Word Up!April 1

8,

2015

SundayHERE’S WHAT I THINK

How often do you study the Bible to see what God has to say to you?

o Every day o Once a week o Once a month

o 3-4 times a year o Almost never

Log on to www.guidemagazine.org/rtf to post your responses. Be up-front and honest. Say what you think.

MondayWHAT ARE THEY TRYING TO SAY?

Different people, different opinions. Some of the quotations below represent the views of true kingdom citizens; others may not. Can you tell the difference? How do these statements compare with what God is saying in His Word? After reviewing the texts in the God Says . . . section of the lesson, write a statement that captures your belief. Be prepared to quote yourself at Sabbath School.

“All Word and no Spirit, we dry up; all Spirit and no Word, we blow up; both Word and Spirit, we grow up.”—David C.K. Watson, 20th-century evangelist

and author.

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”—Martin Luther, 16th-century German Reformation leader.

“A Bible that’s falling apart probably belongs to someone who isn’t.” —Christian Johnson.

“I ask with all my strength what God is trying to say to us through [the Bible]; since I have learnt to read the Bible in this way it becomes more marvelous to me every day.”—Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 20th-century German

theologian.

“The Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.”—Dwight L. Moody, 19th-century U.S. evangelist.

“The Word of God is demanding. It demands a stretch of time in our day—even though it be a very modest one—in which it is our only companion. . . . God will not put up with being fobbed off with prayers in telegram style and cut short like a troublesome visitor for whom we open the door just a crack to get rid of him as quickly as possible.”—

Helmut Thielicke, 20th-century German theologian.

“There is nothing more calculated to strengthen the intellect than the study of the Scriptures. No other book is so potent to elevate the thoughts, to give vigor to the faculties, as the broad, ennobling truths of the Bible. If God’s Word were studied as it should be, men would have a breadth of mind, a nobility of character, and a stability of purpose rarely seen in these times.”—Ellen G. White, 19th-century inspired writer and church cofounder.

THE BOUNTY’S BIBLE

(What connection do you think the following illustration has with the Bible texts in Wednesday’s section?)

In 1787, on a ship called the Bounty, William Bligh made a voyage to the South Pacific on a mission to collect breadfruit trees. Of course, a crew of men willingly signed on for the journey when they heard it was a trip to such a beautiful place. Bligh made his friend Fletcher Christian his second in command. The men loved Tahiti so much that they didn’t want to leave. When ordered to do so, several men attempted to run and hide, but were caught and severely punished. The drama of wrench-ing these men from their tropical paradise soured the atmosphere on the Bounty to the point of rebellion. In 1789 Captain Bligh’s own friend Fletcher Christian instigated a mutiny that would be written about and portrayed in movies for years to come. In the middle of the ocean, Bligh and those who remained faithful to him were abandoned on a lifeboat to make their own way to land.

With the captain gone it would seem that the crew would be happy. However, those left on the Bounty continued to fight about what to do and where to go. Fletcher Christian returned to Tahiti and kidnapped some women and slaves before the group made their way to Pitcairn Island. The group began to quarrel. They quickly learned to distill alco-hol. Crimes such as murder, rape, and stealing became common, and by 1808, all the men were dead, either from disease or murder, except John Adams. He was the only man left on the deserted island with a group of women and children.

What does this story have to do with the Bible? Adams found a Bible that had been left on the Bounty. He pored through the passages of Scripture, and as he studied, God’s Word penetrated deep into his heart. He began to share the good news of Scripture with those in his little community. They learned of God’s love for them through this ne-glected Book that had simply taken up space on the ship. Twenty years later, when another ship happened upon Pitcairn Island, the crew found a happy, wholesome Christian community with no sign of the evil qual-ities that had brought the people to the island in the first place. Today that Bible sits on display on Pitcairn Island as a testimony of the power of God’s message to people.

Copyright © 2015 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Write your own quotation.What I say is . . .

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Key Text: Choose one of the texts from Wednesday’s section of the lesson. Write it here and memorize it this week.

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WednesdayGOD SAYS . . .

Hebrews 1:1, 2 (NIV)“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”

John 21:25 (NIV)“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”

John 20:30, 31 (NIV)“Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

1 Thessalonians 2:13 (NIV)“And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.”

Isaiah 55:8-11 (NIV)“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will ac-complish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.’”

Romans 15:4 (NIV)“For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encourage-ment they provide we might have hope.”

Psalm 102:18 (NIV)“Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.”

FridayHOW DOES IT WORK?

There are two basic questions to ask yourself as you study the Bible. Take time to listen to God’s Word this week and think about these two questions as a framework for your study. Journal your thoughts about what God is trying to say to you, and plan a course of action for how you might apply that to your life this week.

What is God saying to me in this passage?

What am I going to do about it?

TuesdaySO WHAT?

“Nearly nine out of 10 churched teenagers said their church experience exposed them to Bible stories (95 percent), taught them about the lives of great people in the Bible (92 percent), and gave them fun experiences related to religion (89 percent). But only half (53 percent) said their church experience helped them understand the Bible well enough to help them make decisions based on biblical principles.”—From “Real

Religion,” Christian Parenting Today (Winter 2003).

What’s the problem? Few people would ever say that the Bible is useless. People who go to church would maintain that it is very import-ant. But when it comes to living out the truths in God’s Word and putting them into practice, people tend to shut down. To illustrate this point, Jesus told the parable of the wise man who built his house on the rock. He said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock” (Matthew 7:24, 25, NIV). Of course, the foolish man illustrates someone who hears God’s Word but doesn’t put it into practice.

It may be that we just don’t know how to integrate the messages of Scripture into our lives. It may be that we haven’t discovered how God can speak to us through His Word. It may be that we know which day is the Sabbath but we haven’t truly rested with Sabbath rest. You might be able to articulate what happens when a person dies, according to Scripture, but have you ever had to share the words of Scripture with someone who was grieving the loss of a loved one?

It may be that the missing link in our communication with God is learn-ing how to allow His Word to shape the way we live each moment.

ThursdayWHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME?

Justine received weekly letters from her grandmother who lived across the country. There were coupons, newspaper clippings, and weather complaints in each letter. Each week Justine could almost guess what would be in the letter. She wrote back, although not quite as faithfully. While at summer camp she received a typical letter from Grandma. Someone in her cabin noticed the letter and asked about it. Her response was glib and not well thought out. “My grandma is always sending me this stuff. Every week I get a letter from her with all this stuff in it. I never know what to do with it.” The fellow camper said, “Well, it’s obvious that she loves you very much.” Those words struck Justine in a powerful way. She never really thought about why her grandma would write so often. Such a simple consideration changed the way she read each letter.

Maybe the reason God has spoken through the Bible needs to sink into your heart today. If you remembered why God wrote the Bible, would it change the way you read it? Understanding the purpose of Scripture can provide the right mood in which to read it. It’s a letter from Someone who dearly loves you. The words are old and the stories are somewhat dated, but the message inside the Bible screams about how much you matter to God.

WORD UP! / April 18, 2015

Copyright © 2015 General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists