♪ theme music ♪ (Derek) Welcome to Hope Sabbath School, an in-depth, interactive study of the Word of God. We're in the middle of a very practical series, education from the Bible; we've called it <i>Lessons for Life,</i> today, <i>The Church as a Place of Learning.</i> You say, "Derek, church is just something I'm supposed to do once a week." No, church can be a place where we can learn, learn how to love as Jesus did, learn to reflect the light of Jesus, learn to be disciples, learn more of God's life-changing truth. We're going to discover that this is a great blessing when we find church as God intends. So, I'm glad you're with us for our study today, and welcome to our team. Here we are again, the faithful few during this pandemic. People write to us and say, "We miss the other seven," and I would say we miss the other seven, too. But we're praying this pandemic would be over soon. But God is working in this series in spite of the restrictions due to the global health pandemic. We're glad that you're able to join us. Hopefully you don't have to be wearing a mask while you're with us, but we're glad that you write to us as well: sshope@hopetv.org. We've got a few emails. We're always so encouraged. We get excited when we hear from you. Here's a note from Jery in Madagascar. "It's a big joy for me and my family during this lockdown period,"
health pandemic, "to follow together this Hope Sabbath School program every Sabbath in the morning. My wife and I were not Adventist members, but according to the will of the Holy Spirit, we believe firmly we have become part of the heavenly association." (Team) Amen. (Derek) "We really enjoy
this weekly program because it makes our faith stronger and the knowledge of the Word of God grow. We also study English at home, so this program helps us to improve our ability. Thanks so much; may God bless always this program for the glory of His name." (Team) Amen. (Derek) Well, Jery, thanks for writing to us from the beautiful island
of Madagascar. We're glad God is working in your heart. C.H., just initials, C.H. writes to us from North Carolina in the United States and says, "I'm a Baptist by faith and have been watching Hope Sabbath School for almost a year. Your in-depth study of the Bible has really been a godsend for me." (Team) Amen. (Derek) "It's enabled me to really understand and apply God's words to my daily living as well as my ministering to others. I will say, 'Keep up the good work and God bless you!'" And we'd say, C.H, God bless you, too, a brother in Christ. We're so glad that you're being blessed by God through the ministry of Hope Sabbath School. Runyararo writes from Zimbabwe. Runyararo says, "I watch Hope Sabbath School with my children. The lessons bring me closer to God." (Team) Amen. (Derek) "Continue working for God." Well, thanks for writing; we have a lot of Hope Sabbath School members there in Zimbabwe, and let your light shine for Jesus. Well, here's a note from my home country; you know, I'm a citizen of the United States of America now, but my home is the United Kingdom. I might even put on a British accent as I read the email. Actually, it was a letter. The donors write from England and say, "We are pleased to donate
toward your ministry. We are very thankful that the Lord is using Hope Sabbath School to minister in over 200 countries. We are blessed to watch Hope Sabbath School every week." (Team) Amen. (Derek) "And we are donating 3,000 pounds and pray the Lord will continue to use your ministry. Amen." (Team) Amen. (Derek) Some of you Googled and said, "How much is 3,000 pounds?" It's about 4,000 dollars, and I just want to say a big thank you, not because it's a big amount, though thank you for partnering with us in ministry, but a big thank you that you say, "I want to be a part of God's miracle in sharing the good news of salvation with the world." So, to the donor couple in England, thank you for your generous support and to all of our donors. hopetv.org/donate, we can all partner together to be part of this great miracle of God. That's encouraging, isn't it? Well, I think I've got one more email here. This one's from the Philippines. Debbie writes from the Philippines. Kim, do you have family
in the Philippines? That's your home, but you were born here in the U.S.? (Kim) That is correct. (Derek) Alright, well this is from Debbie Let's give Debbie a wave then. "Ever since I discovered Hope Sabbath School, I would always allot time to view your program. I'm so blessed by the ideas, understanding the Bible passages and elaborating the explanation of the Bible study. I equip myself through what you've
imparted for our Sabbath School study every Sabbath in our church." (Team) Amen. (Derek) That's awesome, isn't it? "Thank you so much. It's a great opportunity to watch Hope Sabbath School here in the Philippines." (Derek) Well, Debbie, thanks for writing to us. Over 200 countries, we have actually a Hope Channel
in the Philippines. It's very active; Hope Channel
