The Undercover Adventist

  Sabbath School First and Second Corinthians  Love-Driven Ministry Lesson 9 - Wednesday Love That Restores Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 7:5–13; 2 Corinthians 2:5–11 Paul’s relationship with the believers in Corinth was not always easy. He had written to them with strong words of correction because he loved them and wanted to see them grow in Christ. His letter caused sorrow, but it was a sorrow that ultimately produced repentance and restoration. In 2 Corinthians 7:5–13 , Paul explains that when he arrived in Macedonia, he was troubled and discouraged. Yet God comforted him through the arrival of Titus, who brought encouraging news about the Corinthians. They had responded to Paul’s letter with genuine repentance. Their sorrow had not driven them away from God; instead, it had led them to recognize their wrong and make things right. Paul rejoiced—not because he had made them feel bad, but because their sorrow had produced a change of heart. He writes that they were made s...

  A Biblical Look at What Adventists Believe Are Seventh-day Adventists Christians? Yes. Seventh-day Adventists identify as Christians and believe that salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ. They accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God and center their faith on the life, death, resurrection, ministry, and second coming of Jesus Christ. Because Seventh-day Adventists have some distinctive teachings, however, people sometimes wonder whether they should be considered Christian. Questions about the Sabbath, the state of the dead, Ellen G. White, the investigative judgment, diet, and end-time prophecy can make Adventism seem unfamiliar to Christians from other traditions. The best way to understand the question is to look at what Adventists actually believe about Jesus and the central teachings of Christianity. What Is a Christian? The word Christian ultimately refers to someone who belongs to Christ. In the New Testament, believers in Jesus were first called Christians a...

  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   Wednesday: Forgiveness and Reaffirmation of Love   Thursday: Triumph of Christ   Friday Further Thought: Strength in Midst of Weakness      More on Lesson 9:   When Trouble is Beyond our Strength   When Our Motives are Questioned   Your Plans May Change, But God Doesn't        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). ...