronomy 4:5–10; 11:22–24.

Note: “God chose Israel to reveal His character to men. He desired them to be as wells of salvation in the world. … In the early days of Israel the nations of the world, through corrupt practices, had lost the knowledge of God. They had once known Him; but because ‘they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, … their foolish heart was darkened’ (Romans 1:21). Yet in His mercy God did not blot them out of existence. He purposed to give them an opportunity of again becoming acquainted with Him through His chosen people. Through the teachings of the sacrificial service, Christ was to be uplifted before all nations, and all who would look to Him should live.” The Acts of the Apostles, 14.

“God had placed His people in Canaan as a mighty breastwork to stay the tide of moral evil, that it might not flood the world.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 544.

  • How did they fare in the implementation of this plan? Judges 2:7, 10–12; 1:28.

Note: “The Lord had faithfully fulfilled, on His part, the promises made to Israel; Joshua had broken the power of the Canaanites, and had distributed the land to the tribes. It only remained for them, trusting in the assurance of divine aid, to complete the work of dispossessing the inhabitants of the land. But this they failed to do. By entering into league with the Canaanites they directly transgressed the command of God, and thus failed to fulfill the condition on which He had promised to place them in possession of Canaan.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 543.

“Wherever in Israel God’s plan of education was carried into effect, its results testified of its Author. But in very many households the training appointed by Heaven, and the characters thus developed, were alike rare. God’s plan was but partially and imperfectly fulfilled. By unbelief and by disregard of the Lord’s directions, the Israelites surrounded themselves with temptations that few had power to resist.” Education, 45.

Wednesday

SCHOOLS OF THE PROPHETS

  • From references to the existence of the schools of the prophets, what can we learn about their nature and operation? 1 Samuel 19:18–20; 2 Kings 6:1–7.

 Note: “The schools of the prophets were founded by Samuel to serve as a barrier against the widespread corruption, to provide for the moral and spiritual welfare of the youth, and to promote the future prosperity of the nation by furnishing it with men qualified to act in the fear of God as leaders and counselors. In the accomplishment of this object Samuel gathered companies of young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious. These were called the sons of the prophets. As they communed with God and studied His word and His works, wisdom from above was added to their natural endowments. The instructors were men not only well versed in divine truth, but those who had themselves enjoyed communion with God and had received the special endowment of His Spirit. They enjoyed the respect and confidence of the people, both for learning and piety.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 593.

“The chief subjects of study were the law of God with the instructions given to Moses, sacred history, sacred music, and poetry. It was the grand object of all study to learn the will of God and the duties of His people. In the records of sacred history were traced the footsteps of Jehovah. From the events of the past were drawn lessons of instruction for the future. The great truths set forth by the types and shadows of the Mosaic law were brought to view, and faith grasped the central object of all that system, the Lamb of God that was to take away the sins of the world.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 97.

  • What manual training did Jesus receive when He was on this earth? Matthew 13:55. What about the students of the schools of the prophets?

Note: “The pupils of these schools sustained themselves by their own labor as husbandmen and mechanics. In Israel this was not considered strange or degrading; it was regarded a crime to allow children to grow up in ignorance of useful labor. In obedience to the command of God, every child was taught some trade, even though he was to be educated for holy office.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 97.

Thursday

NOBLE EXAMPLES

  • How did God reward Joseph’s integrity and faith, after he had suffered great adversity? Genesis 37:28; 41:41–44. What preparation did he have?

Note: “Pure, active, and joyous, the lad [Joseph] gave evidence also of moral earnestness and firmness. He listened to his father’s instructions, and loved to obey God. The qualities that afterward distinguished him in Egypt—gentleness, fidelity, and truthfulness—were already manifest in his daily life.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 209.

  • Describe Daniel’s background. How does Daniel’s life reveal the benefit of godly education? Daniel 1:1–6; 6:1–3.

Note: “By their wisdom and justice, by the purity and benevolence of their daily life, by their devotion to the interests of the people—and they, idolaters—Joseph and Daniel proved themselves true to the principles of their early training, true to Him whose representatives they were. These men, both in Egypt and in Babylon, the whole nation honored; and in them a heathen people, and all the nations with which they were connected, beheld an illustration of the goodness and beneficence of God, an illustration of the love of Christ. …

“The same mighty truths that were revealed through these men, God desires to reveal through the youth and the children of today. The history of Joseph and Daniel is an illustration of what He will do for those who yield themselves to Him and with the whole heart seek to accomplish His purpose.” Education, 56, 57.

Friday

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1    What lifestyle was chosen by the patriarchs, and why?

2    Why did Israel need such extensive education in the wilderness?

3    How did God’s plan compare with what Israel actually achieved?

4    What important elements were present in the schools of the prophets?

5    How did God’s plan for education shine forth in the lives of the noble few?

© 2019, Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia 24019-5048, U.S.A.

Education and Career Choices

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For us to find direction in education and career choices in today’s world, we must first understand the intrinsic nature of the Christian religion. The Christian religion is, in a superlative sense, both a spiritual and an intellectual religion.

Concerning the spiritual nature of Christianity, Ellen White wrote, “We need spiritual eyesight now as never before, that we may see afar off, and that we may discern the snares and designs of the enemy, and as faithful watchmen proclaim the danger. We need spiritual power that we may take in, as far as the human mind can, the great subjects of Christianity, and how far-reaching are its principles.” The Home Missionary, November 1, 1893.

“All professions of Christianity are but lifeless expressions of faith until Jesus imbues the believer with his spiritual life, which is the Holy Ghost.” The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 3, 242.

“Unless the mind is constantly exercised in obtaining spiritual knowledge and in seeking to understand the mystery of godliness, it is incapable of appreciating eternal things, because it has no experience in that direction. This is the reason why religion, by nearly all is considered up-hill business.” Pamphlet 098, 11, 12. [Emphasis added.]

Intellectual Christianity

Concerning the intellectual nature of Christianity, Mrs. White wrote, “The truths of the divine word can be best appreciated by an intellectual Christian. Christ can be best glorified by those who serve Him intelligently.” Testimonies, vol. 3, 160.

Although comparatively few people become intellectual Christians, it is God’s will for all to become intellectual Christians and for this to occur during childhood and youth: “It is the precious privilege of children and youth to yield their minds to the control of the Spirit of God and become intellectual Christians.” Lift Him Up, 91.

“All whom God has endowed with reasoning powers may become intellectual Christians.” The Medical Missionary, May 1, 1892. A similar statement was published in an article that Mrs. White wrote for the March 8, 1887, issue of Review and Herald.

“Jesus would have us learn in his school that we may become intellectual Christians.” The Signs of the Times, February 14, 1878.

“The greatest work of the teacher is to lead those under his charge to be intellectual Christians.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 1, 322.

