LESSON 4 *July 16–22
Seeing the Goldsmith’s Face
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Matt. 5:16, 1 Cor. 4:9, Eph.
3:10, Job 23:1–10, Matt. 25:1–12, Dan. 12:1–10, Eph. 4:11–16.
Memory Text: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a
mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same
image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”
(2 Corinthians 3:18, NKJV).
Amy Carmichael took a group of children to a traditional goldsmith
in India. In the middle of a charcoal fire was a curved roof tile. On
the tile was a mixture of salt, tamarind fruit, and brick dust.
Embedded in this mixture was gold. As the fire devoured the mixture, the
gold became purer. The goldsmith took the gold out with tongs and, if it
was not pure enough, he replaced it in the fire with a new mixture. But each
time the gold was replaced, the heat was increased. The group asked, “How
do you know when the gold is purified?” He replied, “When I can see my
face in it.”—Amy Carmichael, Learning of God (Fort Washington, PA:
Christian Literature Crusade, 1989), p. 50.
God is seeking to purify us, to refine us like gold, to transform us into
His image. That’s an astonishing goal, and it seems even more astonishing
that a Christlike character is developed in us only as we pass through life’s
crucibles.
The Week at a Glance: What role does suffering have in the
purifying process? How do we understand all this in the context of the
great controversy?
* Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 23.
EGW Notes — SATURDAY ↓
Sabbath Afternoon, July 16
Lesson 4 - Seeing the Goldsmith’s Face
“And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify
the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer
unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. . . .” This is the process, the
refining, purifying process, which is to be carried on by the Lord of hosts.
The work is most trying to the soul, but it is only through this process that
the rubbish and defiling impurities can be removed. Our trials are all
necessary to bring us close to our heavenly Father, in obedience to His
will, that we may offer to the Lord an offering in
righteousness.—Testimonies for the Church,
vol. 3, p. 541.
The conflicts of earth, in the providence of God, furnish the very
training necessary to develop characters fit for the courts of heaven. We
are to become members of the royal family, the sons of God, and “all
things work together for good” to those who love God, and submit
themselves to His will.
Our God is an ever-present help in every time of need. He is perfectly
acquainted with the most secret thoughts of our heart, with all the intents
and purposes of our souls. When we are in perplexity, even before we
open to Him our distress, He is making arrangements for our deliverance.
Our sorrow is not unnoticed. He always knows much better than we do,
just what is necessary for the good of His children, and He leads us as we
would choose to be led if we could discern our own hearts and see our
necessities and perils, as God sees them. But finite beings seldom know
themselves. They do not understand their own weakness. God knows
them better than they know themselves, and He understands how to lead
them. . . .
If we will trust Him, and commit our ways to Him, He will direct our
steps in the very path that will result in our obtaining the victory over
every evil passion, and every trait of character that is unlike the character
of our divine Pattern.—Our High Calling, p. 316.
Many are deceived concerning the condition of their hearts. They do
not realize that the natural heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked. They wrap themselves about with their own
righteousness, and are satisfied in reaching their own human standard of
character; but how fatally they fail when they do not reach the divine
standard, and of themselves they cannot meet the requirements of God.
We may measure ourselves by ourselves, we may compare ourselves
among ourselves, we may say we do as well as this one or that one, but
the question to which the judgment will call for an answer is, Do we meet
the claims of high heaven? Do we reach the divine standard? Are our
hearts in harmony with the God of
heaven?—Selected Messages, book 1, pp. 320, 321.
SUNDAY July 17
“In His Image”
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to
the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many
brethren”
(Rom. 8:29, NKJV).
In the beginning, God made us in His image (Gen. 1:27), but that image
has been corrupted by sin.
In what ways do we see this defacing of God’s image in humanity?
* Your notes will not be saved!
