Sabbath School Today With the 1888 Message Dynamic The Role of the Church in the Community Lesson 9. Jesus Ministered to Their Needs
How Can I Help You? We read that Jesus had "compassion" on the multitudes and that He healed all who were sick, and sometimes left whole villages with no sick person in them (cf. Matt. 9:36; 14:14, for example). That was 2000 years ago. Now fast-forward to our time: we still have people sick and with all kinds of need. Monday's lesson quotes Ellen White: "Christ took a personal interest in men and women ... Wherever He went He was a medical missionary." [1] We, too, have compassion for the sick; but what can we do now to help them? Doctors and nurses can do a wonderful work relieving suffering; but what about us ordinary folk? When Jesus healed the paralytic who was carried to Him by four men who broke up the tiles on the roof and let him down, Jesus knew very well that this man had brought sickness upon himself by sinful living. But He didn't ask the poor man any questions or to make any promises. He didn't even ask him if he had repented; He said straight out, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:5). So, what can we do? We can tell them New Covenant truth. In some cases simply doing that may bring physical healing to the sufferer; all the poor paralytic needed was to hear Jesus tell him, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee" (Matt. 9:2), and he was happy, willing to endure his sickness in peace. There are seven grand promises that make up the healing New Covenant truth. They are in Genesis 12:2, 3: the Lord will make your life important, He will give you happiness, "I will make thy name great," you will be a blessing wherever you go throughout the world, the Lord will bless the people who help you, He "will curse him that curseth thee," you will be part of the blessing that will come upon "all families of the earth" in Christ because you proclaim His message. Therein is healing truth! To say those words to someone flippantly or thoughtlessly of course does no good; but if by the grace of the Lord we are able to tell the message thoughtfully, meaningfully, the Holy Spirit will bless to the healing of the soul. Amazing as it may seem, the good news is that the Holy Spirit does the "work." That "wind" is forever blowing seeds of heavenly truth into our minds and hearts. No one is wise enough to tell where they come from, for the grace of God has been working on human hearts in multitudinous ways ever since the world began. Parents, friends, songs of praise, Bible messages heard or read, sermons, expressions of true love, all can be ways that the Lord uses to plant "good news" ideas in the heart. What is important is to recognize that their ultimate Source is God Himself. This is actually God's love in action. The wind blowing "wherever it pleases" is a picture of God's compassionate concern for every human soul. Not less surely is His love manifested for you than that the wind blows on you as well. One of the misconceptions of the 1888 message is that it is "soft" on works. Christ taught this distinctive kind of faith "which works," and the 1888 "messengers" picked up on this idea. Genuine faith produces obedience to all the commandments of God. Such faith makes the believer "zealous of good works" so numerous they cannot be measured. This goes far beyond trying to preserve a balance between faith and works. It's far more than 50% faith and 50% works understanding. God has already done the loving, and the giving. Our part (believing) comes by responding to that Good News with the heart appreciation that's appropriate--yielding to a heavenly love. Good works follow such genuine faith as surely as fruit follows seed planting. And then all the obedience part of the familiar "third angel's message" comes into place, but far more so, for here was a message that would prepare a people for the coming of Jesus. Pure Day-of-Atonement righteousness by faith is the only message that can produce anything other than "dead works." Dorcas in Joppa. Wednesday's lesson speaks to the story of the "disciple named Tabitha." Ellet J. Waggoner, one of the 1888 "messengers," relates the real meaning of "good works": "'Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas; this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did' (Acts 9:36). Good works are not something that one puts on, or which he acquires, but they come from within. 'A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh' (Luke 6:45). A man must be made good before he can do good; and this goodness comes from the Lord. 'Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men' (Psalm 31:19). 