Philippines. So, we're just so thankful that you're hearing the Word of God in a life-changing way. Right now we're going to sing a song, our theme song; it's taken from Proverbs, chapter 19 and verse 20. We're talking about education from the Word of God. "Listen to counsel, receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter days." Let's sing it together. ♪ music ♪ (Derek) Let's pray together. Father, thank You that we can listen to counsel from Your Word. Today, as we talk about <i>The Church</i> <i>as a Place of Learning,</i> that it can actually be a place where our lives continue to be transformed by Your Holy Spirit. And I pray that You would bless each Hope Sabbath School member, including our team here in the studio as we reflect on <i>The Church</i> <i>as a Place of Learning.</i> In Jesus' name. Amen. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Well, what we've been studying about in <i>Lessons for Life,</i> I think the most important lesson I've been learning is that I want to learn to love as God loves. I want to love Him with all my heart and to love those around me. And we're going to begin our study today talking about learning to love as Jesus loved in the church. That's one of the reasons that the church exists. John 13 and verse 34, Kim, would you begin our study today, a famous Word from Jesus, John 13 and verse 34. (Kim) Sure, I'll be reading from the English Standard Version: (Derek) Now, someone might say,
"Well, that's not new." It says in the book of Leviticus that we should love our neighbor as ourself. What was new about this commandment,
though? Look at the wording carefully. Jason? (Jason) The part "as I have loved you," so following Jesus' example. (Derek) Jesus, and He uses this <i>agape</i>, this self-sacrificing love. So, "Love as I have loved you,"
is the commandment. In fact, we'll discover that that is the sign. Maybe I should ask you, Kim, to read on, one more verse, if you would, in John 13 and verse 35. (Kim) Sure, and this is from the English Standard Version: (Derek) So, if the church isn't a place where we learn to love as Jesus loved, something's wrong, right? What did Jesus say in Matthew 22, verses 37 to 39? And then we'll go to a story that Jesus taught about love in action. Jason, if you have that for us? Matthew 22, Jesus summarizes what's most important in the commandments. What does He say? (Jason) I've got the New King James
Version here, Matthew 22:37-39: (Derek) So, we're talking about the church as a place of learning, how to love as Jesus did. Jesus told a story recorded in Luke 10. I think Luke's the only one that records it, Sabina, but in Luke, chapter 10, he tells the story, maybe a parable, but some say, "No, I think
it really happened," and he's basically saying, "Here's
an illustration," oh, I never thought of this before, "of the church failing to love." And yet someone loves as Jesus loved. Let's look at the story in Luke, chapter 10, verses 30 through 37. (Sabina) Okay, so I'll be reading from the New International Version,
and it says: (Derek) Alright, so what do the priest and the Levite have in common? Several things, what do they have in common? (Shaina) They are religious leaders. (Derek) Ah, they're church leaders,
that's right. That's one thing they have in common. We're talking about the church where we learn to love as Jesus did. It didn't happen here, right? What else do they have in common? (Sabina) They are familiar with the law? (Derek) They're familiar with the law. By the way, the law said we should love our neighbor as ourself in Leviticus 19. What else do they have in common? (Shaina) Well, considering, like, they're following the laws of Moses, and so they're probably Jews. (Derek) Okay, alright, so they're of the same ethnic group, right,
religious group. What else do they have in common, very obvious from the story? (Sabina) The story specifically? (Derek) Yes. (Sabina) They refuse to help... (Derek) They refuse to show love! Well, you might say, well at least the Levite stopped and thought about it but then said, "No." But they have this in common. Here we see the church leaders failing, but one man stops. And, by the way, the folk who are listening don't even want to mention that he's a Samaritan. He was the unlikely one, and yet he stops. And what is the takeaway from the story? What does Jesus say? Go and love like he did, right? Go and love like the Samaritan, right? Go and love as he loved. So, where do you see that fleshed out? Where do you see that actually happening? And then I want to ask you if you've seen it in your experience. You might say, "Derek, I want to tell you a time when the church didn't love me like Jesus loves." We probably have some of those, too, but can you think of some stories in the early Christian church where you say, "Ah! That's it; that's reflecting the love of Jesus"? Anybody think of one? Yes, Simiso. (Simiso) I think about Acts 4, after the Pentecost and when they were gathered in one accord, and how they gave such that no one was in need. (Derek) Would you read that passage for us, I think in Acts 4; let's read verses 32 to 35. Motivated by love, again, it's not trying to buy their way to Heaven, right? They've got a relationship
with their Savior, and they're loving like Jesus. How does it read there in your Bible, Acts 4:32-35? (Simiso) Reading from the New King James
Version, it says: (Derek) That's kind of a dangerous thing. I mean, don't you think people would take advantage of that kind