It’s obvious: we all have been corrupted by sin (Rom. 3:10–19). Yet,
God’s desire is to restore us to what we should have been originally. This is
where our verse today fits in. It reveals God’s plan that those who submit
their lives to the Holy Spirit may be “conformed to the image of his Son”
(Rom. 8:29, NIV).
But there’s another dimension. “The very image of God is to be
reproduced in humanity. The honor of God, the honor of Christ, is involved
in the perfection of the character of His people.”—Ellen G. White, The
Desire of Ages, p. 671.
How do you understand what Ellen White says to us in the quote
cited above? (See also Job 1, Matt. 5:16, 1 Cor. 4:9, and Eph. 3:10.)
As Christians, we must never forget that we are in the midst of a cosmic
drama. The great controversy between Christ and Satan is unfolding all
around us. The battle takes many shapes and is manifested in many ways.
And though much is hidden, we can understand that, as followers of Christ,
we have a part to play in this drama and can bring honor to Christ through
our lives.
Imagine being on the field of a huge stadium. Sitting on the bleachers
on one side are heavenly beings loyal to the Lord; on the other side
are beings who have fallen with Lucifer. If your life for the past 24
hours were played out on that field, which side would have more to
cheer about? What does your answer tell you about yourself?
EGW Notes — SUNDAY ↓
Sunday, July 17
“In His Image”
Such transformation of character as is seen in the life of John is ever
the result of communion with Christ. There may be marked defects in the
character of an individual, yet when he becomes a true disciple of Christ,
the power of divine grace transforms and sanctifies him. Beholding as in a
glass the glory of the Lord, he is changed from glory to glory, until he is
like Him whom he adores.
John was a teacher of holiness, and in his letters to the church he laid
down unerring rules for the conduct of Christians. “Every man that hath
this hope in him,” he wrote, “purifieth himself, even as He is pure.” “He
that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He
walked.” 1 John 3:3; 2:6. He taught that the Christian must be pure in heart
and life. Never should he be satisfied with an empty profession. As God is
holy in His sphere, so fallen man, through faith in Christ, is to be holy in
his sphere.—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 559.
The more you study the character of Christ, the more attractive will He
appear to you. He will become as one near you, in close companionship
with you; your affections will go out after Him. If the mind is molded by
the objects with which it has most to do, then to think of Jesus, to talk of
Him, will enable you to become like Him in spirit and character. You will
reflect His image in that which is great and pure and spiritual. You will
have the mind of Christ, and He will send you forth to the world as His
spiritual representative.—Reflecting Christ, p. 65.
I have been shown that in the future we shall see how closely all our
trials were connected with our salvation, and how these light afflictions
worked out for us “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” . . .
. . . The years of self-denial, of privation, of trial, affliction, and
persecution that Paul endured, he called a moment. The things of the
present time were not considered worth mentioning when compared with
the eternal weight of glory that awaited them when the warfare should be
over. These very afflictions were God’s workmen, ordained for the
perfection of Christian character. Whatever may be the circumstances of
the Christian, however dark and mysterious may be the ways of
Providence, however great his deprivation and suffering, he may look
away from them all to the unseen and the eternal. He has the blessed
assurance that all things are working for his good.—Ellen G. White
Comments, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 1099.
MONDAY July 18
Faith Amid the Refining Fire
It’s one thing to be in a battle; it’s another not even to see the forces
arrayed in that battle. In a sense, this is what we as Christians deal with. We
know that the forces are out there, we can feel them in our lives, and yet, we
have to press ahead in faith, trusting Him “who is invisible” (Heb. 11:27,
NKJV).
Read Job 23:1–10. What is the essence of Job’s struggle? What does
he not see? At the same time, what does he take on faith, despite all his trials?
Even amid his terrible trials, Job trusted in the Lord. Despite everything,
Job was determined to endure. And one of the things that kept him
persevering was gold—not a gold medal; rather, he was looking into the
future and realized that if he held on to God, he would come out the better
for it—he would come out like gold. How much Job knew of what was
happening behind the scenes, we aren’t told. Regardless of how much was
hidden from him, he endured the refining fire anyway.