'For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them' (Eph. 2:10). Good works are extremely necessary, but none need worry about them. If a person is in Christ, the good works will follow as naturally as flowers follow spring rain and sunshine." [2] Paul in Athens. Here at the very end of our lesson study we read of "the famous story" of Paul preaching in Athens. It's one exception to apostolic success. What our lesson doesn't tell us is that few of his hearers responded positively. But reading through the Acts 17 story of his sermon we find not a mention of the cross! Paul at Athens was much like we are, working for "the higher classes." But from Athens Paul went to Corinth, where he proclaimed to these people what he did not proclaim in Athens. He proclaimed the cross of Christ. He says, "When I came to you, ... I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified" (1 Cor. 2:1, 2). Paul explains to us how this mighty motivation works in our hearts: "He died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again" (2 Cor. 5:15). In the original language the idea is clear that those who understand and believe this great truth of grace will "henceforth" find it impossible to live self-centered lives. No more gritting your teeth and clenching your fists and trying to force yourself to work hard for the Lord; it is automatic. The key word is "love." You cannot truly live under grace unless you appreciate that love revealed at the cross. When the sinner sees that cross, and appreciates that kind of love poured out, all for him, the tears come in his eyes. His heart is melted. That is true New Testament faith--a heart-appreciation of that tremendous love. That is why we shall keep on learning to glory in the cross of Christ. More and more that "under grace" motivation will crowd out the old self-centered hope-of-reward or fear-of-punishment motivation. Let us come out of the shadows into the sunshine of living "under grace," and work for Christ because His love "constrains us." --From the writings of Robert J. Wieland Endnotes: Notes: "Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888mpm.org RR |
Friday, August 26, 2016
Lesson 9. Jesus Ministered to Their Needs
Friday, August 19, 2016
Lesson 8. Jesus Showed Sympathy
Sabbath School Today With the 1888 Message Dynamic The Role of the Church in the Community Lesson 8. Jesus Showed Sympathy
Our lesson this week depicts Jesus as a compassionate, empathetic, and sympathetic Savior. True of course, but aren't these adjectives often used to describe us as well, in certain circumstances? But there's a text in Hebrews that goes "light years" beyond the "feeling" of sympathy, and it can only apply to Jesus: "We have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities [sympathize with our weaknesses]; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (4:15). This one verse goes to the heart of the 1888 message--the human nature of Christ. We've read Ellen White's words many times, but to review them now, slowly, will set the tone, as she says: "The humanity of the Son of God is everything to us. It is the golden chain that binds our souls to Christ, and through Christ to God. This is to be our study. Christ was a real man; ... Yet He was God in the flesh. ... We should come to this study with the humility of a learner, with a contrite heart." [1] She expressed her joy when she wrote of meetings held soon after the 1888 General Conference Session: "Many hearts were touched, ... The Lord came very near, and convicted souls of their great need of his grace and love. We felt the necessity of presenting Christ as a Saviour who was not afar off, but nigh at hand." [2] The key to understanding the heart of the 1888 message lies in that phrase--"a Saviour who was not afar off, but nigh at hand." He who is "the way, the truth, and the life" made Himself manifest as One "nigh at hand," "Emmanuel, ... God with us," not with Him only, but "with us" (Matt. 1:23). So fully has the Son of God identified Himself with our fallen humanity, that it's difficult to take a scalpel and separate the heart cries of Jesus in the Psalms from the heart cries of king David. For example, in Psalm 22:1 David cries out, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" But then we discover that Jesus cries the same dereliction as He hangs on His cross (Matt. 27:46). Then as we read further in Psalm 22, lo and behold, we find that the entire psalm records the heart cries of Jesus up to the moment of His death when He cried out, "It is finished." But how could Jesus Christ, the sinless One, pray the same words that the guilty, bloodstained sinner David prayed? Wasn't Jesus "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners" (Heb. 7:26)? He should be as far away from feeling like the despicable sinner, David, as day is from night! But let's go back to Matthew 1:23 in which His name is translated, "God with us." Isn't it "unto us" that this "Child is born, unto us a Son is given" (Isa. 9:6)? Didn't the Father "so love the world that He gave" Him to us forever? Don't we "see Jesus ... made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death" (Heb. 2:9)? How could He "suffer death" unless He came inside our skin, as it were? He is "not ashamed to call [us] brethren" (vs. 11)! He had to be "[made] perfect through