Sabbath School Study Hour

'Both evangelism and the desire for justice spring from recognizing God’s love for lost, broken, and hurt people—a love that also grows in our hearts under the influence of God in our lives. We don’t choose one action or another; instead, we work with God in working with people, meeting their real needs, and using whatever resources God has entrusted us with.'

'If it is real, our faith will cause us to die to self and live more for others. Our faith helps us imagine the world and its people as God sees them, in both their goodness and their brokenness, and it impels us to seek to help those in need, to whatever degree possible.'

'How can and should the hope and promise of Jesus’ return impact how we live now, especially in the context of helping those in need?'

'We can accept that God loves people other than just ourselves. He loves those we love, and we rejoice in that. He also loves those we reach out to, and our recognition of this truth is often our motivation for our own reaching out to them. But He also loves those whom we are uncomfortable with, or even afraid of. God loves all people, everywhere, even those whom we might not particularly like.'

'If you were to pass away, would your contribution be mourned and missed like the ministry of Dorcas was remembered and mourned? How can we leave a better legacy of service? What practical skills do you have—like Dorcas’s skills with making garments—that you might use in service to others?'

'Jesus’ teaching is practical, focused on what it means to live as a follower of God. As such, we can see that Jesus urges us toward acts of justice, kindness, and mercy, like those that Jesus Himself did while here on earth.'

'Among other reasons for His incarnation, Jesus came to show us what God is like. He did this by His teaching, by His sacrifice, and by His life; that is, by how He interacted with ordinary people. Many of His actions made immediate, real-world changes in the lives of others.'

'True worship is not just something that happens during a religious ritual. True worship is also about living a life that shares God’s concerns for the well-being of others and that seeks to lift up those who have been downtrodden and forgotten.'

'Throughout the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah, one of God’s responses was to send prophets to speak His will and to remind the Israelite leaders and people of their God-given responsibilities to the forgotten members of their society.'

'Psalms and Proverbs depict the experience of living with God in the common things of life, not just in times of worship or in other religious activities.'