Do you fear the fire? Do you worry about the heat that circumstances
generate? Perhaps, as with Job, the heat of God seems unexplainable. It
may be the difficulty of adjusting to a new job or a new home. It could be
having to survive ill treatment at work, or even within your own family. It
could be illness or financial loss. Hard as it is to understand, God can use
these trials to refine you and purify you and bring out His image in your
character.
Being proven to be gold seems to be an incentive for Job here,
something to fix his eyes upon, and that helps pull him through his troubles.
It’s a powerful testimony to his character already that, amid all the pain and
suffering, he was able to sense the reality of the purifying process. Also,
however much he didn’t understand, he knew that these trials would refine
him.
In your own experience, how do trials refine and purify? What other
ways could you be refined, other than through suffering?
EGW Notes — MONDAY ↓
Monday, July 18
Faith Amid the Refining Fire
The Christian who loves his heavenly Father may not discern by
outward providences or visible signs any heavenly favor above that given
those with little or no consecration. Often he is sorely afflicted, distressed,
perplexed, and hedged in on every side. Appearances seem to be against
him. . . .
. . . Job was stripped of his earthly treasures, bereaved of his children,
and made a spectacle of loathing to his friends, but in God’s time He
showed He had not forsaken His servant. . . .
If you are called to go through the fiery furnace for His sake, Jesus will
be by your side even as He was with the faithful three in Babylon. Those
who love their Redeemer will rejoice at every opportunity of sharing with
Him humiliation and reproach. The love they bear their Lord makes
suffering for His sake
sweet.—In Heavenly Places, p. 271.
God will reward the man of faith and obedience. If this faith is brought
into the life experience, it will enable everyone who fears and loves God to
endure trials. Moses was full of confidence in God because he had
appropriating faith. He needed help, and he prayed for it, grasped it by
faith, and wove into his experience the belief that God cared for him. He
believed that God ruled his life in particular. He saw and acknowledged
God in every detail of his life and felt that he was under the eye of the Allseeing
One, who weighs motives, who tries the heart. He looked to God
and trusted in Him for strength to carry him uncorrupted through every
form of temptation. He knew that a special work had been assigned to
him, and he desired as far as possible to make that work thoroughly
successful. But he knew that he could not do this without divine aid, for
he had a perverse people to deal with. The presence of God was sufficient
to carry him through the most trying situations in which a man could be
placed.—Testimonies for the Church,
vol. 5, pp. 651, 652.
When trials come to us, let us not dwell upon the greatness of the
difficulties and feel that we cannot have joy in the Lord. It is true we will
have changes of feelings. There will come to us times of discouragement
and depression. But shall we live by feeling or by faith? When our
brethren and friends speak unadvisedly, and cause us grief, let us not be
cast down. Let us remember that we are in a world of trial and grief, of
sorrow and disappointment. When these experiences come to us, they
should drive us to Christ. If they do not, we meet with loss. . . .
The purging is not pleasant, but let us remember that Christ came to
our world and took humanity that He might bear the afflictions that
humanity must bear and be an example of faithful endurance under every
form of trial. God wants us to realize that we are a part of the great human
family, and that we must bear its
tests.—The Upward Look, p. 252.
TUESDAY July 19
Jesus’ Last Words
Jesus was in Jerusalem, about to die. According to Matthew’s Gospel,
Jesus’ last teaching hour before Passover is spent telling His disciples
parables, including the ones about the ten virgins and the sheep and the
goats. These stories are related to the way we should live as we wait for
Jesus to come. Thus, their relevancy to today—with the signs of Jesus’ soon
return all around us—has never been more significant.
In the parable of the ten virgins (Matt. 25:1–12), many commentators
point out that the oil is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Ellen White agrees, but
also says that this oil is a symbol for character and that it is something no
one can acquire for us.