Especially are the above facts true for any young person who wishes to prepare for full-time service in any branch of God’s closing work on earth, whether it be the gospel ministry, medical missionary work, literature work, Christian education, or work in one of the Lord’s institutions or a local church.

Spiritual Power Also

The minister, for example is constantly to increase in spiritual power. (See Review and Herald, January 21, 1902.) Not only this, but the minister is constantly to increase in intellectual power: “Nearly every minister in the field, had he exerted his God-given energies, might not only be proficient in reading, writing, and grammar, but even in languages. It is essential for them to set their aim high. But there has been but little ambition to put their powers to the test to reach an elevated standard in knowledge and in religious intelligence.

“Our ministers will have to render to God an account for the rusting of the talents He has given to improve by exercise. They might have done tenfold more work intelligently had they cared to become intellectual giants. Their whole experience in their high calling is cheapened because they are content to remain where they are. Their efforts to acquire knowledge will not in the least hinder their spiritual growth if they will study with right motives and proper aims.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 194.

Because of the nature of the Christian religion, we find that wherever Christianity developed in the world, in that place there were also developed schools for educational training. A Christian school was developed in Antioch, and schools were established in India, Africa, and Europe.

So, the first thing to understand about education and career choices is that God wants us to become strong both spiritually and intellectually. This will require us to obtain the educational training that the providence of God makes it possible for us to acquire. In my own family, when my grandparents became Seventh-day Adventists, the result was that even though they were not highly educated, all their children did become highly educated. This is also why Seventh-day Adventists, in general, are more highly educated than the average population. This is as it should be.

The problem comes, however, when we obtain the wrong kind of education, which eventually results in the children of Adventist parents, in the third or fourth or fifth generation, going right back into the worldly life from which their grandparents or great-grandparents came to become Seventh-day Adventists. Both Adventist and non-Adventist authors have amply documented this fact. (See, for example, The Fat Lady and the Kingdom: Confronting the Challenge of Change and Secularization, by George R. Knight, Adventist Book Center New Jersey, 1995, or Seeking a Sanctuary: Seventh-day Adventism and the American Dream, by Malcolm Bull and Keith Lockhart, Indiana University Press, 2006.) This fact also, in a great measure, explains the fact that every heaven inspired revival and reformation movement for the past 2,000 years has been dominated mainly by the common people, and relatively few highly educated people became part of it.

Common People

In Jesus’ day, it was the common people: “The common people heard him gladly.” Mark 12:37. In the days of the apostle Paul, it was the same. (See 1 Corinthians 1.)

In the time of the sixteenth century reformation, it was the same. The papal system for education made the following demand in Holland during the time of the reformation: “We forbid all lay persons to converse or dispute concerning the Holy Scriptures, openly or secretly, especially on any doubtful or difficult matters, or to read, teach, or expound the Scriptures, unless they have duly studied theology and have been approved by some renowned university.” E. A. Sutherland, Studies in Christian Education, The Rural Press, Madison, Tennessee, 1915, 97.

The historian also relates what happened: “To the ineffable disgust of the conservatives in church and state here were men with little education, utterly devoid of Hebrew, of lowly station—hatters, curriers, tanners, dyers and the like—who began to preach, remembering unreasonably, perhaps, that the early disciples selected by the Founder of Christianity had not all been doctors of theology with diplomas from renowned universities.” Ibid.

It was the same in the second advent movement during the nineteenth century. Most of the converts were from the common people, because the educational systems were so corrupted with false philosophy (see Colossians 2) that by the time people became highly educated, they, first of all, were not of a mind-set to accept unpopular Bible truth, and, secondly, they were often mentally and spiritually incapable of doing so. A person who is not spiritual cannot understand spiritual things. (See 1 Corinthians 2.)

This also explains why, today, the vast majority in the revival and reformation movement in the second advent movement are from the common people; only a very few highly educated people are involved. The entire tenor and philosophy and training of the educational experience of many has prepared them to stay with well-established and highly developed organizations or philosophical groups, and when God leads His people farther out of and away from either Egypt or Babylon, they are unprepared, unwilling, and even unable to walk into new territory where their fathers have not been.

The Relationship

Ellen White explains the relationship between education, the inability to be part of a revival and reformation movement—when God is leading His people into new territory—and the failure to be able to distinguish between truth and error as follows:

“For ages education has had to do chiefly with the memory. This faculty has been taxed to the utmost, while the other mental powers have not been correspondingly developed. Students have spent their time in laboriously crowding the mind with knowledge, very little of which could be utilized. The mind thus burdened with that which it cannot digest and assimilate is weakened; it becomes incapable of vigorous, self-reliant effort, and is content to depend on the judgment and perception of others. . . .

“The education that consists in the training of the memory, tending to discourage independent thought, has a moral bearing which is too little appreciated. As the student sacrifices the power to reason and judge for himself, he becomes incapable of discriminating between truth and error, and falls an easy prey to deception. He is easily led to follow tradition and custom.” Education, 230.

Anyone who has, for example, studied the history of Nazi Germany should know that the Nazis were very successful in getting highly educated people to follow their agenda. The above statement from the book Education explains why that was so.

This fact will be with us until the end of time, and it will help us to understand what will happen in the very last days:

“The days are fast approaching when there will be great perplexity and confusion. Satan, clothed in angel robes, will deceive, if possible, the very elect. There will be gods many and lords many. Every wind of doctrine will be blowing. Those who have rendered supreme homage to ‘science falsely so called’ will not be the leaders then. Those who have trusted to intellect, genius, or talent will not then stand at the head of rank and file. They did not keep pace with the light. Those who have proved themselves unfaithful will not then be entrusted with the flock. In the last solemn work few great men will be engaged. They are self-sufficient, independent of God, and He cannot use them. The Lord has faithful servants, who in the shaking, testing time will be disclosed to view. There are precious ones now hidden who have not bowed the knee to Baal. They have not had the light which has been shining in a concentrated blaze upon you. But it may be under a rough and uninviting exterior the pure brightness of a genuine Christian character will be revealed. In the daytime we look toward heaven but do not see the stars. They are there, fixed in the firmament, but the eye cannot distinguish them. In the night we behold their genuine luster.” Testimonies, vol. 5, 80, 81.

“As the time comes for it [the third angel’s message] to be given with greatest power, the Lord will work through humble instruments, leading the minds of those who consecrate themselves to His service. The laborers will be qualified rather by the unction of His Spirit than by the training of literary institutions.” The Great Controversy, 606.

