|
||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||
Commentary on "Corporate Evangelism and Witnessing"
Day 6: Thursday, May 17, 2012 - The Need for Corporate Unity
OVERVIEW
Today's lesson stresses how eternally vital it is to make sure new believer's are properly integrated into the church "body of believers."
OBSERVATIONS
Regarding new converts, today's lesson uses terminology such as:
- "body of believers"
- "entire church"
- "accept Christ and to join His church"
- "become solidly grounded in the church community and its teachings"
Such terminology makes it "sound" like the lesson is teaching us about properly integrating new converts into the actual body of Christ no matter the denomination. However, that is NOT what today's lesson means. When SDA's use this terminology, they mean integrate converts into the system of Adventism alone, along with it's unique teachings. SDAs view Christians outside of Adventism, as part of Babylon and often refer to them as "half baked" or "half converted" Christians.
Today's concluding statement also reflects the SDA lack of understanding regarding the plan of salvation:
"Too often we lament the fact that new people come in the front door and leave by the back door soon after. This is a tragedy of eternal consequence."
Scripture teaches people who leave, NEVER were converted in the first place.
"They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us." —1 John 2:19
True converts may leave a certain denomination, but they cannot leave the actual body of Christ!
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. —John 10:27-29
When referring to new converts, statements such as this, "Too often we lament the fact that new people come in the front door and leave by the back door soon after. This is a tragedy of eternal consequence" reflect a weakened gospel, by negating what John just taught us about salvation security, "no one is able to snatch them of the Father's hand."
SUMMARY
The focus of today's lesson is about making SDA converts, which is a system that is not inclusive of the whole body of Christ that exists outside of its walls.
Copyright 2012 BibleStudiesForAdventists.com. All rights reserved. Revised May 9, 2012. This website is published by Life Assurance Ministries, Camp Verde, Arizona, USA, the publisher of Proclamation! Magazine. Contact email: BibleStudiesForAdventists@gmail.com.
The Sabbath School Bible Study Guide and the corresponding E.G. White Notes are published by Pacific Press Publishing Association, which is owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist church. The current quarter's editions are pictured above.
Official Adventist Resources
Standard Edition Study Guide Week 7
Teacher's Edition Study Guide Week 7
Easy Reading Edition Study Guide Wk 7
Search the Complete Published Ellen G. White Writings
Please Support This Project