Read the parable. In what ways does the meaning of the story
change, depending on whether you see oil as a symbol of the Holy Spirit
or of the possession of character? What are the implications of this
story for you if the oil represents the Holy Spirit, or a Christlike
character?
Holy Spirit:
Character:
Read the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31–46.
What criteria are used in separating the sheep and the goats?
Notice that the king separates the sheep and the goats based on their
works, their character. Though Jesus is not teaching salvation by works
here, we can see how important character development is in the plan of
salvation and how those who are truly saved by Christ will reflect that
salvation through their lives and characters.
It has been said that “character is what a person is in the dark.”
What sort of person are you when no one is looking? What does the
answer tell you about changes that you need to make?
EGW Notes — TUESDAY ↓
Tuesday, July 19
Jesus’ Last Words
We cannot be ready to meet the Lord by waking when the cry is heard,
“Behold, the Bridegroom!” and then gathering up our empty lamps to have
them replenished. We cannot keep Christ apart from our lives here, and
yet be fitted for His companionship in heaven. . . .
. . . Through the Holy Spirit, God’s word is a light as it becomes a
transforming power in the life of the receiver. By implanting in their
hearts the principles of His word, the Holy Spirit develops in men the
attributes of God. The light of His glory—His character—is to shine forth
in His followers. Thus they are to glorify God, to lighten the path to the
Bridegroom’s home, to the city of God, to the marriage supper of the
Lamb.—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 413, 414.
Humanity has in itself no light. Apart from Christ we are like an
unkindled taper, like the moon when her face is turned away from the
sun; we have not a single ray of brightness to shed into the darkness of
the world. But when we turn toward the Sun of Righteousness, when we
come in touch with Christ, the whole soul is aglow with the brightness of
the divine presence.
Christ’s followers are to be more than a light in the midst of men. They
are the light of the world. Jesus says to all who have named His name, You
have given yourselves to Me, and I have given you to the world as My
representatives. As the Father had sent Him into the world, so, He
declares, “have I also sent them into the world.” John 17:18. As Christ is
the channel for the revelation of the Father, so we are to be the channel for
the revelation of Christ. While our Saviour is the great source of
illumination, forget not, O Christian, that He is revealed through
humanity. God’s blessings are bestowed through human instrumentality.
Christ Himself came to the world as the Son of man. Humanity, united to
the divine nature, must touch humanity. The church of Christ, every
individual disciple of the Master, is heaven’s appointed channel for the
revelation of God to men. Angels of glory wait to communicate through
you heaven’s light and power to souls that are ready to
perish.—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 40.
God calls upon His people to be bright lights in the world shining amid
the darkness of sin. Living the life of the Life-giver brings its reward. He
went about doing good. This, every true follower of His will do, filled with
a sacred sense of his loyalty to God and his duty to his fellow beings.
Through the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, Christians are to grow
in grace, constantly drawing nearer perfection of
character.—The Upward Look, p. 177.
WEDNESDAY July 20
“The Wise”
Yesterday we looked at the importance of character for those waiting for
the Second Coming. Today we will look more specifically at the importance
of character for those who are alive at the second coming of Jesus.
Read Daniel 12:1–10. What is the context? What time in earth’s
history is being referred to? Most important, what can we tell from
these verses about the character of God’s people during these times?
What characteristics are given them, in contrast to the wicked? (See
also Rev. 22:11.)
Daniel is told that just before Jesus comes, there will be a time of
distress unequaled at any other time of history. In Daniel 12:3, 10, we’re
given a depiction of the righteous and the wicked during this time. Notice
how the wicked “ ‘shall do wickedly’ ” (Dan. 12:10, NKJV)in contrast to
the righteous, who in verse 3 shine brightly, perhaps because they have
been “ ‘purified, made spotless and refined’ ” (Dan. 12:10, NIV) during this
“ ‘time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that
time’ ” (Dan. 12:1, NKJV). In contrast, too, the wicked do not understand,
but the righteous are “wise” and do understand.