A Dilemma

So, we are faced with a dilemma, and it is this: Education is highly desirable. God wants all of us to become intellectual Christians, and we should be seeking to become intellectual giants, gaining the greatest amount of education which the providence of God guides us to obtain. But, obtaining an education in educational institutions is very dangerous for the following reasons: (1) At the vast majority of educational institutions you will be taught worldly philosophy which is directly contrary and opposed to the Word of God. It will be impossible for you to sit in classes day after day and listen to this philosophy without it having a permanent effect on your mind, your thinking, and your life. (2) Many educational institutions focus on educating the memory to the exclusion of the other faculties of the mind, producing the result cited previously in the book, Education, page 230. (3) Unfortunately, those educational institutions that do not teach worldly philosophy often have one of the following problems: (A) Its educational classes are corrupted with fanaticism. That is, information is being taught that cannot be backed up by good scientific research or biblical research. (B) There may be just a plain lack of sufficient ability to help you actually become highly educated. Obviously, an educator cannot educate you to a level higher than that which he or she has attained. Many educators today actually are not intellectual giants themselves; consequently, they cannot help you to become one. A teacher who is not spiritual cannot help you to become a spiritual person. (C) Some institutions lack the ability to prepare you to support yourself in this world.

Support

This last statement, about being prepared to support one’s self in this world, must never be forgotten. A student who graduates from school—not primary school or high school, but a school of higher education—should never have to work as an unskilled occupational worker. Ellen White wrote: “True education is that which will train children and youth for the life that now is, and in reference to that which is to come; for an inheritance in that better country, even in an heavenly.” Fundamentals of Christian Education, 328.

“The custom of supporting men and women in idleness by private gifts or church money encourages them in sinful habits, and this course should be conscientiously avoided. Every man, woman, and child should be educated to do practical, useful work. All should learn some trade. It may be tentmaking, or it may be business in other lines; but all should be educated to use the members of their body to some purpose, and God is ready and willing to increase the adaptability of all who will educate themselves to industrious habits.

“If a man in good physical health has property, and has no need of entering into employment for his own support, he should labor to acquire means that he may advance the cause and work of God. He is to be ‘not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord.’ [Romans 12:11.] God will bless all who will guard their influence in regard to others in this respect.” “Ellen G. White Comments,” Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, 912.

“Every youth, on leaving school, should have acquired a knowledge of some trade or occupation by which, if need be, he may earn a livelihood.” Education, 218.

Because of the apostasy—the falling away or departing from the truth God has revealed to his people—in the educational institutions of all protestant churches of which the author is aware, Seventh-day Adventist young people today are faced with a greater dilemma than any Adventist generation since the beginning of the second advent movement.

Waldensian Example

It has often become necessary for Adventist young people who need and want education, and who are seeking education, to do what the Waldenses had to do during the dark ages: “While the Waldenses regarded the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom, they were not blind to the importance of a contact with the world, a knowledge of men and of active life, in expanding the mind and quickening the perceptions. From their schools in the mountains some of the youth were sent to institutions of learning in the cities of France or Italy, where was a more extended field for study, thought, and observation than in their native Alps. The youth thus sent forth were exposed to temptation, they witnessed vice, they encountered Satan’s wily agents, who urged upon them the most subtle heresies and the most dangerous deceptions. But their education from childhood had been of a character to prepare them for all this.

“In the schools whither they went, they were not to make confidants of any. Their garments were so prepared as to conceal their greatest treasure—the precious manuscripts of the Scriptures. These, the fruit of months and years of toil, they carried with them, and whenever they could do so without exciting suspicion, they cautiously placed some portion in the way of those whose hearts seemed open to receive the truth. From their mother’s knee the Waldensian youth had been trained with this purpose in view; they understood their work and faithfully performed it. Converts to the true faith were won in these institutions of learning, and frequently its principles were found to be permeating the entire school; yet the papal leaders could not, by the closest inquiry, trace the so-called corrupting heresy to its source.” The Great Controversy, 69, 70.

Dilemma Faced

If you or one of your loved ones is facing this dilemma and need to obtain an education at a state university or technical school, following are a few things to remember:

  1. The Word of God—the Bible—is the basis of true education in this world, so if you want to be truly educated, as a historian of Oberlin College wrote of that institution, “The Scriptures, both in the English version and in the original tongues, were considered to possess the highest educational value; and as such they should be studied first, last, and everywhere between.” Sutherland, 20. Whether God is calling you to be a physician, a lawyer, a scientist, a business person, or a technical worker, the Bible is the basis of true education, and it must be studied diligently every day if you want to receive a true education, even if you are attending a state university.
  2. It is dangerous to attend a state university for any reason unless you are thoroughly rooted and grounded in Bible religion first. (Notice the Waldensian practice as given above from The Great Controversy.) It would be better to forfeit getting an education rather than lose eternal life, as has happened to countless millions of people in the educational institutions of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
  3. Obtain counsel concerning your plans from godly parents and/or ministers or gospel workers. Do those who know you best and love you believe that you could be successful in resisting the temptations that would certainly come to you in an institution of learning in this world?
  4. Listening to error is never harmless, even in a “Christian” university or a self-supporting Seventh-day Adventist school. There are some courses of study that would, much more than others, expose you to worldly philosophy and error of all kinds. It is beyond the scope of this article to explain this, but you would want to obtain counsel from godly educators about this before making a decision.
  5. If you are in a program of learning at a university or other school that is so rigorous that you do not take time to pray and study God’s Word every day and attend religious services (Hebrews 10:23–25), you are in grave danger of losing your way spiritually. No educational advantages in this world are worth your losing eternal life.
  6. Be sure that you become fully educated. It is beyond the scope of this article to explain what it means to be fully educated, but the book Education, by Ellen White, explores the major areas of mental, physical, and spiritual development that you need if you are going to be fully educated. Be sure that you do not miss out by being only partially educated in some school in this world while some vital, essential part of your education is missing because the educational institution you attend does not teach it.

Pen of Inspiration – The School of the Hereafter

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Parents and teachers lie down in their last sleep, their lifework seeming to have been wrought in vain; they know not that their faithfulness has unsealed springs of blessing that can never cease to flow; only by faith they see the children they have trained become a benediction and an inspiration to their fellow men, and the influence repeat itself a thousandfold. Many a worker sends out into the world messages of strength and hope and courage, words that carry blessing to hearts in every land; but of the results he, toiling in loneliness and obscurity, knows little. So gifts are bestowed, burdens are borne, labor is done. Men sow the seed from which, above their graves, others reap blessed harvests. They plant trees, that others may eat the fruit. They are content here to know that they have set in motion agencies for good. In the hereafter the action and reaction of all these will be seen.

Of every gift that God has bestowed, leading men to unselfish effort, a record is kept in heaven. To trace this in its wide-spreading lines, to look upon those who by our efforts have been uplifted and ennobled, to behold in their history the outworking of true principles—this will be one of the studies and rewards of the heavenly school.

There we shall know even as also we are known. There the loves and sympathies that God has planted in the soul will find truest and sweetest exercise. The pure communion with holy beings, the harmonious social life with the blessed angels and with the faithful ones of all ages, the sacred fellowship that binds together “the whole family in heaven and earth” (Ephesians 3:15)—all are among the experiences of the hereafter.