of generosity? Are there any checks and balances in there that you see? Because later, Paul will say, "If you don't work, you can't eat," right? So, where are the checks and balances in that story, that people don't just come and say, "Well, I'll take some money from you"? Jason? (Jason) Well, one says, "laid them at the apostle's feet," so the apostles were involved
with distributing. There was some kind of leadership, some kind of organization for how this process was going on. And these were people who were anointed by the Holy Spirit. (Derek) Full of the Holy Spirit and full of wisdom, right, and so God is guiding in that process, but it's very...It's a loving community,
isn't it? Sabina? (Sabina) It also says in verse 32 that they all were in one heart and one mind, so I think this probably helped also to keep the situation in check. (Derek) Great illustration. You say, "Wow, what would it look like today if we saw that kind of self-sacrificing love?" What would that look like? Can you think of another story? There are probably many where you see the church loving like Jesus loved -
anyone? (Shaina) I think of Dorcas, the story of Dorcas in Acts 9. (Derek) Would you read that
for us, Shaina, in Acts 9, verses 36 to 39? Dorcas, you know there are some churches, that they have a society or a group called the Dorcas. They name it after this lady. People say, "I don't know what they do there, but who was she?" And the answer is she was someone who loved like Jesus loved, right? How did she show her love, Shaina? How does it read in your Bible? (Shaina) I'm reading Acts 9, verses 36-39 from the King James Version: (Derek) Wow. By the way, what can you learn from all the people who are weeping? (Shaina) She was in the community. (Simiso) They cared for her. (Derek) There was a loving community there and how does it describe those people who were weeping? They were widows, right? So, her ministry was to show the love of Jesus to...? Those in need, right? And maybe there were some others
besides widows, but that was her ministry, and that was a loving community. Now, she gets raised from the dead, not because she made the coats, right, but because why, why did Peter raise her from the dead? Lots of people died and stayed dead,
waiting, Jesus said, until the resurrection at the end, right? Why do you think, Jason, Peter raised this godly woman from the dead? (Jason) It may have been that he, through the power of the Holy Spirit, knew that she was needed in this community, particularly, and there may not have been someone
to do her role, and so she had to be alive for her ministry to take place, and these people, to get the help they needed. (Derek) I think that's a safe answer, the Holy Spirit knew, and Peter's guided by the Holy Spirit. Sabina? (Sabina) The text even says, that right after resurrecting her, he takes her by hand and helps her to her feet, and then he called the believers,
especially the widows. So, I think he had in mind because God impressed in him the importance that she had
in that community. (Derek) Because she was reflecting the love of Jesus in the community. So, let's talk about today. How can our churches be like that, Christian churches, be places that love like Jesus loves? Yes, Shaina. (Shaina) If we consider the fact that the church is not necessarily
a building, but each individual person makes up the church. It starts from each person learning how to love like Jesus, and then the body will be able to make impacts in our communities. (Derek) So, you would say, start loving like Jesus, yourself? Didn't Jesus say, "Go and do likewise?" (Team) Yes. (Derek) So, start loving
like Jesus, yourself, and hopefully it will be contagious? People may join. Sabina? (Sabina) And just by taking the example of what the early church did
through Dorcas and also the people who were sharing their belongings, I think that one of the things that we can do concretely is look at people's felt needs. Look around in our community, even among our church family, and see what is it that people are in need of? Is there anything that I can do to alleviate their pain, to help them in school or help their family? So, that's something we can do. (Derek) And for the widows, apparently, "I could really use a coat." And Dorcas says, "I can make that. I could do something to really meet that need," right? If we just took that one lesson, we're talking about <i>The Church</i> <i>as a Place of Learning,</i> that God desires that in the church we learn to love as Jesus loved. And it may be through hearing the story of the Samaritan or a testimony of somebody, a modern Dorcas, right, sharing what she's been doing. I remember I was in Australia, and members of a little church said, "We make promise boxes, and we put Bible promises, but because of the computer, you can do search and replace. Every promise would have Kim's name on it or Simiso's name or Shaina's or Jason's or Sabina's name. So, it would say, "Fear not, Simiso, for I am with you." But when they gave it to John, it would say, "Fear not, John...,"