Understand what? Math, science, higher criticism? Proverbs says that
“the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Prov. 1:7, NKJV).
Perhaps, in this context, the “wise” are wise because they have an
understanding of these final events, the time of trouble as it unfolds. They
are not taken by surprise; from their study of the Word, they know it’s
coming. And most important, they know enough to allow this time of
trouble to purify and refine them; the wicked, on the other hand, are just
made more obstinate in their rebellion and thus continue in their
wickedness.
The crucial point is that here we are given a depiction of a people who
have been through a refining and purifying process.
Though we’ve looked at these texts in the context of the very last
days, what principles do we see here that can help us to understand
better what the purifying and refining process is all about, even
today?
EGW Notes — WEDNESDAY ↓
Wednesday, July 20
“The Wise”
God chose from among the Gentiles a people for Himself, and gave to
them the name of Christian. This is a royal name, given to those who join
themselves to Christ. . . . Peter says: “If any man suffer as a Christian, let
him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” . . .
O that God’s people would take Him at His word, and lay hold of the
wonderful treasure of knowledge opened to them! . . .
We have before us the highest, holiest example. In thought, word, and
deed Jesus was sinless. Perfection marked all that He did. He points us to
the path that He trod, saying, “If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow
me.”—Lift Him Up, p. 291.
One sentence of Scripture is of more value than ten thousand of man’s
ideas or arguments. Those who refuse to follow God’s way will finally
receive the sentence, “Depart from Me.” But when we submit to God’s
way, the Lord Jesus guides our minds and fills our lips with assurance. We
may be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Receiving
Christ, we are clothed with power. An indwelling Saviour makes His
power our property. The truth becomes our stock in trade. No
unrighteousness is seen in the life. We are able to speak words in season
to those who know not the truth. Christ’s presence in the heart is a
vitalizing power, strengthening the entire
being.—Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 71.
The day is coming, and it is close upon us, when every phase of
character will be revealed by special temptation. Those who remain true to
principle, who exercise faith to the end, will be those who have proved
true under test and trial during the previous hours of their probation, and
have formed characters after the likeness of Christ. It will be those who
have cultivated close acquaintance with Christ, who, through his wisdom
and grace, are partakers of the divine nature. But no human being can give
to another, heart-devotion and noble qualities of mind, and supply his
deficiencies with moral power. We can each do much for each other by
giving to men a Christlike example, thus influencing them to go to Christ
for the righteousness without which they cannot stand in the judgment.
Men should prayerfully consider the important matter of characterbuilding,
and frame their characters after the divine model.
Our precious Redeemer is standing before the Father as our intercessor,
and is preparing mansions for all those who believe in him as their
personal Saviour.—The Youth’s Instructor, January 16, 1896.
THURSDAY July 21
Character and Community
A song goes like this: “I am a rock, I am an island.” Have you ever felt
like that—wanting to stand alone? You may even have heard people say,
“Well, my walk with God is a private affair. It’s not something I want to talk
about.”
Read Ephesians 4:11–16. What’s the point Paul is making here?
What role does he give here for community?
When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he describes the church as a body.
Jesus is the Head, and His people make up the rest. If you look at Ephesians
4:13, you will notice the ultimate purpose of living in such a community—it
is to experience “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (NIV). And
for that we need each other!
It certainly is possible to be a Christian all alone. Indeed, as for many
people throughout the centuries who have been ridiculed or persecuted,
standing alone is often unavoidable. It is a powerful witness to the power of
God that men and women do not buckle under the pressures that surround
them. However, while this is true, Paul emphasizes a critical truth:
ultimately, we experience and reveal the fullness of Christ when we are
working together in fellowship with each other.
In today’s text, what does Paul say must happen before the fullness of
Christ may be revealed in our Christian community?