There will be music there, and song, such music and song as, save in the visions of God, no mortal ear has heard or mind conceived. …

There every power will be developed, every capability increased. The grandest enterprises will be carried forward, the loftiest aspirations will be reached, the highest ambitions realized. And still there will arise new heights to surmount, new wonders to admire, new truths to comprehend, fresh objects to call forth the powers of body and mind and soul.

All the treasures of the universe will be open to the study of God’s children. With unutterable delight we shall enter into the joy and the wisdom of unfallen beings. We shall share the treasures gained through ages upon ages spent in contemplation of God’s handiwork. And the years of eternity, as they roll, will continue to bring more glorious revelations. “Exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20) will be, forever and forever, the impartation of the gifts of God.

The life on earth is the beginning of the life in heaven; education on earth is an initiation into the principles of heaven; the lifework here is a training for the lifework there. What we now are, in character and holy service, is the sure foreshadowing of what we shall be.

“The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Matthew 20:28). Christ’s work below is His work above, and our reward for working with Him in this world will be the greater power and wider privilege of working with Him in the world to come.

“Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God” (Isaiah 43:12). This also we shall be in eternity.

For what was the great controversy permitted to continue throughout the ages? Why was it that Satan’s existence was not cut short at the outset of his rebellion? It was that the universe might be convinced of God’s justice in His dealing with evil; that sin might receive eternal condemnation. In the plan of redemption there are heights and depths that eternity itself can never exhaust, marvels into which the angels desire to look. The redeemed only, of all created beings, have in their own experience known the actual conflict with sin; they have wrought with Christ, and, as even the angels could not do, have entered into the fellowship of His sufferings; will they have no testimony as to the science of redemption—nothing that will be of worth to unfallen beings?

Even now, “unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places” is “made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God.” And He “hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places: … that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:10, R.V.; 2:6, 7). …

In our life here, earthly, sin-restricted though it is, the greatest joy and the highest education are in service. And in the future state, untrammeled by the limitations of sinful humanity, it is in service that our greatest joy and our highest education will be found—witnessing, and ever as we witness learning anew “the riches of the glory of this mystery;” “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

“It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

Then, in the results of His work, Christ will behold its recompense. In that great multitude which no man could number, presented “faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” (Jude 24), He whose blood has redeemed and whose life has taught us, “shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11).

Excerpts from Education, 305–309.

Children’s Story – Madison, God’s Beautiful Farm

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How it All Began

On a peaceful day in June 1904, Edward Alexander Sutherland and Ellen White, along with two of Mrs. White’s sons, boarded the steamboat Morning Star to travel down the Cumberland River. Their mission was twofold: (1) to find a suitable location for a training school for young black workers, and (2) to find a site for the training of the white young people in the area. The latter mission was led by Sutherland and his college friend Percy Magan.

As the steamboat neared the area of the Ferguson-Nelson farm, a site which had been considered for the training school, the boat’s machinery began to sound strange. Mrs. White noticed where they were and suggested that they go look the land over one more time, while the boat was repaired. Sutherland was not interested. He had seen the land before, and to him it held no promise. But when Mrs. White insisted he finally gave in.

As they approached the property, Mrs. White said that she recognized this as the place she had seen in vision for the training school. Amid the protests of both Sutherland and Magan, she urged them to purchase the place. The following day the two men hired a horse and buggy and drove out to the property. The two men surveyed the land. To them it looked like an unpromising rockpile. As they fell on their knees in prayer they felt courage pour into them. Never after did they doubt that the Lord was indeed leading them. Even though the price was much more than they had planned on spending, they put their faith in God and went forward.

Purchasing the School

The next step was to approach the Ferguson family for the purchase agreement and the contract. But from the start this was a struggle. The Ferguson’s, especially Mrs. Ferguson, were very much against northerners, Yankees, they called them. Percy Magan struggled and prayed with her and thought that he had finally made some headway, but a few hours later she was back to her stubborn attitude. Magan finally left, saying that he would be back until they got that farm.
In the meantime, Sutherland was in the north when he received a telegraph from Magan saying that the he had better come down because he was running into difficulty. Before Sutherland arrived Magan had another meeting with the Fergusons, and got a verbal agreement for the purchase, after a raise in price. With Mrs. White’s encouragement, they decided to pay the extra, and finally were able to get Mrs. Ferguson to sign the papers.

Starting the School

When the school began, the Ferguson’s refused to immediately give the plantation house over to the new residents. So those that came before the fall of the year had to live in barns and other outbuildings, in less than comfortable surroundings.

The servants’ quarters in the stable were dubbed ‘Probation Hall’. At one time or another almost everyone of the early faculty and students lived for a time in ‘Probation Hall’.

Their diet was very simple because their funds were so limited. They ate primarily cornpone, buttermilk, or milktoast, but few complained. They endured with cheerfulness.

Through all the hardships they grew to be a very close knit group—faculty and students. In the evenings they gathered in the parlor of the big plantation house to sit around the fireplace and discuss various topics. But throughout their conversations ran a consistent thread of dedication to the will of God.

By the spring of 1905 there were fifteen students, but the school was running low on funds. However the school never turned anyone down because they lacked the money to come. A number one principle at Madison was self-support. Each student was required to work to pay their tuition. The buildings which were erected for the school, were built by faculty and students.

The students followed a ‘One-Study’ plan of education. They devoted most of each day to one major subject. They students rotated through different lines of work until they received a well-rounded approach to many lines of work.

Through all the progress that the school had made there was a cloud hanging overhead. Sutherland was troubled that a sanitarium had still not been started.

The Sanitarium Work

Finally, one wonderful day, Sister White came to visit Madison. She and all the faculty were having a picnic when Sister White commented that the spot where they were would be wonderful for a sanitarium. She told them to step out in faith and mark the spot, which they did.

Before any of the sanitarium buildings could even be built, a businessman came from Nashville asking to be treated. The women protested that they had no facilities to treat him, but on his insistence they made makeshift quarters and agreed to treat him. As a result of their successful treatment of him, as well as their successful treatment of several smallpox cases, Madison Sanitarium gained a good reputation and soon it began to add substantially to the school’s income.

Progressing the Lord’s Work

One very important thing in Sutherland’s life was a vegetarian diet and he instituted one at Madison.

He wanted to create a health-food factory on campus as well. A health-food factory had been established not far from the school when it first began, but the factory was not at all successful. Now Sutherland was very impressed to purchase the machinery from the unused factory. The factory that he started on the campus greatly prospered providing one more avenue for the school’s support.

Several students who came to Madison went on to start small schools called ‘units’ in other areas of the south. Some of these schools still remain and prosper. Three students even went to Cuba and served there as missionaries for several years.

Over the next several years Madison continued to grow and prosper. The Lord blessed them with many workers. One in particular, Mrs. Lida Scott gave over a million dollars, as well as herself, to the work of the ‘units’ across the south.