"Fear not, Susan..." They had given away 1500 promise boxes in their little community. I thought that was beautiful! You know, maybe somewhere else there were seamstresses who could make... But they could make promise boxes. We can all do something to reflect the love of Jesus. Alright, let's move on to the second way that we can learn, and that is to reflect, learning to reflect the light of Jesus. John, chapter 1, verses 6 through 9, talks about the light, and John the Baptist is speaking here. Simiso, would you read verses 6 through 9 of John, chapter 1? (Simiso) Sure, I'm reading from the New King James Version, John, chapter 1, verses 6 to 9: (Derek) And that true Light was...? (Team) Jesus. (Derek) Well, just go over to John, chapter 8 and verse 12, and we'll find the answer to the question. John, chapter 8 and verse 12, Kim, what does...I gave it away... what does Jesus say (John 8 and verse 12)? (Kim) I'll be reading from the English Standard Version: (Derek) Now, I want you to notice the second half of the verse because we're talking about reflecting the light of Jesus, learning how to do that in church. What does Jesus say in the text? Not only, "I'm the light of the world, but..."? (Team) "Whoever follows Me..." (Derek) "Whoever follows Me will," what? (Team) "...not walk in darkness but also have that light..." (Derek) They'll have that light. Does that remind you of another teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount? Do you remember that? Matthew, chapter 5? (Derek, Simiso) You're the light
of the world. (Derek) Simiso, could you
read that for us? You say, "Wait a minute, Jesus,<i>
You're</i> the Light of the world. What do you mean, '<i>I'm</i> the light
of the world?'" Well, let's see what Jesus says in Matthew 5, verses 14 through 16. (Simiso) Verses 14 through 16 from the New King James Version: (Derek) That's where we got
the little song, "This Little Light of Mine," right? Jesus is the Light of the world. How is it possible that <i>we</i> could be the light of the world? There's only one way, what is it? Jason? (Jason) Jesus has to be in us. (Derek) Absolutely, the light of Jesus in us, by the Holy Spirit, shines out from us, and people see, not our light but...? (Derek, Team) His light. (Derek) And they give glory, not to us... (Team) ...but to God. (Derek) ...but to our Father in Heaven. They see the light of Jesus shining out of us. When did you first learn that Jesus wanted His light to shine through you to others? Sabina? (Sabina) I'm thinking here, I had experiences as a child and even growing up, but there was one situation in my life where I really learned the importance of letting Jesus' light shine through us, and that's when I was living in Uganda a few years ago. And I visited a church that was in the city of Gulu, that's in the bushes of Uganda. And there was this church; they built a community to take care of orphans and widows, and they were doing that after buying land that once had been the stonghold of the Lord's Resistance Army, which is considered a terrorist group that was killing and taking children, kidnapping them, to be children soldiers. And for me it was very powerful to see how that church community had been able to switch
around the situation and even had bought that land that represented, you know, darkness and sadness and death, and brought it to be something that shines the light of Jesus. So, for me it was so impactful, and I thought, "Lord, please use me this way also." I want to be able to change
some community. I want to be able to change my family, people around me, this way because it was powerful. It was very beautiful. (Derek) Now, that's a powerful testimony, that Sabina felt a stronger - I think you wanted the light of Jesus to shine through you before - but a stronger desire to let the light of Jesus shine through you because of what you saw, right? (Sabina) Exactly. (Derek) Taking over a terrorist territory and having a place that cares for widows and orphans, so beautiful. Anybody else, where did you kind of realize it's not just about trying to stay out of trouble till Jesus comes, but actually letting His light shine through you? Anybody? Kim? (Kim) Sure, so I went to a non-Christian university, and, just looking around me, I saw students who were depressed and addicted to drugs and alcohol;
they were going through their own struggles. And I saw that Jesus could really use His light to help give me the words to speak to my friends who were going through hard times. (Derek) So, how did you do that? (Kim) I made sure I was in His Word, yes, and just prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to inspire me to share a word with them. (Derek) And while Kim was sharing, maybe Simiso could see, the folks in the back couldn't but she was smiling because a smile is a powerful witness, isn't it? When I come, not frowning, damning somebody, you know, "Well, you've got a big problem with," blah, blah, blah, blah,
this, this and this" but saying, "I just want the light of Jesus to dispel some darkness here." I remember a time I walked
