5-17-13 Highway of Holiness part 7

Transcripts of Sabbath Studies for review and discussion
Adriel
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Joined: May 29th, 2012, 8:41 pm

5-17-13 Highway of Holiness part 7

Postby Adriel » May 18th, 2013, 10:14 pm

Zahakiel : I will ask Bro. Abraham to start with an opening prayer.

Guest_Abraham : ok

Guest_Abraham : Our loving and holy Father in heaven. We bow ourselves before you here in thanksgiving and praise. We thank you that though we are separated by space and time.

Guest_Daphna : Hello

Guest_Abraham : Yet we are able to meet to share this holy time together with one another and with you. And we do look forward to the things that will be shared here by the inspiration that You shall give. In Yahshua’s name we pray. Amen

Barbli : Amen Edwin: Amen Scovia: Amen
Zahakiel : Amen.
Adriel : Amen
Guest_PETER : Amen, Amen, Amen.
Guest_Daphna : Amen
Naraiel31 : Amen, Amen, Amen
Zahakiel : Happy Sabbath
Pastor_Chick_CSDA_7 : Amen.
Guest_eagles : Amen.
Guest_Ruthline-Gloria : Amen.

Zahakiel : This week, we are continuing to go through the book Highway of Holiness, since we had only two chapters left at the conclusion of the recent Feast of Unleavened Bread. While this body of work is subtitled as “A Baptismal Guidebook,” the fact of the matter is, even experienced members can benefit from reviewing what we have learned, and reflecting on the light that we have in order to obtain new insights. During the course of the feast, we covered a lot of vital principles. We talked about the character of our Father in Heaven. We looked at the Gospel as expressed in the Three Angels’ Message. We looked at distinctive Adventist doctrines, and then at uniquely CSDA teachings that are designed to purify us, and to prepare us to unite in a visible way with the society of Heaven. We spoke about communication, and the Church structure as Yah has appointed. On the last day of the feast, we spoke about the inspired works we use as guides, primarily the Scriptures and, to a more limited extent, the works of Ellen White and other Adventist pioneers
This week, we are looking at the seventh chapter of 8, which is called “The Traveler’s Song.” It deals primarily with the concept of evangelism, something that we were speaking about during the weeks leading up to the Feast. The chapter begins by looking at one of the many “paradoxes” that express the truth about Christianity. Evangelism, which is reaching out to others, begins with a proper understanding of “self worth.”
In order to be proper vessels of the Holy Spirit, equipped to serve others, we need to accept two apparently contradictory statements. The first of these is that we are worth nothing at all, from the perspective of Eternity. The Scriptures say, “How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in His sight. How much less man, that is a worm? And the son of man, which is a worm?” (Job 25:4-6)

The second of these is that we are worth an infinite price. “For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1Cor 6:20)

As with all doctrines, as we have discussed recently, there are ditches on both sides of the road here. Those who have too high an opinion of themselves, they forget that we only have this value because Yah has placed it upon us. There is nothing of ourselves, regardless of our talents and abilities, that have any objective value, and therefore our entire worth is caught up in our connection to Yahshua. Those who have too low an opinion of themselves fall into the sinful states of depression, despair or indifference. If we are to reach out to others in love, we need to be able to relate, and be joyful about, what Yah has done for us personally. Being on either extreme of this concept entirely destroys our ability to give a vital, effective testimony. Once we know who we are in Yahshua, the next step is to be able to communicate this clearly to others.

Testimony is one of the most important examples of human communication, and we need to make sure that we set a good example in this practice. Yahweh says of His redeemed in the last days, “then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of Yahweh, to serve Him with one consent.” (Zeph 3:9) Our words, as the Scriptures tell us, reflect the state of our hearts. That is why, in this covenant, we have committed to having a pure speech. We avoid exaggeration, and speak straightforward truth, free of “base” expressions and common slang terms. This may seem to be a “minor” thing to some people, but the impact of the decision is significant. I’ve seen some Christian groups, in an effort to appear “relatable” to the world (and its young people in particular) adopt the speech patterns of their audience, try to use familiar terms, and generally come off sounding artificial and insincere.