In 1915 the death of Ellen White brought especial grief to the Sutherlands. They rested in the wonderful friendship they had shared with her, and the hope that they would soon meet again at Christ’s second coming.

Over the next eighteen years the school climbed to accreditation as a senior college. Madison’s influence spread far and wide. Their orchards and vineyards were flourishing on the land that had been considered hopeless, providing food to eat and can for the school.

In 1943 the school experienced the worst drought of anything since the school began. The faculty pled with the Lord and two days later the rain poured on the parched earth. They later found out that the rain was limited to the location right around the school. The rest of the surrounding area did not get relief for ten more days!

The Closing Years

In 1947 Percy Magan passed to his rest. Then in 1955 Edward A. Sutherland followed.
Madison continued as a model for many schools around the world but particularly in the south. And even though it was eventually forced to close its doors for lack of finances, Madison’s spirit lives on.

The End

Bible Study Guides – The Church in Our Home

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August 7, 2011 – August 13, 2011

Key Text

“I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father.” II John 1:4.

Study Help: Child Guidance, 293–311.

Introduction

“The greatest evidence of the power of Christianity that can be presented to the world is a well-ordered, well-disciplined family. This will recommend the truth as nothing else can, for it is a living witness of its practical power upon the heart.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 304.

1 PROPERLY TRAINED

  • What must we consider in determining our suitableness as parents? Deuteronomy 6:5–8.

Note: “How startling is the proverb, ‘As the twig is bent, the tree is inclined.’ This is to be applied to the training of our children. Parents, will you remember that the education of your children from their earliest years is committed to you as a sacred trust? … Home education is not by any means to be neglected.” Child Guidance, 18.

  • What does the Lord desire to see in our homes? Colossians 3:12–14; II John 4.

Note: “God commanded the Hebrews to teach their children His requirements, and to make them acquainted with all His dealings with their people. The home and the school were one. In the place of stranger lips, the loving hearts of the father and mother were to give instruction to their children.” Child Guidance, 18, 19.

“Every family is a church, over which the parents preside. The first consideration of the parents should be to work for the salvation of their children. When the father and mother as priest and teacher of the family take their position fully on the side of Christ, a good influence will be exerted in the home.” Ibid., 549.

2 WHAT SHALL WE TEACH?

  • What is included in the mandate to “train up a child”? Exodus 24:12; Deuteronomy 4:1, 9, 10; 20:18.

Note: “There is a time for training children and a time for educating youth, and it is essential that in school both of these be combined in a great degree. Children may be trained for the service of sin or for the service of righteousness. The early education of youth shapes their characters both in their secular and in their religious life. Solomon says, ‘Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it’ [Proverbs 22:6]. This language is positive. The training which Solomon enjoins is to direct, educate, and develop.

“In order for parents and teachers to do this work, they must themselves understand ‘the way’ the child should go. This embraces more than merely having a knowledge of books. It takes in everything that is good, virtuous, righteous, and holy. It comprehends the practice of temperance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love to God and to one another. In order to attain this object, the physical, mental, moral, and religious education of children must have attention.” Child Guidance, 297.

  • What parable gives us lessons in child training? Mark 4:28.

Note: “The gradual development of the plant from the seed is an object lesson in child training. There is ‘first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear’ [Mark 4:27]. …

“The work of parents and teachers is here suggested. They should aim so to cultivate the tendencies of the youth that at each stage of their life they may represent the natural beauty appropriate to that period, unfolding naturally, as do the plants in the garden. …

“The little ones should be educated in childlike simplicity. They should be trained to be content with the small, helpful duties and the pleasures and experiences natural to their years. … The children should not be forced into a precocious maturity but should retain as long as possible the freshness and grace of their early years.

“The little children may be Christians, having an experience in accordance with their years. This is all that God expects of them. They need to be educated in spiritual things; and parents should give them every advantage that they may form characters after the similitude of the character of Christ.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 82–84.

3 TRUE OR FALSE EDUCATION?

  • What is the purpose of true education? Colossians 1:9, 10.

Note: “True education means more than taking a certain course of study. It is broad. It includes the harmonious development of all the physical powers and the mental faculties. It teaches the love and fear of God and is a preparation for the faithful discharge of life’s duties.

“Proper education includes not only mental discipline, but that training which will secure sound morals and correct deportment.

“The first great lesson in all education is to know and understand the will of God. We should bring into every day of life the effort to gain this knowledge.” Child Guidance, 293.

  • What should be our textbook and the foundation of all our education? II Timothy 3:15.

Note: “The Bible should be the child’s first textbook. From this book, parents are to give wise instruction. The Word of God is to be made this rule of the life.” Child Guidance, 41.

“God designed the Bible to be a lessonbook to all mankind, in childhood, youth, and manhood, and to be studied through all time. He gave His word to men as a revelation of Himself. … The study of the Scriptures is the means divinely ordained to bring men into closer connection with their Creator and to give them a clearer knowledge of His will. It is the medium of communication between God and man.” The Great Controversy, 69.

  • What fundamental truths must we be aware of in seeking to educate our children? I Corinthians 3:18–20; Colossians 2:8.

Note: “There are two classes of educators in the world. One class is those whom God makes channels of light, and the other class is those whom Satan uses as his agents, who are wise to do evil. …

“In planning for the education of their children outside the home, parents should realize that it is no longer safe to send them to the public school, and should endeavor to send them to schools where they will obtain an education based on a Scriptural foundation.” Child Guidance, 303, 304.

4 LIFESTYLE

  • What else is necessary for our own well-being and that of our families? Titus 2:12; Mark 6:31.

Note: “An intensity such as never before was seen is taking possession of the world. In amusement, in money-making, in the contest for power, in the very struggle for existence, there is a terrible force that engrosses body and mind and soul. In the midst of this maddening rush, God is speaking. He bids us come apart and commune with Him. ‘Be still and know that I am God’ [Psalm 46:10]. …

“Not a pause for a moment in His presence, but personal contact with Christ, to sit down in companionship with Him—this is our need.” Education, 260, 261.

“The more quiet and simple the life of the child—the more free from artificial excitement, and the more in harmony with nature—the more favorable is it to physical and mental vigor and to spiritual strength.” The Desire of Ages, 74.

  • How can we simplify our lives so that we can make time for being still? I Timothy 6:8.

Note: “We must turn away from a thousand topics that invite attention. There are matters that consume time and arouse inquiry, but end in nothing.” The Ministry of Healing, 456.

“A great work was before them [the disciples], and first of all they must learn that their strength was not in self, but in God. Like Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, like David among the hills of Judea, or Elijah by the brook Cherith, the disciples needed to come apart from the scenes of their busy activity, to commune with Christ, with nature, and with their own hearts.” The Desire of Ages, 360.