sufferings" (vs. 10). But wasn't He "perfect" all along? In holiness, yes; but He had to go through a process of education for 33 years in order to qualify to cry out sincerely from a broken human heart every word of Psalm 22! That word "made" has enormous meaning: "In all things He had to be made like His brethren. ... In that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour [aid] them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:17, 18). He was "made of a woman, made under the law" (Gal. 4:4). He was "made in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:7), He became truly a man "in the [same] likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3), "made ... to be sin for us, who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). Ellet J. Waggoner, one of the 1888 "messengers," understood the relevance of Christ being our Saviour, who is "nigh at hand." He wrote in The Present Truth magazine: "To confess Christ, it is not enough to believe that He once lived and suffered and died and rose again. We must confess not merely that He did come in the flesh, but that He 'is come in the flesh.' He is a present Saviour. As in all the afflictions of the Israelites of old He was afflicted, so now 'we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities' (Heb. 4.15). He still feels everything that touches us, for He is still in the flesh. Even in the heavenly places. He is still 'the Man Christ Jesus' (1 Tim. 2.5). He is our forerunner, that is, one of the brethren who has gone before to prepare a place for the rest. When He comes again, He will come in the flesh for His flesh did not see corruption and the same flesh that went into the grave also ascended to heaven (Eph. 4.10)." [3] "Although the Word was made flesh, even our own sinful flesh, He was 'full of grace and truth.' He was 'in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin' (Heb. 4.15). God made Him 'to be sin for us,' yet He 'knew no sin' (2 Cor. 5.21). He was made to be sin, yet He 'did not sin, neither was guile found in His mouth' (1 Peter 2.22). It is these two things combined that make Him a sympathizing Saviour, in whom we may freely confide. No one can sympathize with another's failings, if he has not been tempted in the same way. Moreover, those who are guilty of any sin are the quickest and fiercest to condemn others for the same sin. Sinners excuse sin, but have no sympathy for fellow-sinners. It is only those who are cleansed from sin, who can exercise charity for the erring. Christ was tempted to the uttermost, and was always pure from the slightest taint of sin; therefore we may trust Him as one who knows and who cares." [4] What does it all add up to? Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became "the Son of man," your Saviour "in the flesh." He empathizes with you 100 percent. In the first Bible verse cited in this essay is a double negative that makes a powerful positive: "We do not have an High Priest who cannot [sympathize with our weaknesses]; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). Does He sympathize with all the sorrowing, pain-ridden people on earth? Yes! He longs to put an end to sin and the sorrow it brings. And the closer we come to Him, the more we will share His concern. Don't turn your back on Him even for a day! --From the writings of Robert J. Wieland Endnotes: Notes: "Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888mpm.org RR |
Friday, August 12, 2016
Lesson 7. Jesus Desired Their Good
Sabbath School Today With the 1888 Message Dynamic The Role of the Church in the Community Lesson 7. Jesus Desired Their Good
By now those studying this quarter's lessons have noticed that for a church to be a soul winning force in the community, it must demonstrate a special kind of love for people. The 1888 message depends on a proper understanding of God's agape love, which is so different from the modern English single word for love, which is used to encompass so many facets of the concept. The word agape is used many times in the New Testament, and looking at a few instances will help to understand its true meaning: Matthew 24:12: "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love [agape] will grow cold." Luke 11:42: "Woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love [agape] of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." John 5:42: "I know you, that you do not have the love [agape] of God in yourselves." John 3:35: "The Father loves the Son [with agape] and has given all things into His hand." Romans 5:5: "Hope does not disappoint, because the love [agape] of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" (Bible texts from the New American Standard Bible). There are many others, but even these few texts tell us that God's true love is given to human beings by God because they do not have it naturally within them. It is shared between the Beings of the Godhead. We humans would be completely devoid of this selfless love if God didn't pour it into our hearts, and