In what way is the witness of a community that is revealing the
fullness of Christ different from the witness of an individual that is
revealing the fullness of Christ? What are the implications for this in
the context of the great controversy? (See Eph. 3:10.)
It’s easy to be nice when you are by yourself or with strangers, but it
is much harder to be nice to people you either know really well or
don’t like. This means that when we still show these people grace and
kindness, we provide an irresistible witness to the truth about God.
EGW Notes — THURSDAY ↓
Thursday, July 21
Character and Community
Those who are of the household of faith should never neglect the
assembling of themselves together; for this is God’s appointed means of
leading His children into unity, in order that in Christian love and
fellowship they may help, strengthen, and encourage one another. . . .
As brethren of our Lord, we are called with a holy calling to a holy,
happy life. Having entered the narrow path of obedience, let us refresh
our minds by communion with one another and with God. As we see the
day of God approaching, let us meet often to study His Word and to
exhort one another to be faithful unto the
end.—Our High Calling, p. 166.
While Paul possessed high intellectual endowments, his life revealed
the power of a rarer wisdom, which gave him quickness of insight and
sympathy of heart, and brought him into close touch with others, enabling
him to arouse their better nature and inspire them to strive for a higher
life. His heart was filled with an earnest love for the Corinthian believers.
He longed to see them revealing an inward piety that would fortify them
against temptation. He knew that at every step in the Christian pathway
they would be opposed by the synagogue of Satan and that they would
have to engage in conflicts daily. . . .
The Corinthian believers needed a deeper experience in the things of
God. They did not know fully what it meant to behold His glory and to be
changed from character to character. They had seen but the first rays of
the early dawn of that glory. Paul’s desire for them was that they might be
filled with all the fullness of God, following on to know Him whose going
forth is prepared as the morning, and continuing to learn of Him until
they should come into the full noontide of a perfect gospel
faith.—The Acts of the Apostles, pp. 307, 308.
God is leading a people out from the world upon the exalted platform
of eternal truth, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. He will
discipline and fit up His people. They will not be at variance, one believing
one thing and another having faith and views entirely opposite, each
moving independently of the body. Through the diversity of the gifts and
governments that He has placed in the church, they will all come to the
unity of the faith. . . .
It is necessary that our unity today be of a character that will bear the
test of trial. We have many lessons to learn, and many, many to unlearn.
God and heaven alone are infallible. Those who think that they will never
have to give up a cherished view, never have occasion to change an
opinion, will be disappointed. As long as we hold to our own ideas and
opinions with determined persistency, we cannot have the unity for which
Christ prayed.—Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, pp. 29, 30.
FRIDAY July 22
Further Thought: Read Ellen G. White, “God Promises Us a New
Heart of Flesh,” p. 100, in Sons and Daughters of God; “ ‘To Meet the
Bridegroom,’ ” pp. 405–421, in Christ’s Object Lessons; “The Time of
Trouble,” pp. 613–634, in The Great Controversy.
“Character building is the most important work ever entrusted to human
beings; and never before was its diligent study so important as now. Never
was any previous generation called to meet issues so momentous; never
before were young men and young women confronted by perils so great as
confront them today.”—Ellen G. White, Education, p. 225.
“In the parable, the foolish virgins are represented as begging for oil,
and failing to receive it at their request. This is symbolic of those who have
not prepared themselves by developing a character to stand in a time of
crisis. It is as if they should go to their neighbors and say, Give me your
character, or I shall be lost. Those that were wise could not impart their oil
to the flickering lamps of the foolish virgins. Character is not transferable. It
is not to be bought or sold; it is to be acquired. The Lord has given to every
individual an opportunity to obtain a righteous character through the hours
of probation; but he has not provided a way by which one human agent may
impart to another the character which he has developed by going through
hard experiences, by learning lessons from the great Teacher, so that he can
manifest patience under trial, and exercise faith so that he can remove
mountains of impossibility.”—Ellen G. White, The Youth’s Instructor,
January 16, 1896.