“I was shown that Sabbathkeepers as a people labor too hard without allowing themselves change or periods of rest. Recreation is needful to those who are engaged in physical labor and is still more essential for those whose labor is principally mental. It is not essential to our salvation, nor for the glory of God, to keep the mind laboring constantly and excessively, even upon religious themes. …

“Recreation in the open air, the contemplation of the works of God in nature, will be of the highest benefit.” The Adventist Home, 494, 496.

5 KEEPING THE FOCUS

  • What warnings has our Saviour given to us? Matthew 6:20; I Timothy 6:10.

Note: “Money is not ours; houses and grounds, pictures and furniture, garments and luxuries, do not belong to us. We are pilgrims, we are strangers. We have only a grant of those things that are necessary for health and life. … Our temporal blessings are given us in trust, to prove whether we can be entrusted with eternal riches.” The Adventist Home, 367.

“God’s requirements come first. We are not doing His will if we consecrate to Him what is left of our income after all our imaginary wants have been supplied.” Ibid., 369.

“If we represent the character of Christ, every particle of selfishness must be expelled from the soul. In carrying forward the work He gave to our hands, it will be necessary for us to give every jot and tittle of our means that we can spare. …

“That which is spent for the gratification of pride in dress, in buildings, in furniture, and in decorations would relieve the distress of many wretched, suffering families. God’s stewards are to minister to the needy.” Ibid., 370.

“It is not necessary to specify here how economy may be practiced in every particular. Those whose hearts are fully surrendered to God, and who take His word as their guide, will know how to conduct themselves in all the duties of life. They will learn of Jesus, who is meek and lowly of heart; and in cultivating the meekness of Christ, they will close the door against innumerable temptations.” Ibid., 380.

PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS

1 What should be the fundamental purpose of the home and the church?

2 List some of the things that should be taught to our children.

3 What three areas of your life will be affected by true education?

4 Describe what your priorities in life should be.

5 What guidelines are helpful in family financing?

Copyright © 2002 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, 5240 Hollins Road, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission.

The School of Christ

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Those who want to learn about law, attend the school of law. To learn about art, you go to the school of art, or to become a doctor and learn about medicine you go to medical school. If you want to know about Christ, you must go to the school of Christ. This school does not exist physically with a building or special location nor does it have many teachers, but it exists spiritually for the salvation of all who attend.

The concept of the school of Christ is revealed in Matthew, where an invitation is given to all to enroll. “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. In My school, says Jesus, you can bring your burdens, all of your problems, and you will find rest. In no other school, with its assignments and homework, will you find rest.

Some people today pay thousands of dollars to therapists, hoping to learn how to solve their problems, while others spend their money on alcohol or drugs so they can forget them. Their minds are so stressed that they question the meaning and purpose of life. Often they try to manufacture a meaning for themselves by finding the perfect relationship, only to be let down and disappointed when their expectation is not reached. That dream is like sand. The harder you try to grab it, the faster it flows through your fingers, leaving a feeling of misery and emptiness. Whatever problems you have, whether physical, mental, emotional, psychological, social or spiritual, Jesus has the only answer. He bids, “Come unto Me, and I will give you rest.”

Attendance at the school of Christ is completely voluntary and there is no graduation. You can attend your whole life and never run out of subjects to study. The teacher is Jesus. The textbook is the Bible, which tells about Him.

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39. It is almost impossible to get a good grade without opening that textbook.

Without studying the textbook all that is left is man’s opinions or human philosophy, which is worthless and like building on sand without a firm foundation.

When you come to His school, Jesus promises you rest. But there is a condition. Remember, with every promise of God there is a condition. Why? Because there is God’s part and also man’s part. God cannot twist your arm to save you, nor can He twist your neck to force you to obey Him or twist your ears to get you to listen to Him. He offers you power and gives you promises. He tells you what He can do, but it is up to you, and it is your choice to listen to Him.

The Condition

“Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:29, 30.

  1. take My yoke
  2. learn of Me
  3. accept My meekness and My lowliness

If you allow Him to fulfill all these things in your life, then “ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

The Bible says, “I will give you rest.” The secret of rest is right there, taking the yoke of Christ, to learn from Jesus to be meek and lowly. This is hard for some men or women to take, but there is a power in meekness. There is a power in humility, not to be hateful when someone else takes the ball away from you and makes more points than you do, or to be happy when someone else achieves ahead of you.

We live in a competitive world and we are pushed and shoved into being better than other people until the mentality is “I have to be the best.” Yes, God asks you to be the best, but to be best is to learn to do well at the lowest point in life and to be meek and humble. When you learn to say, “I am nothing and God is everything,” you will have power. The higher you try to climb, the dizzier you get, and the more likely you are to fall. You had better stay low, because you are nothing but dust! You had better humble yourselves, for when you die you return to the dust from which you came. The school of Christ teaches humility. There is no other university that can teach meekness and humility like the school of Christ.

This discourse is not to discourage education because knowledge and good science is essential, but caution must be exercised against the pride, strife and the competition. To be the best, yet without that perfect rest, is not the best. Jesus said to take His yoke in order to find that perfect rest.

The Yoke of Jesus

A yoke is an instrument that puts two oxen or two animals together, so they can work and move together. When Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you,” it means to be bound up with Him. By not wearing the yoke of Christ, we wear another yoke by default—the yoke of sin. This yoke is heavy.

“The yoke of my transgressions is bound by His hand.” Lamentations 1:14. Jesus said that he that commits sin is a servant to sin. So this yoke of transgression binds you to commit to, to go after, or to work for sin and transgression. Before you can wear the yoke of Christ, the yoke of transgression needs to be broken. When you come to Christ and ask for forgiveness, when you confess, and repent, Jesus will forgive you and break the yoke of transgression.

Wearing the yoke of Christ means you go wherever He goes. When you have the yoke of Christ, you will never say, “I will do.” You will say, “I submit to the working of God’s grace in my heart.” You stop saying, “I will do this, and I will do that. I will be good, I will walk the ways of righteousness. I will obey.” Instead you will say, “With Christ, all things are possible,” because you are not depending upon yourself. You are not carrying the load alone. You will say, “With Christ’s help, I shall experience His righteousness working in me,” because you are not depending upon yourself. You are not carrying the load alone. With Christ, you are yoked up and walk together.

Having your yoke of transgression broken is one thing, but to put on the yoke of Christ is another. People like to be forgiven of their sins, but we need to learn how to wear the yoke of Christ and to walk in His ways. Jeremiah 2:20 says, “… when upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wanderest.” These people were wandering because their yoke of transgression had been broken, but they did not wear the yoke of Christ.

If you go where Jesus goes you will not wander away from Him playing the harlot. Speaking of the Israelites the Bible says, “For of old time, I have broken thy yoke.” Here God is speaking to the Israelites. “For of old time I have broken thy yoke [of transgression], and burst thy bands; and thou saidst, I will not transgress.” Ibid. Here is described a life depending upon self. They declare to God that they will not transgress. This sounds like the Israelites before Mount Sinai when God said, “If you keep My commandments, I will make you a holy nation.” And they say, “All that You have said we will do.” (See Exodus 19:6–8.)