into a dorm room, and I could literally feel the darkness. Have you ever felt the darkness? I'm not talking about the light isn't on; you feel darkness there. And that's where you need to call out to Jesus and say, "Jesus, be here and let Your light shine through me," because we cannot dispel darkness, right, but Jesus can. Anybody else, maybe you sense a way that Jesus is calling you even now to dispel darkness. Shaina? (Shaina) This was a couple years ago. I went to visit some friends in Boston in Massachusetts, and before I was, I guess you could say I was in the mindset of staying out of trouble until Jesus comes..." (Derek) Rather than letting His light
just shine out. (Shaina) Shine through me. And that church, it was the Sabbath, and the church decided that, instead of having service, we were going to go out into the community and meet the needs, so there were different groups. There was one group that went to a nursing home. The group that I was with went to a specific spot in the middle of Boston to see the homeless population. We had care packages and food. And I saw an overdose happen in the middle of the day, and that shook me. And my friend Billy actually was with me, and he was like, "You need to do more. Like, if this is shaking you up, then you have to be more impactful and be more intentional about being a light because there are so many more people that are lost and that are like this." And so, that was actually a wake-up moment
for me, that, from then on, all the moves that I've made in my life have been to ensure that I'm being a light wherever I go. (Derek) Beautiful, beautiful. By the way, they didn't cancel church that day, did they? (Team) No. (Simiso) They had church. (Derek) They had church; they took church outside. (Jason) They grew the church. They grew the church. (Derek) They grew the church. They took the church to the streets and let their light... Didn't Jesus say, "Don't hide the light..."? (Team) "...under a bushel." (Derek) "...under a bushel," or a basket, "but put it on a lampstand," in the middle of town where someone is going to overdose and needs some darkness dispelled. You say, "I thought church was just going and having a little religious service once a week," but it's learning how to love as Jesus did. It's a place where we can learn to let the light of Jesus
shine through us. We can also learn what it means
to be a disciple. Remember Jesus said, "Go out and make disciples." Well, I've got several questions. First of all, what is a disciple and, secondly, how do you make one? But let's start with what is a disciple? We want to talk about the church as a place where we learn
to be disciples. What is a disciple? Anybody? What does the word mean, do you know? Mathétés in the Greek. It means a "learner." Learn what? Well, I suppose you could have a disciple to a plumber or a disciple to a seamstress, a disciple to a scientist of some kind. What is this talking about,
"make disciples"? (Shaina) Of Christ. (Derek) For Jesus, that's right. Jesus called the 12 to be His disciples, and there were many others
who were disciples, 120 in the Upper Room, right, men and women who were
disciples of Jesus. So, to be a learner of Jesus. How do we make them? Sabina, how do we make them? That sounds kind of like something
that we do. Can we make a disciple of Jesus? (Sabina) I believe that if we
look to the Bible and see how is it that Jesus Himself made disciples, just to begin with. And this was by asking people
to follow Him. So, obviously He was God, and He was making disciples of Himself, but as for us, we can ask people to be with us, and we can help them in what they are doing as we walk, as we go. And then we are going to point them to Jesus because they are going to be disciples of Jesus and not of ourselves, even though we can reflect the light of Christ to them. But it's ultimately to help to lead them to Jesus. (Derek) A Bible text, and Shaina, I'll come to your point, a Bible text flashed into my mind while Sabina was sharing that, where she said we encourage them
to follow; we're followers of Jesus, but we point them to Jesus to become a follower of Jesus. It's in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 1. I hope, Jason, I have the right reference because it just came into my mind here, 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 1. But, really, I suppose we
do make disciples by pointing them to Jesus. We're not the Disciple Maker,
really, are we? But we join Jesus in His work. How does Paul share that process in 1 Corinthians 11 and verse 1? (Jason) The New King James Version says this, 1 Corinthians 11, verse 1: (Derek) "Follow Me," some translations say. Sabina? (Sabina) Mine says, the New International Version says: (Derek) Alright, it's like, "I don't want you to be a disciple of me, but you can follow, but let's then both follow Jesus together." Shaina, you had an earlier comment. (Shaina) Yeah, I was just going to say, in order to make disciples, you first have to be a disciple. (Derek) I felt you were going to say that, and that is so foundational. In fact, what Sabina was saying, how can I say, "Follow me..."? (Shaina) If I'm not convinced by the thing I'm teaching you. (Derek) And if I'm not following
Jesus myself, I'm just going to be the blind, what did Jesus say, the blind...? (Derek, Team) "...leading the blind." (Derek) And they both fall into a pit. And then I didn't do anything useful. So, I need to learn from Jesus first. How do I learn from Jesus?