even then we have been given the Holy Spirit, who is to direct this love in our hearts and minds. Genuinely desiring good for others is an impossible standard without God's agape. The dramatic story of Jonah demonstrates someone who believed we should "love one another" in theory, but in actual practice he failed. If Jonah had been willing to see himself as God saw him, he would have realized his colossal selfishness. He actually resented God for forgiving the people of Nineveh when they repented. He was more interested in preserving his reputation as a prophet. The story of healing the blind man related in Mark 8 contrasts the repentance of Nineveh with Bethsaida's stubborn rejection of Christ. "And taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes, and laying His hands upon him, He asked him 'Do you see anything?' And he looked up [gained sight] and said, 'I see men, for I am seeing them like trees, walking about.' Then again He laid His hands upon his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. And He sent him to his home, saying, 'Do not even enter the village'" (vss. 22-26). Why did Jesus lead him out of the village, and after the healing tell him to go home without entering the village? In Matthew 11:21 we find that Bethsaida was one of the cities upon which Jesus had pronounced judgment saying, "Woe unto thee Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago ..." (KJV). In a sad contrast to heathen Nineveh's repentance, Bethsaida had rejected Jesus and His message. There was no value in showing them further evidence of Christ's identity. When the blind man was brought to Christ, apparently no one in town was interested enough to follow them when Jesus led him out of the town, thus they missed witnessing the miracle. Rejecting or even slighting Christ's precious message and His blessings means forfeiting them. If God cannot win our hearts with blessings bestowed, He will attempt to make us aware of our blindness by withdrawing those blessings. Bethsaida was unwilling to see, and therefore she shall not see. In performing the miracle, Jesus began by spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on the man. Not an uncommon practice in medicine of that day, this must be seen to parallel the advice Christ gives to the Laodicean church to obtain eye-salve to anoint those who are spiritually blind (Rev. 3:18). Surprisingly, when the man opened his eyes, the miracle was not complete. When asked what he saw, he said he saw what he perceived as men, but they were like walking trees. It would be easy to explain this odd perception as simply the initial confusion of the new believer, and that is an appropriate application. But maybe there is something deeper. Why use a tree? The English language has a common colloquialism which describes a frantic and confused person as "running around like a chicken with its head cut off." Why didn't this man see a chicken? What do we think of when we think of a tree? A tree is something that grows in the ground and it has roots which anchor it to the ground. It is generally expected to produce something beneficial to its environment, whether it is the tree's fruit, nuts, leaves, seeds, shade or just transforming carbon dioxide to oxygen. It provides habitat for birds, small animals and insects. In the Garden of Eden, a tree provided life-sustaining fruit. When they sinned, Adam and Eve chose the leaves of a fig tree to cover themselves. When Christ saw a fig tree that had leaves but no fruit, He cursed it. What happens if the tree decides it wants to be like men and walk around? It is no longer rooted and grounded to its source of life. Throughout history, God has given humans messages about Who He is and that He loves us unconditionally. As generations came and went, those instructions became distorted by human memories and inclusion of human thinking. The Jewish nation had so distorted the truth about God, their confusion prevented them from recognizing the Messiah when He came. The apostolic church received the true gospel from their exposure to Christ's direct teaching, but the same distortion occurred with the inclusion of satanic inspired human ideas. The reformers began the task of refocusing on the genuine gospel of salvation by faith alone. Unfortunately, the same deadly cycle happened again and God raised up a little group, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which was given the special message for the end time church in the understanding of the Sabbath and the cleansing of the sanctuary. Once again, that message was distorted with concepts of legalism, which took the power out of our arguments regarding the Sabbath and the sanctuary message. "'When you are laboring in a place where souls are just beginning to get the scales from their eyes, and to see men as trees walking, be very careful not to present the truth in such a way as to arouse prejudice, and to close the door of the heart to the truth. Agree with the people on every point where you