Without the yoke of Christ, all wander away. The Bible says, “under every green tree.” What does it mean, “every green tree”? Many times, pagan temples were set up under the trees. That is still practiced in India and Japan and in some other countries in the world. So they wander away from God and they commit spiritual adultery. The Bible says, “playing the harlot.” Ibid. Playing the harlot is the most disgraceful sin that the church can commit. It is essential to have the yoke of Christ, so that we will not wander away from God and become spiritual harlots. That yoke must be put on every day.

Whether you like it or not, you have a yoke. Either you have the yoke of transgression, or you have the yoke of Christ. Either you serve God as your Master or you serve the world as your master. There is no middle ground. Attempting to walk in the middle ground makes a most miserable person, because it is being double-minded and very unsettling with absolutely no rest. The only way to have rest in this life is to wear the yoke of Christ, which has the power to keep you as a pure virgin, committed only to Christ.

Learn of Me

Jesus said, “Learn of Me.” To learn of Jesus is to learn from His example of meekness and lowliness. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps.” I Peter 2:21. Jesus also set an example of suffering, that we should follow His steps. If there is one thing that this generation has a hard time accepting, it is a life of suffering. Everything has to be comfortable, easy and relaxing.

There’s a lot to be learned from suffering and God purposefully puts some thistles and thorns in the ground. He allows the ground to be a little bit rough and rocky to give man some sweat, to give him some callouses on his hands, and some roughness in his life so that his life can be molded according to the character of God. If you are suffering for Christ’s sake, rejoice! That suffering will mold and shape your image according to the image of God.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations” (James 1:2), or may I include trials and problems. Let us rejoice when we suffer for Christ’s sake. Follow His example. Even in suffering, Jesus says, “Learn of Me for I am meek and lowly in heart.” Meekness is keeping yourself loving, kind and patient, even when you feel it is your right to be unloving to someone who does not deserve your kindness.

Mothers, do you have some pressure in your home from your children? Do you have pressure from your coworkers? The meekest man in the Bible, besides Jesus, was Moses. We often find it hard raising two children, but Moses led more than one million people, most of whom complained and murmured for the whole 40 years in the wilderness. There was a lot of pressure upon Moses’ shoulders, yet he learned to say, “God, this is your people. If you destroy them, please take my name out of the book of life, because I love them.” Moses had all the right reasons to let them be burned by the wrath of God, but he would rather die eternally for them than let God give up on them. When you are that meek, lowly and humble, then you are experiencing the power of God.

Sometimes we think that to be angry, shouting and screaming means power. But having true power is to know how to put your power under submission to the power of God. When injustice is done to you and you think you have the right for revenge, submit your rights to God, allowing Him to work for you and the other person. It is real power when you exercise patience and pray for them.

Follow My Example

Jesus says, “Follow Me.” Jesus set an example of living a pure life without sin. We should follow His steps in the school of Christ, where Jesus will teach you that this is possible, but not by your own power or wisdom. Your persevering and sweating efforts are good, but not good enough. It is not by your interpretation of what you think a Christian should be. No word of envy, jealousy, or revenge will come out of your mouth, no words of evil surmising that destroy another person’s character. Beautiful words can be spoken, but if your heart is not connected with Jesus it can be seasoned with jealousy, hatred and selfishness. We can be very deceptive and full of guile!

When Jesus was reviled He reviled not again. When He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him Who judges righteously. When provoked, the natural reaction is to be angry. In that moment, pray to the Lord: God, take my life. I want to walk where you are. Please help me to be meek and humble.

And when you are threatened—no revenge! This is a really important lesson to learn, especially as we are in the very last days of earth’s history. “And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God, and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth neither the sea nor the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.” Revelation 7:2, 3.

We understand that four angels are holding back the four winds, which represent worldwide destruction. This is talking about the great time of trouble, the great tribulation when probation has closed and the Holy Spirit will be withdrawn from this world, but not from God’s people.

Without the Holy Spirit the world will be under the full control of Satan. And when that takes place, the people will be possessed with the deceptions of Satan. They may walk and talk intelligently, but they will have Satanic hatred for God’s people. What you see in many of the cities of today—rape, murder and kidnapping—is only the tip of the iceberg compared to what Satan can do when he has full control over the people. But the Bible says God will protect His people. No plagues can come nigh to God’s people (Psalm 91:10). Thousands will fall on the right side, ten thousand will fall on the left side, but God will protect His people (Psalm 91:7), those who have the seal of the living God.

The seal is equal to a sign (Romans 4:11). The sign is the Sabbath (Ezekiel 20:12, 20). Those who have the seal of the living God in their forehead will accept the Sabbath. However, this does not mean that just keeping the seventh-day Sabbath will save you.

Not every person who keeps the seventh-day Sabbath, right now, will be protected in the time of trouble. It’s not only keeping the seventh-day Sabbath, but living the true meaning of the word Sabbath. The word Sabbath means rest. So when you have the seal of the living God in your forehead, you have the Sabbath in your forehead. If you have the Sabbath in your forehead, you have rest in your forehead. But where do we get the rest in our forehead? Jesus says, “Take My yoke upon you, learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your soul.”

So how can we prepare ourselves to receive the seal of the living God?

We must go to the school of Christ. And what of the number that were sealed with the seal of the living God? “And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand” [Revelation 7:4]. Whether that number is literal or symbolic we need to have the seal of the Sabbath rest.

The hundred and forty-four thousand have the characteristics of the school of Christ. The Bible says, “And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their forehead.” Revelation 14:1. One hundred and forty-four thousand standing with the Lamb! The Lamb is meek and humble. The only way the hundred and forty-four thousand are able to stand with the Lamb is because they have learned to be meek and lowly.

They had learned those characteristics in the school of Christ. And they had “their Father’s name written in their forehead.” That means they had their Father’s character in their foreheads or in their minds. “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps [victory] and they sung as it were a new song” [verses 2, 3]. They sang a new song, the song of victory.

Two things are necessary to write a song—words and melody. They were singing a new song, which means they were singing new words and a new melody. Words are the expression of thoughts and melody expresses feelings. Singing a new song is the expression of thoughts and feelings. Thoughts and feelings combined together determine the moral character. The hundred and forty-four thousand know how to sing a song, the song of Jesus, the song of God’s character.

“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins” [verse 4]. Remember, when you have the yoke of Christ, you don’t wander away, playing the harlot, but you stay a virgin. This lesson is learned in the school of Christ. “For these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth” [verse 4]. Why do they follow “the Lamb whithersoever He goeth”? Because they have the yoke of Christ. Where did they learn that lesson? In the school of Christ.