Let's get practical. Church is a place, right? How do I learn from Jesus so that then I can invite someone else, say, "Let's learn from Jesus together"? How do I learn from Jesus? How do you learn from Jesus? I mean, Jesus ascended to Heaven. He died and rose again, right, victorious over the grave,
ascended to Heaven. How do we learn from Jesus today, Simiso? (Simiso) He left us His Holy Spirit, and He left us His Word, His Love Letter that He wrote to us that we can all study together, and not only study it but also apply it. One foundational thing that I learned from the church
is to forgive because people will hurt you
in the church, and that's a community where you can actually learn. (Derek) Why would I want to go to church if people hurt me there? Why would people hurt me in the church? (Simiso) They're people. (Derek) Because we're all
broken people, right, learning to walk with Jesus, so sometimes we'll get hurt. Learning to forgive, alright. Someone else, the church, we're talking about the church, a place where we learn to be a disciple. Well, let's look at a passage that Jesus shares with His disciples in Matthew 10, verses 5 through 8, because back to something Shaina said earlier from her trip
to Boston, being a disciple is not (to quote the words) just trying to stay out of trouble until Jesus comes, right? "I don't know what's going to happen
to any of you, but I'm just trying to stay out of trouble until Jesus comes," and we're like, "Wait a minute, no." Jesus, if I'm going to follow Him... Sabina, what does Jesus say in Matthew 10, verses 5 through 8? (Sabina) Okay, so I'll be reading from the New International Version,
and it says: (Derek) "Freely you have received..."? (Team) "Freely give." (Derek) Freely you have received from...? (Derek, Team) From Jesus, from God. (Derek) So, now, go out and give of what you have received. By the way, some people say, "Why only to the lost sheep of Israel?" Well, that's to the 12 disciples. Later to the 70, He said, "Go to every town and village," you know. He'll then tell us, "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth," right? So, starting there in Judea, but it's going to go to the ends of the earth. And He tells them... What is He asking them to do? Raise the dead, heal the sick,
cast out demons, what is He saying? You are...? You are what? (Sabina) We are supposed to do what Jesus was doing. (Derek) Right, "You are," if you will, "an extension of My ministry. We're joining together in this ministry, and that's something I want you to do." How do you feel about that? Joining Jesus in His ministry, what emotions come to your heart when you think about that? Sabina? (Sabina) I feel privileged. (Derek) Okay. (Sabina) I feel very humbled and special at the same time, that God would trust me with power from the Holy Spirit to do the works that He did. And, even though feeling incapable and, like, who am I to heal the sick, to raise people from the dead, to cast out demons? But, through His name, by His power, He can use me, and that makes me feel very loved by Him also. (Derek) I still remember a day I was in a church, a chapel, actually. It was a prayer service in the middle of the week, and a young lady came in that Jesus was going to heal that night. What I struggle with is, I know Jesus has a lot of faith, but my faith is not that strong. So, when we sense God calling us, by the way, the Spirit of God spoke to me, and I said, "Maybe we should invite her to an anointing service?" The Spirit of God spoke to me clearly and said, "I'm going to heal her tonight." Simiso, I was praying for myself, "God, strengthen my faith." Do you know that that night, this young lady who had been cutting herself and had been bulemic and dealing with all kinds of weight since she was a little girl, that Jesus healed her that night by the power of His name. But I think it is joyful privilege, but it's also humbling awareness that God is going to do something that without Him would be absolutely impossible, right? But if I'm following Him, He might ask me to lay hands on that person in the name of Jesus. He may ask me to pray a bold prayer like Elijah when he stretched his body over a lifeless child and said, "O, Lord my God, let this child's breath return to him." How do we know when we're supposed to do that? What's the answer? (Shaina) You have to stay
in touch with Him. (Derek) You have to stay... and that's part of what church
is for isn't it? Staying connected to God, saying, "Jesus, I'm Your disciple. Help me to listen carefully as You teach me and follow
wherever You lead." It's an incredible privilege, an incredible responsibility. Is there anybody that has been an important example to you of a disciple? You say, "You know, when I look at her, I see...," I'm talking, not just in the Bible now, but right now, "I see someone who has learned to be a disciple of Jesus." Anybody have someone that comes
to your mind? You know, why would we hesitate? Because we've never seen someone or because we don't want to bring too much attention to a person? We want to give the glory to Jesus, but doesn't He have people that model that for us? Who comes to your mind?