can consistently do so. Let them see that you love their souls, and want to be in harmony with them so far as possible.' Then she added, with a touch of sadness, 'Oh that I could impress upon all the necessity of laboring in the spirit of Jesus; for I have been shown that souls here in Europe have been turned away from the truth because of a lack of tact and skill in presenting it.'" [1] Once again, God raised up messengers to reinstate the great concepts of revealing the agape of God by the doctrine of righteousness by faith alone, with no contribution by the works of humans as being the only way of salvation. Unless we are rooted and grounded in God's agape love by faith, we will be as men who are trees walking. Those who are privileged to study the message given to the 1888 "messengers," A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner, and to Ellen White, have a serious responsibility that our own repentance is deep, and our understanding is rooted and grounded in the straight testimony of the True Witness. Our own repentance cannot be shallow. "I write this because many in the church are represented to me as seeing men like trees walking. They must have another and deeper experience before they discern the snares spread to take them in the net of the deceiver. There must be no halfway work done now. The Lord calls for stanch, decided, whole-souled men and women to stand in the gap, and make up the hedge. [Isaiah 58:12-14 quoted.] "There is a decided testimony to be borne by all our ministers in all our churches. God has permitted apostasies to take place in order to show how little dependence can be placed in man. We are always to look to God; ..." [2] The parallel between "seeing men like trees walking" and the lukewarmness of Laodicea is apparent. Jesus appeals to His people to repent. What shall they repent of--legalism? The uprooting of trees from their foundation and the cause of lukewarmness in the church is the condition of legalism. The Seventh-day Adventist Church is legalistic because, for all practical purposes, its understanding of faith, is motivated by an individualistic selfish avoidance of hell and hope of reward in heaven. When there is a convergence of individuals who exchange their self-centered love, for faith's true motivation in God's love, then the True Witness's straight testimony will have accomplished its work, and there will be an evangelism explosion the likes of which the earth hasn't seen before. Like the tree that is rooted and grounded, it reaches for moisture and nourishment deep within the soil. So must our roots reach to the deep mysteries so readily available to those willing to study God's word. --Arlene Hill Endnotes: Notes: "Sabbath School Today" is on the Internet at: http://1888mpm.org RR |
Friday, August 5, 2016
Lesson 6. Jesus Mingled With People
| RR |
Friday, July 29, 2016
Sabbath School Today, Lesson 5, Quarter 3-16
[1] The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, pp. 1336, 1337; Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp. 91, 92.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Review and Herald, "The Perils and Privileges of the Last Days," Nov. 22, 1892.
[4] Selected Messages, book 1, p. 235.
Pastor Paul Penno's video of this lesson is on the Internet at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMMo6fdxkx8
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Lesson 3. Justice and Mercy in the Old Testament: Part 1
Sabbath School Today
With the 1888 Message Dynamic
The Role of the Church in the Community
Lesson 3. Justice and Mercy in the Old Testament: Part 1
It's good common sense to remember. The Son of God identifies with the poor and oppressed all over the world, whether or not they understand the gospel. We may not be able to move all the governments and parliaments to do the right thing, but we can proclaim the news about the Son of God to the oppressed of the world. It makes sense to remember that before we spend on personal luxuries.
In Leviticus 25:13-17 we read that any property that was sold since the last Year of Jubilee would revert to its original owner, for the Lord wanted His land to remain with the tribes, clans, and families to which it had been allotted. For parents to care for their families, they had to have land to cultivate, and the private ownership of property gave stability to the economy. The Lord owned the land and only loaned it to His people. He wanted them to have a sense of proprietorship and responsibility in caring for His property. People usually take care of what they themselves own.
Whenever a piece of land was sold, the proximity of the next Year of Jubilee determined the price, for this determined how much produce the new owner could get from the soil. Since the buyer knew full well that the land would eventually revert back to the original owner, he certainly wasn't going to pay more for the land than what he would be able to get out of it. "The land shall not be sold forever" was God's law (vs. 23).