“And in their mouth was found no guile.” Jesus, our example, had no guile found in His mouth. And, “they are without fault, before the throne of God” [verse 5]. That means without sin. In the school of Christ they learned to follow the example of Jesus.

Will there be people who truly follow the example of Jesus and attend the school of Christ? They do not graduate, but they remain in the school and reflect God’s character before the Second Coming of Christ. Will there be a group of people? Yes, the hundred and forty-four thousand. These will see Jesus without experiencing death; they will be translated as was Enoch (Genesis 5:24). There will be many others who study in the school of Christ who will not live but rest until Jesus comes.

Jesus says, “Come to My school. I want to prepare you to become part of the hundred and forty-four thousand.”

Tuition Fee

“If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:26. This means God comes first above everything, even above yourself, even above your family members. This Bible text is not teaching hate. Jesus simply says it will seem as if you hate them if you follow God first, when it goes against their wishes, and hopes and dreams for you. To attend the school of Christ is to have a determination. In a quiet place on your knees pray:

Jesus, I know I have to attend Your school; otherwise, there is no rest in my soul. I’ve been wandering around, playing the harlot; I’m just going anywhere and everywhere that I like to go. And I know every time I looked for some kind of rainbow, it was invisible; it wasn’t there. I looked for some hope and dream and I gave my money and my effort, but at the end all I found were broken cups and broken hearts. O, God, I have tried everything; the only thing that I know that can help me is You. Jesus, take me; I’m already broken and wounded; heal me. My mind is going everywhere; please stabilize me. Make me strong in Your love and in Your trust. Give me Your rest. I need Thee every hour.

The very first class in the school of Christ begins as you open up your eyes in the morning. Jesus is right there waiting for you to attend His first class. And throughout the day, He not only gives you homework, but He will walk with you and do your homework with you. And every evening, He reviews the assignments and the homework with you to teach you how you can do better the next day.

School is not a one-day thing; it lasts a lifetime. Let’s learn to follow Christ so that others will also see the power of God working in our lives and someday we can be part of the hundred and forty-four thousand and sing the song of triumph and victory.

This message was shared by Judy Hallingstad. She is part of the LandMarks team and may be contacted by email at: judyhallingstad@stepstolife.org.

The Bible Only

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Editors Note: This is a report from the Hungarian Adventist Community “The Bible Only”. The first section of this report is extracts from the official registration document of their organization, which was sent to us in this form. We have done no editing.

“We do not consider ourselves a separate church or movement. We regard ourselves merely as a fellowship of churches. As far as our religious beliefs are concerned, we are Seventh-day Adventists. We feel and profess ourselves to belong to the worldwide Adventist Community and wish to avoid even the appearance of being an alternative church or movement.

“There arose a discord between the policy and the leadership of the Hungarian SDA Church and a large protesting group of pastors and church members during the Communist era, since we adhered to the original beliefs and norms for which, the leaders of the Hungarian Church departed. They did not admit our protest but removed us from the church by illegal disciplinary action or by the pressure of conscience. Unfortunately the dispute could not be settled satisfactorily even after the years of encroachment by the State on church affairs had past, although we did make every effort to between 1975 and 1990.

“We cannot see any hope for the situation to change within a reasonable time. The maintenance of our churches thus being a necessity, in the interest of their development we ask for the registration of our group as a legal personality, i.e. the bearer of legal rights and duties to be recognized by the law.

“On formulating our constitution and asking for registration, we state the following:

“We consider all SDA churches in Hungary and abroad our fellow-churches as well as all SDA believers our brethren.

“We also maintain readiness to consider a merger at any later time when its conditions are fulfilled.”

 

Report of Churches

Membership: 1410
(Number of church members and visitors regularly attending our services: approximately 220.)

Number of pastors: 36

Number of further employees: 38

 

Institutions:

“Sola Scriptura” A Pastor’s Training and Theological College

Number of full-time students, Pastors Training School: 22

Number of correspondence students Bible Teacher’s School: 256

(Number of students, Extension School: 261)

“Fellowship of Bible Schools” Publishing House

Number of regular publications (journals, Sabbath School lessons for children and adults): 5

Number of books published since 1990:27

Old People’s Home, Lovasbereny

Number of residents: 16

Old People’s Home, Elek

Number of residents: 34

Youth Camp, Bozsva

Capacity: 300

Youth Camp, Torokkoppany

Capacity: 240

“Hope” Children’s Village, Nagoes

Number of adoptive families: 4

Number of adopted children: 19

 

PART TWO – Sola Scriptura (The Bible Only)

“Pastor’s Training and Theological College”

Our mission: The name of the college “Sola Scriptura” (the Bible only) refers to the vital principal of the XVIth century Reformation, namely the sole authority of the Scriptures. It signifies the trend of theology we follow and consider our commitment to represent in the world. We claim to be accurate and demanding in the study of the Bible consulting the related disciplines, such as linguistics, history, archeology, etc. But our main objective is to explore the very essence of the Bible, that is the divine thoughts of their own context or system. In summary, we want to promote the accomplishment of the Word-growing program, so that Acts 19:20 may come true again: “Mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed.” We strongly believe that, by doing so, we prepare the way for Christ’s glorious second coming, which is at hand. We want to prepare young men and women to be heralds of the authentic gospel, giving the knowledge of salvation (Luke 1:77) to the people of this world.

 

About the Schools

The Pastor’s Training School educates full time SDA students for qualified pastors, publishers, and Bible teachers. (Length of study: Four years. Graduates will be holders of a Pastor’s Diploma.)

The correspondence course Bible Teacher’s School provides academic study for those SDA and non SDA adults—regardless of their denomination—who want regular education in Biblical theology for college credit. (Length of study: Three years. Graduates will be holders of a Bible Teacher’s Diploma.) As the students of this school are of different denominations, the freedom of conscience is held in respect. The teaching being informative, the students are not called to account for their identification with the syllabus. Nevertheless, we believe and experience, too, that God’s Word shall not return void. Isaiah 55:11. The education given by this school sows the seeds of the Word in a wide territory, which will bear fruits in good time and at the right places.

The students of Extension School are given the opportunity to follow the correspondence course without sitting for exams and getting a credit.

By taking mainly full-time students from abroad, especially from the neighboring countries we wish to help God’s worldwide work.

 

The History of the College

It was established as early as 1975, but was forced underground until the election of the first democratic government after the collapse of Communism in 1990. Reorganized in 1992, it became recognized by the state. Full-time education was started in the same year.

Present date:

Number of teachers: 9

Number of full-time students, Pastor’s Training School: 22 (The students of this School are from Hungary, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, and Romania)

Number of correspondence students, Bible Teacher’s School: 376

Number of students Extension School: 243

It is registered as a legal personality and as an independent institution, forms part of the organization of the Christian Adventist Community regularly subsidized by the same. It does not take any financial support from the State.