Discussion Questions:
-
1. What does “character building” mean? How can you do this?
How much of a visible priority is character building within your own
life and your church community?
-
2. Thursday’s study talked about the important role of community
in the life of a Christian. How well does your local church function as
the body of Christ? How well do you represent the Lord as a
community? As a class, talk about what you can do to improve.
-
3. As a class, talk about the question of why character building is
important, even though we are saved by faith alone in Jesus. Since
His righteousness and His perfect character are what save us, then
why do we need to develop character?
-
4. Helen Keller, who was deaf and blind from an early age, wrote,
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through
experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision
cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”—Leadership, vol.
17, no. 4. Do you agree? Discuss the relationships between character,
suffering, and the great controversy.
EGW Notes — FRIDAY ↓
Friday, July 22
For Further Reading
Sons and Daughters of God, “God Promises Us a New Heart of Flesh,” p. 100;
Testimonies for the Church, “Press Together,” vol. 6, p. 292.
INSIDE STORY
Part 4: Plotting With Spirits
By ANDREW MCCHESNEY
Months passed before Mother and Junior learned why Father had
abandoned them for two months and lived in the Candomblé temple in
Manaus, Brazil. It was because Junior wanted to become a Seventh-day
Adventist.
After seeing a man baptized at Alpha Seventh-day Adventist
Community Church, Junior told Mother that he also wanted to be baptized.
Mother told Father, and Father, at the temple, was ordered by evil spirits to
stop the plan.
At home, Father tried to convince Junior to reconsider, but the boy stood
firm. The evil spirits stepped up their pressure, telling Father that he would
be destroyed if he did not stop Junior. Father didn’t understand how
Junior’s baptism could destroy him, but he agreed to a plan by the spirits to
move out of the house. The spirits said Mother would lose both her husband
and her job on the same day, and she would stop taking Junior to church.
Father didn’t want to leave home, and he worried about the plan all day. But
when Mother arrived home late from a church event that night, he angrily
decided to leave.
At first, the plan unfolded as predicted. The next day, Father left the
house, and Mother lost her job. But the rest of the plan fell through. The
spirits had hoped that Mother would run out of money and stop taking
Junior to church. But when Mother couldn’t afford to buy gasoline, church
members offered rides in their cars. After two months, the spirits declared
that they would create a new plan to prevent Junior from being baptized.
They told Father to return home.
Meanwhile, Junior had started Bible studies in preparation for baptism.
He joined Pathfinders, participated in the church’s music program, and
helped operate the church’s sound system. Although the evil spirits had
promised to stop Junior from being baptized, the boy’s desire only grew. To
Father’s chagrin, Mother also started talking about getting baptized.
Pastor Ricardo set the date for Junior’s baptism on October 29, a year
after the boy had first heard about the Adventist Church at his friend
Clifferson’s house. Mother longed to be baptized at the same time. When
she told Pastor Ricardo, he gazed at her seriously. “You cannot be baptized
because you’re not legally married,” he said. The words hit Mother like a
punch. Her common-law marriage was blocking her desire to be baptized
with Junior. Pastor Ricardo saw her disappointment. “Don’t worry,” he said.
“Ask Eduardo to marry you.”
Tears flowed down Mother’s cheeks as she left church. She doubted
Father would agree, but she sought him out. “I have a question. No matter
how you answer, our relationship won’t change. Will you marry me?”
Father pursed his lips into a pouty, puppy-dog expression. Then his face
grew serious. “No,” he said. “I’ll never marry you.”
Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering will help open eight churches in the South American Division,
including four in Brazil, where Father (EDUARDO FERREIRA DOS SANTOS) and his family live.
Provided by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission, which uses Sabbath School
mission offerings to spread the gospel worldwide. Read new stories daily at
AdventistMission.org.