Anybody? Sabina? (Sabina) Yeah, I'm thinking about the wife of a pastor that I had in Brazil. Her name was Lelah. She was an elder, a very sweet lady. And there was one time that she powerfully spoke to me. I used to teach young children, and there was an event, a sad situation in which the mom had brought the child, and unfortunately the child was not supposed to be there, but I couldn't recognize it because there were so many kids with me. And in the following day, this lady called the wife of my pastor to complain about it because I couldn't recognize that the child was not supposed to be there. And I didn't do that out of a mean attitude. I just couldn't remember it because I'm a human. But this lady, she was new in the church, and she was so upset,
so very upset with me. And then the wife of the pastor called me, and she told me, "Sabina,
that's what's happening." I need you to call this lady, and you need to speak with her to say sorry and be very humble and sweet with her." And that's what I did, and I learned from this lady, Lelah, that I needed to be, even in a situation where I feel like there was some injustice, that I had to be humble and treat people with the humbleness that I wish they would treat me with. So, I'm grateful for this lady in my life. (Derek) Basically, Lelah was encouraging you to reflect Jesus, right? You've learned from Him. It's amazing when God may call us as a disciple to do something remarkable. I'm remembering Juanita,
Juanita Kretschmar, a wonderful woman of God. She was preaching in a location. Someone came up (she shared the story with me), had a sick child and said, "Will you pray for my child?" It was actually after the church service. They were about to eat a fellowship meal together. And Juanita prayed in the name of Jesus for the child, burning up with a fever, prayed in the name of Jesus, and the lady went away. When the meal was over, the lady came back; the child was completely healed. And Juanita got a little bit, I wouldn't say frustrated with God, but she had a question. She said, "God, why did You do that?" We pray for a lot of people, and we don't always see such miraculous changes. And the answer is, "Just do what I ask you to do," right? "Just follow Me as a disciple." And hopefully, as Lelah was a disciple, she said to you, "Follow me as I'm following Jesus." Powerful lessons of <i>Church</i> <i>as a Place of Learning.</i> It's not just a religious duty
once a week. It's a place where we learn to love as Jesus loved, where we learn to reflect the light of Jesus, we learn to be disciples, what that looks like. We also learn more of God's truth if we're in a church that is teaching God's truth, right? (Team) Yes. (Derek) And so, part of what we are looking for when we're looking for a church as a place of learning, is a church that teaches from the Word of God. Well, there's a story in John, chapter 3, about a religious leader who still had more to learn. I have a lot of respect for Nicodemus. You could say, "He came by night!" Well, he did, but he came. Jason, the story, could you pick it up for us in a beautiful passage in John, chapter 3, beginning with verse 1. He had a lot to learn. He had <i>more</i> to learn, let me say, about the Word of God, even though he already was well studied, and I think the church as a place of learning, is saying, "God, I've learned a lot, but there's more You want to teach me of Your Word." Let's pick up the story in verse 1 of John 3. (Jason) Alright, I'm reading from the New King James Version, John, chapter 3, verse 1 here and...? (Derek) Through verse 15. (Jason) All the way through verse 15, it says: (Derek) Now, Nicodemus, I'm sure, had heard the story from the book of Numbers about the bronze serpent. Did he understand that that was pointing to what Messiah would do for us? He didn't understand that, did he? He did not understand what we talked about in a previous study, the prophecy in Isaiah 53, that Jesus would be wounded for our transgressions. He had a different perception of Messiah. So, sometimes, when we come to church - the church here was with Jesus personally, right - we learn insights; we read
the Scripture before, but we didn't really understand what the Scripture was saying. There's another illustration in Luke, chapter 4, where Jesus comes to Nazareth. There's a prophecy; Kim, maybe you could read it for us starting in Luke 4, verse 16