The world, regardless of how IT speaks, and how IT acts, can appreciate a high standard, and a good example. Whether those caught up in Babylon can openly admit it or not, they crave the dignity and pure nature of a confident, well-spoken individual. As some have said, our goal is not to bring the Church down to the world, but the world up to the Church. We can only facilitate this by ensuring that our speech is pure, and our words sincere and honest.
We have been blessed to receive several “rules of thumb” in order to assist us in developing and maintaining a pure speech. These include using “I” Messages. Beginning a sentence with “I” rather than “you” can make a significant difference in how our statements are received in some cases. For example, when pointing out an error, “I believe you have made a mistake” is more palatable to many people than, “You’ve made a mistake.” The first sentence invites discussion, communication, while the second seems more accusatory, which serves only to shut communication off more quickly. Similarly, “I would like you to help me with this” is an encouraging invitation, which can draw out the kindness of another person. “You should help me with this” implies that the person is already doing something wrong by not offering to help.
Another is putting ourselves into our hearers’ place. We use an illustration of two individuals standing on opposite sides of a tree trunk. One observer can see a “knot” in the wood, while the other is unable to see it, even though they are looking at the very same object. Perspective is important, and we need to ask ourselves, when discussing doctrine, testimony, or anything else, with others, “Do they see where I am coming from? Can they relate to what I am saying?” This is why asking questions, as Yahshua did, is a good way to draw people closer to you when speaking with them.
We also, when communicating and interacting with others, want to avoid what we refer to as the “sin of officiousness.” This is a term that comes up from time to time in our meetings, and it refers to the practice of inserting ourselves into conversations by way of unwanted advice, or unnecessary assistance. Officiousness is a subtle sin to catch, because it looks a lot like genuine helpfulness; the difference is that officiousness is more about the one who is offering the help than those who may not even need it. The officious individual seeks to help others, not out of a spirit of agape love, but out of an impulse that needs fulfillment – to be seen as wise, helpful, and important. If there is a spirit of officiousness in one who is seeking to evangelize, to testify to others, they will pick up on it, even if they cannot identify it for what it is, and our work for the Master will not be effective.
Generally speaking, when evangelizing others, we need to make sure that we are approaching them at their own level , as I mentioned above, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about this.

Some groups believe that being “at the same level” as an audience means speaking like them, using their expressions, and mimicking their attitudes about certain things. This is not the outworking of a proper principle. When putting ourselves on the same level as the ones with whom we are speaking means expressing to them – sincerely, honestly, earnestly – that we are in the same boat, spiritually speaking.
All of us need Yahshua, first to meet and accept Him (as they do) and then to abide within Him moment by moment (as we do). Whether sinner or saint, our lives are entirely defined by our relationship to the Savior, and utterly dependent upon Him. If we try to make ourselves “like” our audience in terms of their sin, they will actually see us as beneath them; after all, if we are acting as if we have something they need, but we have not been improved by it, something is obviously wrong. At the same time, if we speak to them as if we have all the answers, and they have nothing of value to share with us, we will encounter similar resistance. What we must do is reveal to them the genuine love that Yah has for them, as expressed through those of us who genuinely share His Spirit and His intentions.
When dealing with an evangelical ministry, it is important to note that (in most cases) our responsibility starts with our homes. If we have wives, children, or other dependents (that have not rejected us or our message) then our first work in Christ is to set an example before them of the purity of our faith to the extent that they are willing to see it. After this, we have relatives, friends and acquaintances with whom we can speak. Beyond that, we have our community, and then the world. What this means is, all of us have something that we can do, all of us have an appointed audience we can reach. All of us have opportunities to speak words of life, so that others may hear and be converted.
There are a number of other matters that this chapter covers; however, they are on a slightly different topic, and I believe we have enough here for discussion, so I will end at this point. We can resume talking about the rest of the chapter next week.
At this time, then, are there any questions or comments about the material we have covered tonight?
Guest_eagles : Q
Zahakiel : Go ahead.

Guest_eagles : Did Job actually write the book of Job? End

Zahakiel : Well... I'm not really seeing the connection but... it is my understanding that Moses did.

Guest_eagles : Q
Zahakiel : Go ahead.

Guest_eagles : Was it Moses then who you quoted in Job saying man is likened to a worm?

Zahakiel : No, those were Job's words.

Guest_eagles : Q
Zahakiel : Go ahead.

Guest_eagles : Job was a man of God, speaking his opinion...Is there anywhere in the Bible that a prophet of God verifies this thinking? End

Zahakiel : There is. Isaiah also calls Jacob, collectively all of Israel, a "worm." Isa 41:14. The principle is also reflected in other ways. Psa 103:14 says that we are "dust," for example.

Guest_eagles : Thank you. As in we are created from dust? End

Zahakiel : Well, the Psalm verse reads, "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." So it is in terms of both origin and strength.

Any others with comments or questions?

Barbli : Edwin C
Zahakiel : Go ahead.

Barbli : As Bro. David was saying about evangelizing... In John, chapter 15, verse 5, Yahshua says that He is the vine, then we are the branches. Therefore, when we are evangelizing... We should also ask Him to give us His Spirit so that the Spirit may explain to those people we are telling the message to. End
Zahakiel : That is certainly true. We are to speak from our understanding of principle, and also from direct inspiration if we are so led.
All right, if there aren't any further questions or comments, I will ask pastor to close our meeting with a prayer.

Pastor_Chick_CSDA_7 : Dear Father in Heaven. Bless us with Your presence this Sabbath. May our rest be as our souls. In YAHSHUA's name, AMEN.
Lucan : Amen
Naraiel31 : Amen
Guest_PETER : Amen, Amen, Amen.
Guest_Daphna186324746157299897 : Amen
Zahakiel : Amen.
Guest_Abraham : Amen
Adriel : Amen
Barbli : Amen Edwin: Amen Scovia: Amen
Guest_eagles : Amen.
Guest_Gadriel : Amen & Amen

Zahakiel : So, who is Scovia? Will you introduce yourself?
Barbli : Scovia is Edwin's wife.
Zahakiel : Ah. Nice to meet you.
Adriel : yes
Barbli : She does not speak much English, but Edwin is translating to her.
Zahakiel : Very good.

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