The Undercover Adventist

  Sabbath School First and Second Corinthians  Love-Driven Ministry Lesson 9 - Tuesday When Changed Plans Are an Expression of Love Read 2 Corinthians 1:15–2:4 and 1 Corinthians 16:5–7 Sometimes love is misunderstood. We may make a decision because we care deeply about someone, yet that person may interpret our decision as rejection, disappointment, or lack of concern. This appears to have happened between Paul and the believers in Corinth. Some of the Corinthians questioned Paul's sincerity because his travel plans had changed. They apparently interpreted the change as evidence that Paul was unreliable or that he did not really care about them. But when we examine Paul's circumstances and his original plans, we discover something very different. Paul's Original Plan In 1 Corinthians 16:5–7, Paul explained: “I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia...” His original intention was to travel through Macedonia and then visit Corinth. He even hoped to spend some...

  Sabbath School First and Second Corinthians  Love-Driven Ministry Lesson 9 - Monday When Your Motives Are Questioned Read 2 Corinthians 1:12–14; 2:17; 4:2 One of the most painful experiences in life is to have our motives questioned when we know our intentions were sincere. We may do something because we genuinely want to help, only to have someone assume we had selfish reasons. We may make a difficult decision for what we believe is the right reason, only to have others misunderstand it. Paul experienced something similar in his relationship with the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 1:12, Paul writes: “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity... we have had our conversation in the world.” Paul was confident that he had acted with sincerity. He wasn't claiming to be perfect. Rather, he was saying that his conduct toward the Corinthians had been motivated by genuine love and integrity rather than selfish ambition. Paul Ha...

  Sabbath School First and Second Corinthians  Love-drive Ministry Lesson 9 - Sunday Thanksgiving in the Midst of Suffering Read 2 Corinthians 1:3–11 Life has a way of reminding us that suffering is part of the human experience. Sometimes it comes through illness, loss, disappointment, financial struggles, broken relationships, uncertainty, or simply the burdens that accumulate over time. Even faithful Christians are not exempt from suffering. Yet when Paul begins his second letter to the Corinthians, he does something remarkable. Instead of beginning with a complaint about his hardships, he begins with thanksgiving . He writes: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.” —2 Corinthians 1:3 Paul had experienced tremendous suffering. He had been rejected, persecuted, beaten, imprisoned, and threatened with death. Nevertheless, he could still praise God. The God Who Comforts Us Paul's thanksgiving was not based o...

  Sabbath School First and Second Corinthians Lesson 9  Love-driven Ministry You may use this for presenting and studying the current Sabbath School Lesson. > Download the Notes for Lesson 9 Video Love-Driven Ministry Here (Video is Below) Lesson 9 Daily Devotionals:  Sunday: Thanksgiving   Monday: Simplicity and Sincerity   Tuesday: Changing Plans for Love     More Daily Devotionals to Come!   Sabbath School 3rd Quarter Online: First and Second Corinthians Quarterly  

  Have you ever looked back and wondered, “Where did the time go?” Perhaps you remember your children when they were small, your first day at a particular job, or a time in your life that seems like yesterday. Yet years have passed. The older we become, the more quickly the years seem to disappear. That experience can help us understand something about the second coming of Jesus. For us, it may seem as though Christ has been gone for a very long time. Nearly two thousand years have passed since the angels declared, “This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Generation after generation has waited. Some have wondered why Jesus has not returned yet. Others have grown discouraged by what appears to be a delay. But Scripture gives us a different perspective. God Has Not Forgotten His Promise Peter wrote: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness” (2 Peter 3:9). ...

  Sabbath School First and Second Corinthians  The Power of Christ's Reurrection Lesson 8 - Friday Further Thought  The disciples who followed Jesus had something we do not have: they actually saw the risen Christ. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His followers, spoke with them, ate with them, and gave them instructions concerning the coming mission. The book of Acts repeatedly emphasizes that the apostles were eyewitnesses of the resurrection . Acts 1:22 speaks of someone who had been with Jesus from the beginning and could become a witness “with us of His resurrection.” Peter declared in Acts 2:32, “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.” In Acts 3:15, Peter boldly proclaimed that the religious leaders had killed “the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.” Acts 4:33 says that the apostles gave witness “with great power” to the resurrection of Jesus. And in Acts 5:30–32, Peter and the other apostles a...

  A Biblical Guide to the Gift of Tongues Few subjects in Christianity generate as much discussion and disagreement as speaking in tongues . Some Christians consider tongues one of the clearest signs of the Holy Spirit. Others believe the biblical gift refers primarily to the miraculous ability to speak languages one had never learned. Still others understand some passages as allowing a form of Spirit-inspired speech that may not be understood by the speaker or congregation. So, what does the Bible actually say? A careful reading of Scripture shows that speaking in tongues was a genuine gift of the Holy Spirit , but the Bible also places important boundaries around its use. The purpose of spiritual gifts is not to elevate an individual but to glorify God, communicate the gospel, and build up the church. From an Adventist perspective, the strongest biblical evidence indicates that the gift of tongues normally refers to real human languages miraculously spoken by people who had not l...