through verse 23. There's a prophecy that Isaiah the prophet had written 700 years earlier, but they don't understand it, that it's actually coming to pass now. Let's see what Jesus says. (Kim) Sure, Luke, chapter 4, verses 16 to 23, I'm reading from the English Standard Version: (Derek) They're doubting. At first they go, "Wow, marvelous words, but wait a minute; He's just the carpenter's son, right? How can He be saying, 'Scripture is fulfilled'?" So, it's not always easy to gain a new insight from Scripture, right? The Bible says that, "His Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path." Can you think of a time when you were in a church, a place of learning, where the Word of God was being shared, and you gained a new insight that really challenged you, maybe to look at something you heard before differently. That's what God desires, one of the things, to happen in church. A time you just heard something, you shared in a previous study, Simiso, about the priest, didn't examine the penitent sinner but the lamb, and Jesus, of course, is the spotless Lamb. That was a powerful insight. A time when you learned something from the Word of God in church, Kim. (Kim) Growing up, I always thought I had to obey God or else He would punish me. I didn't understand the character
of God correctly, but through a pastor and his sermons, he was able to show me that God is truly love. He loves me, and I should obey Him because I love Him. (Derek) That's a breakthrough, right? (Kim) Yeah. (Derek) Somebody else, from the Word of God, Sabina. (Sabina) I can think about the first time that I understood the meaning of "the Lamb of God that takes away the sin from the world." (Derek) That was John the Baptist who said that, right? (Sabina) Exactly, like, I grew up in a church where I would always here people saying that, but I couldn't really understand it. And when I came to understand that
as a teenager and I understood the plan of redemption, for me it was just life-changing. (Derek) That Jesus came, not to condemn you, didn't it say that in John 3:17? But that the world through Him, or that Sabina, Kim, Jason, Simiso, Shaina, all of our Hope Sabbath School members,
might be saved. So, it's so important that in church we're not just going through religious rituals or ceremonies, but we're hearing the Word of God in a life-changing way. Anyone else? Jason, have you ever had a time where you just heard a word and it was like, "Wow, the Word of God to me today"? (Jason) Yeah, I was listening to a sermon, and the pastor was talking about letting your light shine and was sharing very practical ways, kind of like we discussed about how we can make a difference, and I realized, you know, because I've always thought of myself as a good Christian. I read my Bible, I pray, but it's not just about these individual things I do; it's also about sharing with other people, and it made me realize that I could be out in my community
making a difference. (Derek) Or on Hope Sabbath School, right? You're all volunteers; is anyone here paid to be here today? You say, "No, we're here because the Word of God has impacted our lives." How could this awareness, learning to love as Jesus did, at church, learning to reflect His light, learning to be a disciple, learning more of His Word, how could that revolutionize our attitude as we go to church to worship God in spirit and truth, if we think about church that way?
Yes, Sabina. (Sabina) I think you can go to church looking forward to learning something new from God, you know, ready to hear His voice, and it's not something boring, that you're going to listen always the same things, that the Holy Spirit is ready to teach you something new that day. So, this can change your attitude in going to church, just hoping to learn something new, from who God is and who God
wants you to be. (Derek) Maybe you're watching, and you're saying, "I think I better go back to church." Well, some of our churches
are still closed; we can go on Zoom, perhaps. But once church opens, go with that attitude, that the church is a place of learning, to learn more about loving as Jesus did, to learn more about reflecting His light, to learn more about His Word for us and to learn what it means
to be a disciple. You say, "Pastor Derek, there's more to learn," and I agree. It is a journey with Jesus our Savior by our side. Let's pray; Father in Heaven, we thank You for helping us to understand that church is a place of learning, not just a place to have religious rituals and cermonies, a place to deepen our relationship
with You. And I pray that as we go to church we would discover what it means to worship You in spirit and truth. In Jesus' name. Amen. (Team) Amen. (Derek) Well, thanks for joining us for Hope Sabbath School. We're talking about <i>Lessons for Life,</i> education from the Bible. We've been challenged to look at church in a new way, and that is to go to learn to draw closer to Jesus. I pray you'll do that, and then go out and be a blessing to those around you. ♪ theme music ♪