These laws made it impossible for ruthless real estate speculators to accumulate vast land holdings and thus upset the economy. Even the poorest Israelite family received its land back, and by working the land, they could gain enough wealth to meet their needs and perhaps the needs of others. The Year of Jubilee provided a new beginning for the released slaves and the landowners, and this kept poverty and inequality to a minimum. The people were not to oppress one another (vs. 17), but remember that the land was God's and they were only His tenants (vss. 23-24).
If a poor Jew had to sell himself or his property in order to stay alive, he didn't have to wait until the Year of Jubilee to regain either his property or his freedom (vs. 25). At any time, a kinsman who was willing and able to pay the price could redeem him or his land.
If the former owner of the land was too poor to redeem his land, then a near kinsman could do it for him. But if the former owner somehow acquired the necessary wealth, he could redeem it for himself. The price would depend, of course, on the number of years (harvests) until the Year of Jubilee. If the man had neither a willing kinsman nor the necessary wealth, he would have to wait until the Year of Jubilee to regain his property.
The classic example of the law of the kinsman-redeemer is recorded in the book of Ruth, where Boaz redeemed both Ruth and her inheritance and then married her. The "redeemer" who can redeem Naomi's (and now Ruth's) property has to be the "nearest of kin" (cf. 2:20; 3:9; 4:1). This idea inspired the 1888 "messengers."
Writes A. T. Jones: "Man has lost his inheritance and is himself also in bondage. And as he himself cannot redeem himself nor his inheritance, the right of redemption falls to the nearest of kin who is able. And Jesus Christ is the only one in all the universe who is able.
"He must ... be not only near of kin, but the nearest of kin. ... Therefore ... He also Himself ... took part of flesh and blood in very substance like ours, and so became our nearest of kin." [1]
"Boaz could not come in as redeemer until it was found that the one who was nearer than he could not perform the office of redeemer. The redeemer must be not only one who was near of kin, but he must be the nearest among those who were near. ... This is the precise point that is made in the second chapter of Hebrews [vss. 14-18]." [2]
The vast proportion of Christians, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, think of Christ as Someone who belongs in stained glass windows in cathedrals. The popular "dogma of the Immaculate Conception" denies Scripture; it says that the Virgin Mary in the womb of her mother experienced a miraculous breaking of the genetic code that links all humans by our common DNA to the fallen, sinful nature of our fallen Adam, so that Mary was never tempted sexually, and neither was her Son, Jesus. There, with one stroke, we are denied the only Redeemer who can save us from sin and prepare a people who learn to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes," and stand "without fault before the throne of God." That is said of them only because it is true of them, thanks to their Redeemer, "nearest of kin."
The Lord Jesus Christ took upon Himself sinful human flesh and became our "near kinsman" (Heb. 2:5-18), so that He might give Himself as the redemption price and set us free. Only He was qualified to do what had to be done, and He was willing to do it. Not only did He redeem us, but also He gave us a share in and made us a part of His inheritance!
It's unfortunate that the Jewish people didn't follow the laws given in Leviticus 25, for their selfishness and greed brought ruin to the land and their economic system. The prophets rebuked the rich for exploiting the poor and stealing their houses, lands, and even their children (Isa. 3:14-15; 10:1-3; Amos 2:6-7; 5:11). The local courts ignored God's decrees; the judges, enriched by bribes, passed down decisions that favored the wealthy and crushed the poor. But God heard the cries of the poor and one day brought terrible judgment to the people of Israel.
God is concerned about how we use the resources He's given us and how we treat one another in the marketplace. Both ecology and economy are His concern, and He eventually permits judgment to come upon those who exploit others and treat them in ways that are less than humane (Amos chapters 1 and 2). The church of Jesus Christ has thrived under many kinds of political and economic systems and isn't dependent on any of them, but the church must always champion the rights of the poor and the oppressed and use every spiritual weapon to defeat the oppressors.
--Paul E. Penno
Endnotes:
RR[1] A. T. Jones, The Consecrated Way, pp. 30, 31 (Glad Tidings ed.). [2] A. T. Jones, "The Third Angel's Message--No. 14," General Conference Bulletin, vol. 1 (1895), p. 265. |